The results with and without Mayor don't 'speak for themselves' and the reasons why not are the sort of thing you get taught in maths and science lessons aged about 14 - the sample size is too small (Mayor has only started 4 league games) and don't control for the multiple variable factors (3 of the games he started were against the current top 3).
So if we have data analysts producing these kind of findings, they're probably on work experience and about to fail their GCSEs.
Personally I do slightly prefer Broom as a player but I think they both have good qualities. It seems to me there's been an element of teams knowing what to expect from us recently, even prior to the last three games, so perhaps having an alternative formation up our sleeve would be helpful... and that might be one that accommodates both Mayor and Broom
Well put and, as any half-conscious scientist, data or otherwise, will tell you, correlation is not cause.
I recall during the unbeaten run various people saying that we were mostly beating teams from the lower half of the table and that the real test would come later. Unfortunately, we have failed that test to some degree, and also against, Charlton, who were in pretty good form when they played us. A win against the MK Dons would be a big reassurance about our capability against the league's better teams.
I would say that Mayor's goal against Wigan was a thing of beauty. If he could do something similar every few games we'd decommission tedious threads like this one - to which I know I have contributed!