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RTG Sunderland Message Boards
The sooner people stop solely relying on one stat to judge players end product the better. Can play a two yard pass and get an assist like v Norwich or he could create chance after chance like he has done recently and get nowt.
Yesterday was the fourth time in the last six games that he's created a chance for someone who's hit the post/bar - Ba at Swansea, Bellingham & Rusyn v Birmingham and Aouchiche v West Brom. His ability to carry the ball up the pitch is a large part of what creates these chances. He also hit it himself at Swansea when the keeper luckily managed to grab it at the second attempt to stop it going in. In this spell of games he's put two deep crosses in to the back post for our main set piece routine to create the goal against Huddersfield and our second against Birmingham, put one on a plate for Ballard at Millwall last week, put one on a plate for Aouchiche yesterday in the first half before Bellingham tapped in and created two big chances for Rusyn at Plymouth. Even going back to QPR away he played Pritchard in who somehow managed to miss before Ballard tapped it in.
The criticism on here recently for his supposed lack of end product has been nonsense for the most part, bar Huddersfield he's been in good form for a while. He does frustrating things like not getting a shot away yesterday for the penalty shout or his miss against Boro after he dribbled past seventeen players but there's a reason he's been let go by Man City and is in the Championship, no winger at this level will be perfect.
We're a far far far better team with him in that than we are without. Based on his performances of late the goals and assists aren't far away at all.