Sima 0 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Where could United be with Owen? Nov 15 2006 By Lee Ryder, The Evening Chronicle Q: Where could United be in the Premiership if Michael Owen has not been injured in the summer? A: Third in the table. Michael Owen Newcastle United's season so far without Michael Owen and Alan Shearer has been a major, major disappointment. We knew a long time ago that Shearer wouldn't be around this term. But with Owen heading to the World Cup with just 29 minutes of play under his belt in a black-and-white shirt before the summer, the hope was the ex-Real Madrid man would come back to Tyneside fresh and raring to go for his first full campaign with United. The rest, as they say, is history, and after Owen shattered his knee in England's final World Cup group game, one of the big questions on the lips of Toon fans has been - just where would Newcastle be this season had he been fit? Well the answer is THIRD in the Premiership table according to the company behind best-selling computer simulation game Championship Manager. The game uses statistics provided by ProZone - a software package used by Europe's top clubs. England boss Steve McClaren swears by ProZone which is a programme that, thanks to specially-placed cameras around a football pitch and a very clever computer, analyses players' performances. Player speed, distances covered, areas where they are most active, and tackles made can all be measured. And by using Owen's stats from a previous season the boffins at the offices of Championship Manager 2007 have chalked United's latest position in the table as top-three material - with the England man's goals, of course. Championship Manager's Billy Partridge said: "The guys here simulated all of the games and it's clear by placing Owen in alongside everybody else using their stats that he would have made a difference. "Newcastle sit pretty in third position, and Owen has bagged eight goals in only 12 games - including a hat-trick in a 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United." United's alternative season would also have seen them win at Aston Villa, Man United and improve their win at West Ham by two more goals. However, it still wouldn't have made any difference to United's visit to Middlesbrough, which this time ended 2-0, and the 0-0 draw at home to Charlton would have ended in a 1-0 defeat. ProZone has certainly been a hit with many top figures in football, with West Ham boss Alan Pardew a big fan. "It was three and a half years ago, when I was managing Reading, that I became a ProZone convert," he said. "The system is not cheap but we managed to book it for the play-off matches against Wolves. "The first leg finished 2-1 to Wolves and when I began going through the match on ProZone ahead of the second game, we noticed this connection between Lee Naylor, at left-back, and Nathan Blake in attack which we had not dealt with. "We thought we must block that in the second game. I could remember it happening in the first game, but had not noticed to that extent. "It does throw up things like that now and again. I remember thinking that the first club I get to which can afford it, I'll get it." And former Carlisle boss and Charlton No 2 Mervyn Day added: "ProZone basically gives you the opportunity to see every touch, every run and every movement of all the players on the pitch, either as an individual or as the whole team. "It also allows you to contrast your team with your opponents on each of the analysis opportunities. "With regard to your team's physical performance, it will measure and time each run and give you a series of tables detailing a whole catalogue of physical data which can be used in many ways, such as planning your team's fitness programme, deciding which players need a rest, and so on. "ProZone is all things to all men - it depends what you want out of it. Championship Manager has replicated a lot of the key elements and the information available is immense. "If used correctly with the training programme it can have a significant impact on your team's performance." They could have at least used FM ffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Maul 0 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 You're fucking joking Real scientific work there boys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Maul 0 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 "Newcastle sit pretty in third position, and Owen has bagged eight goals in only 12 games - including a hat-trick in a 5-0 demolition of Sheffield United." I mean, what the fuck!? Not only would he have scored three but stopped Sheffield United from scoring one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Lazaru 0 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Owen would however have bailed Roeder out and hid some of the poor management just as he did for Souness. No matter the team, Owen will score goals and win you matches, without him we would have seen Souness out the door long before he finally fucked off. As to where exactly we would be, its impossible to say, but the prem is such utter shite these days that if Owen had played and scored as he has so far in his brief toon career, we'd have been a hell of alot higher up than we are now! We'd still ultimately be going nowhere as we'd have Fat Fred, Roeder and the prems shittest coaching staff but he'd have made a massive difference to league position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kelly 1260 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 They would have been better off using fucking Boyzone for their analysis. Mind you, if we go by my last Championship Manager game we would have won the league for the last five years and added a couple of champions league titles too! Fucking bell ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Owen would however have bailed Roeder out and hid some of the poor management just as he did for Souness. No matter the team, Owen will score goals and win you matches, without him we would have seen Souness out the door long before he finally fucked off. As to where exactly we would be, its impossible to say, but the prem is such utter shite these days that if Owen had played and scored as he has so far in his brief toon career, we'd have been a hell of alot higher up than we are now! We'd still ultimately be going nowhere as we'd have Fat Fred, Roeder and the prems shittest coaching staff but he'd have made a massive difference to league position. Correctomundo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curry stained pilchard 0 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Even if Owen was 100% fit, Roeder would've probably played Shola anyway... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wykikitoon 20742 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Fucking muppets IF my brother was a bird he would be my sister, Fuck knows how the Chronicle survives with the amount of shite it churns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud 59 Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 ..... Championship Manager's Billy Partridge said: "The guys here simulated all of the games and it's clear by placing Owen in alongside everybody else using their stats that he would have made a difference. ...... Well that would explain it then, we'd have been playing with 12 men! Fuckin muppets. Glenn meanwhile has been using Parazone for ages, nae friggin idea on tactics but hes limescale free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Jeez, I wonder what would happen if they played Sheera as CF, or Tino, or Sir Les etc etc etc Complete and utter bollox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyluke 2 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 How the fuck is that even an article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 How the fuck is that even an article. To borrow a phrase, it is just 'Skyboy' journalism. Crap. And they want me to buy that rag???????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fop 1 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Football Manager database >>>>>>>> Championship Manager database (CM just has the name now - and playing the FM07 demo NUFC can quite happily lose to Gretna.... which seems much more realistic tbh ). But I can't believe they'd even write an article like that (even taking it semi-seriously, with Owen I don't believe we be where we are, but I couldn't see us sitting 3rd at the moment, never mind at the end of the season). Using my Premier Manager 99 "data" NUFC should have won everything they possibly could in the world for the last 8 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 9906 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhh!!!!! Luque's hero when the (micro) chips are down Nov 16 2006 By The Evening Chronicle Albert Luque turns out to be a scoring hero for Newcastle United in their hour of need. That's the verdict of the boffins behind computer simulation game Championship Manager 07. In yesterday's Chronicle we asked them to assess how differently United's season might have gone if Michael Owen had been fit. Using the ProZone stats so highly regarded by many top bosses, they factored in Owen - and insisted that United could have been as high as third in the table, with the England striker chipping in with eight goals. So we then asked the Championship Manager team to simulate United's 10 Premiership games between now and the transfer window opening in January - WITHOUT Owen in the equation and relying on the players Glenn Roeder has available to him. Story continues Continue story ADVERTISEMENT Again using the ProZone stats, the CM07 team brought Luque in from the cold to weigh in with eight goals in a run which yields 14 points (three wins, five draws and two defeats). In their simulation the Spaniard scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Blackburn - and another double in a 3-3 draw with Manchester United! Here's how the results turned out in United's run until the end of the year: Arsenal 2 United 2 United 2 Portsmouth 3 United 2 Reading 2 Blackburn 1 United 2 Chelsea 4 United 2 United 2 Watford 0 United 2 Tottenham 2 Bolton 0 United 2 Everton 2 United 2 United 3 Man Utd 3 Oliver's verdict on the next 10 games If the Championship Manager boffins think that Albert Luque's goals are going to save United I have one piece of advice for them - go back to the drawing board! They must be spending too much time with their heads in their ProZone stats as they cannot have seen the Spaniard play for United. People more informed than myself who see Luque in training every day tell me he does not look interested. And I have seen with my own eyes that United cannot even get him to warm up before a match if he is not in Glenn Roeder's starting line-up. I did see him score the winner in Palermo when, in the eyes of the North East Press, he was the worst man on the field. If Luque was up to scratch don't you think he would be the first name on Roeder's team-sheet in the current situation? Unlike the Championship Manager team, I don't have the answer to United's scoring problems. But I can still hope that Kieron Dyer forms some sort of partnership with Oba Martins. And pray that Damien Duff finds the form which made him such a great player with Chelsea, and that James Milner, Charles N'Zogbia and Nobby Solano can get some end product to their approach play. If United can keep their head above water until the transfer window opens on January 1, I am convinced they will be OK. But I am not as confident as the boffins about the 10 Premiership games between now and then. My forecast (two wins, three draws and five defeats): Arsenal (a): No points Pompey (h): One point Reading (h): Three points Blackburn (a): One point Chelsea (a): No points Watford (h): Three points Spurs (h): One point Bolton (a): No points Everton (a): No points Man Utd (h): No points Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewerk 31209 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Just when you think they couldn't sink any lower out comes the shovel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JawD 99 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Is this where we are now? We're shit. "Oh, no wait aint, here look on CM07".. Oh aye, fair enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 22002 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Tell you what, why do we bother going to games etc? Why doesn't the premier lague save us the bother of going out in the cold to watch a real match when we can just use Championship manager? We can still read the vitual reports in the Sunday Sun next day, and read about virtual injuries etc. Jesus fucking wept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Optimistic Nut 190 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Hahaha! At first I thought this was just Isegrim rehashing last night article and having a carry on, then I picked up the Chronicle...fecking hell. If the Championship Manager boffins think that Albert Luque's goals are going to save United I have one piece of advice for them - go back to the drawing board! They must be spending too much time with their heads in their ProZone stats as they cannot have seen the Spaniard play for United. People more informed than myself who see Luque in training every day tell me he does not look interested. And I have seen with my own eyes that United cannot even get him to warm up before a match if he is not in Glenn Roeder's starting line-up. And he still has to stick his oar in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhhhh!!!!! Luque's hero – when the (micro) chips are down Nov 16 2006 By The Evening Chronicle Albert Luque turns out to be a scoring hero for Newcastle United in their hour of need. That's the verdict of the boffins behind computer simulation game Championship Manager 07. In yesterday's Chronicle we asked them to assess how differently United's season might have gone if Michael Owen had been fit. Using the ProZone stats so highly regarded by many top bosses, they factored in Owen - and insisted that United could have been as high as third in the table, with the England striker chipping in with eight goals. So we then asked the Championship Manager team to simulate United's 10 Premiership games between now and the transfer window opening in January - WITHOUT Owen in the equation and relying on the players Glenn Roeder has available to him. Story continues Continue story ADVERTISEMENT Again using the ProZone stats, the CM07 team brought Luque in from the cold to weigh in with eight goals in a run which yields 14 points (three wins, five draws and two defeats). In their simulation the Spaniard scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Blackburn - and another double in a 3-3 draw with Manchester United! Here's how the results turned out in United's run until the end of the year: Arsenal 2 United 2 United 2 Portsmouth 3 United 2 Reading 2 Blackburn 1 United 2 Chelsea 4 United 2 United 2 Watford 0 United 2 Tottenham 2 Bolton 0 United 2 Everton 2 United 2 United 3 Man Utd 3 Oliver's verdict on the next 10 games If the Championship Manager boffins think that Albert Luque's goals are going to save United I have one piece of advice for them - go back to the drawing board! They must be spending too much time with their heads in their ProZone stats as they cannot have seen the Spaniard play for United. People more informed than myself who see Luque in training every day tell me he does not look interested. And I have seen with my own eyes that United cannot even get him to warm up before a match if he is not in Glenn Roeder's starting line-up. I did see him score the winner in Palermo when, in the eyes of the North East Press, he was the worst man on the field. If Luque was up to scratch don't you think he would be the first name on Roeder's team-sheet in the current situation? Unlike the Championship Manager team, I don't have the answer to United's scoring problems. But I can still hope that Kieron Dyer forms some sort of partnership with Oba Martins. And pray that Damien Duff finds the form which made him such a great player with Chelsea, and that James Milner, Charles N'Zogbia and Nobby Solano can get some end product to their approach play. If United can keep their head above water until the transfer window opens on January 1, I am convinced they will be OK. But I am not as confident as the boffins about the 10 Premiership games between now and then. My forecast (two wins, three draws and five defeats): Arsenal (a): No points Pompey (h): One point Reading (h): Three points Blackburn (a): One point Chelsea (a): No points Watford (h): Three points Spurs (h): One point Bolton (a): No points Everton (a): No points Man Utd (h): No points Arsenal (a): No points Pompey (h): Three points Reading (h): Three points Blackburn (a): One point Chelsea (a): No points Watford (h): Three points Spurs (h): Three points Bolton (a): No points Everton (a): One point Man Utd (h): No points Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 9906 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Someone missing the point of this thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Someone missing the point of this thread? Someone missing the point of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 There's a point to all this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 9906 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Someone missing the point of this thread? Someone missing the point of life. That's pretty harsh on Luque, like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Someone missing the point of this thread? Someone missing the point of life. That's pretty harsh on Luque, like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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