Holmes_and_Watson

Love

Ramsdale Suga Bedders THB Taylor Downes Fernandes AA Aribo Cornet Archer Supersub: Dibling Fluky draw, with Ramsdale playing a blinder. Goal from Suga, with Dibling coming on and worrying their defence.

Sadly, the revolving door between government and industry means any number are already compromised, well before they leave office, and happen to end up in the companies who lobbied them.

Starmer paying back £6k of gifts, and Lord Ali being investigated. Disappointing to see them involved in this sort of thing. As disappointing for it to have to go on for so long, as they fail to see what the decent thing to do is.

Switch

And that's from reviving from a coma, waiting for a pass. 🙂

Your box of tissues may be returned safely to the drawer. 🙂

Pretty much agree it's not looking good, and also with "you can only coach what the recruitment team provide." To give as much credit as possible, the work Martin did to turn around the spirit of a battered squad last season, helped a lot. Of course, being a big fish in a small pond brings it's own confidence. It's also hard to state improvements considering the PL performances of the whole team. Agree on Downes and THB. Last year's standouts in Will, Aribo and AA have fallen away (well, Aribo probably doing much as expected). The pile of previous cast offs remains like that. Agreed that this is a big SR issue. Changing approaches, varied recruitment streams just leads to massive squads with no pathways or profits. I thought that, despite continuing flaws, Edozie's game was getting better. But both he and SAA away or not getting minutes. Meghoma I guess not considered good enough. Note that we've now been buying in players with lower league experience. SR approach to getting more out of limitations, applies to Martin. Will, AA and others looking better in a lower level when it works. But with limitations exposed doing it at a higher level. This season's breakthrough is Dibling, who wasn't getting the minutes last year.

Blue on blue action made that a lot more exciting sounding than listening to their sales pitches today. 🙂

Interesting post @Francis1947 Within the internet years, I've definitely been on the other side of that. I've argued that I would never want to see my side lose. Whatever the reason. But that's me missing the point really. None of us do. It's the wider picture of forcing an action compared to deeper damage from smaller, continuing defeats everyone can see coming. I want Martin to succeed. We're not adrift. But again, we all want him to succeed, and we'll be adrift soon enough if it doesn't click. In the end, I'm hoping that SR make the right decision for the club. Not just in the action, but in looking at how they've brought in successors.

Iran felt it had no option than to take that action (obviously there's always a don't fire option). But that was deliberately weighted and in the knowledge of Israel's defences. There was no expectation of mass carnage as a result of the attack. They have been seen to have acted in support of their allies, with further escalation now in Israel's hands, as intended.

SR's goal is to maximise profits, from a strong financial based, byselling on talent. Talent on a low an individual wages as possible, using their recruitment analysis to still bring in PL quality. Talent that might have some flaws, but works within a system. To help, they look to have coaching systems that also maximise that recruitment, may also have flaws, but looks to get the most from small margins. Their ideal world is a talented side on Championship+ base wages, slowly departing, for Lavia money, in successive windows and being replaced by equal skill levels. I mention this, because that's the twist option we've seen so far. Whatever that system is, and we've had a few, works to that end. That's why we have a pile of players (costing more than fewer players on higher wages) who aren't starting. It's why I've had some sympathy with all our managers. SR have to have a look at what they want. Because their plan has some issues beyond a spreadsheet. We could do a Norwich under Farke. Come up with a working system, get thumped and go down, repeat, get found out and sink a bit. We could do that with a Martin side, and work to a better outcome. But, like Farke at the time, there's nothing to show it would be any better second time round, should we get back up. Short of a record low points haul, perhaps SR are prepared to accept this, somehow convincing Dragan of longer returns over short, massive financial hits. I do think that our squad are contained by the system. That's partly that recruitment again, as well as the coaching. There's no guarantee that someone coming in will keep us up. But it would help if SR jettison some of their Rasmus thinking. That's why we're seeing the echoes of life under Ralph, Nate and Ruben. Any new manager should be selected on different criteria. Should someone new keep us up, they'll have to make further changes to keep us up.

Other than hoping Israel would over react, as Egg said, from either the act and/or some Iron Dome failure, that was Iran's response. That's twice they've done it, forced to move out from behind proxies to show support to groups it funds and as statements of defence. Both have been measured, couched in non escalation terms and at the lower end of their capabilities. Iran will look to continue their own defence, support Hezbollah, what's left of Hamas and support other groups/allies to gain influence and undermine Israel's attempts to reach agreements with other middle eastern nations. Israel are now involved in multi front conflicts, none of which offer easy long term resolutions, and dividing international support. It's not in Iran's interests to directly escalate, if they can divert through other fronts. Israel may find itself constantly caught in dealing with acts beyond some Lebanese buffer zone, whatever Palestinian resolution is in place, increased Iranian capabilities, and increased tension as they return to seeking middle eastern alliances. A recurring nightmare, but one that avoids escalation. At least for now. How Israel deal with the source of their issues, in Iran, will be key.

Trying everything to get our season cooking. 🙂

Take

When they appointed Emery, I know I had a moment wondering why that couldn't be us. But only a moment. As soon as they survived their first season back, they've looked to operate at a different level. They are the ones looking to change PSR to invest more, rather than the false economies SR operate under.

Putting players in positions that don't suit them. Bloated squad Working through that big squad in short order, hoping something clicks. Beholden to a system that isn't working / countered by opponents Contentious system, lacking momentum Using a system lacking in key players to make it work. Recruitment programme based on future, unearned, profits. Vain hope relying on getting far more than you pay for in wages. Unable to defend set pieces Giving every opponent at least a 1 goal guarantee. SR all in with current philosophy. Having lost millions paying off the last philosophies they were all in with, rather than going with what worked. Chippy in interviews Interviews not reflecting what everyone else saw 1 point on the board, after a decent sample of games. Some are SR, a lot are the coaches. Considering the tenure of managers, it's very rare that a touted project or identity turns out to be anything of the sort. We can look at individual errors or set pieces. But while the coaching team focuses on eliminating those within their system, we're looking at the system/ coaching that made a lot of them possible. Brighton used their data analysis to keep going, despite results. Depending on your goal, that's a very small sample size for the guy Brentford could do without to pin too much on.

Really sorry to hear that FS. So sudden, and horrible when it happens. Thoughts with your family and friends.

Odds on Adams picking up the Capocannoniere? 🙂 Which, as I had to check the spelling, is now the Paolo Rossi award.

Being a BBC podcast just means it will appear on the main stations, just called something trendier. Podcast is the new programme. Which is why I caught a few minutes of it. The dialogue is pretty much the text of the article. The little I heard beyond that was laying their view on with a trowel. There was another QANON thing on a couple of night later. Similar carefully worded positioning against such things, broader things they also label "conspiracy theories" and pretty much anything outside our traditional channels. A show today was investigating some state based freedom group, now funded from the shadows by some think tank. I guess making it about the US versions gets more clicks than taking a look at the dodgy lot closer to home. The narrator couldn't hide his snooty dismissive tone as the group politely said they don't reply to "legacy media" probably having caught another of the Beeb's shows on this stuff. They politely pointed him in the direction of some webinars. I didn't listen on to see how swivel eyed they turned out to be. But they saw the Beeb coming a mile away. People's opinions and beliefs on any number of topics will be different. The Beeb has long since made it's mind up and clumsily lumps it all together with all the depth of a Daily Mail headline to get some listens on BBC Sounds. They also come across as incredibly precious about other media. They slash their own journalism (whether from punishing those that uncover things in their own organisation or as part of turf wars or having relocate some to actually cover other bits of the UK). But there are some excellent bits of work out there by concerned. determined people. As I said before, it's annoying as a bit more depth and actual journalism ( which they more than anyone should be able to fund) would allow people to make up their own minds, without being led down a path.

Bridie

Rolled my eyes at the image with the quote. Connected it up with his stuff last week about them having a budget for all the things given to them. But he's having a go at the Russian guy who's on his phone. That and the other comments he made beyond the clunky analogy get lots of points.

Porous