Sport Republic

[Badger]

Just now, Weston Super Saint said:

What data were we 'analysing' when we signed Lallana and how old was it?

Did the stats say Larios was 6’ , or did the algorithm suggest a growth spurt ? 

[Mboto Gorge]

1 hour ago, Weston Super Saint said:

What data were we 'analysing' when we signed Lallana and how old was it?

Who the fuck knows, I’m just passing on my knowledge of what I’ve been told.  But I’m guessing this doesn’t include the generic “appeasing the fans by signing old favourites” ploy they also seem to love doing. On that basis they’ve probably just signed him and Romeu based on what they could do x amount of years ago, and still not watched them play in the months leading up to signing them , again who knows

Edited 4 hours ago by Mboto Gorge

[Midfield_General]

1 hour ago, Mboto Gorge said:

Who the fuck knows, I’m just passing on my knowledge of what I’ve been told.  But I’m guessing this doesn’t include the generic “appeasing the fans by signing old favourites” ploy they also seem to love doing. On that basis they’ve probably just signed him and Romeu based on what they could do x amount of years ago, and still not watched them play in the months leading up to signing them , again who knows

And presumably weren't attuned enough to the supporters to know that a good chunk of the fan base thought Lallana was a wanker

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 hours ago, It's There said:

Hi Manji,

what do you mean by different guise? New partners coming in?

Cunningly disguised, yet still embodying farce...

 

[danjosaint]

14 hours ago, Dr. Kucho said:

Can I kindly ask where you got this information from? If this is the case it’s worrying. 

We all believe, myself included, that Rasmus is the core to our problems, but I haven’t seen much evidence of this (media, former employees or people from the business side of football).

There's a qoute from RA from his time at Mitjyland saying something like your eyes lie to you when watching a player, so they dont hence why its done on data analysis 

Edited 1 hour ago by danjosaint

[Midfield_General]

4 minutes ago, danjosaint said:

There's a qoute from RA from his time at Mitjyland saying something like your eyes lie to you when watching a player, so they dont hence why its done on data analysis 

That would explain so, so much. 

[Rebel]

The data might have told you Damion Downs as going to be a great signing - but watching him once would have told you a completely different story.

The big issue is data from the Bundesliga 2 or similar leagues doesn't necessarily translate to a faster, more physical and competitive league like the Championship.  

But also signing players with great potential is pointless if your coaching set up is abysmal or pretty much non-existent as it is at Saints.  Who do we we really have on our coaching staff that is going to make players better or help them fulfil their potential?

With our set up we really need to be signing ready made and finished product for the Championship.

It makes you wish RedBull had bought us instead of Sport Republic - at least RedBull would have been competent owners and RedBull Southampton would have been a competitive premier league team.

Edited 1 hour ago by Rebel

[saintant]

12 minutes ago, danjosaint said:

There's a qoute from RA from his time at Mitjyland saying something like your eyes lie to you when watching a player, so they dont hence why its done on data analysis 

I wonder how long it took the genius to think of that one. I swear he lives in his own little world where everything is the direct opposite of what it should be. Trust us to get shackled to this nutty professor.

[coalman]

26 minutes ago, danjosaint said:

There's a qoute from RA from his time at Mitjyland saying something like your eyes lie to you when watching a player, so they dont hence why its done on data analysis 

There's also a quote by Jeff Bezos that when your data and qualitative feedback disagree that you should trust your qualitative feedback. Then you should figure out how to get better data.

[sockeye]

4 minutes ago, coalman said:

There's also a quote by Jeff Bezos that when your data and qualitative feedback disagree that you should trust your qualitative feedback. Then you should figure out how to get better data.

There’s also an old quote saying The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result...

[Dr. Kucho]

33 minutes ago, danjosaint said:

There's a qoute from RA from his time at Mitjyland saying something like your eyes lie to you when watching a player, so they dont hence why its done on data analysis 

I am going to use this approach to have another look at my partner. Just find some data software where I can fill in her stats and see if we still match (she’s making lunch for me now so that’s a some positive data to add).

Yours eyes lie, be aware. 

[franniesTache]

37 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

That would explain so, so much. 

 

43 minutes ago, danjosaint said:

There's a qoute from RA from his time at Mitjyland saying something like your eyes lie to you when watching a player, so they dont hence why its done on data analysis 

It's from this article and some of the stuff in there is fucking mind blowing and shows why we are such an unbelievable shit show

All of these are direct quotes from him:

People see huge difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions in England,’ Ankersen explains. ‘We think this is not true.

 

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

 

Ankersen says. ‘We tell them: your job is not to tell us whether a player is good or not. We already know that. The scouts need to see whether they are a fit from a personal, psychological point of view.

 

‘We redesigned the club based on a question: what would a football club look like if it had no human eye and ear?

[Football Special]

3 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

 

It's from this article and some of the stuff in there is fucking mind blowing and shows why we are such an unbelievable shit show

All of these are direct quotes from him:

People see huge difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions in England,’ Ankersen explains. ‘We think this is not true.

 

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

 

Ankersen says. ‘We tell them: your job is not to tell us whether a player is good or not. We already know that. The scouts need to see whether they are a fit from a personal, psychological point of view.

 

‘We redesigned the club based on a question: what would a football club look like if it had no human eye and ear?

He's a proper lunatic isn't he ffs , got to laugh really 

[Patrick Bateman]

5 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

 

It's from this article and some of the stuff in there is fucking mind blowing and shows why we are such an unbelievable shit show

All of these are direct quotes from him:

People see huge difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions in England,’ Ankersen explains. ‘We think this is not true.

 

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

 

Ankersen says. ‘We tell them: your job is not to tell us whether a player is good or not. We already know that. The scouts need to see whether they are a fit from a personal, psychological point of view.

 

‘We redesigned the club based on a question: what would a football club look like if it had no human eye and ear?

Proper snake oil salesman. 

[coalman]

18 minutes ago, sockeye said:

There’s also an old quote saying The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result...

Yeah but nobody listens to Einstein. It's not like he ever gave a TED talk.

[sockeye]

11 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

Feels a bit Orwellian.

The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right.

[coalman]

14 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

 

It's from this article and some of the stuff in there is fucking mind blowing and shows why we are such an unbelievable shit show

All of these are direct quotes from him:

People see huge difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions in England,’ Ankersen explains. ‘We think this is not true.

 

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

 

Ankersen says. ‘We tell them: your job is not to tell us whether a player is good or not. We already know that. The scouts need to see whether they are a fit from a personal, psychological point of view.

 

‘We redesigned the club based on a question: what would a football club look like if it had no human eye and ear?

Fucking hell. The first rule of fucking data science is don't blindly trust data because the real world is more complex and will fuck your shit up the first chance it gets. I have lost count of the number of people I've seen burned by this.

[Patrick Bateman]

22 minutes ago, coalman said:

Fucking hell. The first rule of fucking data science is don't blindly trust data because the real world is more complex and will fuck your shit up the first chance it gets. I have lost count of the number of people I've seen burned by this.

Exactly! Also a great example of someone with a 'bit of knowledge' becoming an expert all of a sudden. I mean LinkedIn is full of these types, this is no different.  

 

[danjosaint]

41 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

 

It's from this article and some of the stuff in there is fucking mind blowing and shows why we are such an unbelievable shit show

All of these are direct quotes from him:

People see huge difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions in England,’ Ankersen explains. ‘We think this is not true.

 

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

 

Ankersen says. ‘We tell them: your job is not to tell us whether a player is good or not. We already know that. The scouts need to see whether they are a fit from a personal, psychological point of view.

 

‘We redesigned the club based on a question: what would a football club look like if it had no human eye and ear?

Thats the article,  knew id seen it somewhere,  really good read and explains a hell of a lot 

[Sheaf Saint]

29 minutes ago, coalman said:

Fucking hell. The first rule of fucking data science is don't blindly trust data because the real world is more complex and will fuck your shit up the first chance it gets. I have lost count of the number of people I've seen burned by this.

Exactly. Data analysis is a very useful tool, but it must always, always, be backed up by ground truthing. 

I honestly can't believe we've ended up in such a farcical situation. And now the chickens are coming home to roost, cos we've got a captain who wants out and a loaned out keeper not so subtly telling the press what a toxic environment it is at Saints.

What a total fucking shambles they've turned us into.

Edited 27 minutes ago by Sheaf Saint

[Sheaf Saint]

2 minutes ago, Patrick Bateman said:

Exactly! Also a great example of someone with a 'bit of knowledge' becoming an expert all of a sudden. I mean LinkedIn is full of these types, this is no different.  

 

Yep. RA is clearly right at the initial peak of the Dunning-Kruger curve and has every intention of just staying there, learning absolutely nothing.

[trousers]

44 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

 

It's from this article and some of the stuff in there is fucking mind blowing and shows why we are such an unbelievable shit show

All of these are direct quotes from him:

People see huge difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions in England,’ Ankersen explains. ‘We think this is not true.

 

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

 

Ankersen says. ‘We tell them: your job is not to tell us whether a player is good or not. We already know that. The scouts need to see whether they are a fit from a personal, psychological point of view.

 

‘We redesigned the club based on a question: what would a football club look like if it had no human eye and ear?

How on Earth does any ownership group that is that unhinged ever pass a 'fit and proper' test? Surely no footballing body allows lunatics to own a football club...?

[Midfield_General]

46 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

 

It's from this article and some of the stuff in there is fucking mind blowing and shows why we are such an unbelievable shit show

All of these are direct quotes from him:

People see huge difference between the Premier League and the lower divisions in England,’ Ankersen explains. ‘We think this is not true.

 

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

 

Ankersen says. ‘We tell them: your job is not to tell us whether a player is good or not. We already know that. The scouts need to see whether they are a fit from a personal, psychological point of view.

 

‘We redesigned the club based on a question: what would a football club look like if it had no human eye and ear?

Holy shit. I've never seen that article before. 

Well that's it, isn't it. It all becomes clear. That's why they continually make the appalling decisions they do, where every single one just makes us worse, and why we are where we are. 

And the reason why the downward spiral will continue, on and on, until everything to do with Ankersen has been totally expunged from the club. 

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, Midfield_General said:

Holy shit. I've never seen that article before. 

Well that's it, isn't it. It all becomes clear. That's why they continually make the appalling decisions they do, where every single one just makes us worse, and why we are where we are. 

And the reason why the downward spiral will continue, on and on, until everything to do with Ankersen has been totally expunged from the club. 

It’s a smoking gun. They have to be forced out and Rasmus front and centre of the target. Red cards needed with his face on them at games home and away.

[Mboto Gorge]

Just now, Gloucester Saint said:

It’s a smoking gun. They have to be forced out and Rasmus front and centre of the target. Red cards needed with his face on them at games home and away.

Yep , whether people like it or not, the fans are going to have to come together if they want this club to ever be relatively succesful in the future  , to get rid of these idiots.

[Midfield_General]

56 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

‘And I’m not going there to watch him play,’ Ankersen says – this could only muddle his opinion of the player, who he knows is good.

👆 That quote is absolutely incredible, and is the absolute crux of the arrogance of the man. He just doesn't get it, and never will. 

In any situation, he's made his mind up already, and doesn't want to be exposed to anything that might conflict with the opinion he's already formed, regardless of whether it is actually helpful insight or not. If he just ignores any opportunity to see evidence to the contrary, he can convince himself that he is never wrong, and if it doesn't work out later down the line then it must be someone else's fault who didn't train them properly, or psychologically screen them properly, or whatever. 

It's like the corrupt policeman who has decided to pin a crime on someone despite not actually knowing whether they did or not. They've already made their mind up, now they just need to build the story around it that supports their opinion and then use that to present it as fact and use their position of authority to bulldoze it through. 

We are so fucked. 

[Turkish]

8 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Holy shit. I've never seen that article before. 

Well that's it, isn't it. It all becomes clear. That's why they continually make the appalling decisions they do, where every single one just makes us worse, and why we are where we are. 

And the reason why the downward spiral will continue, on and on, until everything to do with Ankersen has been totally expunged from the club. 

If you bring it together, the statements like they dont see much difference between the premier league and others leagues, along with relying on data rather than watching players explains why some of the signings, like Onachu, have been so disasterous. If you looked at his data in Belgium and thought that level was the same as 10-20th in the Premier league you'd think you had a hell of a player, right up until the point you watch him play........

[sockeye]

How the hell can a millionaire employ someone whose strategy is to double down on his initial opinion no matter what and ignore evidence to the contrary. Let alone hand him the keys to the castle

Solak is an idiot

[Midfield_General]

1 minute ago, Turkish said:

If you bring it together, the statements like they dont see much difference between the premier league and others leagues, along with relying on data rather than watching players explains why some of the signings, like Onachu, have been so disasterous. If you looked at his data in Belgium and thought that level was the same as 10-20th in the Premier league you'd think you had a hell of a player, right up until the point you watch him play........

100%. And Damion Downs, obviously. 6 foot 4, USA international, 13 goals and 6 assists for Koln, 21 years old so will only get better and more valuable. Of course we don't need to actually see him play. What's not to like? 

[Gloucester Saint]

6 minutes ago, Turkish said:

If you bring it together, the statements like they dont see much difference between the premier league and others leagues, along with relying on data rather than watching players explains why some of the signings, like Onachu, have been so disasterous. If you looked at his data in Belgium and thought that level was the same as 10-20th in the Premier league you'd think you had a hell of a player, right up until the point you watch him play........

It puts a tin lid on the idea that they watch players before they buy them. I think we knew that from the 90% failure rate and how ill-suited new signings have looked in whatever league we’ve been in but it confirms our suspicions.

It certainly explains the summer 2024 transfer window preparing for the PL and Wood, Archer, Edwards etc. Gronbaek was a bizarre loan in January as well.

Edited 6 minutes ago by Gloucester Saint

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, Midfield_General said:

100%. And Damion Downs, obviously. 6 foot 4, USA international, 13 goals and 6 assists for Koln, 21 years old so will only get better and more valuable. Of course we don't need to actually see him play. What's not to like? 

They cannot have seen him play live.

If they have the scouting team need to go to Specsavers. 

[Toussaint]

15 hours ago, Mboto Gorge said:

I know someone who’s very close to staff and players at the club, and a scout who works in southern Europe and recommends up and coming players to clubs in the top footballing nations, told him this at the weekend. Said it’s almost impossible to recommend players to Saints if they’re not on Rasmus shortlist or their profile doesn’t tick all of the boxes on his spreadsheet.
 

He also said it’s common knowledge that saints never go to watch a player play before signing him, it’s all done via data analysis. 

The empirical evidence suggests this is true, as well as our wider suspicions regarding Rasmus's control.

• We cannot keep a director of football
• We cannot attract a decent DoF
• The playing style is consistent, suggesting its being imposed
• We cannot (seemingly) attract decent managers
• We cannot retain managers
• No one could ever have watched Damion Downs in the flesh and come to the conclusion he should be signed

I'm sure there are other examples.

 

On a side note, and I've said it before, if anyone does have any connections in the football world I'd be interested to know what the perception is of Southampton FC. I suspect we are seen as a basket case and a bad career move for players, coaches or anyone else who has any aspirations to improve.