rocket_scientist

I've had three since then, and made sure to buy everybody in the clubhouse a drink afterwards. The first was mid 80's at Carnoustie on a wet winter day, cost me less than a fiver. The second was at Alford on a midweek afternoon, cost me less than a fiver. The third was in a medal at my home club in St Andrews about 2005/2006. That cost me £21 as the custom is to put 3 x half bottles on the bar. It's a monkey off the back, a rite of passage, the hole in one. Great feeling.

Norwich hugely impressive, 3-0 up within 38 minutes. Since McLean came back from injury, this will be 8 straight wins. He's been very impressive both in this game and what I've read in recent reports. 22 year old Argentine Buendia a major talent.

The next three games will be huge. In 3 weeks time, one of them will be heavily odds on. They should both win their last three and if the top of the table team after 35 games doesn't pick up 9 points in their last 3, they won't deserve the title. But as we know anything can happen and it invariably does. Pressure and getting excited does some strange things.

Now we are talking. From what I saw of him at Killie - and I wasn't studying that carefully - was that he was central or mid-left and deployed as an attacking option, creating much and scoring often. This is common sense given that he's left footed and is clearly better at creating rather than breaking. Getting the balance right is what every good team has and for every Neil Simpson and Brian Grant (breakers), we need a Gordon Strachan or a Jim Bett (creators/makers) in the middle of the park. Ryan Jack was an interesting one is that whilst he's more breaker than creator, his greatest strength is keeping possession and making the simple pass, which often leads to a sequence of passes where an opportunity is created and he can be at the thick of it. What is NOT common sense was playing Greg Stewart on the right side, which McInnes has done. Whilst Clarke quite obviously got more out of GS than McInnes ever has, in two stints now, I think it will have much to do with "freedom" and "trust", not forgetting that his physical condition was appreciably better after he joined Killie. Clarke gave him the freedom to run at people and do what he does best, He didn't saddle him with strict positional or defensive or formation duties and he was free to get into the game how he saw fit. This obvious tactical deployment of putting a round footballer in a circular hole would have bred a positive mindset and trust in both what he was supposed to be doing and also the manager. It really isn't rocket science.

The problem with the vast majority of "football men" being of sub average intelligence (as exactly half the population are) is that they kid themselves on that they're not thick by elevating the tactical element of the game to something akin to a black art, only accessible by specialist brains. McInnes doesn't have a "system" that he's followed his whole career and the "system" he has now certainly doesn't prescribe "one luxury player only". What he has settled into recently is a back 4, 2 defensive-minded midfielders and a random deployment of 4 "others" in a desperate attempt to try to find success... or more accurately, try to find a formula that doesn't humiliate and embarrass. Ferguson didn't have a magical "system" or formula. He always played 4 at the back but unlike Mourinho nor particularly Benitez, he didn't stick rigidly to 2 banks of four in a classic 4-4-2 system. One thing he did do very effectively at AFC was to encourage the full backs to hit the wings with long passes, immediately turning defence into attack and getting the likes of Eric Black to sprint from the middle of the pitch to the wings to receive it, a tactic Kevin Gallacher at DU was so brilliant at. He appreciated that football is a simple game and he didn't over complicate matters. He simply recruited excellent footballers - the GK and 2 x CB's being his foundations - in the right positions, studied the opposition for weaknesses and managed and inspired his charges better than anyone ever has in the history of the game. I know this because i went to school with Neale Cooper and got all the stories about SAF's reign not just in the period of over half a decade that he was our manager but in the decades since. The diamond formation and "the hole" are the funniest manifestations of football men trying to pretend they're not thick.

Not all footballers understand systems. Most footballers are intellectually sub-normal.

He's not as one footed as Messi. It's a bizarre "criticism" to level at someone. Not as ridiculous as saying "shite talent for taking corner kicks" though. Or regurgitating "he doesn't fit our system" without understanding what you mean by this.

On the subject of heckling, remember that nobody heckles good footballers showing good attitude and desire. Yes there are negative bastards who moan all the time and they're annoying to be near but they are few and far between. If there appear to be more of them recently then perhaps the frustration levels are increasing? If that's the case, this may well be a symptom of a disconnect between the fans and the club and that needs to be addressed, not that the club have ever given a fuck about the missing thousands, already disconnected.

Given the goal tonight, the match-winning goal, the key moment of the match, I'd say you're wrong again.

13,228 was a lie. I've heard from mates who were there that it's once again a total fabrication. I don't know if they're counting ST's who don't show but like the last few home games, the size of the crowd is being grossly overstated

Well well, on his EPL debut, he creates the goal for Giroud. Higuain on the bench, eventually. Sarri is a knob.

Oot, couldn't predict it. It's amazing how quickly frustration and angst turns to numb apathy. It's like my interest and emotions towards Milne's AFC have suddenly burst. In 2007 I still cared when deciding to have a calendar year off. This time, nothing.

I think I agree with you but I'm intrigued and/or puzzled by your use of "proper" money? I don't know if this is terminological carelessness but I suspect you are making an actual distinction. What is improper money for example? Edit: Ignore me. You probably meant "serious" money as in seriously wealthy. My bad.

May didn't get the credit he deserved at Ibrox. His reverse pass into MacLennan for the 2nd was genius.

Great find Seabass. Great managers prepare to the last detail and this includes preparing their own final speech pre-performance, part of the overall strategy and build-up to every game. Great managers keep it simple, in everything that they do. Great managers appreciate the "circular" nature of their jobs and tackle the three elements - Practise and Preparation, Performance (or Play) and Reflection and Measurement - in the same professional and dedicated manner. Great managers inspire people because they themselves are men, they are leaders, they are passionate and 100% credible. Midgets and charlatans need not apply. Unless the recruiter is a midget charlatan himself.

So the "system" that Stewart doesn't fit is that McInnes expects footballers not in possession to defend? And you say that his system allows for only one player to not defend? Are you saying that Clarke also has the same system as McInnes but that Stewart was the footballer excused from defending?

Semantics. His use of "propaganda machine" was neither annoying nor misused in my opinion. Your use of "conspiracy theorist" boils my goat however. This term is used to discredit anyone who dares to question the established order of things, or indeed to question the real propaganda put out by the deep state and/or the presstitute media as if none of us are allowed to challenge convention.

I have no doubt that you have heard and read that Stewart "doesn't fit our system" not just on this forum but elsewhere but I'm only asking you to explain what YOU mean by this?

What is "our system"? And what was the system that Clarke used when Stewart was so effective there?

Everybody knows that but you said we have to trust them, which means we have to trust Milne of course. Is it not relevant what happened over 20 years ago? What if the man you say we need to trust is not trustworthy? What if he's pursuing a personal agenda that wasn't in the best interests of the club?

Why do we have to trust them?

The OF game was highly amusing. Chelski in this first half were utterly dreadful. Jorginho is a breaker, not a maker and Higuain is also a cancer in this set up. He's too quick to throw up his arms in exasperation like he's the superstar and it's never his fault, the truth being that he's become a carthorse with a heavy touch and is only good for taking chances put on a plate for him these days. How Giroud and Hazard can be left on the bench is beyond me but Sarri sits there writing copious little notes that will be full of shit rather than watching the game. There's no balance and it's affecting the good footballers, Willian, Barkley and Pedro in particular suffering in the first 45. Hope the Liverpool Spurs game is better.

There's already a thread title of the same name. Perhaps you can paste your post to it and delete this one.

I also can't imagine him ever seeing a return but I'm not worried by it. The more rich cunts with some spare cash who love football the better.

It's on right now! Tiger has shaved the last two holes. His long iron into the par 3 was a thing of wondrous awesomeness.