Dirk Gently Whilst I agree with what Snowball says, overall, all the stats in the world can't answer the question of "Would someone else playing in his place have done even better?"

Ronaldo would

Tevez would

Hunt signs for a Premiership club, Shane Long comes on as an emergency left-winger, scores five in the first thirty minutes Game is abandoned after 17 HNA posters in the stands die of heart attacks. Shane signs for Real Madrid. We lose to Birmingham 0-1 and then the the rescheduled game 0-1 two days...

I think Snowball has a bit of a problem. I'd enjoy his posts a lot more if they weren't cram packed full of completely superfluous statistics all the time. But that's because I'm arguing with clowns who think just saying something is proof. Mere opinion means squat. Facts. Stats, the manager's asse...

Long grabs the odd goal. When he comes on as a sub and doesn't score, the impact of him not doing so is less. // You make this statistical claim that Long scores a goal every 2.2 games he plays, yet your own stats show that his rate is 1 goal every 4 games when he has started for Reading. And that'...

cmonurz Wigan are enjoying their 4th consecutive season as a Premier League side, and currently sit 7th (or 8th?) in the league. In the context of Stephen Hunt, they are a bigger club.

and they've lost Palacios and Heskey already this month

A striker needs to Score more though! Doyle has started TWENTY-EIGHT times (17 goals) He has played 3.6 times as many minutes as Long (same minutes Long would be 11 goals) To be as good as Doyle, Long would need to be scoring 4.7 goals to date. He has 3. Hunt has started Twenty-Two times (10 goals)...

But seriously how does anyone break into a forward line like Doyle-Hunt? According to you he would be scoring as many goals as Doyle (and more than Hunt), so it shouldn't be difficult. No, that does NOT follow. First Coppell doesn't change winning sides. Doyle & Hunt, if fit are virtually undro...

One of the MYTHS is that Shane Long does not perform when he starts. The stats prove otherwise 90 W 3 - 1 STOKE FIRST EVER START 73 L 0 - 4 ARSENAL 0-4 when subbed 75 W 2 - 0 Man City 0-0 when subbed 80 W 3 - 2 WIGAN SCORED 2-1 WHEN SUBBED 73 W 3 - 1 SHEFF UTD SCORED 3-0 WHEN SUBBED 62 W 2 - 0 VILLA...

Snowball. If Long is as hot a property as you say, then why did Steve Coppell say: "Longy needs to do it now or move on". Sorry to repeat it, but you seem to be deliberately ignoring this. Maybe Coppell thinks, based on minutes played the boy is doing OK. If the manager wanted him out, do...

Its easy to have a high goals per minute ratio when you hardly play any minutes. That is so DUMB! He has to SCORE the damn goals, and he does. 20 starts, 11 goals, and a very decent goals-per-minute People go on and on and on about Lita yet he has scored 11-7-1-1, a mere 9 goals more than Long But ...

Now I quite like a bit of research and evidence to back up a point....but...Snowball, do you have either of a) a job, or b) a life?


I'm a writer, at home and I like being outnumbered. You're all blinkered.

You can't include assists snowball, as discussed on the 'Assists' thread on this board, there are more facets to an assist than making the final pass, or getting fouled. Rubbish!They've been doing it every day arguing Steve Hunt's case. Fabregas scores, say, five in a full season, but makes 20 goal...

If Shane Long had been so great in 4 years SC would have considering him good enough to start regularly. Doesn't follow. He has to be BETTER than Kitson-Doyle-Lita-Hunt etc just like a woman has to be BETTER than a man to get the job. Start Season 1, 18 years old. Picked as a long-term prospect, no...

You're still ignoring my question snowball, as to how many points Long's goals have directly earned us. Edit: I worked it out (didn't take long). Without Long's goals we would be 6 points worse off over the last 3.5 seasons. That's just DUMB. He has won us far more 01 Southampton away (scored) 03 N...

Skyline You do have to wonder, if Long is as good as Snowball says he is, why have no other teams been in for him.

How do you know they haven't?

I think the Ireland squad have been in for him a few times, and didn't he score two versus Denmark?

As you are focusing on goals, snowball, how many league points have Long's goals directly earned us? What you are not taking into account is that, irrespective of Long's actual goals per minute, if our forward line is not as effective overall (with the ball at feet, in the air, holding up play etc)...

There's a thing called "salience and relevance" that causes people to make errors of judgment. Lita came for decent money. His first season he started 22 times and came on as sub 4 times but this is a season where Reading broke all sorts of records and amassed 106 points. Lita played 22 ga...

However, if you ignore goals scored for other teams: Long>Torres but that would be just silly wouldn't it? Don't talk wet. Torres for Liverpool 44 League Appearances, 29 goals, 1 goal every 1.5 league games BUT If you INCLUDE all the teams Lita has played for since joining Reading, these are his cr...

cmonurz God, I thought I loved stats.

I love the truth.

Ian, I am simply making the point that Long has played so very few games, and such a small total of minutes and yet has scored 11 league goals. I think one league down in the right kind of team he'd get near a goal a game. I think he is EASILY a 20-goal a season player at this level IF HE STARTS Wha...