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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 17, 2024 14:01:34 GMT
www.worldfootball.net/table_calculator/eng-championship/Can't see any way to avoid a fortnight of sleepless nights unless we win. This predictor would send you mad if you spent enough time on it! Amazing how that Plymouth win has basically made them safe barring a miracle. A heavy defeat at Southampton could lead to all kinds of potential goal difference-related shenanigans with Huddersfield. Sunderland 1-1 Millwall Hudds 2-1 Swans Rotherham 1-2 Bham Stoke 1-1 Plym Bburn 1-2 Weds QPR 1-1 PNE QPR 0-1 Leeds Bburn 1-2 Cov Mwall 1-1 Plym Soton 3-0 Stoke Hudds 2-2 Bham Weds 1-1 WBA ....would leave you with his heading into the last day!
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 17, 2024 13:23:27 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 17, 2024 10:38:02 GMT
Hard to know how we've allowed this situation to develop to this stage.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 17, 2024 8:32:19 GMT
Probably not pushing it too far to say his future could be decided largely at the weekend.
The mood swings are going to be all over the place depending on how the next two home games go. There's an ocean between winning well on Saturday and other scenarios.
If we don't win against Plymouth, it's almost certainly going to go right down to the final day after probably another defeat at Southampton. And I don't even want to think about the reaction if we see 3000 green scarves bouncing up and down, taking the piss, at 4.50.
There's not going to be much goodwill knocking around for him even if we squeak home against Bristol City, and absolutely none at all if the absolute worst happens
If we go down, just can't see a scenario where a manager who relegates us to League One survives.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 15, 2024 16:26:30 GMT
I think Welbeck will be staying in the top half of the Prem. He's still really good.
Haven't got a strong opinion about J-Rod.
Don't think it'd be terrible on a 1-yr deal because he wouldn't be the only attacker coming in. He's played 1000 minutes for Burnley this season and got on the pitch regularly
The key is not to get unduly ruffled by the first few links and first few signings, and see what kind of blend we end up with as a package come the end of August.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 15, 2024 15:19:00 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 14, 2024 9:52:35 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 12, 2024 15:23:44 GMT
Wonder if he'll leave Bae out completely tomorrow to give him a rest? He did look out on his feet after the WBA game - and during that first half in midweek www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-city-live-sheffield-wednesday-9221856One or two players looked like they were running on empty on Wednesday. Is that something you have to factor in for this weekend?Schumacher: Yeah possibly. We took Junho off at half-time on Wednesday. I spoke about it a couple of weeks ago, how Junho has been playing continuous football since March or April last year without a break and Wednesday night felt like one game too far for him. It felt like every time the ball went to him he was a bit jaded and that can happen with such a young player who hasn't played at this level or in this country before. You might have a game or half a game when that happens. He understands it. We're just trying to protect him. Million was similar. It looked like he was tried towards the end of the game. I thought he was really lively and if anyone was going to create something for us it was going to be him but he was tired as well. It can happen. It's a new environment for these young players and we've got to help them through it as best we can. Nailed on Leris for Manhoef and Haksabanovic for Bae Jun-ho I would say...... Wouldn't be surprised - but the fear would be a complete lack of goal threat. A Leris-Haks-Ennis front three would have to be a contender for the most unlikely to score 3 we've ever fielded. So whether you'd then have to play Campbell and Baker, just to give yourself a chance of finishing off a half chance or a set-piece and tick the team goal threat up from non-existent to negligible, who knows?
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 12, 2024 15:12:22 GMT
Wonder if he'll leave Bae out completely tomorrow to give him a rest? He did look out on his feet after the WBA game - and during that first half in midweek www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-city-live-sheffield-wednesday-9221856One or two players looked like they were running on empty on Wednesday. Is that something you have to factor in for this weekend?Schumacher: Yeah possibly. We took Junho off at half-time on Wednesday. I spoke about it a couple of weeks ago, how Junho has been playing continuous football since March or April last year without a break and Wednesday night felt like one game too far for him. It felt like every time the ball went to him he was a bit jaded and that can happen with such a young player who hasn't played at this level or in this country before. You might have a game or half a game when that happens. He understands it. We're just trying to protect him. Million was similar. It looked like he was tried towards the end of the game. I thought he was really lively and if anyone was going to create something for us it was going to be him but he was tired as well. It can happen. It's a new environment for these young players and we've got to help them through it as best we can.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 12, 2024 14:44:12 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 19:37:59 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 17:16:31 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 12:10:02 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 9:46:53 GMT
90 minutes is a small sample size to throw away the improved good will they'd gradually built up since the Cardiff away game. But wretched performances are always going to get that type of reaction, particularly when the stakes on the game are basically having a cigar on for the final 4 games, or a nappy. It'll obviously come down to the reaction now. Everything is in flux and it's all still on the table. If we lose on Saturday do you think we'd panic and get rid of SS? I'd be surprised, but it's hard to say without knowing more about how they view Schuey behind the scenes. I haven't detected any giveaway signs that the players aren't playing for him, although it's always an easy thing to say when they're shit - so I'd be surprised if they'd bring out the nuclear button in the circumstances.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 9:42:55 GMT
I'd be surprised if a draw against Wednesday, then a win against Plymouth didn't see us pretty comfortable heading into the final day, even if we got smacked at Soton
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 9:33:39 GMT
90 minutes is a small sample size to throw away the improved good will they'd gradually built up since the Cardiff away game.
But wretched performances are always going to get that type of reaction, particularly when the stakes on the game are basically having a cigar on for the final 4 games, or a nappy.
It'll obviously come down to the reaction now. Everything is in flux and it's all still on the table.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 7:22:11 GMT
That was a performance that yelled 'please don't ever pick me again and sell me for whatever you can get in the summer'.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 11, 2024 7:04:16 GMT
The field is definitely thinning out a bit - but if you take emotion out of it and view it objectively, I don't think we're that much worse off than we were before the midweek round, other than missing our first big chance to kill it off, the morale hit and complete mood change it's produced. There'll be 3 or 4 fanbases thinking they're nailed-on, and with still probably more cause to worry at this stage. I didn't see that coming last night. Norwich aside, we've been good for the last 6 weeks. Worrying that you can produce something that awful at this stage of the season, even with some huge calls going against us. But if we can't get 4 points from the run-in, we deserve to drop. m.skybet.com/football/sky-bet-championship/outrights/10005380Bham 10/11 42 -19 Cov H, Rotherham A, Hudders A, Norwich H Sheff W 10/11 43 -31
Stoke H, Blackburn A, WBA H, S'land A Hudders 11/10 43 -23 Bristol C A, Swans H, B'ham H, Ipswich A Plymouth 2/1 45 -9 Leic H, Stoke A, Mwall A, Hull H B'burn 5/1 46 -15 Leeds A, Sheff W H, Cov H, Leic A Stoke 10/146 -19Sheff W A, Plymouth H, Soton A, Bristol C H) QPR 16/1 47 -14 Hull A, Preston H, Leeds H, Cov A Millwall 28/1 47 -15
Cardiff H, Sunderland A, Plymouth H, Swans A
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 10, 2024 21:06:39 GMT
There's plenty of criticism to go around after that car crash.
In fact it's a buffet where you could go in two-footed on anything that takes your fancy after sitting through that
But, Christ, hopefully that's the last we've seen of him.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 10, 2024 18:11:04 GMT
Thought Tymon was injured?
Hope he doesn't have one of his good days
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 10, 2024 18:08:26 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 9, 2024 16:05:06 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 9, 2024 14:21:52 GMT
Only chance, you'd think, is if we win tomorrow and Saturday. Then we'd probably okay it Otherwise, zero chance. Don't get the line about the employee departure (presumably Tricky?) changing the chances. It was always, surely, 100% dependent on our relegation chances, and nothing else? news.kbs.co.kr/news/pc/view/view.do?ncd=7935820In addition, a red light was turned on for the team's ace, Stoke City's Bae Jun-ho, to be called up. As a result of KBS's coverage, the person in charge of Stoke City, who had initially agreed to the call, was recently dismissed, causing a sudden change in the atmosphere. With five league games remaining, the team is in the relegation zone, making Bae Jun-ho's selection more difficult. [Hwang Seon-hong/Olympic soccer team coach: "Overseas players, including Bae Jun-ho, still have to wait longer. I don't think we can wait until too late, and we need to make sure we finish."] 3rd place in the final preliminary round In a situation in which they had to enter the Olympic Games to get a ticket to the Olympics, and with the leveling of Asian soccer, they faced the burden of having to play the tournament with Plan B, which lacked both the offensive and defensive core. However, the Football Association is only repeating its position that there is no way because the final qualifying round is not a mandatory selection competition. [Kim Jun-young/Korea Football Association Manager: "There were players who were unable to participate in the tournament due to changes in the club's circumstances. The u23 is a tournament where there is no obligation to select players, so I understand that they have fully considered the possibility of not joining and made plans."
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 9, 2024 6:47:03 GMT
theanalyst.com/eu/2024/04/championship-predictions-promotion-relegation/As it stands, Sheffield Wednesday are the next most likely (54.8%), despite their 2-0 win at QPR on Saturday. Their chances have fallen from 73.0% before the weekend, though, with the battle to avoid relegation much tighter following the weekend’s action. Huddersfield’s dramatic win over Millwall has seen them leapfrog Birmingham in the projected survival chances. Before the weekend, Huddersfield were given a 51.5% chance of relegation, with Birmingham’s chance at 30.5%. Now, following the Huddersfield victory and Birmingham’s loss to Leicester, Birmingham are the third most likely team to be relegated (45.8%) and Huddersfield move to 38.7%. Millwall – who lost out to Huddersfield – are now given a 19.0% chance of relegation compared to their 8.4% chance before the weekend. Stoke City’s upturn in form – winning eight points in their last five league games – has seen them move from a 49.1% chance of relegation on 7 March to just 6.5% chance now.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 8, 2024 18:17:27 GMT
It's really no surprise we are where we are when the club constantly makes decisions like this. I wish the Tory boy all the best but when it all fails again I hope John Coates will be the one to step aside and admit he got it all wrong. I'm surprised at the amount of people that are blindly backing it. He's had 6 months at Fleetwood Town. We wouldn't be happy with an ex player as manager with the same level of experience. Sporting Director's are just as important in modern football structures. It'd be interesting to know how many recent appointees in the role, certainly at our level, had hands-on experience in the exact role though. Probably not that many - with most being first-time appointees based on some broad skill set and personality type they are deemed to have? There are only really the trailblazers like Ashworth and Hughes with some kind of track record who are being headhunted domestically. Freedman, for example, had none (although he had a brief career as a manager). And he's lasted 7 years at Palace. Same with Hughes at Bournemouth who lasted a decade before being headhunted by Liverpool.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 8, 2024 17:50:07 GMT
Wonder why they've quietly changed the title from 'Technical Director' to 'Sporting Director'? The terms seem to be pretty interchangeable, yet we've actively changed it up. I think it's a fair enough appointment, given the dearth of proven other options likely to be banging our door down. He can't bring less to the party than Tricky. Knowing us we probably let him choose. Looks like it! www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-city-jon-walters-role-9213335“Sporting director, technical director, director of football… they are all different at different clubs and mean different things. Each role will be slightly different at each club. From the amount of clubs I’ve been around and visited and researched and seen different roles, myself and John had spoken and I think this one probably resonates with me the most and the remit at this club. The title fits the most. “We know what it entails, it’s right across every department at the football club, a huge responsibility. We think this is the most appropriate title.” "There is a confusion about trying to understand to understand the role at different clubs and there’s a challenge for the Association of Sporting Directors to try to get a specific job description. We were at St George’s Park a couple of weeks ago talking about this and I said I didn’t think we would get that because at every club it’s slightly different. “At one club the role might just entail being head of recruitment and you might not touch medical, sports science, academy and women’s team whereas at Stoke City it encompasses everything really.”
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 8, 2024 17:30:48 GMT
Interesting to see if he appoints a deputy/assistant as Pete Smith seemed to be hinting at a few days ago. www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-city-transfer-qa-live-9203294For those asking for an update on the technical director, this is clearly an extended audition for Jon Walters and everyone I speak to at the club only has positive things to say about what he's doing. And it is genuinely, emphatically positive. He's treating it as if he's here for the long haul as you'd expect and what I like most is that he isn't trying to do everything himself, even if he's virtually omnipresent. It feels like the most important thing with this role is to facilitate the experts you have appointed in different departments and make sure everyone is working to the same cause. Tie in recruitment with the academy, for example, to make sure path ways are not blocked for players who should be banging on the first team door in the next 12 to 18 months. He's prepared to make decisions and wants to utilise everyone at the club to their potential, like moving Alex Morris across for the run-in. John Coates won't be short of people interested in the post but you get the feeling that he might already have the best candidate possible in situ. A charismatic and smart, unifying figure. It will be interesting to see in the future if the job could be split a little and rearranged as it settles down but that's for the future. All hands on deck for these last six games.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 8, 2024 17:28:37 GMT
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 8, 2024 16:07:02 GMT
I think character is important in the role though, in terms of setting a culture.
And he seems to have it - as well as being around top level football for 15 years.
Freedman at Palace seems a similar type, and he was unproven when he got their equivalent job - and is now much in-demand. Same with the Bournemouth sporting director who's off to Liverpool
If you look at the names of others in similar posts, they aren't glitzy. I'm struggling to think of other pools we'd have been fishing in that would have been surer things.
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Post by FullerMagic on Apr 8, 2024 16:02:16 GMT
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