Jump to content

Petriix

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    2,756

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    14

Posts posted by Petriix

  1. Posted

    It's stupid but that sort of thing is always a red card because it's violence. You simply can't do it. The ref showed some extreme leniency to the Brough players prior to that point, probably even including the tackle which sparked the reaction. But, no matter how unjust it was, you can't do what Sainz did.

    This is the second time now that he's cost us a game. Six more points and we'd be heading for the playoffs. 

  3. Posted

    3 hours ago, BroadstairsR said:

    P.S. Say 'Boro and all English footie fans know who you are talking about, except perhaps those living in Peterborough.

    I did start a campaign to get people to correctly call them 'brough (pronounced "bruh") but it never caught on. 'Boro just winds me up because it's not actually in the full version of the name. 

  6. Posted

    It's interesting that this conversation is happening now when we've actually seen (probably for the first time under Wagner) 'the plan' working properly. I'd argue that our biggest weapon has become... 

    Kenny McLean... but... only when he plays at centre back. It's been mentioned elsewhere but bears repeating that he causes real problems for our opponents when he steps into midfield from defence. Every time he plays in defence the team looks better balanced.

    I'd argue that for two thirds of the Watford game and for almost all of the match against Cardiff we could actually see a comprehensive system in place where we were able to dictate the game and repeatedly hurt the opposition and create chances. Patterns of play, not just the moments of individual brilliance we've become dependent on.

    I didn't watch the Blackburn game so can't really comment on what went wrong but the overall recent picture is one of improvement and success. 

    The real issue is that we've left it late to come to the party and other teams are continuing to pick up points so it requires a very strong end to the season to make up for the awful run up to November. Yes, there's still a defensive frailty, but we don't seem to have the structural issues we previously had. 

    I only wish that Wagner would stick with that winning system rather than continually chopping and changing. It drives me mad. 

    • Like 6

  8. Posted

    4 hours ago, The Bunny said:

    Not to be pedantic, but that is literally the definition of cherry picking:

    Cherry-picking in data analytics refers to the selective and biased extraction of data or information for analysis. This practice involves choosing specific data points or datasets that support a desired conclusion while disregarding or ignoring other relevant data that may contradict or challenge that conclusion.

    https://www.institutedata.com/blog/cherry-picking-in-data-analytics/#:~:text=Cherry-picking in data analytics refers to the selective and,contradict or challenge that conclusion.

    That's all very well, but of course I'm going to pick the data relating to my point. You'd have a valid argument if I was extrapolating something outside that selected period but all I did was say "look, we had an awful run earlier in the season". It would be totally illogical to pick a wider range of results while making that point.

    The "cherry picked" table is interesting because it shines a light on a particular period in a way that isn't normally visible (because, like @nutty nigel says, they don't publish random 10 game tables from earlier in the season). I'm not drawing any biased conclusions, I'm just saying "look how bad we were for that run of games". If you looked at the overall league table at that point it would have masked it by also including our really good start. 

    So, sure, "biased" if I were to say "look how awful we are" based on that run. But I'm not so you're making a bit of a strawman argument. 

  9. Posted

    1 hour ago, The Bunny said:

    Selecting a particular range you know is bad just to prove a point is an abuse of statistics. You're deliberately introducing a bias by discounting samples that fall outside your otherwise arbitrary selection. 

    Choosing exactly the last 18 games is probably a little dodgy too (why exactly 18 and not say 20?), but at least we're considering the most recent (a more useful predictor of future performance) and the sample size is larger. 

    Not really, as long as you explain the context i.e. the worst period in our recent history in comparison to the best etc. Obviously the table I shared above was a bit of a joke. It's a spectacular coincidence that our awful run ended when Webber left... but even the most recent good run is only playoff form. Which I suppose is why we're outside the playoffs when you take the season as a whole. 

  10. Posted

    3 hours ago, nutty nigel said:

    Yes you can. It’s called current form. They print tables. But you won’t find a table for a random 10 game run from months ago…

    You're obviously not looking hard enough... 

    1407737621_Screenshot_20240221_171355_SamsungInternet.thumb.jpg.d42d6bbeaffdda177818dece5affbf9b.jpg

    Anyway the point remains that, as a whole, Wagner's tenure has been a bit of a disappointment because we're in a slightly worse position than when he joined. However it's entirely relevant to say that recent form shows a significant improvement. 

    I don't accept that it's all down to injuries. Sargent was injured before the transfer window closed but suitable backup wasn't brought in and, as rightly pointed out, the tactics we employed really didn't suit the players who were available. 

    The hope is that the months of training have finally taken root throughout the squad and they are now more capable of making the system work. The fear is that it's all rather tenuous and it won't take much to set us back on another awful run of form. At this point no one knows which way it will go and, unfortunately, even if we can sustain the recent form, it's unlikely that we'll be able to do enough to win the playoffs. 

    Then we're on to worrying about next season... 

    • Like 2

  11. Posted

    3 hours ago, BigFish said:

    Ah, the old everything that goes wrong lies with one person, Wagner in this case, but when something goes right it must be down to something else chestnut.

    Congratulations for making the most spurious leap of logic of the day on the Pinkun forum; quite some achievement given the competition on here!

    No, I don't blame all our failings on Wagner, nor do I credit Knapper for all our recent successes.

    I actually hold Webber most at fault for our decline over the past three seasons. Largely that's down to recruitment and squad (mis)management. I do have some serious question marks about Wagner's tactics at times, particularly when we're outnumbered in midfield, but otherwise think he's done well to turn things around.

    It's hard to ignore that we've seen a huge reversal in form from the moment Webber left and Knapper arrived. I imagine that's down to a number of factors, not just the sporting director. Sometimes a small change can give everyone a fresh start. 

    • Like 2

  12. Posted

    2 hours ago, The Bunny said:

    It's not a popular opinion, I always thought he was one of our better players in that final Prem season. It's hard to judge individuals when the team as a whole is playing so badly. 

    I thought he was the worst possible signing because he was too good to drop but had a pathological aversion to playing Pukki in on goal. Ultimately he was no better than Hernandez: lots of decent runs but no end product whatsoever. 

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    1 hour ago, The Bunny said:

    As for the injury comments, name one team who wouldn't struggle without their best players.

    There's "struggle" then there's picking up just 7 points from 10 games. In fact, we picked up just 7 points from our final 11 games in 2022/23 and were on an incredibly poor run which would usually be enough to see a manager sacked by November 2023. The 10 points from the first four games this season seemed to be the anomaly as those results are included in a total of 24 points from 25 games bridging the end of last season and the start of this one.

    Now we've clearly had a revival under Knapper and I'm glad that he stuck with Wagner at this point. But it's absolutely fair enough for people to be a bit sceptical about his long-term suitability for the job. You don't have to have a particularly long memory to recall the feeling that we were dropping like a stone towards League One.

    The good news is that his outburst seemed to have the desired effect and the crowd was noticeably putting in the effort, though I did struggle to get my "you do know what you're doing" chant going. It's an interesting time to be a Norwich fan.

    • Like 2

  14. Posted

    2 hours ago, Ian said:

    Actually an awful decision to rule that out, he must be a yard behind McCallum and the ball when it's played.

    Linesman should be seeing that surely?

    And McCallum was cleaned out after the pass so, even if it was given as offside, it's either a penalty or a free kick right on the edge of the box. Awful officiating all round. Luckily it didn't matter. 

  15. Posted

    I think he's been excellent every time he's played in defence and continually improving with yesterday's performance right up there. He's still prone to the odd moment of madness but he seems to have better natural instincts around the positing required from a defender in comparison to the defensive side of the midfield role. 

    He's alway been fairly decent in the air and he is pretty solid (if not spectacular) at defending, but it's the passing and carrying the ball forwards that gives us something extra. The team always has a better balance with Kenny in the back line. 

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    I'm not totally convinced. I think McCallum was fouled in the box twice and there were a bunch of other fouls not given or obvious yellow cards that he kept in his pocket. The fact is that we were so good that it didn't matter but, on another day, might have made a difference. 

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    A huge part of the balance is Barnes dropping deeper and adding an extra body in midfield. In general we're doing far better at those tactical rotations meaning we're spending less time outnumber in the central third, finding some decent pockets of space and occasional overloads.

    It's noticeable how much better we are in transitions both when we win and lose the ball with some quick vertical passes in attack and reliable defensive cover in defence. This is all I've been asking for and addresses my fundamental problem with playing two strikers. 

    I love McLean the centre back. He adds a whole extra dimension in the defensive line (and his ability to break from it). Teams really struggle to cope when he pushes into midfield because no one knows who should be picking him up and, invariably, whoever does then leaves someone else free.

    But, yes, I'm very happy with the Nunez/Sara partnership. 

    • Like 4

  21. Posted

    2 hours ago, The Bunny said:

    But as you suggest, the current trajectory is in the right direction. So why not let it play out and see where we end up, instead of moaning at every decision the manager makes based on insufficient information. Because this constant negative atmosphere is very likely part of the reason the team are playing badly at times, and a bit of positivity could actually help them. 

    Have you been to any home games this season? Believe it or not people do try to create an atmosphere but there's a real malaise over the place. It's very difficult to 'get behind the team' as an individual. All one can do is either join in with the crowd or not. Unfortunately on Tuesday that was a collective grumble. Today we'll wait and see, but the fans need something to be positive about before they can be positive. 

    Wish me luck trying to start the "you do know what you're doing" chant in the river end. 

    • Like 2

  23. Posted

    8 hours ago, The Bunny said:

    Wagner isn't manager of McDonalds; his job is solely to get results.

    No, he also has a degree of responsibility to represent the public face of the club. If he had any aspirations of long-term success here then he needed to build bridges, not burn them. I've seen managers turn on fans before and it never works out well. 

    You have to accept the context: Dean Smith was sacked when we were 5th because it was thought that the club should be performing better - didn’t we have the highest wage bill in the Championship? Our prior campaign at this level was (statistically) the clubs best ever season. 

    Wagner has ultimately taken the club into a sharp decline followed by an equivalent recovery to end up basically where he started; which was (and is) below where everyone thought the club should be. Cherry-picking the recent results then acting confused as to why there's still discontent is just silly. It's all about the context. Overall Wagner has underperformed. 

    Pretending that fans' frustrations are just 'a vocal minority' of morons, mindlessly creating a negative atmosphere is ridiculous. Yes, some of them are idiots who boo successful passages of passing because they don't understand what they are watching. But many have genuine concerns about repeating patterns of poor play due to apparent tactical deficiencies. 

    Proving people wrong on the pitch is brilliant. The most frustrating thing is that Wagner's system actually works well for increasing periods of games but is regularly undermined by some strange decisions. I want him to succeed. So do most people. But you can't ignore the overall context of just how far the quality of football has declined. 

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    2 minutes ago, Thirsty Lizard said:

    The "end product" wasn't poor - we won 4-2!!

    At the point of the game where the booing occurred the team were struggling to string two passes together and were in the process of letting a two goal lead slip. It's clear that Wagner doesn't have much 'credit in the bank' with many fans because of his overall record at the club and particularly the two long runs of bad form that left many thinking more about relegation than promotion.

    Yes, it came good. The tactical switch was correct. An excellent 60 minutes out of 90. More 'patterns of play' than 'moments of brilliance'. Everything people have been asking for. But that period in the middle was everything people have been (rightly) complaining about: huge holes in the midfield, isolated attackers, poor positioning, losing individual battles. 

    Here's the crunch: the booing runs much deeper than a brief misunderstanding about an injured player. There's a deep frustration amongst fans because the club has effectively self-immolated from a period of playing the best brand of football seen in my time as a supporter to paying some staggeringly high wages to a very average, ageing squad playing questionable tactics. It isn't going to take much for things to boil over. The manager escalating things only serves to make matters worse. Boo indeed! 

    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...