If you were previously unaware, this season The Terrace Podcast has been calculating its own assists table for the players in the Scottish Premiership. We are doing this for two reasons: one, we doubt the accuracy of the current tables on offer; and two, we believe assists to be a fundamentally flawed statistic. It is supposed to represent how creative a player is, but in order for the player in question to get a tally mark beside their name they are relying on someone else to do their job. Is it the fault of the facilitator if he offers chance after chance on a plate that teammates keep refusing to take?
In our ‘True Assist’ table we take into account the chances created and rank them in two categories: where the forward could score and where the forward should score. Then we set in place a points system and view the highlights of every top flight match in order to rank the players.
We only had one new entry after this weekend’s fixtures with a player from an unlikely squad coming back into the top 25. Elsewhere we had plenty of shuffling with Kris Commons the big winner of the weekend, grabbing a “Could Score” and “Can’t Miss Assist” from Celtic’s 5-0 win over Inverness. The attacker picked up 1.5 points from the match despite starting from the substitutes bench.
Before we get to the table let us just quickly remind you of the scoring system and the meanings of the abbreviations you’ll need to understand the league table:
Chance Created – Could Have Scored (CS) = 0.75pts
Goal Created – Striker Dispatches Tricky or ‘Half Chance Assist’ (HCA) = 0.75pts
Chance Created – Should Have Scored (SS) = 1pt
Goal Created – Striker Couldn’t Miss Assist (CMA) = 1pt
True Assist Table
1. I Vigurs (M’well) – 13 CS; 3 HCA; 3 CMA = 15 pts
2. J Hayes (Aberdeen) – 11 CS; 2 HCA; 3 SS; 1 CMA = 13.75 pts
3. K Commons (Celtic) – 11 CS; 1 HCA; 1 SS; 3 CMA = 13 pts
T4. D Wotherspoon (Saints) – 10 CS; 2 HCA; 2 SS; 1 CMA = 12 pts
T4. G Mackay-Steven (D Utd) – 8 CS; 4 HCA; 2 SS; 1CMA = 12 pts
6. A Stokes (Celtic) – 8 CS; 1 HCA; 2 SS; 2 CMA = 10.75 pts
T7. S May (Saints) – 4 CS; 2 HCA; 4 SS; 2 CMA = 10.5 pts
T7. N McGinn (Aberdeen) – 5 CS; 1 HCA; 2 SS; 4 CMA = 10.5 pts
9. R Gauld (Dundee Utd) – 2 CS; 2 HCA; 2 SS; 5 CMA = 10 pts
T10. A Doran (Inverness) – 8 CS; 1 HCA; 3 CMA = 9.75 pts
T10. C Newton (St Mirren) – 8 CS; 1 HCA; 1 SS 2 CMA = 9.75 pts
12. E Izaguirre (Celtic) – 2 CS; 4 HCA; 1 SS; 4 CMA = 9.5 pts
T13. M Gardyne (Killie) – 8 CS; 3 SS = 9 pts
T13. R Brittain (County) – 6 CS; 2 HCA; 2 SS; 1 CMA = 9 pts
T13. L Ainsworth (‘Well) – 6 CS; 2 HCA; 1 SS; 2 CMA = 9 pts
T16. P McGowan (St Mirren) – 4CS; 2HCA; 2SS; 2CMA = 8.5 pts
T16. C Mulgrew (Celtic) – 5 CS; 1 HCA; 1 SS; 3 CMA = 8.5 pts
18. G Shinnie (ICT) – 5 CS; 2 HCA; 2 SS; 1 CMA = 8.25 pts
T19. G Carey (Ross County) – 6CS; 2HCA; 1SS; 1HCA = 8 pts
T19. L Craig (Hibs) – 8 CS; 1 SS; 1 CMA = 8 pts
21. K Higginbotham (Thistle) – 3CS; 2HCA; 4CMA = 7.75 pts
T22. R McKenzie (Killie) – 4 CS; 2 HCA; 3 SS = 7.5 pts
T22. K McHattie (Hearts) – 5CS; 1HCA; 1SS; 2CMA = 7.5 pts
24. N Hasselbaink (Saints) – 7 CS; 2 CMA = 7.25 pts
T25. S O’Donnell (Thistle) – 4 CS; 4 SS = 7 pts
T25. G Wylde (St Mirren) – 3 CS; 1 HCA; 4 SS = 7 pts
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