"Tom Boyd didn’t mean to score the own goal. It was a mistake. It was not his fault." My teacher told me this when I was 8 years old. She was trying to explain why we got beat by Brazil in the opening match of the 1998 World Cup. This is my first memory of … Continue reading What It’s Like To Be a Scotland Fan
The biggest of things require the least preamble and this, well, this is the distance from your seat at Hampden to the pitch, the average number of inches of waist added to kilt sizes since the trip to France in 1998 and the likelihood (thanks Covid-19!) that the Euros will played without Tartan Army supporters regardless of whether we qualify or not all added up together. It's big. One match to decide if we qualify for our first men's international tournament in over 20 years. So, what are the quick details we need to know about Serbia?
For our first This Week In Premiership Stats look at individual players we're going to keep it pretty straightforward. A little less of me pointing wildly at charts of percentage breakdowns of passes made per attack and a little more of just chatting about who kicks the ball at the goal the most. So, here are the players that pull the trigger the most from open play in the Scottish Premiership so far this season and their average xG per shot.
After having completed almost a complete cycle for all clubs, with the exception lying in the COVID related postponements, it's safe to say we have a basic understanding of how each team is performing and what we might expect from them in the coming months. You can see a round-up of some of the underlying … Continue reading Scottish Premiership Manager Power Rankings – October
Nearly a full round of eleven matches each for the twelve Scottish Premiership teams seems like a fair point to at which to stop and take stock. Points win prizes but some other numbers can give us a more reliable indication of which team's form might actually carry them to the podium.
Feel like Ross County should have scored more goals than they have? Think Hibs have fluked their way to third? Unsure whether to place that bet on Hamilton Accies surviving another season? Let's take an early look at the Pure Fitbaw Expected Goals Table and pick out a note for each team.
There are three certainties in life. Death, taxes and overhyped Premier League players getting put on their arse in the Scottish Premiership. It has happened again, and Shane Duffy is at the centre of the action. There’s still plenty of time for him to become a very good player for Celtic and it’s perhaps too … Continue reading Shane Duffy; the attitude towards Scottish Football in physical form
John Robertson has been, pound for pound, the best manager in Scottish football over the past few seasons. There, I said it. There might be some arguments for Dick Campbell, or maybe Stewart Petrie, but I'm sticking to John Robertson for my pick. It feels strange to be writing this after they've only picked up … Continue reading John Robertson’s Young Guns
Let's take a quick look at what's changed from last season to this in terms of the percentage of their total non penalty Expected Goals that has come from six different groupings of chance creation type for each Premiership team.
Is the team you support getting a larger share of their chances from starting moves in the opposition half and using just a few passes before shooting? Are they more or less reliant on set pieces?
First, a look at what's happened to the average for the division and, as you read the note for each team , keep in mind that a change doesn't mean a team is better or worse at it or getting more or fewer chances from that category - just that the percentage of their total that comes from that category type has changed. >
Football, for the most part, is back. It's obvious though that a lot has changed. Fans not allowed into grounds, COVID tests, cancelled games, the list goes on. One thing that is different this year is that Partick Thistle Football Club find themselves competing in the 3rd tier of Scottish football, which considering in 2017 … Continue reading Will Partick Thistle Bounce Right Back?
