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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 1h

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Shocked that you have to ask, frankly.

Sport Podcast · Welcome to Route One! It’s football. Fast. No faff. Give us 15mins, we’ll give you the top stories, we’ll give you great analysis, we’ll give you a few stats and we’ll shine a spotligh...

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Reposted by Iain Macintosh

Olmo @omhays.bsky.social · 2h

Say there's a 10-minute period with an outfielder in goal and that results in 2 low-xG goals, or a very high-xG chance because the gk dropped a cross to the feet of a forward, that's noise.

Here's an Opta article on their model from 2023. Also partly answers the baseline question.

What Is Expected Goals (xG)? | Opta Analyst

Expected goals (or xG) measures the quality of a chance by calculating the likelihood it will be scored by using historical shot information.

theanalyst.com

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 3h

I do think we're looking for perfection in something that can't be perfect (but from the pic above, it's having a bloody good go)

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 3h

Yeah! I mean, it's possible that we're looking for too much in something that can never be perfect, but if an outfield player goes in goal, the xG remains the same. That can't be fair.

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 3h

This is unbearably nerdy, so forgive me, but I'm quite impressed at how close the G and the xG are in the big five leagues.

I still have niggling doubts (why do I, an old man, have the same xG as Haaland in identical situations?) but it's pretty good.

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 20h

One transfer window. That's all it took to blow up a promising season. Well...that and my own enduring incompetence at a game I've been playing for 33 years.

Anyway. Episode 14 of FM Classic is here.

trackrecordmedia.org/2025/10/09/f...

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 22h

You should absolutely check out our sponsors, btw. First ten people here get a free legal consultation and Joelson are lovely, they did lots of set-up work for my new thing.

joelsonlaw.com/contact/book...

Legal Consultations - bookings | Solicitors, Lawyers London

joelsonlaw.com

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Reposted by Iain Macintosh

Was thelewisbell @lewisjbell.bsky.social · 23h

I like how you have the Pro Evo version of Newcastle's central midfield general as a sponsor

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 23h

Does Ruben Amorim deserve three years? Does time automatically equal success? And are Germany sleep-walking into a sticky situation? We asked @sebsb.bsky.social that last one.

ROUTE ONE is here and here only because we're moving studios. Got ourselves a fancy pad.

pod.fo/e/33a47b

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 1d

We've got another lovely @dannykellywords.bsky.social column on the site today.

"It has taken a decade and a half for the scales to fall from hypnotised eyes. Orthodoxy is out; invention and variety is in; the game is much better for it."

trackrecordmedia.org/2025/10/09/t...

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 1d

A fiver says she's read the name once, on her focus group sourced briefing paper that very morning.

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 1d

If you said that to Kemi Badenoch she'd look at you blankly BECAUSE LIKE FUCK HAS SHE READ ANY FUCKING PRATCHETT.

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 1d

As staff begin to leave, is there an end to Sheffield Wednesday's misery? We're speaking to bsky.app/profile/yesw... from The Sheffield Star, we've also got @stighefootball.bsky.social on Villa's revival. And some gorgeous stats too.

WATCH: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK1I...
LISTEN: pod.fo/e/33986e

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 2d

I think about 15% of the show today was just me reading out the names of sacked Watford managers. Baffling.

I can't think of any other industry where people so demonstrably dreadful at recruitment would be allowed to keep recruiting.

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 2d

Why doesn't Harry Kane want to come home? @sebsb.bsky.social has some ideas. And why is Nick Woltemade so misunderstood @georgecaulkin.bsky.social ?

Plus: How many sacked Watford managers can you name?

LISTEN: pod.fo/e/338ddc
WATCH: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfa_...

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Reposted by Iain Macintosh

Rhianna Pratchett @rhi.bsky.social · 2d

Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.

Paul Haine @paulhaine.bsky.social · 3d

Kemi Badenoch claiming Terry Pratchett as her favourite author is wild

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Reposted by Iain Macintosh

Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 3d

Come on now, Liverpool aren't bad. You all thought they were invincible two weeks ago. @tonyevans92a.bsky.social brings some common sense to ROUTE ONE. @dermotmcorrigan.bsky.social has got things to say about Barca too.

LISTEN: pod.fo/e/337ff9
WATCH: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXl...

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 3d

Well, that settles it. Got to complete the trilogy now.

I found the first two fascinating. Everyone is perma-shitfaced and horny, smoking endless cigarettes, driving their cars after half a bottle of scotch, it's another world. And she can turn a page too, she had me invested in showjumping.

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 3d

Come on now, Liverpool aren't bad. You all thought they were invincible two weeks ago. @tonyevans92a.bsky.social brings some common sense to ROUTE ONE. @dermotmcorrigan.bsky.social has got things to say about Barca too.

LISTEN: pod.fo/e/337ff9
WATCH: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXl...

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 4d

I loved the Rivals TV series so much that I went and bought Riders, loved it, then read Rivals too. Absolutely mad set of books (see glorious quotes below) Jilly Cooper's a legend.

Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · 4d

RIP JILLY COOPER! A queen who wrote THE most readable books in existence. People saw my thread of epic Jilly quotes and decided I was saying the books are shite. You COULDN'T be more wrong. Go and watch Rivals today.

Sooz Kempner @soozuk.bsky.social · Oct 18

🧵Some real Jilly Cooper quotes from her Rutshire Chronicles, the series of books that Rivals is from.

1) "Her breasts swayed like party balloons when the front door opens"

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 6d

The Newcastle one was perfect because it started badly, then got worse and then implausibly improved over time ending with a CL victory. Perfect. This is far too successful.

Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 6d

Alas, this has not been my experience thus far.

Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 6d

Ah, this was established in episode two, y’see. I cannot imagine how confusing it would be to find this for the first time time in episode 13

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Iain Macintosh @iainmacintosh.bsky.social · 6d

You are much much better at this game than me. I got sacked in eight games the first time I played as Everton

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