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Reply | Keeper Stats
at 09:19 26 May 2025
So many more factors than keeper performance go into the team stats you give. I think losing both Ogbene and Burns was terribly bad fortune. We had zero pace at right wing-back in defence and attack for most of the second half of the season. Losing Axel (and failing to replace him - Godfrey) for a period also killed us down the right.
"Errors leading to a goal Palmer/Walton 0, Muric 5"
On "Errors leading to a goal" Muric was the worst in the whole PL despite only playing half a season: https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/error_lead_to_goal
This has a corrosive effect, as players are reluctant to pass out from the back, knowing Muric is liable to make a howler when used as pivot. Affected our "play through" game that won so many points in Champ promotion season. We were reluctant to pass-back and retain possession, and more likely to concede throws & corners instead - again detrimental to defence and attack. There's a reason the phrase "good touch for a big guy" exists. I don't think Muric' feet are good enough for the way KM wants to play. Needed a Hladky with better shot stopping. Muric was never that. [Post edited 26 May 10:45]
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Reply | Goodison, the ghosts of a previous football and thoughts on Town performance
at 16:36 4 May 2025
Yeh love tight old grounds. Football is nothing without atmosphere, and there's nothing like being right on top of the action. FIFA rules dictating stands must be six meters from touchlines and seven and a half meters behind goal-lines (see 8.3 - https://www.scribd.com/document/220942267/Stadium-Standard-FIFA) are nothing to do with safety, and everything to do with giving space for advertising hoardings. Total football atmosphere killer. West Ham and Arsenal fans hate their new stadiums.
Love Portman Road, which was built before these stupid new rules were enacted. Especially the side stands where you can almost whisper to the players. It's a cauldron of noise. Need to keep this proximity to the pitch when the Cobbold is _extended_. And that's how you'd do it. "New" stand will not be new at all. It'll be an extension of the existing. Keep enough of the existing front so the BS FIFA regs for new stands won't apply. [Post edited 4 May 16:56]
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Reply | Hirst > Delap
at 17:47 3 May 2025
100% - should start ahead of him. Delap as impact sub makes more sense. TBH, I think Delap could do much worse than develop under McK another year.
Hirst's hold-up, assists, and goals-per-min are far better than Delap's this season. Much better football brain. I'm more worried about losing Hirst this summer. If we're offered £35m+ for Delap, then we should bank it and not think twice. |
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Reply | Johnson
at 14:26 4 Apr 2025
Terrible luck with losing Ogbene and Burns, but Johnson is nowhere near good enough at this level in their absence.
touch: good
passing: generally good
pace: among the worst of any outfield player in the PL
West Ham, Man City, Bournemouth (home), etc left wingers have torn him to pieces which led to goals conceded. You can get away with zero pace in the middle of the park, but not out wide when you have defensive responsibilities. Beckham had no pace, but he wasn't asked to defend. Johnson is decent, but not world-beating with the ball. Not good enough to be among the three 10s, but he's better there than wing-back or fullback, as being skinned doesn't lead to goals conceded as often. Maybe losing half a stone will accelerate him, but a technically gifted wing-back with awful mobility is of limited value in the PL.
Second only to Muric among McK's worst signings in the past year. [Post edited 4 Apr 14:39]
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Reply | American workers enjoying the tarrif show.
at 14:47 3 Apr 2025
I don't really understand what you're saying. Imports are proportionate to country size, but exports are not? If that were true, big countries would always operate trade deficits. They don't.
Trade deficits should only exist long-term, when an exporting country has sufficiently better products that counteracts currency value changes. Eg German cars are better than US cars hence the deficit. US still gains from this relationship by having better cars. Problem atm, is that some countries are being allowed to keep their currencies and hence exports artificially cheap. WTO needs to fix this or a new org started that will. |
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Reply | American workers enjoying the tarrif show.
at 13:49 3 Apr 2025
"one parrty is much bigger and richer than the others, and therefore has vastly more capacity to" export too. Currency manipulation matters. |
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Reply | American workers enjoying the tarrif show.
at 11:31 3 Apr 2025
Not defending Trump tariffs in the slightest, but the unfairness he cites does have a basis. Laws of supply & demand dictate that trade-deficits should self-correct over time, but haven't been. WTO have allowed countries like China to manipulate their currency, to artificially make their exports cheap. Generally, as you export more, your currency appreciates as foreigners buy your currency to pay for your exports. But China has spent their trade surplus on buying USD with their yuan, to artificially keep the yuan low.
There are rules against this, but they haven't been enforced. If Trump really wanted to solve trade unfairness, he'd be seeking currency manipulation enforcement either by the WTO, or by starting a new authority with teeth.
Trade protectionism never works. Shielding home industries from competition lowers your productivity, and creates international antagonism. Trade war was a factor in starting two world wars. [Post edited 3 Apr 11:33]
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Reply | Ben Johnson's post match
at 10:24 3 Apr 2025
Yeh I took that away too. Much better performance from Delap last night. Whereas in prior games, he'd attempt a low-percentage spin, dribble, and shot when receiving the ball, yesterday he shielded the ball from his marker, and played simple layoffs and passes. The latter might not appear on personal youtube & MoTD montages, but they're more likely to result in Ipswich wins. He's learning. [Post edited 3 Apr 10:25]
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Reply | So, team for Saturday
at 09:28 13 Mar 2025
Agreed. Where Hirst plays a pass and keeps possession in attacking areas, Delap will attempt a low percentage dribble or shot. One has been playing with an eye on his YouTube & MotD reel (which won't show all the failures) more than the other this season. We need players who prioritise ITFC wins. [Post edited 13 Mar 9:30]
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Reply | So, team for Saturday
at 08:50 13 Mar 2025
Hirst's minutes per goal is better than Delap's this season. In fact it's more than twice as good. 129 MPG vs 395 for Delap
https://www.fctables.com/liam-delap-vs-george-hirst-509145-333862/
Plus Hirst has the same quantity of assists as Delap having played a fraction of the minutes. The main difference between them this season appears to have been Alan Shearer saying Delap is Kane's successor. |
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Reply | Well, knock me down with a feather!
at 08:19 13 Mar 2025
"Ltd companies don't pay CGT. Point of fact. " - I stand corrected, but the amount of CGT individuals normally pay is added to Ltd companies' corp tax bill. So in effect, they pay it similarly to individuals.
That private schools don't pay corp tax is an unjustifiable carve-out. If it's been agreed that in everything but the letter of the current regs, they aren't charities because they serve zero public good, hence are now subject to VAT, then they should also pay corp tax. |
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Reply | Well, knock me down with a feather!
at 23:12 12 Mar 2025
You miss my point. These are private businesses, not charities because they serve zero public good. I'm aware of the unjustifiable current carve-out. If they should pay VAT because they are in fact private businesses (in all but the letter of the current regs), then they should also pay CT and CGT. Because that's what all private businesses pay.
(I'm aware LLP members pay CGT and income tax instead of the LLP itself paying CGT and CT). [Post edited 12 Mar 23:13]
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Reply | Well, knock me down with a feather!
at 22:48 12 Mar 2025
That's standard for all private companies who pay VAT. Can't complain. What you can complain about is the rarely mentioned non-paying of corporation tax and capital gains tax. Private schools are private businesses, yet are STILL taxed as if they're charities. |
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Reply | Man United to build 100k stadium
at 17:35 11 Mar 2025
Impressive. It'll be second biggest in Europe to the rebuilt Camp Nou.
Missing a kop tho. Every ground needs a <insert_colour>-wall. |
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Reply | Ben Johnson excellent last night (n/t)
at 14:24 4 Mar 2025
Johnson has a long way to go to convince he's good enough, even as cover in the PL. Played Yates on for their equaliser due to his ball-watching.
He's fine on the ball, but if he's going to play anywhere, it should be in the middle. Good short passer. Problem is, he has zero pace. It's like he's running on a treadmill. You can get away with no pace in the middle, but you must have it out wide (defensively at least). West Ham, Bournemouth, etc wingers have torn him to shreds. Godfrey's no better, but Johnson's ahead of him because he's decent on the ball. I think we're in deep trouble defensively on the right now. To lose Ogbene is unfortunate. To also lose Burns is disastrous. To furthermore lose Tuanzebe is ruinous. We should recall Harry Clarke. [Post edited 4 Mar 14:27]
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Reply | Lineup for tonight then...
at 16:02 3 Mar 2025
Prem left wingers salivate at facing Godfrey or Johnson down our right. Callum Hudson Odoi will be no different. Got to be Axel there. He's our only decent right-back.
So disappointed by Godfrey. He's never going to create much going forward. His entire reason for being is defensive athleticism, pace, and solidity. If he doesn't even have that, then what's the point in him? Should have kept Clarke instead. |
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Reply | Mark Hudson set piece coach
at 21:51 26 Feb 2025
Yes, sack him. Three set pieces conceded tonight. Half our defenders don't even watch the ball. They just grapple and block. I played county league, and even we were coached better than that.
1. One hand on the player you're marking so you know where they are (don't push or give a pen),
2. watch the ball,
3. ATTACK IT!
We only did #1 tonight. Players need to take some of the blame. A certain amount of #3 depends on you actually giving a sh!t, and putting your body on the line, which we lacked the heart to tonight. |
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Reply | Season Over.
at 12:04 24 Feb 2025
I think McK is great. The team selectionsubs issues you raise are very subjective. I think our main problems this season were:
1. McK signing two right-back duds. He was unlucky with Ogbene's injury, but Johnson, and looking like Godfrey were poor choices. Burns wasn't great this season, but he persevered with Johnson despite him being one of the worst one-on-one defenders I've ever seen. Totally devoid of pace, which cost us many goals conceded. We've only one adequate right-back (Axel), and it's it's pretty calamitous when he's unavailable as we saw on Sat.
2. McK signing a dud keeper in Muric. I think this was his biggest mistake. Muric was woeful. Not a matter of opinion, even having not played for weeks, he's still the top mistake maker of any player in the Prem (not just keepers): https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/error_lead_to_goal
In some games we've played well, but has come to nothing because of our dodgy keeper.
3. Late start in the summer. Due to the will-he, won't-he stay in early-mid summer, we recruited late, and the lack of gelling was evident in early season. Eg being knocked out of Carabou cup in the first round at Wimbledon then led to further lack of gelling time for the squad. [Post edited 24 Feb 12:09]
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Reply | That first Tuanzebe yellow card...
at 13:48 16 Feb 2025
"VAR cannot get involved with yellow cards" - I'm not suggesting it should, generally. Just the first when a second is awarded. Very low game disruption. Yesterday, VAR would have _instantly_ told the ref to go to the monitors and review the first booking only. Avoiding yesterday's injustice would only have taken as long as it takes for the ref to run to the side of the pitch and back. Small price worth paying.
That tennis model you describe is my #2 suggestion, but like you say, it's pretty revolutionary. Whereas VAR adjudicating first yellow at the point of the second would be easy to implement. [Post edited 16 Feb 13:49]
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