Goodbye and Thank You, Perry Ng
Crewe's captain is on his way to Cardiff. I say goodbye, and give the rundown on Ng's strengths, weaknesses, and tactical fit in South Wales.
Goodbye Perry, thanks for the memories. Ng’s time in the Crewe Alexandra side has been an unmitigated success story. I doubt Crewe will have a player perform as well for them, for as long as Ng did, for a long time to come. It’s been a rare treat to see a truly talented academy product actually creep into his ‘peak’ years while still plying his trade for the Alex.
Last season, he was absolutely dominant at League Two level, and had some of the highest profile football analysts/scouts asking – how is he still at Crewe? Ng hasn’t been short of suitors and he is represented by Kia Joorabchian at one of best-connected agencies in the world.
I understand that bigger clubs made enquiries about him throughout 2020 and Crewe stood firm on price. Through a combination of a conveniently timed contract extension and a high initial asking price from Crewe, Ng seemed happy to keep captaining the club he’d been with since the age of 6, and the club were happy he stayed.
I’m sad to see he’s now leaving, but it feels like the right time. Crewe manager Dave Artell has been readying his successor(s) in recent weeks, and Ng’s sale will help keep the lights on during a difficult financial climate for all football clubs. If it means Crewe can extend Ryan Wintle’s contract, or hold onto Harry Pickering a little longer, then it’s simply prudent business. As Ng is 24 and had just 6 months left on his contract, the club had to move to get something out of him, rather than risk him leaving for free. It has been reported that there is a sell on % and some add-ons, which is good news for Crewe’s coffers beyond this window.
Cardiff have nonetheless paid a modest fee (a reported £350,000), and it looks like a smart bit of business for them as well. I’m sure their fans will be asking, 1) what kind of player are they getting? And, 2) how the hell do you pronounce his name?? If you can’t be bothered reading this article, then here is a short answer for both:
In short, Ng provides a rounded skillset, with few obvious weaknesses in his game. Defensively, in possession, in attack – he ticks every box. I think he’ll be a more than solid addition to Cardiff’s side, particularly considering your troubles at right back.
You pronounce it N-g. Just say the letters.
Okay now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dig into Ng’s play a little deeper. Data is from WhoScored, FBRef, Wyscout, and me.
What’s the good stuff?
He is Crewe’s captain and has a wealth of experience for someone who is still young, having already made 150+ career league appearances. This is testament to his impressive in-game stamina, fitness, and injury record. He was voted Crewe Player of the Year in 2019, and very rarely has a bad game.
Considering the current uncertainty, if I’m at a Championship club that needs to recruit, he is among the safest bets you could find. He’s a ‘high floor’ player – wherever he went in terms of style or system, you could make him fit, and in high possession sides like Crewe’s, he stands out. He is versatile and should be able to slot in as a right full back, centre back or wingback at Championship level. He has even played at central midfield on occasion for the Alex.
The Total Football Analysis graph (made by Connor Thorpe, his Twitter is here) shows that Ng progressed the ball forward better than any other League Two fullback in the 2019/20 season. Ng is composed on the ball and is comfortable using his weaker left foot. He is clever at finding pockets of space to create a passing option for his teammates, often drifting infield similarly to Manchester City’s fullbacks:
He is also a deceptive dribbler. While he doesn’t blitz by opponents, he is assured and skilful in tight spaces and can often draw men in before getting by them, intelligently creating space for teammates around him. He is 6th among League One fullbacks for successful dribbles this season.
He has good vision and makes clever choices in possession, switching play well. He got 5 assists last season, though he is best in the middle third of the pitch, rather than in the final third. He can overlap and cross, but he’s more likely to tuck inside. If given the space to push further forward, this even provides him the occasional goalscoring opportunity.
Ng leads League One fullbacks in successful tackles per 90 this season. He is commanding and technically sound in duels. He gave away the most fouls and was the most fouled player in Crewe’s side last season as well, which is probably the most illustrative statistic about his game. When the game gets feisty, Ng is in his element. He is savvy and excels at the ‘dark arts’ - an area that Crewe academy graduates often fall down. His positioning in defensive situations is typically good and he naturally reads the game well.
He is good rather than great in the air, and came through Crewe’s academy as a centre back. He is tall and strong enough to hold his own aerially at the back post against wingers, though can be overpowered by large centre forwards. Crewe’s other fullback, superstar Harry Pickering, isn’t as strong in the air, which means long kicks from opposition goalkeepers and fullbacks are more likely to go to the left, rather than to Ng on the right-hand side. Still, despite not contesting many headers, he is winning them around 65% of the time this season.
Okay, what are the downsides?
Ng’s weaknesses revolve around 2 main areas – one is fixable and one isn’t. We’ll start with the non-fixable one.
While physically he has always looked a level above his opponents in a Crewe shirt, I suspect a lack of raw speed will limit Ng’s ceiling at Championship level. Against quicker and more skilful wingers, and often having to defend a bigger space (bigger pitches, more spaced out defensive lines), it will be interesting to see how he steps up.
I think his best position long-term could be a centre back in a 3, which lessens the ill-effects of his lack of raw pace and height, but still makes use of his excellent ability to progress the ball and defend 1-on-1. At Cardiff, who have consistently played 4 at the back this season, I assume he’ll play right back in the first instance. However, they should be open to other options down the line.
His fixable issue, bluntly, is his recent attitude. To be clear, he was a never an issue for Crewe management and I think 95% of Crewe fans will be thankful for his 18 years of service to the club and wish him well. I am a huge fan of him and I’m excited to see how he does at a higher level. I think most of the things I’m about to mention are short-term issues rather than longer term problems.
Firstly, there are some discipline concerns. Ng is fresh from a 6-match ban for spitting water at an opponent, which in the current climate was an especially silly thing to do. This is an example of his feistiness quite literally spilling over, and he can get niggly and distracted with what opposition fans and players think of him. He typically gets sent off once a season and it’s something he could do with cutting out. He plays on the edge at times and this is largely a positive, but the downsides could limit his potential.
Additionally, this season he’d been playing slightly below the lofty standards he’d set in the 2 previous years. It has seemed clear in the last year of his contract that his head was beginning to turn, which I understand. Despite this, by most measures he has been a ‘good to excellent’ fullback at this level.
He has also been guilty of ‘overplaying’ at League One level, which is statistically a very frenetic league (no league in England allows players less time on the ball on average). The quality isn’t always great, but you don’t get much time on the ball, and Ng has been guilty of dwelling on it in dangerous areas. He can look too hard for the clever pass or running lane, rather than just hitting the simple pass or even lumping it long.
There are other smaller details. For example, while he is reliable defensively, he can be guilty of ‘ball watching’ and can be caught flat footed, especially when a ball is flicked on from a cross.
Overall, I think playing at a higher level might help fix any mentality issues rather than expose them. He was getting a bit ‘comfortable’ and stronger teammates and opponents should help sharpen him up.
How will he fit in at Cardiff?
As mentioned earlier, with Cardiff wedded to playing 4 at the back, Ng is likely to compete for the right back slot upon arriving.
While he has been banned for 6 League games and is slightly short on football, Ng has still been eligible to play in cup games, and looked like he needed the rest, nonetheless. A few weeks off will have done him good, and his freshness might prove an instant boost for Cardiff, considering the Championship is such a slog.
I expect he’ll be in the mix early on. Cardiff have been playing Leandro Bacuna out of position at right back in recent weeks. Defensively, particularly in duels (tackles, headers), Ng will help bolster their right side. Bacuna has the lowest aerials duels won per 90 and the lowest aerial duel won % (about 10%, which is really bad) among Championship full backs this term.
His fit with Cardiff’s side in possession and in attacking areas is more of a conundrum. Harry Wilson has typically played on the right wing for them this term. Wilson is very left footed and is liable to drift infield, hitting long passes and shots. Ng hasn’t played with this kind of winger before. Typically, Crewe have fielded a conventional winger on the right side, who are instructed to stay wide and aim to use their pace and athleticism to go around their man on the outside to hit low crosses, and to support tracking back with opposition fullbacks/wingbacks. Still, Ng should be confident of competing for his place straight away. He is clearly talented on the ball and finding a way to dovetail with Wilson won’t take long.
A Final Farewell
Crewe’s success in the last couple of years has been a breath of fresh air, and Ng’s role in this shouldn’t be forgotten. Ng captained Crewe to promotion last season, and has exemplified some of the best things about Dave Artell’s time in charge of the Alex so far. Crewe’s manager said this week:
“I am delighted for him. He has worked hard. He has had to work at it. He was never a gold medallist, he was always a silver medallist if you like – a very good silver medallist – all the way through.
“But then you couple that with a fantastic attitude and desire to improve and you go on beyond others that may have been in front of you.
“There are a few of them like that. For me, your attitude and your character defines who you are and how well you do in life, and he has a fantastic one.
“I have no qualms about him playing next week in the Championship, absolutely none at all. I wish him the best of luck, he deserves it.”
I’ll echo everything Artell has said. Ng’s fighting spirit, leadership and determination have helped turn a talented crop of Crewe youngsters in the academy into a successful crop of Crewe players on the pitch. Himself included. Ng arrived in Crewe’s first team a fairly promising League Two centre back and leaves it as formidable League One full back, and has earned his move 5x over. He deserves this move and I hope Cardiff get as much out of him as the Railwaymen did.
Excellent piece thanks for all the information looking forward to seeing him play at Cardiff City