weeyin

I thought you retired earlier today.

It's difficult to tell exactly what data is being used, as clubs and the data company like to keep that very secret. It is their intellectual property after all, and different clubs will be looking for different things. As @fizoxy says, though, you can imagine we look at the number of key metrics that he mentions from percentage of games played by academy graduates and net profit on players recruited, developed and sold, to formations, tactics, style etc. It's only part of the picture of course, and candidates still need to be good fit for the club. In our specific case, we need to find a manager who supports the fan-owned model the Community Trust. Not sure if we'll have metrics on that, but there could be some. A number of years ago on one of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures of all places, I remember the data scientist from Liverpool discussed how they were using certain models. It wasn't related to recruitment, but it was still fascinating. One of things they had done was to map the pitch into 1 metre squares. Then they took all the match data from their own games, and all the data from other EPL matches, and figured out the chances of a goal coming from possession in each individual square. Then, when they were training, part of their focus was to have tactics and formations that would get the ball into the higher percentage areas as quickly and as often as possible.

That's a bit unfair. I heard Lenny Henry tell a funny joke once.

I'm not sure MON is dangerous, but its obvious that when you take that job, it's part of the deal that you don't bad mouth their support. It's another reason their choice of managers is limited. The problem starts at the Board level, and that feeds all the other parts of the club. Graeme Souness is the only manager I can think that has taken any sort of stance, and while he shook things up by signing players from the "wrong school" he still didn't go as far as condemning the bigotry. Unfortunately for the sane fans, and unfortunately for Scotland, the sectarianism is good business for the media, so they will continue to take advantage of it for the forseeable future.

Still don't want McGlynn. No doubt he's done a great job with the Falkirk team in the past few years, but I'm not convinced he's the right man to drive the entire club forward. I could be miles out, of course, as I'm not as familiar with the running of Falkirk. I agree he'd be a great choice for next national team manager.

None of the above for me.

He can't sign them all, and managers and coaches often recommend players to each other.

A stern talking to, 20 quid fine suspended for 2 minutes, some hand waving to distract from that VAR decision.

I was thinking ShatGPT

And in earlier in the season he was "just the man for Rangers" before being on his way to Aberdeen.

Under most circumstances I agree about not wanting to sell our players to teams in the same league. If one of them came in with an offer of say, 4 million, for a player we picked up for free and who had given us an outstanding season, I'd be OK with that and chalk it up as a cracking bit of business.

Too many people making hilarious jokes about Pep instead.

The best I'm taking is that we have had an amazing season, and the man that helped us to achieve that has left the club and a great position that the Board has a clear intention to build on.

If you offered me a million quid and a house in the south of France, I'd support St Mirren for a season.

Even Elliott Watt said he'd been coached to play that way most of his career.

I don't want any new manager who speaks English as their first language. (I know - Cue the Yogi jokes, so don't waste your breath)

In fact, I see from the club statement, they have been doing exactly this: It’s no secret that we have got a strategy in place that we will continue to build upon our model, using the same principles, as we enter this new campaign. Managers leaving a club can be a hard pill to swallow, and whilst we appreciate Jens for what he has done here in the last 11 months, we have been continually working on contingencies and learnings to ensure we do not rip up and start again but continue to build and grow.

Disappointed he's gone, but as I said previously, glad it's now and not early August. I have no doubt the Board has a succession plan in place and will be getting things rolling for Askou Phase Tou.

I've loved the whole 'let's play the game our way and impose it on the opposition" approach.

I think that was confirmed by his play-off commentary and, from what I heard, his post play-off celebrations down the pub.

You can never be certain, but JBA to Celtic doesn't seem like a good match for either party.

The point is he leaves the club in a much better state than Kettlewell, has laid the foundation for future managers to build on, recruited some excellent players who will raise significant funds when sold, assisted in the development of our new training facilities and provided a season of football none of us will forget. Apart from that, a complete waste of time.

Can't wait to get my dividend cheque!

Contracts will literally stop them. Of course we can choose to sell them.

The ones under contract can think what they like. I"d also be amazed if they didn't expect Jens to leave.