With Craig Gardner signing a new contract at West Bromwich Albion, we take a closer look at his time under Tony Pulis.
Like clockwork
If you visit the Hawthorns on a Saturday afternoon, and glance over at the touchline at around twenty past four, you will likely see Craig Gardner getting ready to come off the bench. Over the last couple of years, West Bromwich Albion fans having gotten used to Tony Pulis’ seemingly obligatory substitution.
It is a move that often infuriates those Albion fans who would prefer the more attack-minded options of Callum McManaman or Jonathan Leko. However, Pulis has his trusted methods and, more often than not, elects for dependability over raw, unbridled flair. In many ways, the Gardner substitution is emblematic of the issue many Pulis dissenters have with Albion’s current brand of football: caution and restraint over excitement and possibility.
The statistics
Gardner’s stats during Pulis’ time at the club offer a lot of insight into the role he plays at the club. The ex-Birmingham City man has made 56 league appearances with 22 of those coming off the bench. In 15 of those games he completed the full game and in 19 he was substituted off (at an average of 71 minutes). Gardner has only been unused seven times.
The average time Gardner comes off the bench is in the 65th minute and he usually replaces an attacking player. He has been brought on for Saido Berahino the most times (4) followed by Stephane Sessegnon and James Morrison (both 3).
The statistics support the unsurprising notion that Gardner is not much of a game changer. Yet he is most frequently brought on when the scores are level. Gardner has been utilised 9 times when Albion were drawing and only twice have they gone onto win the game (against Hull City and Newcastle United). On the other occasions, the Baggies went on to lose 3 times and draw 4.
Pulis has brought on Gardner eight times with Albion in the lead – his introduction coming at an average of 72 minutes into the game. To his and Pulis’ credit, West Brom have held onto those leads on six instances, only surrendering their leads against Everton and Sunderland .
Interestingly, all 4 of Gardner’s West Brom goals under Pulis have come when he started, with 5 of his 6 assists also coming in starts. Even still, Albion’s win percentage is highest when the 29-year-old doesn’t play from the outset. The Baggies have a 36% win rate when he appears off the bench and a 28% when he isn’t used at all. In comparison, the win rate is at 26% when he is substituted or plays the full 90 minutes.
A scapegoat?
Like many of Albion’s squad, Gardner plays a thankless role in Pulis’ monotonous but effective process. Gardner has been used in the middle but mainly plays out wide, and the frequency of his substitute appearances is partially down to Pulis demanding a lot from his wide midfielders. Within this current structure Gardner is a necessary clog in the Albion machine providing versatility, work-rate and experience. All Premier League teams need a core base of this kind of professional in their squad, and this is something Pulis values more than most managers.
Even still, many Baggies fans would love to see Leko, Berahino or the out-of-favour McManaman brought on ahead of Gardner when Albion are in need of attacking impetus. The recent game against a hapless Sunderland side was a prime example of Pulis choosing to try and see out a game rather than actively seeking to kill it off.
Like it or not, it looks as though Albion fans face another few years of ‘super sub’ Craig Gardner.
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