I heard a pundit describe us as 'like Mourinho's Chelsea, a machine...'

[Peter]

Statistics for statistics' sake. I blame gamblers and fantasy football league players. And statisticians, of course.

All so they don't have to perform the tedious, tiresome task of actually watching the Beautiful Game. Not that that would help them, of course.

I once got laughed out of the pub by claiming that you could never understand Dennis Bergkamp by reading his numbers, and compared it to giving a great work of art a mark out of ten.

Great art cannot be measured on a spreadsheet. Nobody expresses the Mona Lisa in terms of expected viewings....

[redgunamo]

I can't remember ever being as angry as when we chucked (with the considerable help of Phil ****ing Dowd) that 4-0 lead at Newcastle.

I'd take 0-0 over that....

I would've taken 4-nil, but the whole thing was simply too ridiculous to get upset about. Your dislike for them is noted though.

[redgunamo]

I once got laughed out of the pub by claiming that you could never understand Dennis Bergkamp by reading his numbers, and compared it to giving a great work of art a mark out of ten.

Great art cannot be measured on a spreadsheet. Nobody expresses the Mona Lisa in terms of expected viewings....

Completely agree. Though it is interesting how so many great players of yore have such ordinary numbers. How do you "account" for that; I mean, it's the same game. Youngsters think we are having them on.

It was a lunchtime discussion on TMS a few years ago, before T20 was a thing, and it was decided that the separation between Test cricket and one-dayers was spurious as pretty much all the best players actually excelled at both.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

I can't remember ever being as angry as when we chucked (with the considerable help of Phil ****ing Dowd) that 4-0 lead at Newcastle.

I'd take 0-0 over that....

Even better is a 1-0 down, 2-1 up from set pieces, one after 80-odd mins, the winner in the final minute of injury time.

I love the sexy flair of Wengerball as much as anyone but you can't beat that game for excitement and buzz very easily.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Best stat of the lot. We are bottom of the league for percentage of expected goals that comes from open play.

Of course, they don't tell you that is because our expected goals from set pieces is enormous.

Take a meaningless stat and express it as a percentage of something unrelated. Then tell the league leaders they should be bottom of the league

That's pathetic. I knew it was riling them, but didn't realise it was to that level. I pray to Ganpati we keep doing it.

I love the fact that Zubi and Easy's first league goals were stunning volleys from corners. That is flair.

Remember Eduardo's volley like a bullet into the top, far corner with the outside of his left heel? Don't remember anyone complaining that that came from a set piece.

[Ganpati's Goonerz--AFC's Aboriginal Fertility Cult]

Completely agree. Though it is interesting how so many great players of yore have such ordinary numbers. How do you "account" for that; I mean, it's the same game. Youngsters think we are having them on.

It was a lunchtime discussion on TMS a few years ago, before T20 was a thing, and it was decided that the separation between Test cricket and one-dayers was spurious as pretty much all the best players actually excelled at both.

Only having seen the very tail end of Boycott's career, Cook's by far the best English opener of my lifetime. And Buttler's the best white ball slogger.

[PSRB]

Best stat of the lot. We are bottom of the league for percentage of expected goals that comes from open play.

Of course, they don't tell you that is because our expected goals from set pieces is enormous.

Take a meaningless stat and express it as a percentage of something unrelated. Then tell the league leaders they should be bottom of the league

My favourite stat from yesterday is that we've only lost 6 more league home games at the The Emirates than spurs have at their place

[redgunamo]

My favourite stat from yesterday is that we've only lost 6 more league home games at the The Emirates than spurs have at their place

Lovely! I suppose that's why they keep sacking managers despite winning a trophy; home league form is EVERYTHING, especially if you haven't actually finished paying for the "home" yet. The euro-Carling simply doesn't pay the bills.

[Peter]

Lovely! I suppose that's why they keep sacking managers despite winning a trophy; home league form is EVERYTHING, especially if you haven't actually finished paying for the "home" yet. The euro-Carling simply doesn't pay the bills.

To be fair, it isn't so much the sacking of manager that is the problem. It is appointing the wrong ones. Or rather, ones that dont fit their recruitment strategies.

They are the worst example of that mismatch. Focus on buying younger players with potential to grow and then appoint the likes of Mourinho and Conte who have built a career on building squads of experienced, ready made players. It is almost as though they don't give any thought as to how you actually run a football club. They seem to think that if you can attract a big name manager it will solve all your problems.

We learned our lesson in the Emery years and we put it right with Edu and Arteta. Spurs just never seem to learn.

[PSRB]

To be fair, it isn't so much the sacking of manager that is the problem. It is appointing the wrong ones. Or rather, ones that dont fit their recruitment strategies.

They are the worst example of that mismatch. Focus on buying younger players with potential to grow and then appoint the likes of Mourinho and Conte who have built a career on building squads of experienced, ready made players. It is almost as though they don't give any thought as to how you actually run a football club. They seem to think that if you can attract a big name manager it will solve all your problems.

We learned our lesson in the Emery years and we put it right with Edu and Arteta. Spurs just never seem to learn.

Thankfully, they binned Poch. He had them tracking in the right direction.