Football

thanks for that. I'll make sure I post it up again when it appears in a different newspaper...

And you wonder why people take the piss?

Dude, currently it's just you.

ESPN or guardian.

or The Ringer

Euph?

http://www.soccermetrics.net/player-performance/2018-fifa-world-cup-network-centrality-analysis

nah bill simmons' sport/culture website that he set up after ESPN stopped bankrolling Grantland.
Sometimes it's good to get a non European perspective on Football/Soccer
https://www.theringer.com/soccer

soccermetrics

erm, I'm not sure I want to continue

In this network, circular nodes represent the starting players, and square nodes the players substituted into the match.

circles and squares not nodes. Chalfie, can you rewrite for me please?

Interesting tho.

Most of the players who were most influential are deep-lying players such as center backs or holding midfielders, but you also see more advanced midfielders who are central to the network. One example is Luka Modrić for Croatia or Juan Quintero for Colombia. There are also midfielders who have striking capability, such as Griezmann, Neymar, and Bryan Ruíz of Costa Rica.

England had Walker, Stones and Henderson. Suppose it suggests what a lot of the analysis has said, to get to the next level of threatening to win we need a player who can be influential 'on the passing network' further up the field.

All three of Belgium's were centre backs as well, and they were also semi-finalists, whereas two of Spain's were more attacking players and they didn't get as far.

I'm not sure how much this alone can illuminate, as there are still different styles of play, and you can pass around a lot in midfield with little end product and not get as far as a deep-lying counter-attacking side.

I know what you're saying but I wasn't saying that there is a style to win, more that England need to add something to make their style winning.

In otherwords, I had a bias, read an article that didn't offer any conclusions then fit it to my bias, posted it on the internet, THEN SPOKE IN ALL CAPS WHEN SOMEONE DARED TO ENGAGE ME.

So yes, I admit my post was weak.

Footy starts Friday
Footy starts Friday
Footy starts Friday

Are you all yentzed out then?

Christ, have to pass myself the mind bleach now.

A few days left of the pre-season binge

I would say this but this is a fucking fantastic programme from channel 4: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-football-club-artist-in-residence/on-demand/66822-001

Definitely catch it on demand of you can.

Yep, I heard he had a good game. It was his debut, wasn’t it? You could be on to a good thing there.

If it was a spurs blog, then obviously Grealish would come out on top - Maddison has gone to us, Grealish is still an option for you. Maddison looks so controlled and aware, great first touch, doesn’t lose the ball, picks out players, always looks to go forward, grafts, stupidly good set piece delivery, confident... I’m seriously excited about him this season.

Yup; debut.

It was only Coventry in a friendly though.

Hoping he'll do the same in the league on Saturday.

I'm en vacances en France.
Is football over yet?

Bamford to Leeds??

@cornelius_blackfoot - what Mark said, except grealish doesn't take free kicks. He earns them though. Is the most fouled player / min in the league for the last 2 seasons irc. Would have been a good player for you.

(fingers crossed)