Opta Jury: Danny Mills
Opta analyse the signing of Danny Mills from Middlesbrough.
Since playing every minute of England's ill-fated 2002 World Cup campaign, Danny Mills has represented three different clubs in the past three seasons and started just four of his national side's 33 games.
The highlight for the former Norwich defender since his World Cup exploits came when Middlesbrough captured their first major trophy, with victory over Bolton Wanderers in the 2004 League Cup final.
Mills was a regular starter for Boro in 2003/04, where he began 28 of their Premiership fixtures. However, the arrival of Michael Reiziger from Barcelona resulted in Mills' temporary contract not being renewed and the England international headed for Kevin Keegan's Manchester City.
Mills' statistics have been very similar for the last two seasons. The right back struck 14 shots in each of the last two seasons in the Premiership, failing to find the goal on every occasion. Mills has improved his pass completion slightly, though this is more impressive given the Middlesbrough side he played in completed 74 percent of their passes, compared with 71 percent for Manchester City last year.
One of the biggest criticisms of Mills has been his lack of discipline. Despite halving the number of yellow cards he picked up in the league last term, Mills saw red for the first time since January 2002 for a professional foul against Blackburn Rovers.
Stuart Pearce dropped Mills towards the end of the season in favour of Nedum Onuoha, which coincided with City going unbeaten for their final eight games of the season. As a result, City averaged more points when Mills was absent (1.67 points per game) than when he pulled on the famous light blue shirt (1.31)
In just three short years, Mills has gone from England's right back to Manchester City reserve player.
On paper at least, having Pearce, who built his reputation as a hard-tackling no-nonsense defender, as his club boss can only be a positive for Mills. However, as City look to build on the momentum they gained from the tail-end of last season, Mills' place is far from certain.
The 28-year old will be desperate to reclaim the right back slot and force his way into England reckoning for the forthcoming World Cup.
| Season | 2003/2004 | 2004/2005 |
| Team | Middlesbrough | Manchester City |
| Appearances | 28 | 32 |
| Minutes On Pitch | 2,503 | 2,608 |
| Goal Attempts | | |
| Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Shots On Target | 4 | 3 |
| Shots Off Target | 10 | 11 |
| Shooting Accuracy | 29% | 21% |
| Chance Conversion | 0% | 0% |
| Passing | | |
| Goal Assists | 1 | 3 |
| Total Passes | 1,023 | 1,117 |
| Pass Completion % | 65% | 66% |
| Crossing | | |
| Total Crosses | 58 | 90 |
| Cross Completion % | 22% | 28% |
| Dribbling | | |
| Dribbles & Runs | 106 | 86 |
| Dribble Completion % | 78% | 76% |
| Defending | | |
| Tackles Made | 96 | 83 |
| Tackles Won % | 73% | 80% |
| Blocks | 25 | 15 |
| Clearances | 153 | 146 |
| Interceptions | 14 | 30 |
| Discipline | | |
| Fouls | 40 | 42 |
| Offside | 1 | 0 |
| Yellow Cards | 10 | 5 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 1 |
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