• 28 Apr 2025, 9:11 p.m.

    Watching leed in the background. It occurs to me. How tiny are championship teams?

    There are certain metrics that are highly influential on determining football success. I remember from many years ago there was analysis regarding international teams, and the number of players over five foot ten they had to choose from in their national pool. It was closely correlated to their position in world football.

    I wonder what the average height is of current squads, and how closely it correlates to league position. It probably needs to be formulated along with speed, stamina, and strength, to get an athletic index. Unfortunately guru is busy on the usual wild goose chase.

  • 28 Apr 2025, 9:47 p.m.

    I imagine this is already being addressed by the xG boys as part of the Moneyball/Bet365/ThomasFrank collaboration.

  • 28 Apr 2025, 9:49 p.m.

    No doubt.

    In other news, lazy, lazy, lazy, on the formulae front.

    Football fans generally completely underestimate the attritional aspects of physique in the outcomes of matches. Football players are becoming big powerful athletes. It's very noticeable how much bigger the spaces are, when the players are smaller. In other news, Maradona, Messi.

  • 30 Apr 2025, 8:29 p.m.

    I’ll tell you what. This Barcelona-Inter match is absolutely top drawer. Really fabulous. You’re absolutely right there.

  • 30 Apr 2025, 8:46 p.m.

    For me, it's disappointing that Dave Rave has gone with Hannah Fry on BBC2, but fair play to him, he's made his mind up early there and for me, that's the most important thing and good luck to the lad.

  • 30 Apr 2025, 8:47 p.m.

    Enjoyed Rio commentating that "How can you question this new format Champions League when it's producing games like this".

    It's a semi-final Rio. Like there was last year. The year before that. Pretty much forever. You thick twat.

  • 30 Apr 2025, 8:55 p.m.

    I wonder how many times Rio needs to jump the shark before someone decides he really is totally shit. The debacle at the end of the Man Utd game a couple of weeks ago should have been it. He seems to appear on every fucking channel. Is he trying to emulate the likes of Goldbridge on YouTube with inanity, idiocy and excitability to keep the eyeballs? If I want that (I don’t), I’ll watch a YouTuber.

  • 30 Apr 2025, 9:18 p.m.

    Another Rio classic: "He'll be telling his grandchildren about this in 10-15 years, or however long it takes Yamal to have grandchildren."

    Given Yamal is currently 17 years old, grandchildren within 15 years seems .... unlikely.

  • 30 Apr 2025, 11:27 p.m.

    My idiot radiogram is discussing how the 'ship is shit, and that therefore the European super league is an inevitability.

    The fuckwits seem to be full steam ahead, in the wrong direction. Like so much recently.

  • 30 Apr 2025, 11:59 p.m.

    Not long back from Kettering where Harborough lost on penalties.

    Kettering were the better side but after being 2 nil up on penalties after 3 we should have won it. Some horrendous penalties from both sides, 7 missed in total with Sandro dragging one badly wide.

    And I know I’m feeling bitter but the ref was fucking shite, Kettering fans are inbred and the Kettering manager is a massive cunt.

  • 1 May 2025, 7:20 a.m.

    Always been the case. Did I ever post about the time Ron Atkinson…?

  • 1 May 2025, 10:51 a.m.

    Just seen that neither the ticket details nor even the kick off time for the cup final have been announced yet. Supposed to be two weeks on Saturday…

  • 1 May 2025, 11:06 a.m.

    I’m not sure we really gave the Arsenal “tifo” (and that word is doing some seriously heavy lifting) the derision it deserved.
    Rather like “North London Forever” it’s another pathetic attempt to create an “atmosphere.”

    I’m not sure what’s worse: how crap these attempts are or how eagerly Arsenal fans seem to lap it up?

    (I recognise the generous use of quotation marks here)

  • 1 May 2025, 12:28 p.m.

    Agree totally. Those über-corporate flags that are waved by ground staff behind the goal every time they score have always aroused irrationally disproportionate anger in me, too. It’s football fandom done by the club committee, & it feels about as joyous & spontaneous as that makes it sound - i.e. not at all.