The9

If you're going to post this useless piece of crap passing for analysis everywhere I'll have to point out it's a useless piece of crap passing for analysis, everywhere. - See more at: http://www.information-age.com/it-management/strategy-and-innovation/123458305/how-bolton-wanderers-are-revolutionising-use-data-analysis-football-win-back-their-premier-league#sthash.EcQFvfSu.dpuf

Verbatim quote here from Brian Prestige, head of analytical development at Bolton. “The person with the most tackles means nothing. We’re after clever defenders who intercept and have the right starting positions. They maximise their efficiency by not running around the pitch trying to lunge in and tackle everyone, but by trying to just intercept key passes because they’re keeping in shape.” - See more at: http://www.information-age.com/it-management/strategy-and-innovation/123458305/how-bolton-wanderers-are-revolutionising-use-data-analysis-football-win-back-their-premier-league#sthash.EcQFvfSu.dpuf

Bloody hell, have you learned nothing? Alex Ferguson described his sale of Jaap Stam as his biggest mistake. Why did he sell Stam? Because his "number of tackles made" figure had dropped, so Ferguson thought he was being less involved and less effective. In fact, Stam had become much better at intercepting and reading the game, stopping moves before they even got to the point where a tackle was required. So he had actually improved his defending significantly. Taking a single stat without context proves nothing. Especially when compared to Balotelli and Sterling, who operated as part of pressing attacks designed to turn the ball over high up the pitch. Having said all that, I think Vlaar has looked slow and ineffective - but that's a useless stat to try and prove it. Now if he's also not making interceptions, losing aerial duels, not making blocks, then you've got some evidence. Useful link for where to source Opta stats though.

Hardly his fault when his job was to get halfway into the opposition's half and stand up a cross to Lambert at the far post, leaving him 30 yards further up the pitch than the opposing right winger if we lost the ball. Richardson had a similar problem on the right wing, but had more cover. Interestingly when we had to defend and the defence were all in position - THAT was when Fox always seemed to take that extra second to abandon his near post position and get out wide to press the crosser. Which was exactly the same thing Martina was having trouble with in Salzburg - not knowing when to stay in position and when to close the ball. Martina and Stephens were getting directed by Fonte for the whole of the 45 against Valencia and you could see it was going to take a lot of work.

I guess if you assume their natural level is somewhere in the bottom half of the Championship (average attendance last season would see them 17th in Championship) then they can afford to pay players those kind of wages. But that's if they're in the Championship. And they're not. Their ground is a drain on costs and it will only get worse every year they don't invest in it. The issue for them is that they've been getting 15,000 with 11,000 of them at discounted ST rates (and many PST discounts on top of those discounts). They're currently down 2,000 on last year's numbers at the moment. Last year they lost £170k. STs are £300-£350 each - even Newport's seats range from £315-£410 and they're a poky sized club. They should be spending as little as possible to get out of the division and investing in their crumbling infrastructure. Even if they're paying players just within their means, they're still just stockpiling problems.

Not when keeping a Clean Sheet is and nearly 3 times as important as any goal we score in terms of points. Clearly signing a CB to fill the gaping Belgian-shaped hole in defence (along with hoping the Dutch bloke replaces the French bloke well) are the keys to our success, this stuff is less important. "Conceding ten fewer goals than another club throughout the course of a season results in an average difference of about +3 points, but scoring ten more goals than another club throughout the season will result in an average difference of just +2 points. Teams in the top-five for goals scored have finished 10th or lower three separate times, even placing as low as 16th. The lowest a top-five defense has finished is eighth (Fulham, 2010-11). Since the 2003-2004 season, 68 teams have conceded fewer than 45 goals. Of those teams, 50 (73.5%) have secured a top-five finish, and none have been relegated. In that same timetable, 81 teams have scored over 50 goals, and of those teams, 57 (70.4%) have secured a top-five finish. One team (Blackpool, 2010-11) has been relegated." "During the most recent transfer window, Premier League teams made 59 transfers that had disclosed fees. There were, of course, several undisclosed transfer fees, but for now, these are the numbers that are available to the public, and this is how they break down: 18 midfielders purchased for an average of £12 million per player (total amount spent on midfielders: £215 million) 17 attacking players purchased for an average of £9.3 million per player (total amount spent on attackers: £167 million) 17 defenders purchased for an average of £4.3 million per player (total amount spent on defenders: (£73.6 million) 3 goalkeepers purchased for an average of £4.4 million per player (total amount spent on goalies: £13.2 million) The massive discrepancy between the value of attackers and the value defenders and goalkeepers is not only disproportionate to what one would expect to see in the logical world, but it’s also disproportionate to what one should see in the real world." http://eplindex.com/39244/football-game-of-balance-liverpool-tottenham-swansea-transfers.html

It's a weird one, he had a brief "goodbye" tweet at the end of the season, but Saints haven't announced he's been released and he was no more than 3/5ths through his contract, and no longer injured. And now someone else wearing his squad number. Fairly sure he's gone but again, nothing actually said.

Well, it's an opinion, but there's not a single instance of it in the 27 posts I can see on the page prior to your comment - unless you consider Martina "a bit uncomfortable in possession early on, improved as the game went on" as a criticism?

It's a moving gif over 94 minutes of a match. You may have a setting that prevents it showing as a moving image.

My favourite kind of night in, the wife's out. Just going to get her. Loud night in about to ensue. I'm currently printing off the ManCity analytics data documentation. The data is here if anyone cares: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bx25s45t4-d_Rmg2UGExTU85b0U&usp=sharing

They disappear around 93 minutes because it's an average over 5 minutes, but the size of the dot represents involvement, so if they didn't affect play, I guess they won't be represented at all.

Anyway, if you didn't like the pretty picture, here's an analysis done about the sustainability of our start last season (it notably identifies that we had a high number of goals compared to chances created, and that wasn't going to continue): http://statsbomb.com/2014/11/is-sizzling-southamptons-start-to-the-season-sustainable/

I'd say so, teams score from one in every 33.5 corners on average in the Premier League. (The every 19 attempts originally mentioned was free-kicks). "In terms of Corners, OPTA has a total 4321 corners that lead to 129 goals inside the box or a goal in every 33.5 attempt." http://enbsports.blogspot.ca/2014/02/creating-flowchart-of-goal-in.html

I don't get it. Sheesh, I posted this on a Saturday night when normal humans are out getting b0llocksed JUST to get some g33ked-out feedback or at least nodding, and...

Dunno if anyone will be interested in this - but it's the average position data from the galling home defeat by Man U last season. Comes from here: http://statsbomb.com/2014/12/southampton-v-mufc-player-positional-tracker/ You might notice I'm getting into analytics... The one thing I did notice was how involved Hesketh was immediately after he came on.

The whole outrage about tapping up is vaguely ridiculous, as I've asked before, is there a fundamental difference between a club asking a player to talk to an international teammate if they want a position filled, as opposed to the player talking to his international teammate about wanting to play for a bigger club and does he think they'd be interested? There's basically no difference in the conversation beyond instigating it.

In order to be a registered football agent (and be allowed to be involved in transfers) you have to lodge a massive bond deposit with FIFA, into the hundreds of thousands of pounds. So not "anyone can call themselves a football agent" - but it helps if they know someone earning a load of cash on a weekly basis...

Scoring 3 goals in a match is only JUST more valuable in points terms to keeping a clean sheet. You're looking at the wrong end for points generation.

He was shopping in Gunwharf, apparently - so he's either injured, being rested (which makes little sense when he went to Austria), or we've already lined up a move, whether loan or permanent, so we don't mind what he does.

He existed in Salzburg. Stood out about as much as anyone, i.e. not at all - which on the day made him our joint 2nd best player with the rest of the team behind Fonte but ahead of Long and Rodriguez who missed good chances, and miles ahead of Martina.

Incidentally if anyone wants a programme from Salzburg there's one here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261970192109?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

I've just had a look and I'm 99% sure those numbers will be accurate. With Gaston shipped out last season and apparently shopping in Gunwharf this afternoon I think it's fair to say he won't need a number. 13 or 18 for the CB and maybe Ramirez if needed, I guess. Good spot re: Mayuka - he hasn't been around pre-season has he? Pretty sure his groin was ok by the end of last season so he's not injured and there were rumours of a contract buy-out after a rogue tweet. Maybe Debayo has got lucky...?

Surprised there isn't anything about him playing against Eibar for Celtic (was live on Premier Sports) this afternoon. I don't think we need to read anything into that, no matter what BBC says. If he stays it's because Saints have other options prioritised.

The point being made seemed to be that Danny Fox was a typical example of a player signed from the top division in Scotland so they clearly wouldn't be good enough. MLG rightly pointed out was a ridiculous example, given that we'd since signed Davis, Wanyama and Forster who have been more than competent in the Premier League for Saints. Hooiveld and Fox didn't work out quite as well, but then they weren't signed for a Prem side, they just happened to be in it after promotion. You can't rightly criticise a Championship-level player for not being Prem standard, that's usually why they're in the Championship in the first place. We already knew Fox was at best borderline Prem from his Burnley relegation season, without even considering the fact he played for Celtic a couple of years before, which basically was irrelevant anyway. So the MLG point that you should judge a player on his own merits was also valid. FWIW I am 95% sure Van Dijk won't be as good as Alderweireld, but only needs to be better than Yoshida to be worth signing.

Just 13 and 18 available now then. Did Gazzaniga keep 25?