Man City v Leicester

... nothing like it .... Cambiasso played a full season and Mancini played a handful of cameos whilst waiting for his next job ... in coaching ...

Cambiasso set a benchmark ... Mancini was just an amusing distraction...

... the point I'm making is that historically only the top 4 or 5 clubs in the EPl would have been able to attract the cream of the continent ... that has at least doubled to 10 clubs possibly more ... the big clubs will always be in prime spot to get the very biggest names yes ... but the next tier are now attracting quality that would not have previously come ... mainly due to the brand of the EPl but also that clubs like Leicester City can now offer contracts like the one just given to Jamie Vardy ...

 

They are also lucky no doubt that so many teams decided to play badly against them.

 

I didnt say anyting about how they played against Lester.

Arsenal, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool have lost 34 games between them at this stage of the season. I'd guess - I havent looked - that this is unprecedented in the Premier League era.

 

West Ham winning away at 3 of them is unprecedented ... but is it because they've all got markedly poorer or that West Ham now have a very good squad of players and are capable of beating almost anyone on a given day? ... this is where footballing opinions differ ... I have a very good mate who is a Hammers season ticket holder ... and he is loving the fledlging Bilic era ...

 

How much of that is down to it being better to watch than under Allardyce?

Instead of keeping this going in a tit for tat manner I'll ask you a simple question - do you think Arsenal, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool are as good as in previous seasons? Because that's all my point is.

 

Do you think the other 15 teams in the PL are worse or better than in previous seasons? We're the teams you mention better in seasons previous to the previous few seasons?

 

I think, Lester excepted, the other 15 are at exactly the level you'd expect them to be.

 

Yes, but when you consider what the Man City starting eleven cost and how they played compared to Leicester's it was a disgrace of a performance.

 

If a team has 45% more shots (total) than you and 32% more possession they are clearly dominating the game, the fact you had more shots on target shows your shot accuracy was greater and you were more efficient with the chances you created not that you were dominating.

 

Keep it going Fosse and win it.

Posters who keep referring to them as Lester look right ****s IMHO.

 

.. did you watch the game Airlie? ... only one team dominated that game as the reports showed ... we were more than conent to let them have th ball where it couldn't hurt us ... then we simply took if from them and tore them to shreds ...

Typical of articles written about the game ...

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/96564-Leicester-outclass-Man-City-to-go-six-clear

... and proving how misleading stas can be tbf

 

... in some ways true Tickles ... but a more telling stat would probably be what the respective players would now sell for on the open market ... and that would be a lot closer tbf ...

 

... would love to mate ... and we can but dream ... but wherever we finish now the season will have been one of incredible success ... not least because it has exposed quite a few so calledd knowledgeable pundits as blow hard gas bags who predict on very stereotypical views ... Mark Lawrenson being a prime example ...

 

Then don't try and justify your dominance by being selective with stats.

 

I didn't ... I merely responded to Tickle's 'interesting stats' post by exposing the flaws ... and citing the ones that actually determine the result in the end ....

 

Even your manager and players wouldn't have predicted this to be fair.

 

The only stat the determines the result is goals scored not shots on target.

 

On thr Prem General board pre-season I predicted that we would be the 'surprise team' of the season (it was one of the categories) and that we would finish 7th ... largely because I didn't subscribe to Ranieri's appointment being a negative for the club and could see no reason after the end of last season for not 'kicking on' ... right now I'd be disappointed if we finished 7th or lower because they have completely blown away my expectations with the quality of the football and the way they have developed as a 'team' ...

 

Lester isnt an insult. I'm not calling them Lesster.

 

blimey ... this is hard ... so how many goals do you score from 18 shots off target? ... none ... how many can you score from 4 on target? 4 ... how many can you score from 7 shots on target ... 7 ... so it seems reasonable to assume that the team with the most shots on target will win ... irrespective of possession, pass completion, shirt colour, beards or fermented cheese in their shorts ...

ergo ... the stat that really counts is the shots on target because, without any, you can't score