Renamed: the big fat McNamara thread

: Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:51 pm

mystic eddie wrote:

How comforting for you.

Comfort is not an issue.

mystic eddie wrote: Now you talk about losing the plot? You said that that a team needs an excellent coach in order to finish second in the table.

It does

mystic eddie wrote: I pointed out that Avram Grant did it and he was a complete dud

Except, of course, he was anything but. But you would have to be an unbiased observer to note this.

mystic eddie wrote: whom the Chelsea fans wanted out ASAP.

Are you a Chelsea fan too? Who the fans want out rarely makes any difference.

mystic eddie wrote: I did not compare our squad to Chelsea's (despite you making up the fact that I did). I was merely highlighting your point about coaches and giving a case against the argument.

Either you made a valid comparison or you didn't. Which is it? Either you were comparing Grant at Chelsea with McNamara at Bradford, or you weren't. If the actual sports teams involved don't count in the comparison, then it's a bonkers analogy, isn't it?

The reality is that Chelsea's performance in the Grant year clearly demonstrated that, while his persona and personality did not endear him to anyone, Grant clearly proved that he is a top class soccer coach.

But let's consider Grant's case in a bit more detail. It's worth it, because you are using the coach with the best winning ratio in the history of Chelsea FCas an example of a dud coach. You are using the case of a man who in the space of only a few months, in taking over the hottest of seats from the revered Mourinho, inherited a team which was in sixth place in the Premier League. They were negative and boring and had just had that pisspoor draw with Rosenborg. They were transformed under Grant, they finished second, in what Grant turned around into a battle that went to the wire. Personally I am sure that if he had had the team from day one, they would have beaten Man U to the title, but the handicap of coming from sixth place proved just a fraction too much.

You are clearly implying that Grant is a worse coach than Mourinho (at least) yet in the previous 3 years, Mourinho had never got Chelsea to a Champions League Final. Avram Grant did, and they only lost the Final on penalties.

And you are the man calling him "a dud coach"!!!

I think I can see where you are coming from, though. The error you make is that you don't judge Grant by what he actually achieved, you don't consider his actual performance. You are assessing Grant on nothing else but the basis that you don't like him.

mystic eddie wrote: Come on, if you have to pick holes in every opinion I give,

You do know this is a discussion board, right? What are they for?

You also know that you pretty much never respond to the holes that I pick, which leaves your arguments resembling a 50 year old fishnet.

I don't "have" to pick holes, there are more holes in your arguments than in a Swiss cheese factory. And of course if there were no holes to pick . . .

mystic eddie wrote: at least do not resort to making things up that were never actually said. It really does you no favours whatsoever.

I make nothing up. In closing, as is your typical MO, you invent a position and then argue from that. Now that is making things up that were never actually said. It really does you no favours whatsoever.

And in keeping with your MO, you haven't (as ever) answered on a single hole that I picked. Which is presumably because although you bluster, privately you must know they were good and fair points.

And as you will completely ignore the above points, which as ever, you can't answer.