Thanks for saving me the effort, Spart. It is what I was trying, and ultimately failing, to explain to The 666 last week, to the point where I was losing the will to live.
I'm not a tactic/formation denier (hope that keeps me in Wellies good books) but, as you explained it, I think it has far less influence than we are all told and many believe.
Also, I think that cricket is not a good comparison, Vidal, as it is a hugely complicated game, where even the weather plays an important part.

I recall that you were very certain that Barnsley would win the game comfortably yesterday Spart. Week after week you may see teams coming to play, but little appears to penetrate the retinae.

If the manager of the team says that he has set the team out to play in a particular way, and if the players say that they have played in a particular way, and if journalists who do this for a living say that the team has played in a particular way, and if fans say that they have seen the team play in a particular way, but Spart says he can't really tell the difference, what are we to believe?

Spart are you saying you go to football to simply watch a team of 11 players, moving a ball with the ultimate goal of getting it into the net more than the opposition do. Any semblance of organisation or planning is just flannel?

Speaking of cricket - watching W Indies v Eng ODI as it's the equivalent of a summer holiday, but less expensive and no need to travel

I don't deny it Vidal. I thought they would and if de Sart had remained on the pitch I feel there was good chance I would have been right.

It is in the interests of journalists to complicate the game Vidal, otherwise anyone could do the job.

Football is a flowing game so more dependent on the players not making errors. Games such as cricket, american football and to a lesser extent rugby are a series of set pieces so more amebable to coaching.

I can count three attackers, three people in midfield and four defenders though Vidal and that is what we had yesterday. Or was it some other combination of numbers adding up to 10. After all that is the most important thing.

comment by HebridesRam (U2909)
posted 1 minute ago
Speaking of cricket - watching W Indies v Eng ODI as it's the equivalent of a summer holiday, but less expensive and no need to travel
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Still bloody cold though !

2500+ Tykes yesterday.

I can confirm that there are a variety of ways in which numbers can be made to add up to a total of 10, Spart. I won't list them all here. There were, however, only two Derby midfielders yesterday until our second goal. These were de Sart and Johnson until half time when Butterfield replaced de Sart. Before kick off Eranio was on the pitch of course, but his contribution overall was minimal.

Ahead of the two midfielders Russell, Ince and Vydra played. Russell played almost entirely wide on the right and Vydra almost entirely on the left with Ince just behind the sole striker, David Nugent. I concede they did run around and on occasions they ended up in different places as is expected. Occasionally even full-backs end up in places other than their predominant position but we tend to go by where they spend most of the time as being their "position".

I agreed with some others that Vydra would be better playing more centrally, i.e. swapping with Ince, but I am all for flexibility of approach. No formation should be completely rigid but to deny it altogether is the action of a fool. It's OK to be baffled Spart. There is a chap behind me who has not the faintest idea what is going on. He doesn't understand the concept of offside relating to when the ball is kicked as opposed to when it arrives. He reminds me of yourself quite a bit. He would be outraged at any suggestion he is clueless, having watched so many games for so long. People like that are impervious to any demonstration of their stupidity. They have such an ingrained assumption that they are correct about everything that even when the whole world thinks differently they do not have the wit to question themselves. They just assume the world is wrong.

...and yet "those who did not attend" have no right to opinion, despite clearly having a better grasp of what went on than some of those that did.

It's as much a wonder as the hapless Ang garnering sufficient sympathy/protest votes to actually win PoTY. Ang and his "No such thing as tactics" is right up there with anything The Donald has tweeted.

Keep living in your fantasy football world Vidal. I will live in reality. Just stick with the subuteo men and we will be fine.

Funnily enough I just had a glimpse at the Udders board and they were on about that they have no plan B. Football supporters are deluded everywhere.

More fake news from the Son of Donald

He's a Bad Guy !

Sorry, that should be 'bad (sick) guy'

Yes Spart, everybody in the world is deluded apart from yourself. This is the likeliest explanation. I look forward to Omar Mascarell starring yet again in the forthcoming El Classico as further proof of your infallibility.

Could we put a plea in for the "Those Who Did Not Attend " thread (or did attend but did not pay proper attention), to be LIVE as always attracts lots of comments......

comment by HebridesRam (U2909)
posted 4 minutes ago
Could we put a plea in for the "Those Who Did Not Attend " thread (or did attend but did not pay proper attention), to be LIVE as always attracts lots of comments......
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...ironically the majority from folk who did attend and are arguing amongst themselves.

#MistaKeoghOUT #SaveDru #ImpeachANG

I hardly ever argue amongst myself.

I walked past The Neptune last night having gone for a post-match burger in the Westfield. I'm sure I heard Wassa sobbing because we had won.

You're sounding a bit like Trump now Spart, formations are made up by the fake media.

I think Spart maybe takes them a bit too literally and this is where we all end up arguing, unless he sees a rigid static team playing that shape and not moving he feels it isn't .... a thing.

I think you can argue about the importance of formations, arguing that they don't exist is a bit harder.

However in the interests of village peace. For those that use them I think it's predominantly as shorthand for what their team is trying to do in a game, for those that think they don't exist unless they see a lineup that doesnt move or deviate for the entire game from fixed positions then they are also right. That isn't a thing.

Football has many variables which is why we can talk about it all week in between defeats.

What was it the manics said: " This is my truth show me yours."

Everyone's a winner. *

* Not an ABBA song.

The parallels are unbeliveable. The day after Trump disses Obama, The 666 breaches the convention of mutual respect amongst PotYs.
The guy is either a helpless puppet or just a feckin muppet

Which convention of mutual respect would that be Ang

Chuffing hell, Wellies, get it right.

It's "This is my truth, TELL me yours".

It was Aneurin Bevan what said it, in between stuffing doctors' mouths with gold and identifying Tories as vermin.

2W I have been saying all along that the nuances of numbers adding up to 10 is total drivel. They always put the formations of both teams on the tele just before the game and although the formations written down can be radically different when they start playing both teams more or less play the same formation. Remember you have to mark up the space or the player so this is bound to happen. You don't leave a player in acres of space because it was written you should stand in a certain position.

It is you Trumpers who convince yourself you see something different. I don't think you are as thick as Vidal in this but getting pretty close.

It is still mistakes that mainly decide games. Not so much as in the days of Major Frank Buckley as players are more technically gifted but they are still relevant. Managers like Warnock, Pulis and Allardice still exploit this. Managers like Guardiola, Klopp and Wenger with teams that domonate possession still fall victim to it. The more you pass the ball the greater your chance of error.

What did he do with Tory, Dr's then?

comment by HebridesRam (U2909)
posted 7 minutes ago
Which convention of mutual respect would that be Ang
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Well, he breached it ! I'm not as saintly as Obama