thestooge

Nae currently got tickets to see anyone but I have just been booked to play a Mod/Psych/Soul all nighter in Tokyo in Jan. Booked my flights yesterday. First time I'll have played outside Europe and I canna wait. The venue is absolutely incredible, a 60's cinema reconditioned to its period state and now a cabaret club. http://www.kinema.jp/about/ I've no discernible talent myself, I'm just a collector of lost gems like this:

You're perfectly entitled to your opinion fella, I just dinna agree with much of it. I just dinna like saying that a professional will willfully stop trying for his side for whatever reason. I read a good article recently that was essentially a discussion of the old school "goals are the only stat that matters" vs the stat obsession of many modern managers, with Van Gaal central to the article. The crux of the article came down to the conflict between "scoring goals wins games" and "winning games scores goals". Essentially the point was, in the main, old fashioned marauding sides going head to head with opponents has given way to possession dominated football where essentially you're looking to choke the life out of your opponent, using Van Gaal's United and Ferguson's history as a template. I thought it was very appropriate for us. Even when we were on our great run, we never looked like battering an opponent. We had a solid defence, well protected by two deep midfielders, with Jack in particular doing a great job in the first 8 games. However, in my opinion we were still a very cautious side. Even with McGinn and Hayes providing dangerous balls into the box regularly, they rarely had more than two targets in the box, with McLean likely arriving late too. Our quality, and indeed our form, was bringing results but it wasn't necessarily hugely convincing and i think most fans were crying out for another goal threat before the window closed (Parker clearly isn't that, unfortunately). I think tactically, we're still approaching games as we were in Aug/Sept, only now, with a lack of form and confidence, our additional quality isn't converting the one or two chances it was previously and our caution is holding us back. Instead of making difficult decisions about who our back four are and trusting them to get the job done, McInnes is looking for midfield to provide additional protection, getting fans on Jack's back and further isolating our strike force. That is based on TV rather than being there live though so I accept that may be wrong. I think McInnes will stick to the "winning games scores goals" approach so I think we have to hope that the collective form improves this weekend. We'll need guys like Jack, but also other senior players like McGinn and Hayes to really up their game and start converting the chances we do create. Out of interest, do you think we will win on Saturday or do you think there is a festering wound within the camp that will continue to hold us back? If we do win, do you think it's a one off against a shitey United and the ugliness will re-emerge next week? If we went on to win the next few games on the bounce would that change your suspicions about a bust up?

Celtic dominated the possession stats, as they did vs United (5-0) and Hearts (0-0). At home, Celtic generally have between 62-65% of possession. The only time that's not broadly been the case is in Europe vs Qarabag, Fenerbache and Molde. For me, that shows the gulf in class between Celtic and the rest of the SPL. Celtic had 30 shots against us, we were soundly beaten. I'm not trying to defend the performance against Celtic, indeed I'm saying that, sadly, the stats show how much closer we are to the rest of the SPL than we are to them. What I was saying was that the stats in the Celtic games emphasise how small margins of error are. Hearts have taken our 2nd spot in the league table and are being praised for their 0-0 draw at Celtic Park. Yet they were battered for 90 minutes, much like we and United were. In all three games the possession stats were similar (ours slightly more favourable), and in all three games Celtic had in excess of 20 shots at goal. United managed 3 shots themselves, Hearts 5, us 7. I was using the stats of the Celtic game to basically show that Hearts were lucky to get a point, that we appear to be slightly better than our SPL rivals but that the gulf in class remains extensive. I was also using stats to suggest that our dramatic dip in form does not appear to have been the result in certain individuals downing tools as we've retained relatively similar game statistics throughout the good and bad run, though clearly the conversion of our own chances has dropped and the punishment of our errors has increased. Again, I think that indicates a lack of confidence up front and defensive instability due to an ever rotating back line. I also don't doubt that there have been harsh words said in the dressing room during this poor run, you'd absolutely expect it, wouldn't you? I just don't think those harsh words have resulted in a catastrophic breakdown of relationships and that those harsh words are a symptom of bad form rather than the cause of it. Why did Jack come off rather than Shinnie? There could be any number of reasons. If he genuinely wasn't trying a leg though, you'd need to question why the manager didn't remove him from proceedings before the game was over as a contest.

That's been said a few times but there are lots of instances where clubs have addressed training ground bust ups head on, not least Delia just the other week. Plenty other clubs would just stop the questions being asked or would put up a wall of silence. Jack has come out and publicly, categorically denied the rumours. If you think he's lying, fair dos but until there is actual evidence to suggest otherwise, I'll take him at face value.

It's one interpretation, but I think most managers and clubs use statistics on a constant basis to inform their decisions in the modern game. Statistics don't tell the whole story but they do develop the narrative and provide evidence within a context. When I say I think we should start Rooney ahead of Goodwillie 19/20 times, I'd use the fact Goodwillie has 8 goals in 56 appearances compared to Rooney's 45 in 85 appearances to justify it. When you say Jack isn't trying a leg, I'd say that you're mistaken and evidence that our possession stats have remained fairly constant, with Jack central to our possession game as evidence. I'm not saying that Jack has necessarily played well by saying that though, but if Jack wasn't trying, you'd expect our stats to diminish dramatically. I'd suggest that in the context of our poor run of form, McInnes is being particularly risk averse, he's likely to be requiring Jack to reinforce the defence, so your perception that Jack isn't trying is Jack being disciplined and maintaining a defensive position. McInnes is probably stressing ball retention so again, Jack playing a short sideways pass is exactly what the manager is after but it's frustrating for the fans after more dynamism. When you look at McInnes results at other clubs, he does seem to have wild fluctuations in form. Even when he got St J promoted he went 5 games without a win, 4 games without a win and 3 games without a win twice. When his side dropped points, it was unusual for them to bounce back with a win immediately. When he's in the SPL, and I appreciate St J are not Aberdeen, even if he was developing his reputation as a good manager then, he went 7 games, 6 games and 5 games without a win in the same year. Similar picture at Bristol Rovers, a period of decent form was followed by a serious dip (that's ultimately what got him the sack, as he couldn't turn things around with limited resources). Even if Jack/McInnes/Logan had fallen out, I'm not sure how that results in our dip in form either. Again, Celtic seem to have huge issues with infighting and a dressing room divide between senior players and managers yet, in the SPL at least, they have been very comfortable reasserting their dominance. Dougie Bell was on Off The Ball the other week saying similar, basically throughout his career, he'd had various fall outs and punch ups but that those incidents had little or no impact on the 90 minutes of football on the pitch. For me, our form will return will come not when players and management kiss and make up, or when certain individuals are shown the door but when the manager starts making the right decisions again and the players get a bit of confidence back. Hopefully that'll start on Saturday.

I've never bought into the dressing room bust up thing like but it's good Jack has at least tried to dispel the rumours. I thought it was a good interview from him. I think he'll be a good captain, he's nae even 20 games into that role yet so I'll not write him off yet, especially as that period has included our best ever start in the league and some reasonable Euro performances, even if we're in the shite now. I was looking at some stats after the Celtic game. My father-in-law was bemoaning our possession stats, and shots at goal and on target as an indicator of a worrying performance. What I found interesting was that when you compared the stats of our game and the recent Hearts and United visits to Celtic Park, the stats were near identical, though ours were fractionally better than the other two. Those three games resulted in United getting bummed, Hearts getting a point and us getting defeated. For me, it stressed the importance of small margins of error. I had a wee look at the stats from some of our other games and thought it was also interesting. Vs ICT, the first league defeat, we had 52% possession and near double the shots and corners of ICT but we obviously lost. The stats vs County were near identical, we had slightly more of the ball and we had about a dozen shots on goal. The previous away win, we'd pumped Hearts, yet we had less possession than them and fewer shots and corners. The away game before that, vs Partick, the possession stats were broadly similar to the ICT/County game but we had fewer shots. Out of those four games, the best stats we had were in the two we lost. I had a wee look at home games too, we've only lost 1 at home and drawn 1 so even in the current slump, we're nae exactly dramatically under performing at Pittodrie (though I accept the one defeat was pretty feckin spectacular). What was interesting was that the home stats were very similar to the away stats, we generally edge possession, somewhere around the 53-55% mark. We generally have around 10 shots at goal. We generally have 7-9 corners. This appears to have been largely consistent through the good run and the downturn, both home and away. Stats, especially pretty limited ones like possession, shots, and corners, dinna tell you a whole story but, for me, they reinforce my feeling that the dip has been down to those small margins going against us. In our good run, I think we got lucky a couple of times, equally, I think we've been a little unlucky in the dip. Folks, understandably, have focused on the monumental extremes of an 8 game winning streak capitulating into a run of 6 without one and felt there has to be a bigger reason for it, hence all the bust up chat and wife shagging drama. In reality though, we rode our luck a little early in the season, we only scored more than 2 goals once in the league and a lack of goals, despite creating opportunities was an issue last season too. We've been conceding more goals recently and to me that's down to a managerial failing to pick a settled back line. The change in results has been extreme but the stats seem to indicate the performances have been broadly similar, we've just, obviously, scored less and conceded more. A bit of continuity at the back and I'm confident we'll sort out the goals conceded, we do have good defenders for this level, we just need to play them in the same order for a few games on the bounce. The goal scoring remains an issue, the summer acquisitions haven't addressed this and basically without Rooney, we're fucked. The faith shown in Goodwillie remains unfathomable to me, one or two good showings aside, but McGinn, Pawlett and Hayes need to contribute more goals too. I'd be shipping Pawlett out when his contract expires, he's had long enough to develop, but he's just not cutting it. I think McLean is a fine player and the five goals he's contributed so far this season show he's capable, but I think he's still not fitting into our system, which may well be the fault of McInnes for again shifting him about the park a bit and not really seeming to know what he wants from him. In short, I still have a lot of faith in this side. We've good players throughout the team. I think McInnes needs to shoulder much of the blame for the recent poor results but I think we'll come good again, hopefully on Saturday. It's easy to be critical when things are bad and it's easy to get carried away when you're on a role. In reality though, the gap between us and ICT/St J/Ross County/etc is far smaller than the gap between ourselves and Celtic, even if we have narrowed that over the last couple of years.

I agree with that. Interesting to see press coverage today of a rumoured dressing room bust up, days before we play Celtic, at a time where their confirmed bust up resulted in a player requiring hospital treatment. Also see the Logan departure story is back in the press, as it was days before we last played Celtic.

All the best fanny balls.

Admittedly, I've been reduced to highlights since the Hamilton game as I've been in China with work, but it's amazing how a dip in form brings out the fishwives and the armchair psychologists. I've been having a look across the various forums and social networks and some of the stuff coming from fans is utterly bizarre fantasy. If even a fraction of it was true, the gossip collumns of the national press would be filled with the most dysfunctional team in football history. We started this season in record breaking fashion. That no doubt raised expectations dramatically, reinforced by, by SPL standards, a strong squad and a capable young manager, but the challenge of sustaining the level of performance over the course of a season was and is our biggest hurdle. I think we benefited in the opening months from our European games. We were fitter and sharper as a result of six decent tests against good sides all capable of top six SPL finishes. Those six games gave us a bit of a head start but we've now hit a lull at a point where other sides have started to get a bit of momentum. I'm disappointed that we've not bounced back following the St J result. The early season fight backs after going a goal down at Motherwell and to Celtic had made me hopeful we had real mental toughness. I hoped we'd galvanise and get a gritty win vs County and/or Well. But the fact we haven't doesn't lead me to think Logan is poison, that Robson is barely speaking to the manager, that Jack is a weak captain or that Taylor's wife is being gangbanged in the boot room. I do think some of McInnes' naivety has been exposed but I think it's equally important to remember he's still a young manager and one with little experience of title challenges, especially against those with vastly superior resources. I really hope we can get a fighting performance at the weekend. A big defeat would really end any title race before Christmas but if we take anything out of the game, we'll shift the pressure back onto them and we'll hear even more about their alledged dressing room unrest, divided loyalties, training ground bullying and directors daughters getting impregnated, as tends to be the fall out of dips in form.

Desperate scaremongering by the filthy unwashed and their weegia hordes.

I can think of few that have fallen from grace as far and as fast as McGhee. He's a monumental helmet.

2 points secured away from home thus far. Embarrassed by Georgia. Our closest rivals take points from the world champions, we look like school boys happy to take part. As soon as McGhee and McCall became involved, you knew how this would end. Absolutely reinforcing Strachan's jobs for the boys approach which served him so well at Boro too. We've brought in no young talent this campaign so no excuses about a team in transition. Our fresh blood has been mid-career journeymen from the English second tier with little to no experience of winning. The SPL will be well represented in the Northern Irish team, front to back they'll have guys playing top flight Scottish football with McGovern, Mannus, Clingan, Paton, McGinn, Magennis, Boyce and McKay all likely to be challenging for a place in France. Still at least Martin, Hanley, Ritchie and Bannan can tell their grandkids about the time they played the World Champions and "nearly" got a draw. Oh, and Hutton now has more caps than Gemmill, Narey, Buchan, even Lambert. In fact, Hutton has more caps than Jess, Anderson, Shearer, Weir and Simpson combined. Whittaker, Berra and Morrison now all in excess of 30 caps as well.

"I don't think we played well in the first half and we've scored three goals away to the league leaders, which is unbelievable really," said Cummins. Says it all really. The first three and the 5th were particularly soft goals to give away. Seriously questionable defending and, particularly, goalkeeping. I hope the break has come at a good time for us to get some rest and to get renewed focus because that was simply dreadful.

Absolute shite. The play acting from Lustig is what caused the red. The paranoid wailing of the unwashed faithful is what's caused it to be upheld. Interesting to hear an impartial voice. http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/9991203/tale-of-two-tackles

A good result and a workman like performance. I'm surprised at the amount of credit being given to Hamilton. I thought we dominated the first half and much of the second. They did get some pressure in the dying embers of the game, especially when we were down to ten men, but it would have been very harsh on us if they'd scored. I think they've improved a lot on the second half of last season but they're a shadow of the side they were first half of the season. They're now that competent, organised, industrial SPL side with more athletes than footballers. Crawford is a talent but I thought he was disappointing last night. He's a player I think we should be keeping an eye on but the lack of composure and slashed wide shot from the gift at Taylor's slip showed him to be a grade or two below the types of player we currently have. It's going to be tough to add improvements to our squad as and when we have to. I though RM had a decent debut, quick feet and confident running but we didn't get a real idea of his defensive quality as they didn't really run at him with everything being pretty direct and route one. Actually thought Nade was ok, nae the useless lump he once was. Shinnie again motm. Just a tremendous player. Energy and drive and constant involvement at both ends of the park. The subs were a bit of a worry. Parker looks more and more like the old Josh. Big, strong and fast, not without his uses but when he needed a calm head his feet couldn't do the talking. He could have made the last ten mins a lot less nervy. Pawlett really disappointed. McInnes was furious with him. He was wasteful with his limited touches and positionally reckless. I can see him being shown the door. Cammy Smith hasn't even made the bench in recent weeks. I can see him talking Pawletts spot on Sunday. Two tough away games plus an away cup game next. Tough wee run. I think we'll know by the end of the month just home realistic a title challenge this is. We must make hay while Celtic have Europa League distractions and 1-0 wins vs Hamilton on wet Tuesday nights are great foundations to build on. 7/7. Bloody great stuff.

Marvelous stuff. Shinnie for SPL player of the season. What a signing he's been. That's us come back from a goal down with ten men against Celtic. We've shown we can do it. We've just got to be consistent now and guys like Shinnie provide that. 8 out of 10 every single week.

I dinna disagree either. I'd also say that, in the past, McGinn would have been on penalty duty and his goal tally inflated as a result.

The longest period was around the turn of the year the season before last. It lasted about three months. I got called a cunt on Aberdeen-Mad on a daily basis for pointing out that he wasn't delivering his usual return and for suggesting his business interests and prolific shagging were perhaps distractions. Others suggested it was due to his different role in the team and those margins of errors. I think they were probably right and my speculation was off the mark. He did have a prolonged spell last season, during which he was hitting the woodwork frequently, from the end of August through until the start of Dec where he didn't score. That was in excess of ten games. He also only scored 1 goal last season from mid-Feb until the end of the season, just the 1 goal in 12 games.

I think McGinn is a superb asset, I don't think anyone disputes that. Even when he's out of form, he's still often the man most likely to do something as he's got the skill to create something out of nothing. He has gone through a couple of prolonged spells of not scoring or not quite contributing as much as he can. I'd argue that that isn't anything to do with a lack of effort or commitment to the cause from the loon but simply down to the margins of error involved. Last season as an example, he had about 4 or 5 games on the bounce where he hit the woodwork. On Shay, I'll be sad when he leaves. Very solid player and a good character. I like him a lot. Can understand why he's looking to move down south though did have a chuckle over hearing two of our youth players discussing his situation, which basically went along the lines of "Everyone's talking about him going home to be near his new kid, he's got heaps of kids though, he needs to find classier women".

We're just about to play Celtic, so the timing seems par for the course. Typical weedgia shite.

Well, Shay didn't look like a man departing as he left the field yesterday, not sure what's going on with the Liverpool boy. I thought we played really well. Not quite as good as last week but we're head and shoulders above most teams in the league now. I think both Dundee and Partick are decent enough footballing sides but they couldn't really get close to us. Even if we go a goal down away from home, I still expect us to win. Our game management is brilliant and McInnes has the team so well coached. It's maybe not hugely exciting but we exhert our dominance though possession and patience. I was reading an article about Van Gaal last week and a lot of it rang true of our position. In the past folk would say you win games by scoring goals but now you score goals by winning games. For me, that's exactly what we've been doing. We choke the life out of opposition, we keep the ball so well, we don't over commit, we are disciplined, we know we will create chances, we are confident we'll convert eventually so we retain our shape and provide defensive stability and just keep plugging away until our opponents crumble. We did get caught out a couple of times yesterday but Ward really showed his quality. We will need to change our approach vs Celtic. It'll be interesting to see what we've learned from last season and from our European exploits. Huge game.

Apparently this Liverpool youth and Norther Ireland RB is coming in on loan. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_McLaughlin Adding depth or replacing Logan? Hope it's depth, we were a little short at RB.

This will just be a highest bidder scenario. Sheff Wed will send him to whoever will pay the biggest chunk of his wages. If he's on the reported 8k, I canna see us paying more than 50% absolute max. I think others will have deeper pockets. If we canna compete for May, move quickly for McKay.

Man City look set to pay £54,000,000 for a player who failed to get into the Chelsea team 18 months ago. £54,000,000. £54(fifty-four),000,000(million).