HRK new contract?

[Pepe the Horseman]

Let's be fair, HRK was a revolution at the end of our Premier League season and I suspect many of us thought he'd push on and tear the Championship, now for whatever reason he hasn't lived up to that expectation but he certainly earned that contract, it's not like he was playing like he is now and the club turned round and offered him a 20k/week deal.

Absolutely.

The guy "lost it" but was looking really good.

Were all these very clever chappies (in retrospect) saying he was rubbish back then?

It's no different to you giving Ian Royal shit for predicting that Wigan would go up. They were looking very good last season.

[WoodleyRoyal]

ffs now the club has just taken up an option for a 1 year extension things just get worse, any good news on the horizon RFC?

[tee peg]

ffs now the club has just taken up an option for a 1 year extension things just get worse, any good news on the horizon RFC?

[Snowball]

Let's be fair, HRK was a revolution at the end of our Premier League season and I suspect many of us thought he'd push on and tear the Championship, now for whatever reason he hasn't lived up to that expectation but he certainly earned that contract, it's not like he was playing like he is now and the club turned round and offered him a 20k/week deal.

Absolutely.

The guy "lost it" but was looking really good.

Were all these very clever chappies (in retrospect) saying he was rubbish back then?

It's no different to you giving Ian Royal shit for predicting that Wigan would go up. They were looking very good last season.

Not remotely the same. HRK was a young man, still developing, had a cracking season and scored seven goals at the very highest level at about a goal every 180 minutes. That was why there was interest from Cardiff etc.

It was totally "normal" and perfectly reasonable to expect (a) that he continue to improve (b) that he would equal or better his goal-scoring rate when playing at a lower level. As far as we knew he was the same person, with no sudden injury, and still physically developing. Pure common-sense should have predicted a big season for him, and it's not "whacky" or "silly" or "out of order" to have predicted big things for him. Basically, we had to expect "more of the same."

When you are talking about a CLUB, you have to know who is staying, who is going, what will the finances be, are there off-field issues, does the board want to invest, who will the management be, etc etc etc.

And the simple FACTUAL reality is that sides coming down from the Premiership average finishing 7th-8th in their first season down, WORSE in their second season down.



As for HAL, IMO he has beefed up to much and lost something physical in his game (while gaining muscle/weight). IMO he'd do well to LOSE bulk and train for sharpness and stamina.

Simply, if he's heavier/bulkier he's going to have more to cart around, and will look slower, less explosive.

I don't think it helps that when he's played he's not been played in a settled position.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Wigan made the playoffs in their first season, after a change of manager and strong finish. It wouldn't be crazy or whacky to expect them to push on from that, or at least expect them to do as well.

Ian got it completely wrong, as did half the country I expect. You got it completely wrong about HRK, as did a lot of other people.

[SCIAG]

Not remotely the same. HRK was a young man, still developing, had a cracking season and scored seven goals at the very highest level at about a goal every 180 minutes. That was why there was interest from Cardiff etc.

It was totally "normal" and perfectly reasonable to expect (a) that he continue to improve (b) that he would equal or better his goal-scoring rate when playing at a lower level.

You made several incredible assumptions.
1) That "goals per minute" can be extrapolated out from a small sample to a whole season, at all
2) That a player who had never previously made more than 35 appearances in a season, and very rarely completed 90 minutes, would play 90 minutes in 46 matches, despite us signing a new player in his position and keeping the one who'd consistently kept him out for the past four years
3) That players relegated from the Premier League score 2.5x as many goals
from those, 4) That a fairly ordinary Championship winger would score be a possible Championship top scorer

You were also ignoring the context in which HRK scored his goals - a team playing all-out-attack against complacent defences, rather than a controlling side trying to break down deep defences.

People pointed all these things out to you at the time, you called them idiots and went on your merry way.

If you were really interested in statistics, you'd have calculated error and uncertainty and be able to tell us that this is sort of major inaccuracy is to be expected in 5% of your predictions. When you can't acknowledge that you got something wrong (because you didn't look at error or uncertainty) then it diminishes the times you get it right (Shane Long) - you may as well have been shooting in the dark.

[Snowball]

Wigan made the playoffs in their first season, after a change of manager and strong finish. It wouldn't be crazy or whacky to expect them to push on from that, or at least expect them to do as well.

Ian got it completely wrong, as did half the country I expect. You got it completely wrong about HRK, as did a lot of other people.

So they finished where? 5th?

The average first season down is 7th so they were close to the average


The average second season down is 11-12th, with a fair few relegated... ditto

[Pepe the Horseman]

What's the average second season finish for teams that finish fifth after changing their manager half way through the season?

[Extended-Phenotype]

HRK was a young man, still developing

[Ian Royal]

This is fast heading HoF wards.

[Angry Shed Sex]

[When you can't acknowledge that you got something wrong (because you didn't look at error or uncertainty) then it diminishes the times you get it right (Shane Long) - you may as well have been shooting in the dark.

This is Shane long - 2014/2015 Apps 38, goals 7. That's not premiership goals mind. In the 8 full seasons he's had in the prem his top return is 8 a couple of times.