dont look back in anger , I heard you say

[TCsLoveChild]

What a shower of cunts.

Did they also predict who would have the most VAR decisions against them as well?

pommpey

I did.......and I was right UTB

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

What most people seem to forget is football is a TEAM game...…...

 

[Houston_Blade]

Matt Barlow....at least he knows the Championship

He's a pig so it figures

 

[BushBlade]

Like all sports, there is always a paradigm of what brings success. Then someone or some team comes along and forces all to look at the metrics they once thought brought success. Usain Bolt changed the way coaches viewed sprinters for example.
The Blades came up with a team of little or no PL experience. Players who most would describe as journeymen. The majority of the team starting/playing in the PL cost/earn very little in comparison to other teams. There are no 'big', established names. No Players who have 'proved' themselves at the highest level. Etc etc. So by most metrics of the ordinary fan and lazy pundit, we were destined to go down. Just look at Wednesday fans and their views that their players are still better. Amongst coaches, who have access to data, it was more problematic. The players compare favourably with most other PL players when it comes to most data metrics. Add to that the coaching and management of CWAK and you get where we are. I was chatting to a Dutch coach the other day who was raving about Basham. Now, most fans would look at the way Basham runs and dismiss him as shit. In my opinion, Basham is our best player. (Controversial, I know). Soon to be replaced by Berge, trust me.
CWAK have shaken up the current paradigm which is why you have Klopp, Pep, Bielsa etc singing his praises. I predict there will be problems for some of the richer clubs when the Chairman/women start to expect managers to do the same as Wilder. Add to that the EFL proposed salary cap. CWAK have shown what excellent management/coaching can achieve. That is the new way forward not the cheque book. Mittwoch, look and learn.

There seems to have been huge changes over the last few years. The demand for ‘attractive’ football has led to the likes of Mourinho suddenly looking like a dinosaur. I think there’s now a shortage of experienced managers who can set a team up to play the type of football that Liverpool and Man City play (accepting they play quite differently to each other). Nowadays, if it’s not Tiki-taka or Heavy Metal Football the supporters get fed up.
I think this is partly why we’re seeing OGS, Arteta and Lampard in charge of big clubs. They should, under the old wisdom, be going for experienced managers who’ve climbed the ladder; and this should be the pinnacle of their career. But who? Who are these experienced managers that can produce the type of football the supporters expect and actually win stuff?

It’s a similar thing with players. With the exception of the likes of Ronaldo, it seems that once players have made it, won medals and become very rich, they lose their hunger to the extent they can’t even be arsed to train properly. Look at all the rumours around Chelsea when Conte was manager; they thought training was too hard, the flair players didn’t like the disciple of having to track back and defend.

I think managers like Wilder have already recognised this, ripped up the book of how to be a manager and have started to re-write it. I’m already beginning to accept that a lot of what I ‘know’ about football is out of date.

 

[blade too long]

The fact that Arsenal and even more so Spurs were touted as top 4 again based on them reaching the CL final with little regard to the immense luck they had getting there with a host of VAR decisions in their favour shows how little it's based on form but shiny new grounds

 

[BushBlade]

The fact that Arsenal and even more so Spurs were touted as top 4 again based on them reaching the CL final with little regard to the immense luck they had getting there with a host of VAR decisions in their favour shows how little it's based on form but shiny new grounds

Maybe a lot of pundits picked Spurs because they have finished in the top four for the last few seasons and maybe they picked Arsenal because they came close last season under Emery, a reasonably well respected manager, and were expected to improve rather than implode.
We’re all clever with hindsight.

 

[Tarqs]

Well prior to this season starting, I said Villa Norwich and Brighton...

Could be a full house.

 

[blade too long]

Maybe a lot of pundits picked Spurs because they have finished in the top four for the last few seasons and maybe they picked Arsenal because they came close last season under Emery, a reasonably well respected manager, and were expected to improve rather than implode.
We’re all clever with hindsight.

Both finished last season in the prem very poorly. Spurs CL run masked a a real fade out where if Arsenal hadn't been as bad Spurs wouldn't have qualified

 

[bornablade]

Next season the experts / pundits will all be predicting Liverpool retaining the Premiership. It's an easy forecast.

It wouldn't surprise me if they only just finish in the top 4.

That's the way football goes.

 

[Brian Blessed]

also surprising (for me anyway) how many tipped Cardiff for promotion

They were a decent shout. Promoted last time they were in that league and with a similar squad, didn't disgrace themselves in the Prem, parachute payments, plus "promotion specialist" Neil Warnock in charge.

 

[kop_blade9]

In the predictions thread of where we would finish I thought 13th-14th based on the big six and other teams being more technical.
However I don't think anybody predicted that Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal would be so woeful as a team.
Picking up so many draws I don't think we have been spectacular but so solid and are higher up the table because of other teams being so woeful.
After a solid start to the season the pundits were saying that we would hit a bad run and fall back down the table to what they felt was our rightful position.
Burnley hit that run run but are now out of it. Bournemouth are in the middle of that run at the moment and Watford have been clueless all season.
It's not happened and now the pundits, having actually seen our play, are now starting to praise us and realise that we are rightly contenders for Europe.
Not all of them of course, people like Nichol can never admit they are wrong and just end up making themselves look stupid.
It will be interesting as to where they predict for us next season. Second season crash and relegation or mid-table mediocraty?
Because obviously the big six will be back next year..... won't they?

 

[blade too long]

think its more we were far more prepared for the prem than at least 12 other clubs were
yes man utd started just as mediocre as they were last season , but are improving
Arsenal just dont work as hard as us and our players are surprisingly just as technically adept in this division
We are where we are on our defensive strength which augers well for 2nd season syndrome as not conceding helps as much as scoring

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Like all sports, there is always a paradigm of what brings success. Then someone or some team comes along and forces all to look at the metrics they once thought brought success. Usain Bolt changed the way coaches viewed sprinters for example.
The Blades came up with a team of little or no PL experience. Players who most would describe as journeymen. The majority of the team starting/playing in the PL cost/earn very little in comparison to other teams. There are no 'big', established names. No Players who have 'proved' themselves at the highest level. Etc etc. So by most metrics of the ordinary fan and lazy pundit, we were destined to go down. Just look at Wednesday fans and their views that their players are still better. Amongst coaches, who have access to data, it was more problematic. The players compare favourably with most other PL players when it comes to most data metrics. Add to that the coaching and management of CWAK and you get where we are. I was chatting to a Dutch coach the other day who was raving about Basham. Now, most fans would look at the way Basham runs and dismiss him as shit. In my opinion, Basham is our best player. (Controversial, I know). Soon to be replaced by Berge, trust me.
CWAK have shaken up the current paradigm which is why you have Klopp, Pep, Bielsa etc singing his praises. I predict there will be problems for some of the richer clubs when the Chairman/women start to expect managers to do the same as Wilder. Add to that the EFL proposed salary cap. CWAK have shown what excellent management/coaching can achieve. That is the new way forward not the cheque book. Mittwoch, look and learn.

“Paradigm”....twice, have two likes..

 

[stringer]

I can't believe how many people have been offended by pundits expecting us to go down. Our wage budget was less than half of the next lowest in the division. What Wilder has done is nothing short of a miracle and what was the statistic 17 of the last 20 lowest budgeted teams have gone down?

Just enjoy it, they're not pricks for thinking we'd go down and who cares what anyone thinks.

This, x1000

 

[blademark]

Far from being angry with these pundits, it actually fills me with pride and joy.
Long may we continue to upset the odds.

 

[diode_blade]

Ferk em, someone send them a pack of Henri Winterman's Corona Cigars....they will shit themselves,

 

[BigBed]

What's the collective noun for a load of cunts?
A 'snatch' ?

Thought it was 'Pundits'?

 

[blade too long]

“Paradigm”....twice, have two likes..

if paradigm is half as nice as heaven that you take me to who needs paradigms Id rather have you

 

[Isar]

I can't believe how many people have been offended by pundits expecting us to go down. Our wage budget was less than half of the next lowest in the division. What Wilder has done is nothing short of a miracle and what was the statistic 17 of the last 20 lowest budgeted teams have gone down?

Just enjoy it, they're not pricks for thinking we'd go down and who cares what anyone thinks.

It's not just the "pundits" who had us to go down, lots of normal footie fans would have said the same. Not offended at all, proud as f@ck with the whole club.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

if paradigm is half as nice as heaven that you take me to who needs paradigms Id rather have you

Thanks Andy

 

[drinksmat]

It is good to chuckle at these incorrect guesses but I would rather be in our current scenario rather than having been tipped to do well and find ourselves in a relegation fight.

 

[Trigger Blade]

if paradigm is half as nice as heaven that you take me to who needs paradigms Id rather have you

I had a Spotify Andy Fairweather Low session this afternoon, Wide Eyed And Legless (I’ve gone and done it again) seemed to resonate quite nicely, unsure why

 

[Nick Jansky]

I had a Spotify Andy Fairweather Low session this afternoon, Wide Eyed And Legless (I’ve gone and done it again) seemed to resonate quite nicely, unsure why

Saw him playing rhythm guitar for Eric Clapton in the early 90s in quite a band line up.

 

[fuerstenberger]

“Paradigm”....twice, have two likes..

I have been using TheLodger's book, "How to impress people using a Thesaurus, whilst being a Doctor, intellectual, knob end.

 

[I should coco]

We’re all clever with hindsight.

I'm not.

In a parallel universe, I'm still certain we'll beat Walsall and avoid a humiliating relegation to the Fourth Division.