In baseball the theory goes (no idea if there's data to back it up, but in baseball there usually is) that catchers make the best managers, because they spent their career in close proximity to both pitcher and batter, and with an overview of the whole game. By the same token I suppose in football you would expect a central defender or deep-lying midfielder, or maybe even a goalkeeper, to make a good coach. Strikers are concerned with instinct and opportunism more than the form of the game.
Scanning over the current PL managers, there are a lot of ex centre backs, and I can't see a single forward, at least of those I remember as players.
Last edited by Jimmy Floyd; 11-01-2024 at 07:32 PM.
Nuno having been a goalie will never not be weird. Are there any others?
Zoff, Zenga, Lopetegui. Wolves appear to love them.
Mangers with the highest points per game averages in the premier league. Data stolen from wiki. Only three forwards in the top 20. Looking at the managers who get over 1.3 points a game. Eddie Howe, Nuno,Thomas Frank, etc. It does not get better if you are a forward.
2.23 - Pep Guardiola - Midfield
2.16 - Sir Alex Ferguson - Forward
2.11 - Jürgen Klopp - Defender
2.05 - Roberto Mancini - Forward
2.03 - José Mourinho - Midfield
2.03 - Antonio Conte - Midfield
1.96 - Arsène Wenger - Defender
1.94 - Thomas Tuchel - Defender
1.88 - Mikel Arteta - Midfield
1.86 - Unai Emery - Midfield
1.84 - Carlo Ancelotti - Midfield
1.83 - Erik ten Hag - Defender
1.79 - André Villas-Boas - Never played as a pro
1.79 - Louis van Gaal - Midfield
1.77 - Gianluca Vialli - Forward
1.77 - Manuel Pellegrini - Defender
1.76 - Mauricio Pochettino - Defender
1.70 - Kenny Dalglish - Forward
1.70 - Roy Evans - Defender
1.69 - Rafael Benítez - Midfield. Retired at 26.
Last edited by SincereTheRebel; 12-01-2024 at 10:33 AM.
Mourinho midfield?
He was a midfielder in his youth, he just practically played for non-league sides.
It does make sense. Being a forward, there are two positions you are usually fighting for. Being in midfield and defence, there are four positions. Being a goalkeeper. There is one position so on the balance of probability. Most players would play in defence or midfield.
Brighton won the game 5-1
Carvalho straight into the thick of things for the tigers.
Is the Morton there of the Tyler variety?
Old Fabio has a touch of the Tom Inces about him, so probably needs to up his game a bit.
Everytime I see modern day Classic Ronaldo I think I like him a little bit more.
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Burnley really need to do the decent thing here and lose to Luton so we can get Everton in the fucking bin.
None of those three are coming out of the bin.
Bit harsh on Burnley to allow that. Fucking VAR.
Think everyone from Palace down could still drop, but it'll need one of these (probably Burnley) to go on a bit of a run.
Roy Evans (and his 9 games for Liverpool) better than Rafa confirmed.
Colwill at left back with Silva-Disasi in the middle again. He’s retarded at this point.
How are all the games on TNT this weekend?
There’s only 4. It’s the ‘break’, half of the teams play this weekend and rest next weekend. Don’t think any are at 3pm
Yeah, just seems odd that last night, this game, and the late kick off are all on TNT when they usually only get one per weekend.
Ahhh. Sky definitely have the games tomorrow as they’ve been advertising them. Must be due a couple for the quota
It's great news as it means we don't have 'Fletch' on comms for our game.
Christ we are so awful on paper.
Fulham playing it out from the back with 2 centrehalves who can't pass seems a tad risky.
This is the Brentford game all over again, we just have no idea against teams that bed in deep. We can't score except from a glaring error or some piece of individual brilliance (which we don't even try because it's low percentage), and they will easily get two on the break.
Is Poch battering them with double sessions in training or something? Whenever I watch Chelsea they look so laboured/lumbering.
Presumably that's a VAR red.
Or not, lol. More superb consistency.
We are just a team that has been put together for reasons other than its ability to play football well this season, and as a result are incredibly disjointed most of the time. Nothing is automatic and decisions are slow. In this era where it's a squad game and ten are going to be injured at all times, you have to be system first, rather than what we are, which is the manager trying to cobble something together each week depending on who's available.
I genuinely think we're doing quite well to be 10th or whatever we are. There is nothing to go on here.
Once again our saving grace is the brilliance of Palmer.
I wasn’t really sure why Jackson was still playing given he’s clearly quite crap but broja performance today provides that insight if that’s the alternative.
His football brain is just so slow.
They must be praying for nkunku fitness improvements as in the few games he’s played he’s already shown he’s a level above.
Of course he’s bringing on Chilwell to play left wing. Oh my god get him out for fuck sake
Screaming for the manager to be sacked while 1-0 up in a derby, you are a bit of a joke.
Enzo Fernandez goes through these weird 15 minutes periods where he literally can't play football at all, i.e. about as good as me. In one at the end of this game.
The idiocy of Boehly et al really shows up at the end of games. No experience, no brains, no calmness. Just amortisation.
Fulham should be upset they didn't get anything from that, poor execution all game from them.
Just beat Leicester 3-1 after going a dodgy goal down, top six for at least an hour too. Not bad start to the year
16th minute of the Reading game.
Why is there so few EPL games this weekend?
They're still on the pitch now. A tannoy announcement just told them to clear off or the game will be abandoned and the club may receive a points deduction.
The more time goes on, the more I think there should be a complete ban on all foreign ownership. Every single one is just a massive money laundering exercise, Abramovich's Chelsea being the great test case. Want to own an English club? Live here and pay your taxes here. Will that mean that league quality drops? Yes. Does that matter? No.
Fortunately I think the tide is turning now at long last.
No, it's for the government.
Erich Dier.
City getting another injury from the assistant refusing to stick a flag up straight away for an obvious offside
Interesting the VAR looked at the collision as well, how would that work with the offside? My understanding would be that only violent conduct [as opposed to endangering an opponent etc] is operative in a post-offside situation.
Why didn’t Gordon (I think) just smash it on target for that Ederson error?
I'm a twit