ExiledAjax

Pressure came from the Premier League apparently.

I thought the BBC got it spot on last night. They had factual text updates of the games that went ahead, but didn't do the normal light-hearted text chat thing. For my tuppence worth I think it's right to carry on, to keep life going. The Queen ruled a nation not a morgue. I would rather see stadia filled with people singing the national anthem and respectfully holding a period of silence than see these modern churches fall silent and empty. Mourning does not mean stopping everything. Continue with life, but be conscious that some people are grieving, and so you continue with life in a modest and respectful manner. Play up! Play up! And play the game!

Yes of course. I track all of these figures myself using my own tables, and have done since the 2019/20 season after seeing everyone jizz themselves over the 9 game winning run in early 2019 that was pretty much undeserved and mostly down to luck. I well know our clinical tendencies over the past few years. E361 is one of half a dozen stats sites I look at. He's good, especially at the visualisation of data. He's also been doing it for a long time, but his actual numbers, raw data, and xG values are often a little off when compared to the big paid sites such as Opta or wyscout. I would not rely solely on him. We may allow 13 shots against, but in general our opponents require just under 10 shots to score. So if we allow our average of 13 shots in this game, we should bet on conceding just once. I know that xG etc is best used to look at long term trends. I've preached that line many, many times on here. However, in a thread specifically discussing the expectations for a single match, into which you reasonably brought a discussion of xG, I think it's reasonably to apply the averages from 8 games to look at what the exact expectation should reasonably be. For me, looking at the numbers, I'd go for a 2-1 home win if I had to.

14.33 per game for the Hull, Sunderland and Wigan games. 13 per game for the 5 games that followed. Small improvement.

And in our attack they are facing one of the most clinical attacks in the entire 92. Those same graphs, and other numbers, show that we generally need to only take 6 or so shots to score. Personally I take that to mean that should we be able to create chances we are one of the more likely teams to score. It's not prevention of shots that has kept Preston's goals against figure down, the final (ludicrous) graph from E361 shows that they allow an above average number of shots (about 13 per game). we have been taking about 12 shots per game. Taking those numbers together, Preston allowing 13 shots per game, us taking 12 per game, and us needing about 6 or 7 shots to score...well that gives us a predicted goals of about 2. Funnily enough we've been scoring 2 goals per game as well. It's therefore demonstrable, on the famous paper upon which football is not played, that we have the tools and are even 'likely' to unlock this blessed Preston defence.

Who has this expectation? Is it warranted, and if it is genuinely held then is it useful? The "analysis" there in that podcast clip is woeful. "In the games where they've had clean sheets they've looked suspect"...um the three games where we kept clean sheets have also been our three lowest xG against games, and are the three games where we allowed the fewest number of shots, and joint fewest shots on target against - 2 shots on target in each of those three games. They are our three strongest defensive performances of the season, and each clean sheet has been well deserved.

I think Dave just toned down the language so as not to offend my young mind. I have actually seen Gregory's Girl many years ago. Can't say I've heard of Altered Images though. Anyway seems like the plans are going to go through. Honestly I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I think that it's a good thing for the Club to have the Flyers next door, and for the AG general site to be expanded. But then there's a part of me that kind of likes that the stadium is surrounded by houses and park on three sides, and some light industry on the other. I also do have sympathy with local residents and their fears around parking and generally how busy the area might be. I suspect that's me being sentimental (although I'm far too young to be sentimental as demonstrated by my not knowing who Ms Grogan is).

And yet he calls himself a football manager? Pah! Imagine he'll certainly be offered it.

Joking aside, they've a decent squad that someone could do a bit with. Active, success hungry owners willing to invest with a 5 year exit plan (likely). It's a very different proposition than under Roman. Will be interesting to see who goes there.

No surprise really. Never got a team promoted from the Championship. Not a proper manager.

@Davefevs I must admit it went over my head.

The housing application: https://pa.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=QUDIB0DNHQK00 Sporting Quarter application: https://pa.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=QUDIACDNHQI00&activeTab=summary Shockingly both are made by Esteban Investments Limited, because that's the actual company registered at Ashton Gate and part of the Pula Sports group owned by the Lansdowns.

*Esteban Investments Ltd. Esteban Holdings Ltd is owned by some people called Mark Lironi and Clare Grogan.

It's about the toughest group relevant to Ghana's ranking and level. Suspect as and when bookies odds and predictions come out they will be about the longest odds for progression. I guess we'll get an idea this month where he sits in their coach's mind and how much he might be used.

Ghana's 3 group games are as follows. Times are GMT. We play Watford at home on 12 November, then our next game is Rotherham away on 10 December. I guess he might get a rest against Rotherham, but this shouldn't affect our season unless Ghana progress.

Assuming Ghana do not get out of their group, none.

I'd hope he would entertain the possibility. Nahki Wells costing us £0 in amortisation and on £10,000 a week costs us £500k a season. That's a much better deal than his current £2m cost. Frees up £1.5m of balance sheet cost to cover other wages or fees.

Here is the team. EFL use whoscored's ratings, which in themselves are based on data from Opta. If it makes anyone feel better then Naismith is in whoscored's Champ team of the week. Wells scored a 9.3 out of ten in our game, Scott a 7.2. Whoscored rated Weimann at 7.8, thanks to two assists, Hames at 7.8 despite a yellow which is incredible. Personally I suspect it's because Scott won't have got credit for something like his little bit of control and break out in the lead up to the first goal. For that he'll get a pass completion and that's about it, but an observer will be raving about it all day. Scott also got booked, which will have dropped his rating, although most observers will ignore that when giving their own thoughts. If you are bored or care very deeply about Alex Scott's omission, then whoscored explain their ratings system here: https://www.whoscored.com/Explanations

Winger even. Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer is one hell of an incredible name.

Never taken a team from the Championship to the Premier League though have they. Bald fraud and a toothy conman respectively.

World. Class. At. The. Basics.

Is there a typo in the new RO address? "Ipswich Town Football Cub Company Ltd"

If he played another 21 seasons rather than the 15 I estimated, then you're looking at him beating Giggs' record for games played for a single team (Europe). That is 963 (see court records for verification). Would mean Scott playing until he's 40 though.

If you're taking all completions then he's already on 55 for us. I guess if he stayed with us for his whole carrer, let's say he retires at 34. Stays relatively injury free, and so averages say 42 games a season (let's assume he drives us to promotion and then Europe pretty soon and so we play 8 fewer league games, but gain a few European cup gamed, let's also assume he misses a few games here and there for injury and rotation etc). He turned 19 this season, so retiring at 34 gives him the rest of this season - a further 34 appearances based on the average of 42 - plus 15 further seasons to give his final match presumably being the Champions League final in 2038. At 42 games a season, plus the further 34 I'm estimating this season, and the 55 he already has, we get an estimated total of: 55 + 34 + (15*42) = 719 appearances. Would smash the records of both Atyeo and Carey. He could probably have a season out injured and still break the record if he stayed for so long. Shall we just commission the statue now to save time?

Most impressive is that in those 49 games he's played 3,531* minutes. That's an average of 72 minutes per game. All but 5 have been starts as well. So it's not like a lot of youngsters getting 10 mins at the end of games that bolster the headline appearances number. Seriously experienced compared to most of his peers. *according to transfermarkt