Reasons a team's form changes.

[Morse]

I was think about why certain teams start a campaign well and then fail to carry on the form. Also teams can start a campaign slowly but improve at a rate of knots. This got me thinking about certain events that can have a dramatic effect on a team.

 

1. Phil Brown taking his team over to the penalty box at half time and rollicking his side in front of the fans...look what has happened to their season from that point.

 

2. Martin O'Neil admitting that the UEFA cup meant little compared to his side's chances of challenging for 4th...Villa had actually gone ahead of Chelsea into 3rd for a while.

 

3. Rafa's "Facts" press conference, the day before Stoke City. We then went on a dismal month of form.

 

4. Wigan's form since Zaki's "holiday", and Bruce's rant.

 

5. Newcastle United...Keegan / Kinnear's heart problems etc...

 

 

There are lots more I'm sure you can list them yourselves.

 

Perhaps it is a player who moves...one that was bringing disharmony to a dressing room...Rooney at Everton, Ince at Liverpool, etc...

 

One wonders whether Chelsea would actually become more close-knit if Drogba were to leave.

The same with Ronaldo at Manchester United.

 

 

 

 

Anyone have a view on this?

[carrafan]

(1) Kuyt

(2) Torres

(3) Gerrard

[Morse]

(1) Kuyt

(2) Torres

(3) Gerrard

 

 

[Zoob]

I was think about why certain teams start a campaign well and then fail to carry on the form. Also teams can start a campaign slowly but improve at a rate of knots. This got me thinking about certain events that can have a dramatic effect on a team.

 

1. Phil Brown taking his team over to the penalty box at half time and rollicking his side in front of the fans...look what has happened to their season from that point.

 

2. Martin O'Neil admitting that the UEFA cup meant little compared to his side's chances of challenging for 4th...Villa had actually gone ahead of Chelsea into 3rd for a while.

 

3. Rafa's "Facts" press conference, the day before Stoke City. We then went on a dismal month of form.

 

4. Wigan's form since Zaki's "holiday", and Bruce's rant.

 

5. Newcastle United...Keegan / Kinnear's heart problems etc...

There are lots more I'm sure you can list them yourselves.

 

Perhaps it is a player who moves...one that was bringing disharmony to a dressing room...Rooney at Everton, Ince at Liverpool, etc...

 

One wonders whether Chelsea would actually become more close-knit if Drogba were to leave.

The same with Ronaldo at Manchester United.

Anyone have a view on this?

 

 

With the examples you give, there is no way of knowing whether or not there is actually a causal connection between the 2. After the events have happened it's easy to link things that may not actually be linked. Like Phil Brown is an idiot, but it could also be that after surprising everyone in the first half of the season, opposing managers simply sussed out how to play against a team that Geovani aside, are pretty awful.

 

I think it's just horribly bad luck that our bad run happened after Rafa's 'rant'. But in terms of players leaving - Keane going back to Spurs was a huge boost for us, not only because he didn't work out, but also because it put an end to the constant focus on whether or not he was playing, how often he was substituted etc.

[John am Rhein]

Anyone have a view on this?

 

Form changes naturally anyway without any of the factors listed above - which may or may not have a significant effect. It's virtually unmeasurable.

[Flight]

A considerable part of our form has depended on who we have been able to play in the Full Back positions. We've been able to play without Nando or Stevie, but when we have been without Arbie or Insua/Aurelio we have usually been poor.

 

Aurelio would be the best LB in Europe if he didn't get injured, but whenever he is out it takes a while for him to play 'back into' form.

Edited May 1, 2009 by Flight

[Billy Talbot]

Aye. Tautology.

 

Event 1 is seen as causal to event 2 because they follow on from each other in a linear fashion, therefore they must be connected.

 

It's all part of the human desire to see patterns. It's a clever survival instinct but it also makes us very gullible to these sorts of suggestions.

 

If event 2 never happened, or happened before event 1, there would be no linear relationship between the two for people to see a causation, and would therefore go unremarked upon.

 

 

Form in football is usually to do with players fitness, physical and mental. Confidence, team spirit and the relative quality and similar fitness, confidence and team spirit of the recent opposition*. Not whether or not the manager has decided to wear a suit or told a journalist to go s*** in his socks.

 

 

*Unless you're Man U, in which case form is also dependent on recent referee's willingness to bend like the willows in the wind.

Edited May 1, 2009 by jr_ewing

[Mike]

spacebats

[sutty]

Wigan selling Palacios and Heskey probably had more to do with their slump than what flight home Zaki got

[johngibo YPC]

Wigan selling Palacios and Heskey probably had more to do with their slump than what flight home Zaki got

 

Agreed, was gonna say that

[Hassony]

Zaki has been s**** for a long time now

 

can see him going back to Egypt at the end of the season

[Ethan]

Zaki has been s**** for a long time now

 

can see him going back to Egypt at the end of the season

 

yep he's been on teletext...

 

Booked it, Packed it, f***ed off

[smithdown]

Is it true that some teams have their bonus, or a bonus, set at 40 points or is that urban myth going back to curbishley at charlton?