Weekend Football

[Sanguine]

Anguissa is a really odd. A player at the wrong club, it seems, but that no-one else wants to take a chance on. He went out on loan when they were first relegated, then came back and played in the Premier League for Fulham, and this season is back out on loan again.

[NathStPaul]

The problem is Fulham are in that position where they’re too good for the Championship but really struggle to hack the Prem. Encapsulated by Mitrovic who scores tons each year in the Champ but barely scored any in the Prem

They seem to have had a high focus on playing out from the back in recent years at all costs. When you’re playing the likes of Barnsley each week, it isn’t really a problem but you’ll always be punished in the Prem. I guess in that respect, they’re very similar to Norwich, simply not pragmatic enough to stay up

Bear in mind their owner is incredibly wealthy, if he decides to go hard at it next season they will end up staying up quite comfortably. They spent big last season when they came up but on all the wrong players in the wrong positions, you'd think they will have learnt from that mistake.

Think they bought quite a lot of players in last season but don’t recall then spending huge amounts, a lot of them were fairly cheap signings (relatively speaking)

Their transfer window under Jokanovic when they first went up was horrendous though. Anguissa, Seri, Vietto, Schurrle etc etc - they were fairly pathetic that season

Sorry, thats the season I meant. I reckon they will have learnt their lesson if they do go up, can see them being a Premier League team for years to come.

[URZZZZ]

Fulham are decent, aren't they? 6 goals or more in three consecutive games doesn't feel like it can have been done often before. 70 goals now this season, next highest is Blackburn's 44.

Hadn't realised, and quite excitingly, Fabio Carvalho, who has 7 goals in 16 games from midfield, chose to represent England at youth level. Must surely be on Southgate's radar.

The problem is Fulham are in that position where they’re too good for the Championship but really struggle to hack the Prem. Encapsulated by Mitrovic who scores tons each year in the Champ but barely scored any in the Prem

They seem to have had a high focus on playing out from the back in recent years at all costs. When you’re playing the likes of Barnsley each week, it isn’t really a problem but you’ll always be punished in the Prem. I guess in that respect, they’re very similar to Norwich, simply not pragmatic enough to stay up

They've made some better acquisitions over the last 18 months that should mean they are promoted (surely) with a better squad this time around (Robinson, Adarabioyo, Wilson, Chalobah). But Tim Ream is still ever present at the back, and he has struggled awfully in the Premier League.

And yeah, Mitrovic, 65 goals in 84 games in the Championship. 14 in 57 in the Premier League.

Perhaps, but I’m not personally convinced it’s better enough to survive, they fell quite short last season. May not be 100% correct but got the impression Wilson struggled at Bournemouth in his loan spell there. Chalobah rarely plays for them now. Robinson wasn’t great last season

Though it is quite frightening to think Fulham could field two XI’s and neither Kongolo or Knoackert would feature in any of those teams. You’d think someone would take Knockaert off Fulham’s hands this window either way

[URZZZZ]

Bear in mind their owner is incredibly wealthy, if he decides to go hard at it next season they will end up staying up quite comfortably. They spent big last season when they came up but on all the wrong players in the wrong positions, you'd think they will have learnt from that mistake.

Think they bought quite a lot of players in last season but don’t recall then spending huge amounts, a lot of them were fairly cheap signings (relatively speaking)

Their transfer window under Jokanovic when they first went up was horrendous though. Anguissa, Seri, Vietto, Schurrle etc etc - they were fairly pathetic that season

Sorry, thats the season I meant. I reckon they will have learnt their lesson if they do go up, can see them being a Premier League team for years to come.

Don’t mind Fulham - don’t think they’re too dissimilar to us

Although their antics were peculiar when we beat them in the playoffs - talk about sour grapes

[URZZZZ]

Anguissa is a really odd. A player at the wrong club, it seems, but that no-one else wants to take a chance on. He went out on loan when they were first relegated, then came back and played in the Premier League for Fulham, and this season is back out on loan again.

At Napoli too - so clearly there’s a player in there

[Hendo]

[Franchise FC]

Was watching, quite enjoying the Leicester win.
Incredible last 20 seconds (actually 12 seconds from the restart to the Spurs winner )
The rest of the game, Spurs could've been there for another 90 minutes and not scored, despite making a fair few decent chances

[Hendo]

Just seen the last 2 goals. The ball from Kane for the winner is ::chef's kiss::

[genome]

Was watching, quite enjoying the Leicester win.
Incredible last 20 seconds (actually 12 seconds from the restart to the Spurs winner )
The rest of the game, Spurs could've been there for another 90 minutes and not scored, despite making a fair few decent chances

Not that I'm a huge fan of the stat, but their xG was something ridiculous like 4.5.

Also, the latest a side has been losing and still won in PL history. Not very Spursy

[Franchise FC]

Was watching, quite enjoying the Leicester win.
Incredible last 20 seconds (actually 12 seconds from the restart to the Spurs winner )
The rest of the game, Spurs could've been there for another 90 minutes and not scored, despite making a fair few decent chances

Not that I'm a huge fan of the stat, but their xG was something ridiculous like 4.5.

Also, the latest a side has been losing and still won in PL history. Not very Spursy

I hate xG as a means of showing a 'better' side, but in this case it does reflect what happened

For me, xG is only an indicator of how good a team is at 'converting' chances and that's it

[Sanguine]

For me, xG is only an indicator of how good a team is at 'converting' chances and that's it

So in other words, exactly what the metric aims to show then.

[Franchise FC]

For me, xG is only an indicator of how good a team is at 'converting' chances and that's it

So in other words, exactly what the metric aims to show then.

But that’s not what the pundits use it for

[Hendo]

For me, xG is only an indicator of how good a team is at 'converting' chances and that's it

So in other words, exactly what the metric aims to show then.

But that’s not what the pundits use it for

As much as I can't stand xG, the fact that pundits use it incorrectly, isn't xGs fault.

[Simmops]

So in other words, exactly what the metric aims to show then.

But that’s not what the pundits use it for

As much as I can't stand xG, the fact that pundits use it incorrectly, isn't xGs fault.

MOTD and SSN didnt listen in my xG presentation and they should have

[Winston Biscuit]

According to some Everton types on twitter their fans arrived at the pubs near the ground for a pre match pint to find 'Big Dunc' has put money behind the bar for them all to enjoy themselves

[BROB0T]

For me, xG is only an indicator of how good a team is at 'converting' chances and that's it

So in other words, exactly what the metric aims to show then.

nope it shows the chance of converting a shot from a particular position/situation

it's a stochastic process with considerable variance...

very few players achieve more than xG over a 5 year period (Messi is the only one I can think of)

[Winston Biscuit]

Daniel Podence is a bit short

[BROB0T]

Daniel Podence is a bit short

Who would you say is the most sided parted player in the Prem/EFL?

I was watching MoTD last night and one guys parting started from a tramline about half way up the side of his oxf*rd head

google suggests

[South Coast Royal]

Another good result for Brighton in getting a 1-1 draw at Leicester.

They are IMHO a great example of a well run club, gradually building a squad from one season to the next and now well established as a decent mid-table side playing some attractive football having not spent a fortune on players.

Way out of keeping with many English clubs and it is starting to feel like a long time since we considered ourselves as serious rivals to them.
There is clearly a close relationship between the owner Tony Bloom and the fans -the same fans that used to have to travel to Gillingham for so-called home games and then to that dreadful athletics stadium.

Their current "success" is enviable and it must be marvellous for those long-suffering fans.
One day maybe we will become a similar club (again).

[AthleticoSpizz]

Indeed, very indeed.

‘SKINT’ and lower than a snakes belly…they’ve done well.

Everything is cyclic tho’

At our level…we get our turn at the highs and lows eventually