Craig Levein: A Psychological Explanation

[Beast Boy]

3 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

From Opta: 

Pattern of play for Goals/Attempts

Set Piece goals/attempts are those where the ball starts from a dead ball situation such as a corner, a free kick, a penalty or a Throw-in and results in a shot before the phase of play has broken down into open play.

The exact point at which it becomes open play is usually clear but set pieces which are cleared and then the ball is put straight back into the penalty area are still deemed to be part of the set piece as the defending team is still positioned to deal with the set play.

 

 

Hope so. Would take him back happily. Top man is Robbie, excellent manager for us too.

 

 

It is not a 'character assassination'. I am not running a 'campaign' against him. You seem to have a real problem with someone holding a very different view to you on a football messageboard. Why are you so precious? 

 

Oh, and by the way: I hope he "rams it up the lot of us" too. I want Hearts to be successful. One of the most grotesque things we often see is when fans who criticise the manager or (as in the past) the owner, or even want them out, are accused of somehow not being fans. It's a disgrace.

 

Hearts are a big club with a big fanbase and many fans will see things very differently to you. Deal with it.

 

You absolutely are running a character assassination campaign though. That’s exactly what your OP is. You are making completely unqualified assumptions about  his character. 

[sadj]

4 minutes ago, jock _turd said:

 

No need to go any further this is the absolute essence of the whole problem with a percentage of the Hearts support... we got beaten by Hibs... and the current straff because we are behind Hibs. I will always want Hearts to gubb Hibs BUT I am not going to lynch the manager every time we are beaten by them.

?? Indeed

[sadj]

6 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

From Opta: 

Pattern of play for Goals/Attempts

Set Piece goals/attempts are those where the ball starts from a dead ball situation such as a corner, a free kick, a penalty or a Throw-in and results in a shot before the phase of play has broken down into open play.

The exact point at which it becomes open play is usually clear but set pieces which are cleared and then the ball is put straight back into the penalty area are still deemed to be part of the set piece as the defending team is still positioned to deal with the set play.

 

 

Hope so. Would take him back happily. Top man is Robbie, excellent manager for us too.

 

 

It is not a 'character assassination'. I am not running a 'campaign' against him. You seem to have a real problem with someone holding a very different view to you on a football messageboard. Why are you so precious? 

 

Oh, and by the way: I hope he "rams it up the lot of us" too. I want Hearts to be successful. One of the most grotesque things we often see is when fans who criticise the manager or (as in the past) the owner, or even want them out, are accused of somehow not being fans. It's a disgrace.

 

Hearts are a big club with a big fanbase and many fans will see things very differently to you. Deal with it.

 

Please elaborate

[Enzo Chiefo]

19 minutes ago, sadj said:

Hundred percent agree , the idealogy isnt bad but illfated in scottish football as we cant get the quality in to achieve his wants. However being so arrogant and a poor man manager is very much the starting point you dont want to have. You need players respect , you need to communicate your requirements effectively n manage them to achieve them. Thats no different to a normal walk of life. 

 

Not sure how id feel if RN returned as we had been turgid at times under him in the top flight. If it was with the caveat of lessons learnt CL makes the decisions and RN then picked the team from that and did his thing then maybe

 

I would accept Robbie coming back if he had full control and the DOF role was made redundant or adapted to be an advisory role for CL along with a Director of Development type post 

[shaun.lawson]

9 minutes ago, Bez said:

 

You absolutely are running a character assassination campaign though. That’s exactly what your OP is. You are making completely unqualified assumptions about  his character. 

 

Sure, I've said he's scared. I've based that on how he sends out his football teams, and how they go on to play: scared. Character assassination? Meh.

 

I'm trying to imagine someone being manager of another Scottish club - say, Hibs - achieving the same results and overseeing the same performances, and you - and pretty much anyone else, for that matter - doing anything other than pointing your fingers and laughing at them. I certainly can't imagine you looking at that hypothetical manager and thinking he had his team on the right track, and that it would catapult into contention next season.

 

What Hearts1975 said about emotional attachment was bang on. It's natural this grants Levein the benefit of the doubt with many. It's also natural this makes some hugely defensive and angry if he's criticised. But emotional attachment doesn't blind or control others' views. Such is football. 

[shaun.lawson]

14 minutes ago, sadj said:

 

Please elaborate

 

His record was very good; he left us 2nd (and as a bare minimum, exactly where we should be viz. Aberdeen and Rangers); he was wildly underappreciated; and he'll hopefully have learned plenty more from his time down south.

 

He wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd certainly take him back. With the proviso that he's learned that Hibs isn't just another game, but a lot more important than that.

[Beast Boy]

1 minute ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

Sure, I've said he's scared. I've based that on how he sends out his football teams, and how they go on to play: scared. Character assassination? Meh.

 

I'm trying to imagine someone being manager of another Scottish club - say, Hibs - achieving the same results and overseeing the same performances, and you - and pretty much anyone else, for that matter - doing anything other than pointing your fingers and laughing at them. I certainly can't imagine you looking at that hypothetical manager and thinking he had his team on the right track, and that it would catapult into contention next season.

 

What Hearts1975 said about emotional attachment was bang on. It's natural this grants Levein the benefit of the doubt with many. It's also natural this makes some hugely defensive and angry if he's criticised. But emotional attachment doesn't blind or control others' views. Such is football. 

 

Pure assumption and amateur psychology again... In your hypothetical situation, I would publicly pan this imaginary manager on here and to the face of Hibs fans that I know, but I’d also be very wary of their home form, the standard of young players coming through their ranks, and the quality of signings in attack and defence. It would concern me that he could get it just as right with the midfield if he had a whole summer window.

 

Your second paragraph is yet more assumption passed off by you as being correct, simply because you think it is. You do that a lot and even when you are proven wrong you still don’t hesitate in just going baw-deep again the next time.

[jock _turd]

Just now, shaun.lawson said:

With the proviso that he's learned that Hibs isn't just another game, but a lot more important than that.

 

Is this where you are at? That three points for beating Hibs is more valuable than three points for beating Aberdeen or Celtic .... to be honest for at least a couple of seasons if I could go the whole season only losing four games and they were all to Hibs I would take that ... the chances are we would win the division... but that would be a disaster wouldn't it? 

[shaun.lawson]

5 minutes ago, Bez said:

 

Pure assumption and amateur psychology again... In your hypothetical situation, I would publicly pan this imaginary manager on here and to the face of Hibs fans that I know, but I’d also be very wary of their home form, the standard of young players coming through their ranks, and the quality of signings in attack and defence. It would concern me that he could get it just as right with the midfield if he had a whole summer window.

 

Your second paragraph is yet more assumption passed off by you as being correct, simply because you think it is. You do that a lot and even when you are proven wrong you still don’t hesitate in just going baw-deep again the next time.

 

Touche. And as I reminded you the other day, the poster on here most guilty of character assassination (including to anyone who disagreed with you at the time) towards a Hearts manager was... you, with John McGlynn. 

[shaun.lawson]

5 minutes ago, jock _turd said:

 

Is this where you are at? That three points for beating Hibs is more valuable than three points for beating Aberdeen or Celtic .... to be honest for at least a couple of seasons if I could go the whole season only losing four games and they were all to Hibs I would take that ... the chances are we would win the division... but that would be a disaster wouldn't it? 

 

What are the chances of the above scenario? Somewhere between slim and nil.

 

You know when JJ started to come under real pressure from many fans during his first stint? It was when Hibs got on top of us. Some fans will - ludicrously in my opinion - never forgive Robbie for getting knocked out of the Cup by a Hibs side who went on to win it. McGlynn's situation was hopeless at least in part because of our pathetic performances v Hibs under him.

 

I often think the obsession with them is too much - but it is what it is. In the barren, eternally predictable landscape of Scottish football, the rivalry with them is the one thing which really keeps us going, even during the difficult times. Pretending that it doesn't, or that they're just another opponent, isn't just a nonsense. It's part of this corporate view of football which turns so many people off. 

[Beast Boy]

1 minute ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

Touche. And as I reminded you the other day, the poster on here most guilty of character assassination (including to anyone who disagreed with you at the time) towards a Hearts manager was... you, with John McGlynn. 

 

Are you sure that wasn’t Gary Locke? I turned on him much quicker than I did McGlynn. When McGlynn first got the gig I was saying how disappointing it was that he was being judged on the way he looked. That ended after a run of utterly dreadful performances. With Locke it was down to him constantly using the excuse of “nobody expects us to stay up anyway” or how much of a “miracle” survival would be when we lost games. 

[davemclaren]

19 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

Sure, I've said he's scared. I've based that on how he sends out his football teams, and how they go on to play: scared. Character assassination? Meh.

 

I'm trying to imagine someone being manager of another Scottish club - say, Hibs - achieving the same results and overseeing the same performances, and you - and pretty much anyone else, for that matter - doing anything other than pointing your fingers and laughing at them. I certainly can't imagine you looking at that hypothetical manager and thinking he had his team on the right track, and that it would catapult into contention next season.

 

What Hearts1975 said about emotional attachment was bang on. It's natural this grants Levein the benefit of the doubt with many. It's also natural this makes some hugely defensive and angry if he's criticised. But emotional attachment doesn't blind or control others' views. Such is football. 

So anyone that disagrees with your position is doing it due to 'emotional attachment'?

[shaun.lawson]

1 minute ago, Bez said:

 

Are you sure that wasn’t Gary Locke? I turned on him much quicker than I did McGlynn. When McGlynn first got the gig I was saying how disappointing it was that he was being judged on the way he looked. That ended after a run of utterly dreadful performances. With Locke it was down to him constantly using the excuse of “nobody expects us to stay up anyway” or how much of a “miracle” survival would be when we lost games. 

 

I am sure, yes. One of the reasons I'm sure is you spent weeks following me around the board when I so much as said "this isn't all his fault".  

 

As for Locke: I still view him just as I view McGlynn. Obviously not up to an impossible job - but an impossible job which both were in only because of impossible circumstances. I wish both well, especially Lockie: Mr Jim's successor as Mr Hearts.

[shaun.lawson]

2 minutes ago, davemclaren said:

So anyone that disagrees with your position is doing it due to 'emotional attachment'?

 

No, not at all. Some will because of that; others have other reasons. Some will be pretty pissed off but wanting to give CL more time because of emotional attachment; others will have other reasons.

 

But what Hearts1975 said a few pages back, in a post which was supportive of Levein, was both perceptive and struck a chord with me. 

[sadj]

25 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

His record was very good; he left us 2nd (and as a bare minimum, exactly where we should be viz. Aberdeen and Rangers); he was wildly underappreciated; and he'll hopefully have learned plenty more from his time down south.

 

He wouldn't be my first choice, but I'd certainly take him back. With the proviso that he's learned that Hibs isn't just another game, but a lot more important than that.

Do you think he football he played was good? Esp away from home?

[shaun.lawson]

1 minute ago, VladMagic said:

 

Grammar police deserve to be trolled

 

 

[shaun.lawson]

Just now, sadj said:

Do you think he football he played was good? Esp away from home?

 

It was a lot better for a lot longer. Tailed off a bit at the end, sure - but that was just a sign we needed some new ideas, new players etc. Time was when football clubs would rebuild under the same manager; not look for a new one (albeit, it was his decision to leave, of course). 

 

His away record in the top division was perfectly normal. Not outstanding, sure - but normal, and good enough to have us in the shake-up for the top 3. 

[sadj]

1 minute ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

It was a lot better for a lot longer. Tailed off a bit at the end, sure - but that was just a sign we needed some new ideas, new players etc. Time was when football clubs would rebuild under the same manager; not look for a new one (albeit, it was his decision to leave, of course). 

 

His away record in the top division was perfectly normal. Not outstanding, sure - but normal, and good enough to have us in the shake-up for the top 3. 

Emmm i like RN but you do realise it was a hard hard watch most of the time from December 15 

[shaun.lawson]

1 minute ago, sadj said:

Emmm i like RN but you do realise it was a hard hard watch most of the time from December 15 

 

I do think being knocked out by Hibs knocked the stuffing out of a lot of people. There was a slow, creeping malaise which developed after that. But that he still left us 2nd despite it says an awful lot for him, and how underappreciated he was.

 

To put it another way: I think coming out of the Championship so impressively, then starting our first season back so well, lulled many fans into thinking it was all a lot easier than it actually is. Since he left, results and performances have been a perfect case of: "Careful what you wish for". 

[jock _turd]

15 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

What are the chances of the above scenario? Somewhere between slim and nil.

 

It matters not you have put up a post saying essentially games against Hibs are must win games. I am showing you this is in fact nonsense !

[Maple Leaf]

1 hour ago, Rudy T said:

 

There's very strong rumours circulating the inner sanctum of Scottish football that Mr R Neilson is set for a sensational return to Hearts in the next few weeks.....JKB server will melt!

 

I would appreciate you helping out this poor lost soul, but who/where/what is "the inner sanctum of Scottish football"?

 

Thanks in advance.

[shaun.lawson]

Just now, jock _turd said:

 

It matters not you have put up a post saying essentially games against Hibs are must win games. I am showing you this is in fact nonsense !

 

And I'm showing you in emotion, in pride, in oneupmanship, all of which matter enormously to football fans, that it's anything but nonsense. Not only that, but losing to Hibs usually has a knock-on effect on the rest of our performances/results; as it so often did with them when we dominated them. 

[Beast Boy]

8 minutes ago, sadj said:

Emmm i like RN but you do realise it was a hard hard watch most of the time from December 15 

 

Yeah... but that is only because he missed lots of penalties as a ten year old, and he was loaned out to QotS as a young Hearts player. This has destroyed his confidence and turned him in to a scared loser.

 

I am qualified to make the above judgement because I have seen every episode of ‘Super Nanny’ and ‘My Cat from Hell’.

Edited April 25, 2018 by Bez

[portobellojambo1]

1 hour ago, Gizmo said:

We already know we are brittle away from home and the reasons for this were discussed, which you ignored as they don't fit whatever bizarre campaign you are running here which appears to be to portray Levein as a washed-up, serial loser so damaged from a lifetime of failure that he can't even put out an attacking team (or if he does, you have one hundred excuses and reasons to not give him any credit whatsoever).

Put the home records and our defensive record up for comparison too then and tell me he hasn't steadied the ship. We were never going to get a new manager bounce from bringing the DoF back into the hotseat but I would put good money on us finishing miles ahead of Kilmarnock next season and building upon the platform we will have in place - the football academy, the new hybrid pitch, the new stand (hopefully with the snagging elements completed), Budge's stewardship, increased turnover, the superb FoH backing...

He absolutely has a lot to prove, no question, and will have few excuses if he fails,  but this character assassination bullshit is just disingenuous nonsense from pseudo intellectuals who watched too many police dramas. I hope, quite frankly, he rams it up the lot of you.  

 

Personally speaking I'd be more than happy if the final sentence of your above post came to fruition (depending of course on what you mean by rams it up you, I'm guessing no sexual connotation was intended or should be taken). However, if I'm honest, I'm not sure he will. I've accepted over the last few months that many believe he has to be given this window to correct things, the problem is if he doesn't what then happens. I'm aware that a few months back Ann Budge refused to be drawn on a question submitted by a member of the press, I believe, about the position of Director of Football going forward. I would think he will be given a little time to see what he can bring in during this coming transfer window, but if it doesn't work out I can then see no reason why he should be placed back in the sole role of DoF, instead I think a parting of the ways would be best for both parties. However, I go back to your final comment in your post, and my initial response, I, in fact I suspect no HMFC fan, will be disappointed if he succeeds, I'm just not sure he will.

Edited April 25, 2018 by portobellojambo1

[jambovambo]

Seriously. 

 

Twelve pages. 

 

Seriously. 

[sadj]

1 minute ago, Barack said:

Oi. Less of the cat's from hell, dickhead.

 

 

 

Cats are dicks

[Beast Boy]

Just now, Barack said:

Oi. Less of the cat's from hell, dickhead.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a strangely addictive show.

[Beast Boy]

Just now, sadj said:

Cats are dicks

 

 

Furry little garden bird murdering terrorists.

[shaun.lawson]

3 minutes ago, jambovambo said:

Seriously. 

 

Twelve pages. 

 

Seriously. 

 

And? What is it that you're looking for here?

 

People responded to the thread in various ways. I and others replied to some of those responses. On a football messageboard, is responding to comments from others now some Mark of Cain?

 

Do remind me again how many pages the one and only thread you ever contribute to has. Is that because that thread's just full of attention seekers too?

 

Or maybe you'll only be happy if the only thing that's discussed on here is Rangers. Goodness knows, I can't remember the last time you had anything to say about Hearts.

Edited April 25, 2018 by shaun.lawson

[shaun.lawson]

4 minutes ago, sadj said:

Cats are dicks

 

Post reported.  

[Beast Boy]

1 minute ago, Barack said:

 

Hope your next shite's really hurt.

 

 

Can faeces feel pain?

[Beast Boy]

Just now, Barack said:

Pinch yourself & find out.

 

 

[sadj]

8 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

Post reported.  

 

3 minutes ago, Barack said:

Pinch yourself & find out.

???

[samgolden]

Well if you listened to his comments tonight on the tv ,he said that performances at Home are the reason people buy Season tickets that's what is important   and performances have been good at home, or did I pick him up wrong , so playing away he in my opinion never plays to win only to contain. I think I picked it up that way anyone think I'm wrong 

[davemclaren]

Just now, samgolden said:

Well if you listened to his comments tonight on the tv ,he said that performances at Home are the reason people buy Season tickets that's what is important   and performances have been good at home, or did I pick him up wrong , so playing away he in my opinion never plays to win only to contain. I think I picked it up that way anyone think I'm wrong 

Didn’t hear it but that would be quite a bizarre thing to say, if it is what he actually said. 

[Victorian]

Folk asking Lawson to elaborate.

 

[Beast Boy]

1 minute ago, Victorian said:

Folk asking Lawson to elaborate.

 

 

[Spellczech]

Shaun, I think a big problem is that you like to fit together a lot of disparate and well-selected "facts" into a narrative and  call it an "explanation" (as per the thread title) as if that is all that needs said on the matter. Lawyers do this but what you often end up with in a court is 2 competing and even opposite narratives of purported "truth". The only truth in a courtroom is that everyone telling a story is trying to be selective with the facts, so as only to use the ones that fit their narrative and outcome. The actual truth is as likely to be  not heard as heard, disbelieved as believed. Lawyers are simply storytellers. So are you buddy. Be open to critique. I stated by opinion on page  3 or 4 and it doesn't fit with your explanation at all. Others also do not regard Levein as a jaded loser. A competing narrative is that he knows he doesn't have the quality in attack to have a go at the OF in Glasgow...That is an explanation I would agree with.

[sadj]

8 minutes ago, Victorian said:

Folk asking Lawson to elaborate.

 

Haha my bad!!! Apologies. Though he did it concisely well for Shaun anyway

[Haken]

18 minutes ago, samgolden said:

Well if you listened to his comments tonight on the tv ,he said that performances at Home are the reason people buy Season tickets that's what is important   and performances have been good at home, or did I pick him up wrong , so playing away he in my opinion never plays to win only to contain. I think I picked it up that way anyone think I'm wrong 

He did indeed and I have to admit to cringing a wee bit. 

[shaun.lawson]

18 minutes ago, Victorian said:

Folk asking Lawson to elaborate.

 

 

[Big Slim Stylee]

23 minutes ago, Victorian said:

Folk asking Lawson to elaborate.

 

 

? 

[shaun.lawson]

18 minutes ago, Spellczech said:

Shaun, I think a big problem is that you like to fit together a lot of disparate and well-selected "facts" into a narrative and  call it an "explanation" (as per the thread title) as if that is all that needs said on the matter. Lawyers do this but what you often end up with in a court is 2 competing and even opposite narratives of purported "truth". The only truth in a courtroom is that everyone telling a story is trying to be selective with the facts, so as only to use the ones that fit their narrative and outcome. The actual truth is as likely to be  not heard as heard, disbelieved as believed. Lawyers are simply storytellers. So are you buddy. Be open to critique. I stated by opinion on page  3 or 4 and it doesn't fit with your explanation at all. Others also do not regard Levein as a jaded loser. A competing narrative is that he knows he doesn't have the quality in attack to have a go at the OF in Glasgow...That is an explanation I would agree with.

 

That's very fair comment. I disagree with your take from earlier in the thread, because if Levein wasn't considerably responsible for the signings under Cathro and Neilson, exactly what was he doing? Ditto the shambles in preseason. To employ the phrase you used, that's having your cake and eating it.

 

More generally: I am a storyteller, in that I often communicate through stories. Many people do, especially teachers. And I do have a tendency to 'join dots' and look for explanations. Funny thing is, that's exactly what you did when defending Vlad's whole approach at the club after Burley left. It made for a very engaging discussion.

 

That I'm always looking for explanations is a big part, I think, of why my posts have always annoyed others. It's also why others have sometimes suggested I must be a high functioning autistic or have Asperger's - because joining the dots and looking for patterns is what people who have HFA or especially AS often do. There's no doubt I'm somewhere on the spectrum... but beyond that, it's simply how I see the world.

 

Regarding your competing narrative: does he have the attack to have a go at other sides away from home? Do other sides - like St Johnstone, like Hamilton - have the attack to have a go at Rangers at Ibrox? Yes. They beat them. QED.

 

Finally, am I open to alternative explanations? Sure, absolutely. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' here; there's just perfectly legitimate opinion.

[Alex Kintner]

3 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

That's very fair comment. I disagree with your take from earlier in the thread, because if Levein wasn't considerably responsible for the signings under Cathro and Neilson, exactly what was he doing? Ditto the shambles in preseason. To employ the phrase you used, that's having your cake and eating it.

 

More generally: I am a storyteller, in that I often communicate through stories. Many people do, especially teachers. And I do have a tendency to 'join dots' and look for explanations. Funny thing is, that's exactly what you did when defending Vlad's whole approach at the club after Burley left. It made for a very engaging discussion.

 

That I'm always looking for explanations is a big part, I think, of why my posts have always annoyed others. It's also why others have sometimes suggested I must be a high functioning autistic or have Asperger's - because joining the dots and looking for patterns is what people who have HFA or especially AS often do. There's no doubt I'm somewhere on the spectrum... but beyond that, it's simply how I see the world.

 

Regarding your competing narrative: does he have the attack to have a go at other sides away from home? Do other sides - like St Johnstone, like Hamilton - have the attack to have a go at Rangers at Ibrox? Yes. They beat them. QED.

 

Finally, am I open to alternative explanations? Sure, absolutely. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' here; there's just perfectly legitimate opinion.

 

You seem to have an incredible memory of what other posters have posted Shaun. Even from years ago! That’s a few times you’ve done that on this thread!

[WageThief]

I think there is a compelling psychological explanation for the actions of Ann Budge.  She made her money in IT and found great success with computers, programming and geeks.  She then appointed Levein surely only because CL looks a bit like a computer programmer.  Levein certainly looks more like a programmer than other players from his generation and he seems like the sort of guy who could pick up C++ pretty quickly.

 

From there Levein suggests some possible names for coach, and when Budge takes one look at Neilson she's like "world of worldcraft".  So they appoint Neilson and he goes on to be a success.  Yet again, Budge is rewarded for sticking to her IT principles.

 

Then Neilson decides to leave and Budge is like "oh no my graphics card is busted" because she thinks in computer terms only.  Levein says everything is fine he knows a guy called Cathro.  AB obviously loves the idea as Cathro is extremely geeky and even carries a laptop.

 

Ian is a disaster obviously and AB doesn't know what to do.  For the first time in her life, IT hasn't worked.  At least her Wikipedia page doesn't count her disappointments in IT so I think that is right.  AB says lets interview everyone for the vacant job, and they do.....

 

Unfortunately no candidate reminds Budge of IT, computers, and Microsoft.  No one is like a programmer or a WoW player or something else.  Billy Davies is a bit like a guy on chatrooms but the wrong type of IT geek for Budge.  She is squeeky clean (a lot mistake it for softness).

 

They think about going for Steeve McLaren but are put off by the fact he looks a bit like a guy who even if he could do a VLOOKUP would need 38 coffees and 17 fags before starting work. FACT

 

Michael O"Neill's wage demands were too high but he would've got the job otherwise.  He impressed Budge massively - talking about the low CPU use of Ublock Origin relative to other adblockers and even introducing her to the weird kids app Musically.

 

In the end, AB goes for Levein as he is the most IT looking and sounding guy out of all the viable candidates.  He'd developed his IT skills as DoF which had really impressed her.

 

Some of the other stuff that has gone wrong during her tenure is also to do with her obsession with computers.  I just haven't bothered looking it up and working out a way to link it all yet.  It is for all these rather convoluted reasons that I say Budge oot.  Budge oot now.

[shaun.lawson]

3 minutes ago, Frank1874 said:

 

You seem to have an incredible memory of what other posters have posted Shaun. Even from years ago! That’s a few times you’ve done that on this thread!

 

Which of course, is another reason why some people think I have AS or am a HFA! I mentioned it because I think he'll probably remember it: it was a fun discussion! 

[i wish jj was my dad]

6 hours ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

 

But the thing about the internet is: once a myth develops, the truth doesn't matter to many people any longer. As we even see in politics nowadays. 

It's about the first thing I've agreed with you about on this thread. 

 

We have a wee posse who repeat the same myths and speculation over amd over again and it starts to become accepted as fact by the hard of thinking. 

 

Levein is a loser, dinosaur, coward, control freak lost his mojo, not media savvy, interfered or didn't interfere enough in recruitment or tactics (depending on what agenda is being pushed), only signs giants, plays industrial football, is too methodic, lost the dressing room, too soft on the players, forced into the job against his will, hides behind the laddies, wants a dad's army. 

 

Six or seven posters must have posted these often contradictory points 100000x over. Now the amateur psychology takes this board to a new level of arseholery.

[Spellczech]

2 minutes ago, shaun.lawson said:

 

That's very fair comment. I disagree with your take from earlier in the thread, because if Levein wasn't considerably responsible for the signings under Cathro and Neilson, exactly what was he doing? Ditto the shambles in preseason. To employ the phrase you used, that's having your cake and eating it.

 

More generally: I am a storyteller, in that I often communicate through stories. Many people do, especially teachers. And I do have a tendency to 'join dots' and look for explanations. Funny thing is, that's exactly what you did when defending Vlad's whole approach at the club after Burley left. It made for a very engaging discussion.

 

That I'm always looking for explanations is a big part, I think, of why my posts have always annoyed others. It's also why others have sometimes suggested I must be a high functioning autistic or have Asperger's - because joining the dots and looking for patterns is what people who have HFA or especially AS often do. There's no doubt I'm somewhere on the spectrum... but beyond that, it's simply how I see the world.

 

Regarding your competing narrative: does he have the attack to have a go at other sides away from home? Do other sides - like St Johnstone, like Hamilton - have the attack to have a go at Rangers at Ibrox? Yes. They beat them. QED.

 

Finally, am I open to alternative explanations? Sure, absolutely. There's no 'right' or 'wrong' here; there's just perfectly legitimate opinion.

What was he doing? Well undoubtedly he was rebuilding the Academy and probably trying to get some sort of scouting structure established. We could not rely on 4 years of Gomis and Prince-type signings from Levein's past...

 

Does he share some blame for the signings of Neilson and Cathro - possibly, but that is now moot. I'm more interested in how he did in January in his own right and will do in the summer...

 

Hearts have an unbalanced squad, have done all season. We plugged some gaps in January but we pretty much still have a big hole in central midfield which we are shoring up with promising schoolboys...Levein perhaps learned from what Brown did to Cochrane at Parkhead, and avoided a possible repeat at Ibrox...Once again, just a competing narrative. Certainly not a conclusive explanation.

[sadj]

4 minutes ago, WageThief said:

I think there is a compelling psychological explanation for the actions of Ann Budge.  She made her money in IT and found great success with computers, programming and geeks.  She then appointed Levein surely only because CL looks a bit like a computer programmer.  Levein certainly looks more like a programmer than other players from his generation and he seems like the sort of guy who could pick up C++ pretty quickly.

 

From there Levein suggests some possible names for coach, and when Budge takes one look at Neilson she's like "world of worldcraft".  So they appoint Neilson and he goes on to be a success.  Yet again, Budge is rewarded for sticking to her IT principles.

 

Then Neilson decides to leave and Budge is like "oh no my graphics card is busted" because she thinks in computer terms only.  Levein says everything is fine he knows a guy called Cathro.  AB obviously loves the idea as Cathro is extremely geeky and even carries a laptop.

 

Ian is a disaster obviously and AB doesn't know what to do.  For the first time in her life, IT hasn't worked.  At least her Wikipedia page doesn't count her disappointments in IT so I think that is right.  AB says lets interview everyone for the vacant job, and they do.....

 

Unfortunately no candidate reminds Budge of IT, computers, and Microsoft.  No one is like a programmer or a WoW player or something else.  Billy Davies is a bit like a guy on chatrooms but the wrong type of IT geek for Budge.  She is squeeky clean (a lot mistake it for softness).

 

They think about going for Steeve McLaren but are put off by the fact he looks a bit like a guy who even if he could do a VLOOKUP would need 38 coffees and 17 fags before starting work. FACT

 

Michael O"Neill's wage demands were too high but he would've got the job otherwise.  He impressed Budge massively - talking about the low CPU use of Ublock Origin relative to other adblockers and even introducing her to the weird kids app Musically.

 

In the end, AB goes for Levein as he is the most IT looking and sounding guy out of all the viable candidates.  He'd developed his IT skills as DoF which had really impressed her.

 

Some of the other stuff that has gone wrong during her tenure is also to do with her obsession with computers.  I just haven't bothered looking it up and working out a way to link it all yet.  It is for all these rather convoluted reasons that I say Budge oot.  Budge oot now.

???

[shaun.lawson]

5 minutes ago, Spellczech said:

Levein perhaps learned from what Brown did to Cochrane at Parkhead

 

Did Rangers have Scott Brown playing for them on Sunday? If you're right, it's a rather strange execution of what he learnt, to put it mildly.

 

We're certainly unbalanced though. Very unbalanced. For which he shares responsibility. If he'd just come into the club in August to clear up Cathro's mess, I'd be giving him the benefit of the doubt - but as he played a major part in Cathro's mess, I'm not.

Edited April 25, 2018 by shaun.lawson