Saggers

[JW90]

Fork me, Saggy Sagbag is quite smitten with Pep Southgate isn't he?

Everything is "different" to the last time before a ball is kicked, deise.

Until we go out and everything is as it was before. Gareth is more relaxed, Roy is more professional, Capello is a winner etc. Shame we couldn't play football very well but at least the team spirit was good, the bantz top notch and the manager spoke well.

[tennisman]

Tonight's show is supposed to be going over ALL the groups. It's 8.10pm and they are STILL going on and on about England's team for the Tunisia game.

[JW90]

Tonight's show is supposed to be going over ALL the groups. It's 8.10pm and they are STILL going on and on about England's team for the Tunisia game.

9.45pm- "With all that in mind and the great points you make there and all that, let's look at the other teams. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco, Japan, Senegal- yeah, all great, all offer something. Back to England and then it is the Sports Bar right here on TalkSport".

[tennisman]

Tonight's show is supposed to be going over ALL the groups. It's 8.10pm and they are STILL going on and on about England's team for the Tunisia game.

9.45pm- "With all that in mind and the great points you make there and all that, let's look at the other teams. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco, Japan, Senegal- yeah, all great, all offer something. Back to England and then it is the Sports Bar right here on TalkSport".

So lets go over it again and all that. Will it be Dyer or Henderson first on the ping pong table in the hotel this evening?

[JimmyDee]

Will it be Dyer or Henderson first on the ping pong table in the hotel this evening?

Here's Matthew Syed for an expert's opinion.

[tennisman]

Will it be Dyer or Henderson first on the ping pong table in the hotel this evening?

Here's Matthew Syed for an expert's opinion.

Matthew can't be with us as tonight he's doing some charidee work.

[JW90]

Sir Michael Calvin wrote a great book on non-league ping pong players and the terrific work they do and all that.

[tennisman]

Sir Michael Calvin wrote a great book on non-league ping pong players and the terrific work they do and all that.

I'm reading MC's book about the academies at the moment but finding it seriously hard work.

It doesn't seem to have an organised narrative to it.

There's no contextual history of what's gone before nor what recent changes (EPPP) were designed to address etc.

It seems to be an almost random set of chapters where various people have been interviewed and then effectively, a transcript of their responses makes up most of the copy.

I'm not daft (really) but I read a few pages and keep coming back to the question, 'So what is the point being made here'?

I am loath to be harsh but it comes across as a lot of padding with the odd sentence hear and there to try and give it some sort of order.

For example, he has interviewed Nick Levitt, then of the FA and there are pages of his responses. This content should have been summarised and used as a support to points MC makes as part of his larger hypothesis.

Things is, 3-4 chapters in, I have no idea what that hypothesis actually is.

[JimmyDee]

Things is, 3-4 chapters in, I have no idea what that hypothesis actually is.

He should have put some metrics in. Everyone is impressed by metrics.

[The Ghost of Alex Higgins]

Chocolate shits these books out in an afternoon

[deisegirl]

The Russians won't mind if they go out early because they're just so pleased to have all these wonderful players in their country.

Bless

[Eaststand]

Sir Michael Calvin wrote a great book on non-league ping pong players and the terrific work they do and all that.

I'm reading MC's book about the academies at the moment but finding it seriously hard work.

It doesn't seem to have an organised narrative to it.

There's no contextual history of what's gone before nor what recent changes (EPPP) were designed to address etc.

It seems to be an almost random set of chapters where various people have been interviewed and then effectively, a transcript of their responses makes up most of the copy.

I'm not daft (really) but I read a few pages and keep coming back to the question, 'So what is the point being made here'?

I am loath to be harsh but it comes across as a lot of padding with the odd sentence hear and there to try and give it some sort of order.

For example, he has interviewed Nick Levitt, then of the FA and there are pages of his responses. This content should have been summarised and used as a support to points MC makes as part of his larger hypothesis.

Things is, 3-4 chapters in, I have no idea what that hypothesis actually is.

YOU CAN'T SAY THINGS LIKE THIS ABOUT SIR MICHAEL CALVIN!!!

HE HAS MADE A CAREER OUT OF BEING PATRONISING, AND TALKING ABOUUT NOTHING WHILE PUTTING ON A HUSHED TONE AS THOUGH HES SAYING SOMETHING LIFE CHANGING.

I WILL NOT HAVE THIS. HE IS A GREAT MAN AND HIS BOOK WAS NOT MADE SIMPLY TO GET MONEY, YO, DOLLAR DOLLAR BILLS Y'ALL. IT JUST WASNT.

[ccreds]

Saggers having a go at the Real Madrid's Perez. Fair play.

[carcinogen]

Sir Michael Calvin wrote a great book on non-league ping pong players and the terrific work they do and all that.

I'm reading MC's book about the academies at the moment but finding it seriously hard work.

The editor is obviously shit then. Either that, or the author is a precious cunt who doesn't like his work edited. I hate cunts like that.

[tennisman]

Sir Michael Calvin wrote a great book on non-league ping pong players and the terrific work they do and all that.

I'm reading MC's book about the academies at the moment but finding it seriously hard work.

The editor is obviously shit then. Either that, or the author is a precious cunt who doesn't like his work edited. I hate cunts like that.

So far, if you'd summarised the essence of the interviews used as the core content of each chapter and then used choice quotes from that same interview to emphasis the points being made in your narrative, you'd probably cut the page numbers by about 75%.