Mass makes the Championship top 20 despite being a league 1 standard player

[Stanley]

In Mass' defence he has greatly improved since Ollie's arrival. Much of his best work goes largely unnoticed. He is quietly very effective in tackling, breaking up play, is strong on the ball with good retention and has a high passing accuracy rate - and I don't require stats to tell me any of that, as it's been clear to see (for me at least) since the turn of the year.

[Tarbie]

In Mass' defence he has greatly improved since Ollie's arrival. Much of his best work goes largely unnoticed. He is quietly very effective in tackling, breaking up play, is strong on the ball with good retention and has a high passing accuracy rate - and I don't require stats to tell me any of that, as it's been clear to see (for me at least) since the turn of the year.

One of the top 20 players in the division though? Not for me.

I'm not a big Mass hater either. I reckon their is a decent player in there. But I also reckon there at least 10 or 15 more effective central midfielders than him in this division!

[Shania]

He is one of our players who clearly suffer when Lynch hoofs it to Matt Smith.

[WeAreQPR12]

Quite like mass if I am honest. Works hard and plays smart

[nasser95]

WhoScored.com........Opta.....makes no odds to me mate. I trust what I see, not what a stats man tells me.

Who decides what a "relevant action" is anyway?

Well firstly, stats are based on what people see, they're recorded by eyes, same way your eyes record whatever you want to see... the only difference is they're out there looking for specific things.

As for what is a relevant action, as was said above, a tackle from a defensive midfielder is considered a relevant action, a successful pass forward, a chance created, it all depends on the position a player is playing. Keeping a clean sheet is less relevant for a striker than it is for a defender so a defender's match rating will go up more with every minute of not conceding than a striker's would.

[acricketer]

Probably been said before this. Just shows the quality of the league is mediocre. How can he appear in the top 20 players when we have ended up just surviving. It tells me he was the difference between going down and staying up.

[Tarbie]

Well firstly, stats are based on what people see, they're recorded by eyes, same way your eyes record whatever you want to see... the only difference is they're out there looking for specific things.

As for what is a relevant action, as was said above, a tackle from a defensive midfielder is considered a relevant action, a successful pass forward, a chance created, it all depends on the position a player is playing. Keeping a clean sheet is less relevant for a striker than it is for a defender so a defender's match rating will go up more with every minute of not conceding than a striker's would.

And who decided he was a defensive midfielder?

To be honest, I look at how we are set up some weeks and have no idea who has been tasked with doing what half of the time. Yet the stats men will make their assumptions and award points etc.

I'll stick with what I know mate. And that is that Massimo Luongo is not one of the top 20 players in this league!

[nasser95]

And who decided he was a defensive midfielder?

To be honest, I look at how we are set up some weeks and have no idea who has been tasked with doing what half of the time. Yet the stats men will make their assumptions and award points etc.

I'll stick with what I know mate. And that is that Massimo Luongo is not one of the top 20 players in this league!

Anyone who's watched him will have decided that he's a defensive midfielder because that's exactly where he's played every single game this season and if you can't see that, then sticking with what you know may have quite a bit of inaccuracy.

I'll stick with what I know and say that Mass has been our best outfield player for the most part of this season and that he's been one of the best defensive midfielder in the league in the last two seasons and he will only improve more and more.

[Tarbie]

Anyone who's watched him will have decided that he's a defensive midfielder because that's exactly where he's played every single game this season and if you can't see that, then sticking with what you know may have quite a bit of inaccuracy.

I'll stick with what I know and say that Mass has been our best outfield player for the most part of this season and that he's been one of the best defensive midfielder in the league in the last two seasons and he will only improve more and more.

Agree that he'll improve. I'll also go as far to say he is deserved of a starting spot for us. Stops there for me......regardless of what you read into the stats.

[Tarbie]

Here's a question for you Nas. If Luongo is such a good Defensive Midfielder, how come that when you ask anybody on here what we need in the summer, the first thing you hear is that we desperately need a Defensive Midfielder?

[bradrangers]

Here's a question for you Nas. If Luongo is such a good Defensive Midfielder, how come that when you ask anybody on here what we need in the summer, the first thing you hear is that we desperately need a Defensive Midfielder?

Im not Luongo's biggest fan in the world but you can have different types of midfielder. Just because we need a defensive midfielder does not mean that Mass isnt doing his job properly. Hes more box to box and we need someone to sit further back and cover the back 4.

[Tarbie]

Im not Luongo's biggest fan in the world but you can have different types of midfielder. Just because we need a defensive midfielder does not mean that Mass isnt doing his job properly. Hes more box to box and we need someone to sit further back and cover the back 4.

Agree with all of that mate.

Just trying to prove a point about how stats can be misconstrued. Nas is busy telling me about how Luongo is, according to the stats, one of the best Defensive Midfielders in the league. You have quite rightly pointed out that he isn't really a Defensive Midfielder. Just trying to work out who makes these types of decisions when compiling these all important stats!

[Rangers77]

Here's a question for you Nas. If Luongo is such a good Defensive Midfielder, how come that when you ask anybody on here what we need in the summer, the first thing you hear is that we desperately need a Defensive Midfielder?

This. With bells on. Lit up in neon. Underlined. And in bold. With a large font.

[Shepherds Mush]

Here's a question for you Nas. If Luongo is such a good Defensive Midfielder, how come that when you ask anybody on here what we need in the summer, the first thing you hear is that we desperately need a Defensive Midfielder?

I'd say he is played in that position but he is no way a defensive midfielder. Should be further up the field behind the strikers.

[Tarbie]

I'd say he is played in that position but he is no way a defensive midfielder. Should be further up the field behind the strikers.

Agree with that 100% too. So what does that tell us about the stats then?

So Luongo is an offensive/box to box midfielder being played out of position in a defensive midfield role. Despite being played out of position, he has somehow managed to amass a level of points for "relevant actions" for defensive midfielder, across the course of the season for us to consider him one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

All sounds a bit fishy to me!