Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Aug 9, 2021 23:05:53 GMT
Key phrase:-
"After moving to the area with his family"
That'll be why.
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on May 3, 2021 14:21:23 GMT
the Donald Trump analogy. Sorry, I guess that's a harsh comparison for anyone. Not "for anyone"... I've been saying for a while now that Simms is the Donald Trump of British ice hockey, and absolutely nothing has been shown to change that opinion.
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on May 3, 2021 14:15:04 GMT
Now that it's all done and dusted... thoughts on this tournament:-
- the overall idea and format were less than perfect - only 4 teams for a start - but for once we can't blame the EIHL for all of that. Bloody stupid politics and 'devolution' played a big part. It would have been so much better with more teams...
- having said that, the EIHL most certainly can be blamed for some things. The cockerel-up on the first weekend where they obviously didn't invest anywhere near enough into the provision for people to actually be able to connect and watch it properly (you'd have though that would be basic, but this is the Elite League we're talking about...) was appalling. The quality of feed wasn't great for large parts of the rest of it either.
- what an absolutely abysmal start for the Panthers. No two ways about it, the team as a whole was dire. The defence was (at best) poor, the offence was much worse. And Bowns started off badly - if he truly was ill and hadn't said anything... bad move on his part. It has to be said, though... he got no help from the outskaters. It truly was painful to watch...
- this tournament was touted as being in large part a warm-up for the GB team. For once, the PR wasn't total poo poo. This series not only gave the Brits most likely to be picked a good run-out, but also showcased some who hadn't previously registered much on the radar... including a few unexpected cases:- Ciaran Long, Josh Tetlow (SO much improved!), Sam Jones (about whom I knew absolutely nothing), Lewis Hook, A special mention has to be made for Ben Churchfield. Chucked in the deep end with Muse getting injured early doors, he more than held his own. He's a not a starter yet at EIHL level, he's not there yet... but this tournament has to have given him the confidence to go out there and work his way up. And here's a thought... in the two-game final, the Panthers put 4 goals past Muse both nights. Would they have done the same to Churchfield? We'll never know, but it's got to be a thought in the back of the mind.
- for the Panthers, I so wish that we could keep Austin Cangelosi. Absolute star... not just scoring, but his speed and stick-handling were superior, and his faceoff-winning was a key element. But he's already signed elsewhere. Still... the likes of Boivin, Domingue, Talbot-Tassi etc have got to be on our re-upping radar.
- also for the Panthers... the line that impressed me the most was the Lachowicz/ Betteridge/Hook line. Not only did they utterly disrupt opposition game-plans for fun, but they contributed offensively at key points. And their workrate was just incredible.
- my vote for 'most improved player' has to go to Josh Tetlow. He was showing signs of promise before, but was only living up to it in patches. Not any more... so much more confident and assured out there, and his effectiveness showed it. Nice to see him get a tasty goal as well. First GB senior call-up... I'd lay money he's going to be a fixture on the team for some time to come.
- the Panthers netminders. So many people overreacting in the short term, claiming that Bowns is 'rubbish' and that Whistle is 'clearly' the better goalie. What a load of absolute crap. Whistle is getting better and better, no question - but he still doesn't have the experience and skills of Bowns... not yet, anyway. Bowns had a 'bad day', Whistle had a good one... but I've seen Bowns pull off miracles time and time again in recent years, and despite the fact he's definitely on the up, Whistle still has a way to go to match him. Would love to see those two as #1 & #2 in Panthers jerseys for a full season, but let's be realistic... we're very unlikely to be able to keep Bowns. Europe calls, and in the UK? - Cardiff have to be his first choice. Pity, but that's life. But - SIGN UP WHISTLE!!!
- for other teams... Keck. Most impressive newcomer import, no question. That guy is scary. There's going to be a queue for his signature.
- also scary - or at least getting there? Liam Kirk. Fantastic news for the GB team, and as a Panthers fan I have to be happy that he's most likely to be spending the next few years (at least) over in North America... and not in Sheffield. Would not like to be having him line up against us often.
- Tim Wallace. What can you say? Calls for his head coming in from the usual short-term thinkers (if 'thinker' is even the right word)... but he got the job done, simple as. How much of the recruitment was down to him and how much to Doucet, I have no idea... but seeing as he got the criticisms for the early poor showing, he should equally get the credit for the later improvement and eventual win.
- overall? Sitting in my lounge watching hockey on TV isn't 'real' hockey, not in my book. And this wasn't even a 'proper' tournament. But... under the circumstances, it was about as close as we were likely to get. It could have been so much worse...
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on Apr 1, 2020 19:44:46 GMT
How about we break with the traditional Cage habit of adopting entrenched positions based upon nothing more than guesswork & personal prejudice, and wait to see how matters develop over the next few months?
Based on what we know right now - and that's not much - an on-time start to the 20-21 season seems unlikely but not impossible... writing off the season completely also can't be ruled out, but is surely the last resort. And there are all sorts of options in between, which will no doubt be under consideration.
Of course, if anybody has definitive and incontrovertible proof of what is going to happen with this git of a virus over the next few months, I'm sure that everyone here - plus the NHS and the government - would be fascinated to know...
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 29, 2020 10:36:01 GMT
None of the fans from other teams that I've spoken to have had refunds yet... it's not just us. According to a post above a few Clan fans have. Maybe they're doing the boxes first? Starting off with an easier job to get it out of the way? Who knows...
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 29, 2020 10:29:12 GMT
When I called the box office a couple of weeks ago, they advised that they were waiting on instructions from the league. So perhaps it's just Panthers fans not getting paid back then. Interesting tactics that. None of the fans from other teams that I've spoken to have had refunds yet... it's not just us.
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 24, 2020 22:50:38 GMT
Haven't seen this posted yet, so... Confirmed that Neil Black has tested positive for Covid-19. <link>I know there are some here who don't have much time for him, for various reasons... but I think that kind of thing pales into insignificance under the circumstances. Get well soon, Neil...
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 24, 2020 22:29:48 GMT
Why not. If China can let its people out after 3 months or so then why should we expect to still be locked up until Oct,Nov or Dec ? Because China are generally smarter than the u.k.. they made this thing and know how to eventually contain it.. rest of the world not so lucky/knowledgable "Smarter"? Nope... just a massive amount more control. UK's political leader says to stay at home... crowds flock to seaside, pubs and queue up at McDonalds... no repercussions. China's political leader says to stay at home... people know that Mr 7.62mm and his high-velocity friends are waiting to 'have a word'...
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 24, 2020 22:25:03 GMT
Just goes to show what a precarious state some EIHL teams are in. Desperation. Pocket money, gain interest then give money back. Nice little earner. Pocket money, use it to pay off inescapable debts, declare bankruptcy, phoenix. Cynical? Moi?
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 21, 2020 23:42:45 GMT
Well... that's it - the 2020 World Championships have officially been cancelled:- <IIHF statement> Now we have to wait to find out what's going to happen regarding refunds (and that will take some time - especially for the unpaid volunteers who run GBSC, so please don't hassle them!) and then what will happen next year - will it still be Belarus & Latvia hosting (hope so) or will they shove the entire schedule back a year and give it to Switzerland?
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 15, 2020 19:57:38 GMT
I would be very surprised if we were to hear anything until next season is confirmed etc. No doubt there will already be offers etc... but there is no reason for anything like that to be made public.
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 1, 2020 22:26:50 GMT
This would mean no football, no rugby,,no concerts, can’t see that happening. See Italy. It can & will happen. There's no stopping this thing, it's here to wipe out a certain generation. We will have triple figure confirmed cases this week, deaths will follow, mass events will be shutdown, cities potentially locked down, supermarket & petrol panic buying is imminent. Batten down your hatches folks. Woah... OTT much? Bearing in mind the possibility (% chances impossible to predict) that this virus could mutate into something much nastier... the vast majority of cases (so far) appear to be mild, and the vast majority of deaths (so far) appear to be people who have existing medical conditions or other reasons for increased vulnerability. This is a serious outbreak, absolutely no question about that... but based on the evidence so far, the mass hysteria (being generated mainly by the media, who have a vested interest in exaggerating) simply isn't warranted. That may change... or it may not. But until it does... perhaps a little more thought and a little (lot?) less spinal-reflex panic might be in order...
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Mar 1, 2020 14:23:14 GMT
It's amusing to read the relevant thread on the Inferno forum... lots of doom & gloom, lots of statements about how utterly rubbish they are this year. No doubt a lot of it is simply because they lost (sounds like some of our more bottom-feeding denizens on here). It was a high-tempo game from start to finish, with an immense amount of offence from Cardiff, an immense defensive display from the Panthers, and lots of end-to-end fast action. But Cardiff lost, so they must have been crap... yeah, right.
If there is anything that the Cardiff Devils should be criticised for, it's 2 major mistakes - one tactical, one strategic:- - tactical... they put 90% of their effort into offence, so much so that they left themselves a bit more vulnerable at the back - and we exploited that. Their defence isn't THAT bad, seeing as they still managed to foil a fair number of our attacks and counter-attacks (although try telling the assembled Cardiff lemon-suckers that!)... but it was a bit below what it should have been. - Ben Bowns is being over-played. According to some Cardiff GB fans I was chatting to at the Olympics tourno last month, Bowns has started every single game for Cardiff this season - and it shows. He's got to be absolutely knackered! Allegedly (not confirmed) Murdy is injured, and is only there to open the door in the boards. And yet Andrew Lord - praised from all directions for being a great coach - has let this continue... no other British backup, not even a cheap import - someone, ANYONE to take just a bit of the load off Bowns. Doesn't strike me as being great coaching, that...
From our side - Carr was excellent, making 39 saves... and the rest of the team was impressive as well. Fick is going up in my estimation, Connelly is a gem... Herr, Hansen, Tousignant, etc etc et-ruddy-cetera... the whole lot of 'em dug deep and worked for the win. Just hope that they've got plenty left in the tank for a dangerous Coventry side today...
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Shaggy
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Am I a cynical idealist or an idealistic cynic?
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 19, 2020 22:38:05 GMT
What are you doing, being reasonable on here? Quick - fetch the tar and feathers! Speaking as a Panthers fan, I'm glad that Whistle is getting some games because it's surely going to help avoid overplaying Carr... you only have to look at how Cardiff doing just that is affecting Ben Bowns... the cracks are showing. Speaking as a GB fan as well, I'm also glad Whistle is getting some games because he's going to be needed as the GB #2... because Ben Bowns is going to be absolutely knackered! And if you don't give a backup ice time, he's not going to be in very good shape when you need him... and sooner or later he'll sod off somewhere else or retire or whatever, and then you'll have to find yet another backup to ignore. It's not as if Whistle is a poor goalie and has poor stats. His are on a par with Both Flames netminders who are only a handful of points behind us in the league. It's not like we're playing him against the Giants and Devils. We've got him doing the 'easier' fixtures and it's worked. Yep... and that just goes to show that Wallace & Doucet do know what they're doing... isn't that a shocker? Quite possibly... who knows? And again - I have to hold my hands up and admit that I was wrong. I wasn't confident when we signed Whistle... I hadn't rated him at Belfast, I hadn't rated him at Sheffield, I hadn't rated him when I saw him play for GB. Yes, he's played the 'easier' games for the Panthers... but he's done it well. They asked, he delivered - can't argue with that at all. Jackson whistle - I apologise, and I thank you. Sometimes it's good to be wrong...
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 19, 2020 22:16:21 GMT
I agree with the decision to play Whistle. Carr will be fully rested coming off a home shut out against our biggest rivals. Maybe when we’re in the shout of a league win for the first time in years, we can let the coach make the decisions on the best team to go with. Wallace hasn’t got it wrong very often. What are you doing, being reasonable on here? Quick - fetch the tar and feathers! Speaking as a Panthers fan, I'm glad that Whistle is getting some games because it's surely going to help avoid overplaying Carr... you only have to look at how Cardiff doing just that is affecting Ben Bowns... the cracks are showing. Speaking as a GB fan as well, I'm also glad Whistle is getting some games because he's going to be needed as the GB #2... because Ben Bowns is going to be absolutely knackered! And if you don't give a backup ice time, he's not going to be in very good shape when you need him... and sooner or later he'll sod off somewhere else or retire or whatever, and then you'll have to find yet another backup to ignore.
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 16, 2020 23:15:14 GMT
I'm not buying the standard "Belfast were poor" line... they are still a very, very dangerous team... fast, well-drilled, and relentless on the offence & forecheck. The thing is... tonight the Panthers played them at their own game and clearly did it better. We simply didn't allow Belfast to play how they wanted... and the frustration amongst the Giants players was clear to see.
That was as close to a total team performance from the Panthers that I remember seeing for quote a while. It was, quite frankly, an absolute joy to watch. It's not primarily results or trophies that I pay my money for (although I definitely want both!)... THAT is what I pay my money to see. Damn sure we got value for money tonight!
More of the same, please...
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 16, 2020 23:03:42 GMT
Absolutely loving both the way that They Who Squeal are flushing themselves down the toilet right now, how the other 2 main contenders (Belfast & Cardiff) are stuttering a bit, and how the Panthers are making a late resurgence...
HOWEVER...
Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. Whilst there's much to despise about Them Up The M1, it cannot be denied that they have a very dangerous team this season, and they have an intensely irritating habit of being the Comeback Kings. Especially against us. And we're hosting them on Saturday.
They've not clocked up a point yet this month, and losing to the bottom 2 teams in the league this weekend is beyond hilarious and out the other side. But that's only going to make them all the more fired up for Saturday. If we don't want egg on our faces, maybe we should wait to see what happens next weekend?
BTW... I did that table again of teams based on goals scored and goals conceded per game, then ranked all teams on each with a combined ranking at the end. We're just being edged out of best defence by Belfast, but the Rusties are clearly way ahead on goals scored. On combined rankings, the two front-runners (just!) are ourselves and Sheffield, with Cardiff falling slightly behind.
16.02.20 Combined GP GF GF/G Rank GA GA/G Rank Rank BEL 42 125 2.98 8 106 2.52 1 9 CAR 40 135 3.38 3 119 2.98 4 7 COV 42 157 3.74 2 145 3.45 7 9 DUN 43 135 3.14 5 162 3.77 9 14 FIF 44 113 2.57 9 152 3.45 7 16 GLA 42 130 3.10 6 163 3.88 10 16 GUI 41 126 3.07 7 121 2.95 3 10 MAN 43 108 2.51 10 135 3.14 6 16 NOT 41 130 3.17 4 105 2.56 2 6 SHE 44 186 4.23 1 137 3.11 5 6
(sorry about the formatting)
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 15, 2020 21:57:43 GMT
GD/TW : Brent, you messed up here when you invalidated the terms of your visa, you know that don't you? Maybe he quit because Gui and Tim didn't know his first name? Oops!
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 15, 2020 18:17:36 GMT
Having worked directly with the UKBA I'm loathe to put too much blame on the panthers org here - could be any number of things, especially given the current climate with Brexit adjustments. Like any big bureaucracy the Borders Agency aren't known for their dynamism and nuance... As you say it could be anything. But if it was something Bulmer had done wrong then why indicate they may want him back next season. It suggests to me it’s a Panthers cockerel up. Suggests to me... nothing. There could be any number of explanations... all the club's fault, all the player's fault, or somewhere inbetween. For example:- GD/TW : Brent, you messed up here when you invalidated the terms of your visa, you know that don't you? BB : Yes boss - sorry about that, I screwed up. GD/TW : OK, well - you're done for this season, nothing we can do about that... but you're doing OK out on the ice so we can still consider bringing you back next season, OK? BB : Yeah, thanks. And - learned my lesson, won't make that mistake again. Or any number of other scenarios, all equally likely...
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 15, 2020 10:19:19 GMT
Warning to Panthers fans...
Last night, during the game, several cars were broken into on & around Newark St and Notintone St... I saw 2 smashed windows & a 3rd that had been got into with no damage... apparently several more were reported in the area.
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 13, 2020 17:41:30 GMT
In an interview with Chris Ellis, Doucet said he believes lack of ice time and lack of PP and PK time was a factor in DeSantis wanting to leave. I think Doucet could be right as he said he was happy to have signed DeSantis as he believes he will be a big part of this roster. I personally wouldn’t describe DeSantis as a big part of this roster as he’s been 3rd D pairing for most of the year, no PP time and 2 PK unit. I can understand DeSantis’ frustration if he’s been promised that and him being offered that may be down to a bit of inexperience on Doucet and Wallace’s part but DeSantis is experienced enough to know that if you aren’t performing then you ain’t gonna get extra minutes and for me he didn’t deserve any PP time or to move up the D pairings By that reasoning how come Rheault got so much pp time? Probably because on the PP they usually use 4 forwards (out of approx 12) and only 1 D-man (out of approx 6)... so PP time for D-men is always going to be highly limited. If there are 2 D-men who are judged to be better suited to the PP than him, then he's going to be very lucky to see any time. Whereas most forwards (even a massive underperformer like Rheault) will statistically stand a better chance of getting PP time. Second PK unit? Again, if there are 2 D-men deemed to be better than him, then they're obviously going to be on the 1st PK unit. It's not rocket surgery. Is this fair? - pass. We don't know what he was promised, we don't know the criteria that the coaching staff use to make these judgements. If DeSantis wasn't happy with it... the obvious answer is - try harder.
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 12, 2020 21:17:39 GMT
It's interesting that a player makes a few vague comments about Bad Things (TM) and some choose to automatically believe him... or is it to automatically believe the worst about the club and/or certain people within it?
I don't think that we have anywhere near enough information to make any kind of proper judgement. Sure as hell, the club (and/or certain people within it) haven't exactly covered themselves in glory on multiple occasions... but on the flip side, someone who appears to slag off and dismiss anyone who hasn't played the sport - and who doesn't actually make any concrete claims whatsoever, preferring innuendo instead - doesn't exactly inspire confidence in their veracity.
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 11, 2020 22:16:09 GMT
DeSantis allegedly moved to Esbjerg Energy in Denmark...
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 8, 2020 22:00:25 GMT
3-0 up half way through. Hungary beat Romania in overtime earlier, so a regulation win will see us go top of the group. An OT win vs Hungary will see us through... first tie-break in IIHF is head-to-head games.
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Shaggy
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Post by Shaggy on Feb 2, 2020 23:43:20 GMT
Been a while since I worked out the goals for/against stats per team, weighted for number of games played... and we're not looking too shabby...
02.02.20 Combined GP GF GF/G Rank GA GA/G Rank Rank BEL 40 122 3.05 7 100 2.50 1 8 CAR 38 128 3.37 3 110 2.89 3 6 COV 39 146 3.74 2 136 3.49 7 9 DUN 40 125 3.13 5 153 3.83 9 14 FIF 40 101 2.53 9 143 3.58 8 17 GLA 39 122 3.13 5 152 3.90 10 15 GUI 37 111 3.00 8 109 2.95 4 12 MAN 39 96 2.46 10 123 3.15 6 16 NOT 38 120 3.16 4 99 2.61 2 6 SHE 42 183 4.36 1 129 3.07 5 6
This may be a bit of a surprise (especially after Wednesday's game, when the whole defensive structure just collapsed in the 3rd period) but we're actually the 2nd best in the league when it comes to goals conceded per game... only Belfast beating us there (bit of a surprise for me, I still thought Cardiff were #1). The other surprise being Coventry in 2nd place when it comes to goals scored per game!
Edited to add... dammit, the formatting went all to hell! Sorry about that... BTW, the last column is the combination of the ranking of goals for AND goals against... to see who comes out on top overall. Us, Cardiff and Sheffield are joint best on 6.
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