Shall we start with a few numbers and comparisons? What about dribbles? I appreciate a forward is judged on goals, but that is very one-dimensional If a striker is not scoring, yet he’s playing regular and the team are winning, is his all round involvement not important? Of course it is. Therefore dribbles, passes etc are all factors that should be considered.
This season John Akinde has made 151 dribbles in matches he’s been involved in. On average per game he makes 9.6 successful dribbles, which is around 65% success rate. The method by which Whoscored collate dribble information doesn’t make this comparable, but I’m reliably informed that this success figure is the highest in the side. Remember, Bruno Andrade is the wing wizard whom we all say is good on the ball and yet John Akinde is the joint best in the side according to the stats.
What about passes? He’s made 156 short passes in games he’s been involved in this season, averaging 15.9 per game with an 83% success rate. Shall we compared that to some bigger players? I’m not saying John Akinde is as good as Billy Sharp here, nor the other players I compare him too, but the point is their impact to their respective sides.
Billy Sharp, talisman of Sheffield United and part of the reason they’re looking to the Premier League, makes 14.3 passes per game with a 70.9 success rate. Lewis Grabban, last year’s leading Championship scorer, makes 14 per game with an 81% success rate. In fact, only 35 players in the Championship have an 83% pass success rate or higher, midfielders and forwards. When you consider every full match day features around 330 players, that gives an impression of what a good return 83% is.
There’s other stats too, Akinde has been involved in a defensive one on one situation 21 times this season, or 2.1 times per game. He’s made 18 defensive headers, 1.8 per game and (believe it because this is 100% fact) made 306 offensive headers, averaging 30 per game., Thirty headers. I know that raises a question about us not being long ball, but it also perfectly demonstrates his involvement. His success rate in aerial challenges is 65%, making him successful (on average) 19.5 times in a game. The leading winner of aerial duels in the Championship is Lukas Jutkiewicz with 12.2.
We’ll move on to Akinde’s shot data too. There’s no secret he’s struggled for luck in front of goal, there’s been a couple of games where his finish has just let him down. He’s had 25 shots at goal this season, 2.5 per game. Kemar Roofe has the same shots per game for Leeds. Dwight Gayle has fewer, 2.3 for West Brom. Sadio Mane has 2.3 per game for Liverpool, Romelu Lukaku 2.1 for Manchester United. His touch won’t desert him every time, but John Akinde is getting into the positions and finding chances on a regular basis. What is it Danny says? He’d rather have a forward miss ten chances than only get into position for one or two? A player of John’s quality, no matter what Tina from the chip shop says, will find his touch. In the mean time, his overall involvement speaks for itself.
You want more? Okay, here’s more.
With John Akinde in the team, Lincoln City pick up 2.8 points per game, which would give us a season total of 128.8. Without him in the side we average just one point per game, or 46 over a season. Yes, stats can be made to tell a story, but seriously, 46 is relegation numbers, 128.8 is record numbers. It is a team effort and those figures aren’t solely hinging on the impact Akinde alone has, but it’s more than coincidence.
You want more? What about key passes? Short passes to and from a team-mate are all well and good, but John Akinde has made 27 key passes this season, 2.7 per game. A key pass is one that leads to a chance for a team-mate. Only five players in the Premier League have a better key pass ratio than that, with the likes of Christian Eriksen and Mo Salah way behind on 1,9 per game. In the Championship only Oliver Norwood has a better key pass average. That is ONE player in the whole second tier making as many key passes for his side as John Akinde makes for Lincoln City.
Jack Grealish, £25m rated at Aston Villa, makes two key passes per game. Samu Saiz, the Leeds United magician, makes 1.9. Eden Hazard is only marginally better on 2.8 per game. I know Akinde isn’t as good as these players, but his contribution to Lincoln City is better than their contribution to their sides, bar Hazard, Just.
With him on the pitch, not necessarily directly involved in play but as part of the team, the numbers are impressive. We shoot every 408 seconds, the highest amount of shots with a single player on the field. We create a clear-cut chance every 34 minutes and we score every 48 minutes. Nobody has a better set of figures than that this season. Nobody. Yet he still gets abuse on social media.
Here’s perhaps my favourite stat, one that should make people sit back and think for a minute. We’re top of the league and in terms of minutes played, John Akinde is one of our key players, our number nine. Without him we would not be where we are right now. That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is almost certain. There’s no conjecture, no opinion, no ‘but he looks lazy’ or ‘he missed this chance or that’. It is almost certain.
If we were eighth or ninth I could understand the opinions, within reason. If we weren’t scoring or if a lack of goals was letting us down, I could understand it. The numbers don’t lie, performance data doesn’t tell porkies. These numbers are 100% correct up to the evening of the Cambridge game and although you may doubt that, I’m sure there’s someone at the club who would verify it if they were allowed.
Where did I get them? Never you mind. Just know this; John Akinde is not on ‘ropey ground’, he’s not ‘on his way out’ or whatever rubbish is being spouted right now. Booing him when he comes on, half fit, to fill a lonely role up front is moronic. I’ll admit he didn’t look fantastic against Cambridge, but it wasn’t an easy game to come into and perform, not carrying a knock. He had to plough a lone furrow and it didn’t work every time, but even with that data in these figures he would still be the massive influence he’s proven to be.
Still, we all need a scapegoat right? Personally, I choose referees after the last two we’ve had, but for some reason a section of fans think it must be the case of our centre forward who has some incredibly impressive statistics to his name already.
These numbers are 100% correct as of Friday evening and are absolutely reflective of the data collected and used on a daily basis by the club. I guarantee it.
Well said and some fascinating facts! I equally don’t understand the need to pick on players like this and it’s certainly not going to help anyone, least the side, is it? I have a strong memory of John when he came on. Picking the ball up midway in their half, sprinting (you had to look at the defenders trying to catch him to realise how quickly he was running because he makes it look so effortless..or is it lazy?) with the ball, looking up to see Tom Pett approaching the box and laying a ball towards him that a defender just managed to clear for a corner. He’s a great acquisition in my view and will continue to be a major factor in the success of our season.
Give the lad a chance , He’s just moved up to Lincolnshire, he’s got a lot on his plate at the moment just settling in to his new role at the club let alone moving his family etc. Take mine and lots of others word for it…He will come to the party. If you where marking him for the opponents would you look forward to it ? Doubt it.
“Without him we would not be where we are right now. That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is fact. There’s no conjecture, no opinion, no ‘but he looks lazy’ or ‘he missed this chance or that’. It is fact.”
While not disagreeing with the article, this clearly isn’t “a fact” and is absolutely open to conjecture or opinion. We have no idea where we’d be in the league if a different player had played instead of JA during his time on the pitch…
Fair point.
I’m afraid you come across as a bit preachy sometimes Gary…… those who disagree with your view often described as numpties or words to that effect… You have always had the odd player you didn’t rate Ollie Palmer for one. Almost from day 1 you didnt give him much of a chance. I think you tweeted him as being the most over rated of Danny’s signings…. given he is a goal machine for Crawley it would be interesting to see if he would have been similarly prolific given the opportunities being created by the current Imps side. Apart from the very occasional run into the channels it’s hard to argue that Akinde is a better player than Rheady on the evidence so far. It would be interesting to see how effective Rhead would be in the more forward roll he would occupy compared to last season if he were given a run of games. That said most would agree he couldn’t sustain a full season in the roll. Rheady will be first choice tomorrow. It would take a numpty to argue against that on current form.?
The most surprising stat from Whoscored.com on John Akinde is the fact they have him down as being South African! Since when…?
Said this before. If he was white, he’d be lauded as a fantastic signing who has contributed extremely well in the short time he’s been here. But no. Hes ‘lazy’ and ‘uninterested’. Embarrassing. You know what’s even funnier? People screaming at him to press the Cambridge back 4 in the second half on Saturday. Yea, great idea lads, commit yourself by pressing WITHOUT SUPPORT FROM YOUR TEAM-MATES therefore abandoning the defensive shape and leaving a huge gap for Cambridge to expose. Idiots. These people would rather see themselves proved right than see John do well.
Agree with JB on all his/her points
You’re spot on. And it’s an opinion that most probably can’t voice because “UGH SNOWFLAKE IM NOT A RACIST MY UNCLES POSTMAN IS BLACK” will be the reply. Were 3 clear and in first why make a scape goat?
Tricky one to say. I can think of Torpey and Palmer who are similalry sized players who get stick, and they are white. But saying that neither of them scored half the goals Akinde did and not even near the same quality. I do start to wonder if it is this. The last great player we had who ended up playing much higher up who was labelled lazy and over paid etc was N’Guessan. Which says a lot to me.
John doesn’t need anyone or anything to “defend” him, he’s quality through and through. Our club are on a roll, enjoy,enthuse and love every damn minute. We have never been in such good hands, from the Chairman downwards.
Don’t think there is any question on Akindis ability,but last season it was deemed we didn’t score enough goals and if we had have done promotion would have happened, so the fans said we need a goal scorer in the likes of Pope, Doidge or Norwood,so money was spent to bring in a goal machine, Akindi as yet hasn’t produced and with Rheady showing more quality in front of goal I wonder if he will get the chance.
The position we find ourselves in the league no player needs to be questioned about their ability, least of all John Akinde. People need to sit back and reflect where we are, get down to sincil bank and cheer the team on. If a player is a bit “off it” that’s what it is. 14 players have contributed to our goal tally this year and remember a striker is not a “goal machine” Go look at the stats of stikers up and down the country. I would rather have a striker contributing to those other 13 players, that’s what makes successful teams. what would peoples opinion be if in the next ten game Akindie scored none but assisted 6? answers on a postcard please. Would a lot of fans still be binkered?
Personally i thnk JA will get better later in the season plus next(hopefully in league 2) he will enjoy more space to run with ball.Im not a manager but would have brought greeny on to run the channels and chase down the goalie /defenders but im not Danny or Nicky who do know best.
The Cowleys’ objective for strikers is overall contribution, a ‘goal machine’ who does nothing else isn’t their type of player, Rheady and Green both had long goaless periods but were contributing to creating opportunities for others.
The stats prove what most of us can see, that Akinde is an integral part of a top of the table team, our goals are coming from many sources and he’s creating a fair few either directly (2 great headed layoffs for Pett and McCartan v Macc and MK) or through his movement pulling the defence out of shape.
We’re top of the league yet people still want to moan. There are some sad individuals out there.
We are top of the league.
We are playing some of the best football I have seen in 47 years of following the Imps.
We have a couple of blokes running this team who have raised the whole city.
We went to Wembley last season, and won.
We are favorites to win the league this season.
People will always find something to moan about.
As JB said above: ‘These people would rather see themselves proved right than see John do well.’
Move on Gary, you can’t change the way people are wired-up.
Whatever happens between now and next May, we will always have the highlights film from Exeter v Lincoln on 1st Sept 2018. It takes just two minutes to watch. John’s skill and attitude during that game were enough to convince me that he is a remarkable player, and that we are lucky to have him at our club.