I don’t see where in my post I suggested stats. trump all.
You made a specific point re: team selection and I responded specifically to that. The data informs the human decisions. You don’t know what the previous weeks data said and so comments about changing a winning team being an obviously poor decision need to be seen in that context i.e. thete is no basis for saying it was an obviously poor decision. To say that you would need a much fuller picture and it’s one no fan will ever possess. As I noted, the idea that you don’t change a winning team is 4 decades out of date and wholly fails to take into account ludicrous fixture lists; poor training weels; tiredness; mental health and other personal circumstances.
Similarly the data doesn’t support the assertion that players have been replaced by worse players. Firstly, it should be obvious that football is a team game. Building a team is not about getting the 11 best players. It’s about getting the right player in the right role. Secondly, the data simply doesn’t support your position. Last season you finished 13th. You are currently 7th. You would presumably not accept your better players back in exchange fora lower position.
I similarly don’t see what playing someone out pf position has to do with contradicting data. Again, you don’t know what the data is saying. At my club we’ve spent most of the season playing an attacking midfielder at left centre back and a midfielder at left wing back. I disagree with both decisions but I know from 1 of the data analysts who sits not far from me that 1 of those decisions was wholly supported by data I will never have access to.
I don’t see what data has to do with hamstring injuries or indedd any imjuries other than understsnding that random distribution produces outcomes which often don’t look random. We’ve had a series of soft tissue injuries and a ludicrous number of repetitions. Fans are obsessed with the fact it must be the training regime or the rehab or both. All gets a little tricky when you realise that each player was on an entirely diffetent regime to the others.
You placed an emphasis on statistics which I admit are constantly monitored for various aspects of a players performance and I was saying they are used as an excuse for poor decisions.
The medical data is also monitored and I wonder if the model we’re using is relevant as players are going down like nine pins. Injuries increase in the later part of the season but ours seem more frequent than many.
Our games are analysed in great detail in our local paper and it is clear that our success is down to individual performance rather than coaching.
We usually rely on a better than average keeper to remain in games and the fact we have an exceptional set of forwards by championship standards.
The rise up the table is a consequence of how poor the championship is this season rather than a well coached side. The fact players find it difficult to slot in to our team is indicative of poor coaching.
When a manager insists on playing people who have consistently made mistakes in the same role you have to question if he’s the man for the job.
Several selection decisions have had to be reversed at half time which indicates the original decision was incorrect and had nothing to do with fixture fatigue.
Last week McClean played at centre back and Nunez and Sara as holding midfield.
As a consequence we moved the ball swiftly from our penalty box and there was, at last, plenty of movement in midfield.
The excuse for abandoning this successful set up was that Blackburn would be more physical than Cardiff. McClean is a fairly tough player capable of dealing with any physical demands the championship can throw at him. He has proven to be our best left footed option at the back. No wonder the fans are becoming impatient.
Rumour has it that our Sports Director is looking elsewhere, I hope they are correct but doubt we can afford change.
John Eustace showing Birmingham owners what they lost when they sacked him off. Thought Blackburn were brilliant last night and both keepers were the stars. Their only error was letting Smodyks take a penalty when his hamstring had gone. A very big error but almost understandable. Trying to figure out the claim Newcastle took the same crowd as us when they only occupied the lower tier. That was a bit odd.
On the home front we conceded an early goal from an error against a team employing 10 behind the ball from kick off. We then enjoyed 75% possession but faced with all the usual failings we needed a 93rd minute penalty to get a point. The downward spiral continues but a glance at the league 2 form table suggests everyone is in broadly the same place as things tighten.
Sad to hear of the crowd violence at Stevenage. Nobody needs that.
Saints very much second place in tonight’s 3-0 defeat away at Anfield in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
And yet having listened to the radio commentary, I’m wondering how we were not three up at half-time. A tale of chances not taken, a tale of ‘what ifs’.
Bit unlucky I thought. A changed team but only a goal down at the point it was 1-5 in terms of clear chances for Saints. The last of those 5 was a killer. No guarantee he would score but not getting it on target was criminal. Then 1 mistake and it’s 2-0 and pretty much over. That’s the cup though.
Now had a graphic description from a work colleague based in Cambridge about the violence at their game against Stevenage. Astonishing that the BBC report contains no reference. Kick off delayed by 15 minutes and Cambridge fans kept in the ground for 25 minutes afterwards with the match further delayed inbetween to clear a flare off the pitch. Multiple H&S failures with fans at one point having to move to avoid the violence and my friend was hit with a lighter. Kicked off because of the early ejection of a fan by a steward who inappropriately had them in a headlock.
Somewhat typically zero local reporting means no national reporting so it simply didn’t happen. Reminds me of a trip to Oldham a couple of decades back where we were trapped on what was then Mumps railway station by lads with Molotov cocktails; witnessed multiple unprovoked attacks coordinated by lads in cars with walkie talkies and then had to lie on the floor of our Pacer train back into Manchester as the lads on the bridge stoved in the windows on the train. Zero reporting so it never happened unless you were there.
Two weeks later the Oldham riots kicked off and the police lied and said they didn’t see it coming. We certainly did.
Unbeaten run continues is the best I can offer on that performance. Our tempo was too slow. Feel one or two might be carrying injuries which is a worry given the busy schedule. Couldn’t expect to run through to season’s end without dropping points but a tepid performance always leaves me feeling deflated. Easy to forget how far we’ve come. Hoping for better v Stoke on Tuesday night.
Probably a hangover from the Chelsea game, but only 2 shots on target against 10 men for a good portion of the game is just not good enough. Bamford may have one of the goals of the season, but really poor today, not helped by ponderous build-up play. Hope they do go up automatically, but major investment required to stay up.
Well a win is a win but after the brilliant last home performance against Cardiff we were back to slow, dull, average today.
Fortunately Josh Sargent is back with a bang and scored his seventh goal in consecutive home games.
We have two or three important players out injured but we should be better than this showing.
Sunderland are badly in need of a striker.
Once again I didn’t make it thanks to ill health but goodness me that was quite something. The contrast between our home and away form is huge but despite the last 3 away results it may be beginning to narrow. We’ve started remembering how to play on the floor and play the right quick long ball. That 93rd minute penalty against FGR in midweek may turn out to be pivotal.
Yesterday was ludicrous. The away game was right up there with the worst I have seen us play over the decades. Despite lacking our entire 1st choice back 3 and 2/3 of a midfield I would never pick, but Parky always has, we absolutely blew them away yesterday.
Enough good chances for the final score to have been 11-0. Palmer was back; for once stood up all game and put the work in. Mullin’s recent rests saw rumours of him never again rising to the levels of his last 3 seasons well and truly put to bed. The 2nd of his 18 minute hat trick was as good a strike as you’ll see all season. The one he nearly scored I doubt anyone else would even have tried and the goal he set up for Lee, combined with Lee’s finish was simply magnificent. Hats off again to young Max at the back. Stepped up a level since he’s had his chance this season and I think most would say he’s no longer the young back up. That back 3 place is his now.
Much to fear next weekend when we’re not only trying to up our away form but face a Morecambe team who came from 2 down against a fine Crewe side yesterday to win. We put 6 past them at home bit in this league that means literally nothing.
The season is a long thing so I can afford to laugh at my father’s comment last year. “Aren’t you worried about the start Notts County made?” Ditto my Stockport supporting colleague who took great delight in Stockport being 11 points ahead of us. I kept my own counsel bar my usual comment that the season does not start until November and it’s what you do between then and February which shapes the season. It’s so close we may not even finish top 7 but we’ll have more good seasons than bad and that’s fine by me.
Another exciting day elsewhere too. Great to see Walsall climb into a play pff place. Always looked too good for mod table. In L1 Bolton might be getting back on track but watching Cheltenham try and pull off one of the great escapes is just as interesting whilst my mate John was somewhat euphoric seeing QPR finally climb out of the relegation places when beating the leaders with their only 2 shots of the game.
At the top Coventry have foundered just as they’d got going whilst everyone bar WBA seems to have a stutter in them.
A hard fought win at Fratton Park yesterday against a very decent Oxford side. If I were an Oxford fan I would be disappointed to travel home with nothing but these things have a way of levelling out as we were unlucky not to have come away from Oxford with a win earlier in the season. With all the sides at the top of League One winning, there’s no change in the table, but another game passes and our seven point lead is still there. March will be a tough month with the top teams playing one another but it is very much in Pompey’s hands now.
Actually I just wanted to add to my earlier post as I missed something out.
Officials yesterday were very odd. Ref was happy to allow some crunching tackles and near violence go whilst simultaneously and brilliantly pulling up for shirt pulls and little niggles. Message seemed to be that he wanted the game to flow and wasn’t unhappy if it was physical but wouldn’t tolerate players who played with hands rather than feet. It was great to see how quickly the game changed and the shirt pulls stopped. It really is as easy as officials doing their jobs in full.
Nevertheless the 3 officials got multiple things wrong and at its peak in the 1st half this resulted in a throw in to Accrington in front of the dig outs and 4th official that even I could see was ours.
Astonishingly Accy manager John Coleman quietly instructed his players to take the throw in and then return the ball to us in open play. They did this without hesitation and may have even initiated the conversation. Whole stadium applauded.
Sad to report that today, despite having 8 players out injured, he and his assistant lost their jobs after nearly a decade. Sometimes people can’t see the wood for the trees. The finest manager in their history and a decent human being to boot.
Ten more games to go. As we all know with Pompey, when things look good they have a habit of all going horribly wrong. The team has been very unlucky with injuries but despite that are doing really well. Hopefully that had their obligatory wobble over the Christmas period. Considering how many points they dropped then, it’s amazing that they are still top, and by a seven point margin too.
