***Official*** English Football Season 2020-21

[sledger]

Oh man the state of it

 

[Lillian Thomson]

What does any of that actually mean?

Incidentally - 35 years ago today @fredfertang

 

[OverratedSanity]

What does any of that actually mean?

This might make it a bit clearer

 

[sledger]

It's just doublespeak for "we're absolutely crap"

 

[Uppercut]

He’s talking out his hole. Spurs got their goals from two confirmed model-breakers, and Arsenal only shaded it on chances afterwards because Spurs killed the game. Sounds like something an idiot would say if they were trying to sound smart.

 

[sledger]

Yeah it's awful. Just an attempt to obfuscate how bad they are by using waffle and numbers picked out of thin air. Really embarassing tbh.

 

[duffer]

Do you guys think Arsenal fans will enjoy seeing us in the Championship?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Do you guys think Arsenal fans will enjoy seeing us in the Championship?

I still don't think it'll come to that as there are at least three teams in the Prem who're worse than us (Fulham, Albion and t'Blades), but part of me thinks it would serve all the ungrateful ***** who spent several seasons calling for Wenger's head right if we did slide down.

 

[Spark]

He’s talking out his hole. Spurs got their goals from two confirmed model-breakers, and Arsenal only shaded it on chances afterwards because Spurs killed the game. Sounds like something an idiot would say if they were trying to sound smart.

I said in the 1st Test thread that cricket is a more path-dependent game than people think but for people to make the same mistake with respect to football is mind-boggling, especially when coming from the manager of a rich PL club.

 

[duffer]

I still don't think it'll come to that as there are at least three teams in the Prem who're worse than us (Fulham, Albion and t'Blades), but part of me thinks it would serve all the ungrateful ****s who spent several seasons calling for Wenger's head right if we did slide down.

I mean, we were on the way down when Arsene left so I'd like to move on from that era but the circus coming from the top after he left is something he'd never have allowed. Wouldn't be the worst to engage him in some form of advisory capacity I guess.

 

[Uppercut]

I said in the 1st Test thread that cricket is a more path-dependent game than people think but for people to make the same mistake with respect to football is mind-boggling, especially when coming from the manager of a rich PL club.

Yeah it’s pretty common for PL managers to misuse stats to serve their agenda. It’s usually an even more basic kind of wrong though, because that way you can be sure they don’t actually believe it.

He’s attracting so much heat for it . I’ve never seen the Proper Football Men and the stats nerds so united on anything before.

 

[sledger]

It's the rambling suggestive of someone completely out of touch (even if he isn't). I imagine the reaction of the players will be much like that of everyone else (i.e. "what the **** is he talking about?"). The board supposedly want to keep the faith, but if he loses the dressing room (the likelihood of which will be increased by comments like this) he'll have to go.

Next game is Chelsea on boxing Day, wouldn't be surprised if he's sacked shortly after.

 

[sledger]

What's also annoying about this is the way suddenly everyone is an expert on xG.

 

[duffer]

It's the rambling suggestive of someone completely out of touch (even if he isn't). I imagine the reaction of the players will be much like that of everyone else (i.e. "what the **** is he talking about?"). The board supposedly want to keep the faith, but if he loses the dressing room (the likelihood of which will be increased by comments like this) he'll have to go.

Next game is Chelsea on boxing Day, wouldn't be surprised if he's sacked shortly after.

We have a run of winnable(heh) games straight after. Allow him one final chance to right the ship or if they have proactively(heh) got someone else lined up, give them a soft run to start with?

 

[sledger]

We have a run of winnable(heh) games straight after. Allow him one final chance to right the ship or if they have proactively(heh) got someone else lined up, give them a soft run to start with?

I still believe he can turn it around personally, and hope he does obviously. But he's not helping himself with **** like this. He also has the get outs of Covid and "the squad is terrible" to fall back on too. But if the troubling reports coming out about a toxic atmosphere in the dressing room have any substance to them, that could be the death of him.

 

[duffer]

I still believe he can turn it around personally, and hope he does obviously. But he's not helping himself with **** like this. He also has the get outs of Covid and "the squad is terrible" to fall back on too. But if the troubling reports coming out about a toxic atmosphere in the dressing room have any substance to them, that could be the death of him.

I'd love him to turn it around but this job is a nightmare for even the most battle hardened veteran managers so I'm dubious that he can do it this early in his career.

The consequences of things getting worse are so disastrous that I think they have to pull the trigger and pay over the odds in January for reinforcements and hope a veteran can save us? Is Rafa available? Oh god did I just type that?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Would snatch your arm off for Rafa.

Parochial concerns aside, he does have a proven track record and, when your boiler's ****ed, you don't send for the boilermaker's apprentice.

 

[sledger]

I think unless it becomes almost unfathomably bad they have to go all in on him tbh. And I think that would be the bold and right decision. That said, we're dangerousoy close to "unfathomably bad", so...

 

[sledger]

Also Rafa is gun. Would absolutely take him if Arteta gets the boot.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think unless it becomes almost unfathomably bad they have to go all in on him tbh. And I think that would be the bold and right decision. That said, we're dangerousoy close to "unfathomably bad", so...

Can't honestly recall it being worse in nearly 40 years of following the Arse.