Altamullan

WTF... can't help begrudgingly admiring RTG; always funny, sometimes even on purpose. I'd join, if they'd accept an untraceable email

Jose, come and manage Bobbys old boys... something nice about that. But if you thought Pards was a Narcissist...

Yep, thus far done shit against bottom third 0.67 ppg. Even worse aginst middle third & relatively well against top third. I'm assuming, make that hoping, that the bottom third form will change with 4 home games, and three away. With such low numbers, one win makes a big difference (0.67 becomes 0.96ppg; two wins makes it a 1.19ppg average against bottom third).

I'm a 4. We play 7 games against bottom third sides; 4 at home. 13 points from these games alone and we are perfroming like 'the average' premiership side against a bottom third side (1.79pts per game). I am not saying we are nailed-on to do this, just that we only need to do averagely well in our remaining games and we'll be fine. Unfortunately, that is every other bugger's 'averagely well', not ours!

Week 23 Another below average week scoring wise: Wk 23 ave was 14.1, season ave is 16.4 points per player per week. Only 21% of our (269) predictions returned more the 2 points; 4th worst this season. We did manage 16 correct score predictions (6%), Makems 1-1 AFCB producing six correct scores—one of which was doubled-up, well done Sho’Time. This game also had another 9 players predicting draws, other than 1-1. South Cheshire Toon, Bill Clinton, and GavMcEl, all managed to be the only one to predict the correct score of a particular game, respectively: Man Utd 0-1 Southampton (one of 4 who went for an away win), Everton 1-2 (only one who predicted an away win), and Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea (one of two away win predictions). Some top wizardly shit chaps! (it’s a technical term...). Thought I’d look at whether the predictability of particular teams had shifted over the season. Using the number of points returned from games involving that team, I compared the first 8 games (from week 2) to the middle seven, and the last seven. We’ve been pretty good throughout at predicting/scoring from games involving Arsenal or Man City (no surprises there). We’ve got much better at predicting Spurs (going from 11th highest scoring, through 9th highest scoring, to highest scoring for the last third), and also improved with West Ham, Chelsea, Norwich, and Newcastle (we’ve gone from 15th, through 18th, to 6th highest points return for last third!). We’ve got worse at predicting Man Utd, Villa, Stoke, Watford, and Leicester. In fact for Leicester, at least lately, we might as well just reverse our initial guess, we’d probably do better. There’s no clear pattern for the other nine teams. However, same could be said for Liverpool as for Leicester; we don’t seem to have a clue what they are going to do! (13th, 19th, and 19th in terms of highest scores per quarter). By the way, United (ours...) are now 4th bottom of the most points returned league climbing above Stoke, up to a dizzying average of 43.5 points per game, just behind Southampton on 43.7ppg. Arsenal still top on 68.7ppg. Lawro would have scored 8, equalling his worst score. His guests Ice Cube & Joe’s brother Kevin, were victorious with 10 The BBC Sport Predictor game’s most popular scores would have returned 14 points, and our Malcolm in the Middle/Group Guess, 16 points—winners! Lawro’s total score is now 412, two behind our leader Magpie!, and only one in front of Nev. Hope the weekend off, recharges your wizardly powers! ‘There’s a good time comin, but we may never live to see it!’

Yep he's a definite mother fucker. Oh hang on, Google reckons that was Oedipus not Narcissus.... still, guess being a self-centred leg-end in his own mind, doesn't stop him being a mother fucker too.

Oh dear... which board member's child is doing A-level art?

Who would you want?

As Dave pointed out before, good news = played proportionately more games against better teams, so have more games against lesser teams to come, to balance out and let our true mediocrity shine...but we tend to play better/get more from better teams! If we kept same form (please, great footy gods in the sky take note) then we have: 4 games against top third at 1.11 ppg 4 games against second third at 0.29 ppg ( :gm's patter: ) 7 games against bottom third at 0.67 ppg So 4.44 + 1.16 + 4.69 = 10.29, or 10 points. This ignores changes in form (yes please, and thank you very much) or whether home and away. If we just gathered an Average points total against the three tiers we'd get: 4+4.56+ 12.53 = 21.09 So basically, at this stage we don't need to set any Leicester like records, just recoup the average points return and be safe. Saying it and doing it seem 'tremendously' different.

Makes sobering reading! Using their categories, we have two top third teams at home, two middle third, and four bottom third. Having yet to play 4 of the 7 bottom third teams at home maybe sheds light on why we've got a 0.67 points per game average against our 'shitsville neighbours' and a more respectable 1.11 ppg ave against the top third. Away we have two top third, three middle third, and three bottom third opponents.

I had the same thought. Though, thought of "Lion " goal celebration, with ever attentive (at such times) Mitro riding on his back is making me chuckle...

maybe. Or, "take his heed for a shit," as my Grandad was fond of saying, and stop over complicating things.

The away fixtures don't seem so bad to me, on paper. On current position only one of the teams is in the top five ("1st tier"), two in the 2nd tier, two in the 3rd, and two in the 4th (4th tier being bottom 5). For me it has just been that we have been so woeful away from home, 7 points in 11 games, 6 goals scored, GD= -17; man that looks s***, doesn't really matter that we have played decent football at times; at this stage it is all about the points. Edit: applied to the seven home fixtures, we play two in 1st tier (top five), none in 2nd tier, two in 3rd tier, and three in 4th tier (WBA, Makems, Swansea).

I am sure SMc has forgotten more about tactics/formations that I can ever hope to know. That said, I can't help think his changes to try and nullify the threat from Watford were self-defeating (hindsight wonderful I know) but also indicative of a more consistent problem. I've been concerned for a while that he seems too cautious, slow to change, and that this maybe means he lacks effective leadership qualities. In sport, war, or business, you need to get the best out of your team. Make them feel invincible, ten feet tall. Whilst Keegan may not have had SMc's tactical nous, he did this and was an effective leader; helped people play beyond themselves. I think Robson seemed strong on both. Tinkering with a formation which was seemed to be bedding-in nicely (Gini at 10, Perez and Sissoko wide) rather than boosting the lads up to go out and have a right good go at them... well I think it lacks belief and lacks courage; as does not adding a striker until 3mins to go. Not sure SMc has the cajones for a good fight, relegation or other. Wouldn't matter so much, but what if this undermines the players' self-belief and transmits the same 'risk aversion' to some of their styles of play?

He'll certainly remember his first goal. The scarring form the seven stitches in his mouth will help.

Watford cancelled him out/ contained the threat his range of passing poses. Didn't they change formation and have three central midfielders?

Watford changed their formation, apparently, and had three central midfielders. Think they read SMc's three at the back formation, plus saw and successfully cancelled out threat from Shelvey.

What are everyone's predictions? AWAY: 8 points Everton L Chelsea L Stoke D Leicester L Norwich W Southampton D Liverpool L Villa W HOME: 13 points West Brom W Man City D Bournemouth W Makems W Swansea W Palace L Spurs L 21 points

What are everyone's predictions? AWAY: Everton Chelsea Stoke Leicester Norwich Southampton Liverpool Villa HOME: West Brom Man City Bournemouth Makems Swansea Palace Spurs

I'm trying to go sobber for cry January. "cry January" me thinks Dr Freud would have had a field day with this slip...

Oh ffs. What the f*** is he thinking. The old English managers, keep it tight and we might nick an equaliser. Extra man in mfd? Is Aarons coming off?

Big swing in the possession and chances now 57% them, and 6-3 on shots.

If Aarons isn't on it, is this the game for Thauvin to earn his Spurs and at the same time keep Townsend at Spurs?

Saivet most touches apparently...maybe need more through Shelvey?

Makems and AFCB stats similar to ours, except 0-1