Brian: The right decision?

[Maguire]

Luck has some part to play in any sport. I thought you would know that? I particularly mentioned the Saints away as an example. We were lucky to win that game, the way we played and the way Saints played. Again, another game where we are bombarded, absolutely slaughtered with play and had the luck of the draw by scoring 3 goals against the grain. It wasn't ALL luck, some of it was.

LOL

We weren't "absolutely slaughtered", that's ridiculous. Which bit exactly was "lucky"? Were our goals offside? Nope. Or deflected? (nope - theirs was though). Did they have goals unfairly chalked off? Nope. Did the ball hit a balloon on the way into the net? Nope.

It wasn't "luck" that we won that game, it was a classic away performance.

[AirRaidSiren]

Is it luck that the Saints full back couldn't cope with an injured, drugged up so he can play, Kebe?

I'm not saying that at all.

Are you saying there was no luck involved in that game what-so-ever?

[AirRaidSiren]

We were very lucky to win the Championship with him

Immediately filed it as a joke post after reading this.

Total bollocks.

Thank God. I thought I was the only person who thought that.

It took someone else to repond for you to make that comment?

Here sheepy sheep....

[ZacNaloen]

Is it luck that the Saints full back couldn't cope with an injured, drugged up so he can play, Kebe?

I'm not saying that at all.

Are you saying there was no luck involved in that game what-so-ever?

No we were extremely lucky that our defence was in top form at the end of the season and that the Saints defence couldn't deal with our forwards or we'd have lost that game. We were also lucky in the Brighton game. Deflected free-kick and defend defend defend.

[AirRaidSiren]

Luck has some part to play in any sport. I thought you would know that? I particularly mentioned the Saints away as an example. We were lucky to win that game, the way we played and the way Saints played. Again, another game where we are bombarded, absolutely slaughtered with play and had the luck of the draw by scoring 3 goals against the grain. It wasn't ALL luck, some of it was.

LOL

We weren't "absolutely slaughtered", that's ridiculous. Which bit exactly was "lucky"? Were our goals offside? Nope. Or deflected? (nope - theirs was though). Did they have goals unfairly chalked off? Nope. Did the ball hit a balloon on the way into the net? Nope.

It wasn't "luck" that we won that game, it was a classic away performance.

59% Saints possession
19-6 shots at goal
12-4 shots on target

We rode our luck. Yes, it is a classic away game and brilliant subs by McDermott, luck had some part to play.

Honestly, it's like banging your head against a brick wall.

What are you wanting? For me to say 'you're absolutely right, oh rightful one'? Nah. For you and the likes not to admit luck had some part to play in us winning the Championship is laughable. You can put that in your 'joke' file.

[AirRaidSiren]

Is it luck that the Saints full back couldn't cope with an injured, drugged up so he can play, Kebe?

I'm not saying that at all.

Are you saying there was no luck involved in that game what-so-ever?

No we were extremely lucky that our defence was in top form at the end of the season and that the Saints defence couldn't deal with our forwards or we'd have lost that game. We were also lucky in the Brighton game. Deflected free-kick and defend defend defend.

Spot on.

We were lucky. Great away tactics too.

[ZacNaloen]

Really it comes down to what you mean by luck, because that was basically our game plan.

Even at home we played like the away team. Come at us, we'll nick it either by forcing an error or through defending then immediately ping it to final third and break.

[southbank1871]

Luck has some part to play in any sport. I thought you would know that? I particularly mentioned the Saints away as an example. We were lucky to win that game, the way we played and the way Saints played. Again, another game where we are bombarded, absolutely slaughtered with play and had the luck of the draw by scoring 3 goals against the grain. It wasn't ALL luck, some of it was.

LOL

We weren't "absolutely slaughtered", that's ridiculous. Which bit exactly was "lucky"? Were our goals offside? Nope. Or deflected? (nope - theirs was though). Did they have goals unfairly chalked off? Nope. Did the ball hit a balloon on the way into the net? Nope.

It wasn't "luck" that we won that game, it was a classic away performance.

59% Saints possession
19-6 shots at goal
12-4 shots on target

We rode our luck. Yes, it is a classic away game and brilliant subs by McDermott, luck had some part to play.

Honestly, it's like banging your head against a brick wall.

What are you wanting? For me to say 'you're absolutely right, oh rightful one'? Nah. For you and the likes not to admit luck had some part to play in us winning the Championship is laughable. You can put that in your 'joke' file.

Luck plays a part in any success to some extent. The notion that we were lucky to win the Championship is a nonsense (IMO). Still no-one has made any reference to our home draw against Southampton, when even Nigel Adkins admitted that So'ton were 'lucky' to get a point. Swings and roundabouts.

[Maguire]

59% Saints possession
19-6 shots at goal
12-4 shots on target

We rode our luck. Yes, it is a classic away game and brilliant subs by McDermott, luck had some part to play.

Honestly, it's like banging your head against a brick wall.

What are you wanting? For me to say 'you're absolutely right, oh rightful one'? Nah. For you and the likes not to admit luck had some part to play in us winning the Championship is laughable. You can put that in your 'joke' file.

Yes you've shown me the stats but can you explain how that translates into "luck"?

You don't play 46 games over 8 months and win the league through luck. People only say that because to say otherwise would scupper their anti-McDermott diatribe.

[Maguire]

No we were extremely lucky that our defence was in top form at the end of the season

Not luck

and that the Saints defence couldn't deal with our forwards

Not luck

[ZacNaloen]

Not obviously sarcastic enough??

[winchester_royal]

No we were extremely lucky that our defence was in top form at the end of the season

Not luck

and that the Saints defence couldn't deal with our forwards

Not luck

A rare complete fail for Mags there

[AirRaidSiren]

59% Saints possession
19-6 shots at goal
12-4 shots on target

We rode our luck. Yes, it is a classic away game and brilliant subs by McDermott, luck had some part to play.

Honestly, it's like banging your head against a brick wall.

What are you wanting? For me to say 'you're absolutely right, oh rightful one'? Nah. For you and the likes not to admit luck had some part to play in us winning the Championship is laughable. You can put that in your 'joke' file.

Yes you've shown me the stats but can you explain how that translates into "luck"?

You don't play 46 games over 8 months and win the league through luck. People only say that because to say otherwise would scupper their anti-McDermott diatribe.

Quite easily. Luck didn't just play our part, but also the teams around us who had their bad patches at the right time for us..isn't that luck per-se?

No, you don't play 46 games over 8 months and win the league through just luck, but luck has some part to play in any team winning the league. Do you not get it?

First of all, I never said we won the league just through luck. If you read my comment again, I said we were very lucky to win the league that season. Secondly, it seems you have very random/selective reading. May I suggest you read before you think?

[winchester_royal]

Every team needs luck to win a competition. Football matches are often decided by who gets the breaks on that given day, and it stands to reason that to win more games than you lose then you'll need to have more than your fair share of luck.

That doesn't mean we were undeserving of the title, we won the most points therefore we deserved it, but just because we were deserving that doesn't mean fortune wasn't massively on our side a number of times last season.

Anyone who went to games such as Brizzle or Brighton and can seriously say that luck didn't play any part in us becoming Champions is a 'tard.

[southbank1871]

ARS - your statement that "we were very lucky to win the league under him" seeks to discredit McDermott and lessen his achievements to suit your agenda. I think that is Mags's and others' issue.

[southbank1871]

Every team needs luck to win a competition. Football matches are often decided by who gets the breaks on that given day, and it stands to reason that to win more games than you lose then you'll need to have more than your fair share of luck.

That doesn't mean we were undeserving of the title, we won the most points therefore we deserved it, but just because we were deserving that doesn't mean fortune wasn't massively on our side a number of times last season.

Anyone who went to games such as Brizzle or Brighton and can seriously say that luck didn't play any part in us becoming Champions is a 'tard.

But it's largely irrelevant unless you also discuss the games when Southampton and West Ham were lucky to win or draw games in that season.

[Esteban]

@Esteban

"Whilst I agree with a lot of what you said, you don't go through two and a half seasons of Championship football, winning as many games as McDermott did, through luck alone. And he did that on the backdrop of comparatively small transfer fees and watching his best players depart each season.

You can pull apart his record in the PL all you like, but there is no denying McDermott's record as a manager in the Championship. He was exceptional for us at a time of uncertainty and change."

Yes, he was exceptional for winning the league, any manager is by winning any league. I won't take that away from him. What I will say is that some on here harp on that we slaughtered the opposition, that we were untouchable. Far from it. We rode our LUCK many times that season.

As for the small transfer fee's you mentioned, again, the FIFTH highest wage structure in the league that season? We had a small transfer kitty every season under Madejski, did we not? He done well with what he had to play with, lady luck helped too.

Yes, but the wages we were willing to pay would only have been a positive for us once we had permission to talk to a player and if that player is contracted to another club, then you need a transfer budget to get permission.

I'm not disputing that luck played its part, but so did good man management, tactics, good players, wages, etc, etc. I may be missing your point, but you seem to be saying that winning the league was entirely down to luck, which it wasn't and never will be for any side. It's about finding a way of consistently winning games, which both McDermott and Adkins did.

McDermott has proven himself to be a very good manager at Championship level, as has Adkins. At PL level, they both got the sack before the season ended, so neither of them are proven. And as for the style of play that McDermott adopted for us and the fact that it brought us success, it says more about the Championship than anything else.

[creative_username_1]

ARS - your statement that "we were very lucky to win the league under him" seeks to discredit McDermott and lessen his achievements to suit your agenda. I think that is Mags's and others' issue.

an element of this ^^^

[creative_username_1]

Might be an idea for everyone to take a step back and actually figure out what they're arguing about (with no vitriol ( a few bullet points would suffice))

[winchester_royal]

Every team needs luck to win a competition. Football matches are often decided by who gets the breaks on that given day, and it stands to reason that to win more games than you lose then you'll need to have more than your fair share of luck.

That doesn't mean we were undeserving of the title, we won the most points therefore we deserved it, but just because we were deserving that doesn't mean fortune wasn't massively on our side a number of times last season.

Anyone who went to games such as Brizzle or Brighton and can seriously say that luck didn't play any part in us becoming Champions is a 'tard.

But it's largely irrelevant unless you also discuss the games when Southampton and West Ham were lucky to win or draw games in that season.

And luck will have played a part in Southampton coming 2nd, and West Ham were fortunate to beat Blackpool in the PO final.

Doesn't mean luck didn't play a part in us coming 1st though. I believe we got more 'luck' than the other 2, and I imagine the stats would probably back that viewpoint up, some will believe they were just as lucky as us...and that's fair enough. But to dismiss the notion of luck playing a part in any title race is just plain thick. IMHO.