[Football] Oblique Strategies

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Read about this in the Times earlier.
So, AS Velasca play in the Italian 9th tier. They're... well they're a bit odd.
They're not playing very well this season, so decided to play according to Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt's Oblique Strategies.
These apparently include instructing the team to "discard an axiom" mid-match.
They lost 2-1.

The Times & The Sunday Times

News and opinion from The Times & The Sunday Times

www.thetimes.co.uk

 

[Sheebo]

Really interesting mate - thanks for posting!

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I don't need your pity posts
At least HKFC can't tell me it's not a thread now.

 

[BadFish]

I'm not sure what this refers to but I am wondering if it should be added to the AI manager thread as a kind of low tech option?

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I'm not sure what this refers to but I am wondering if it should be added to the AI manager thread as a kind of low tech option?

Based on when each thread was started, really it should be the other way around.
Anyway, the column in the Times explained this reasonably concisely, but unfortunately I don't think that link works unless you subscribe to it.

Happily the club tweeted it later:

 

[BadFish]

Based on when each thread was started, really it should be the other way around.
Anyway, the column in the Times explained this reasonably concisely, but unfortunately I don't think that link works unless you subscribe to it.

Happily the club tweeted it later:

I like the sign off about Chelsea.

Love the idea though, thanks for posting.

They sound like a interesting club to follow.

 

[The Fits]

Didn't one of the papers describe us under Potter as a performance art project?
Love this btw.

 

[Gwylan]

I saw Brian Eno give a lecture on Oblique Strategies about 20 years ago. I didn't for one minute associate it with football, but it could explain Sami Hyypia

 

[Bakero]

Didn't one of the papers describe us under Potter as a performance art project?
Love this btw.

The Guardian referenced Potter's "all-passing, no-scoring performance art project" in a 2021 rumour linking us to then-MK Dons left back Matthew Sorinola. Incidentally, the player was subsequently signed by USG and spent this season on loan at Swansea

 

[Bakero]

Based on when each thread was started, really it should be the other way around.
Anyway, the column in the Times explained this reasonably concisely, but unfortunately I don't think that link works unless you subscribe to it.

Happily the club tweeted it later:

This sounds fun for the public at large and perhaps for their fans but I wonder what the players think.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

So not a new left back then? Shame as he sounded exotic.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

This sounds fun for the public at large and perhaps for their fans but I wonder what the players think.

I think most of the point is to try and make the game more fun for the players by shaking them out of their normal routine.
But to be honest, I don't think anybody needs to worry too much about the opinions of someone playing for an amateur team in the 9th tier of Italian football.

 

[Algernon]

Nan on-"what a load of old shit"-Nan off.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think most of the point is to try and make the game more fun for the players by shaking them out of their normal routine.
But to be honest, I don't think anybody needs to worry too much about the opinions of someone playing for an amateur team in the 9th tier of Italian football.

Oddly, I am under the impression that some (a lot?) of elite players love a routine. Kyle Walker has spoken about this.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Oddly, I am under the impression that some (a lot?) of elite players love a routine. Kyle Walker has spoken about this.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that managing a team by shouting random (and largely irrelevant) instructions at regular intervals is a good idea, I just found the Times column amusing when I came across it about a month ago.

But yes, I think most players (across all sports) do like to go through the same routine every day/game.
The South African batsman Neil Mackenzie was so obsessed with routine that started taping his bat to the dressing room ceiling before every innings after somebody had done it to him as a practical joke (apparently). I'm not sure that actually helped him.

I think there is a great deal to be said for trying to strip away some of th seriousness around sport, and get players back to the mindset they had growing up playing in the street or park.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that managing a team by shouting random (and largely irrelevant) instructions at regular intervals is a good idea, I just found the Times column amusing when I came across it about a month ago.

But yes, I think most players (across all sports) do like to go through the same routine every day/game.
The South African batsman Neil Mackenzie was so obsessed with routine that started taping his bat to the dressing room ceiling before every innings after somebody had done it to him as a practical joke (apparently). I'm not sure that actually helped him.

I think there is a great deal to be said for trying to strip away some of th seriousness around sport, and get players back to the mindset they had growing up playing in the street or park.

Indeed. As you can imagine perhaps, I am not constitutionally wedded to any particular abstract doctrine. The only method I regard as unequivocally sound is the scientific methods (generate hypotheses and test them, in case you're unfamiliar, which is unlikely). With that, all other bets are off.

As long as you have a means to measure the effect of an intervention then if an intervention is needed, an intervention must be tried. It can be counterintuitive, if managed with conviction.

So success requires recognizing an intervention is needed, having the skill or imagination to identify one, and having the means of identifying quickly whether there is benefit.

With all that in mind it is amazing that so many people in charge (of many things) consider that repeating what didn't work over and over again will eventually lead to a different outcome. Why has that suddenly reminded me that Wet Sham are playing tonight?

 

[Sheebo]

Wow - this thread has really taken off

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Indeed. As you can imagine perhaps, I am not constitutionally wedded to any particular abstract doctrine. The only method I regard as unequivocally sound is the scientific methods (generate hypotheses and test them, in case you're unfamiliar, which is unlikely). With that, all other bets are off.

I am indeed, familiar with the scientific method.
However, as an engineer, I find it far easier, quicker and generally more expedient to take a quick stab at the right answer and then multiply it by 1.5.

 

[GT49er]

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that managing a team by shouting random (and largely irrelevant) instructions at regular intervals is a good idea,

Really? - I thought it was common practice at many levels of the game!

 

[schmunk]

Really? - I thought it was common practice at many levels of the game!

Mark up! Mark up! Touch tight! Press! Press! Now hold it! Hold it! Give and go! Man on! Make the run! Call for it! Hold it up! Where's your man! Knock it back! Through! SHOOT!

etc...