Sure, and technically they're not wrong. More on the payroll than years past. More GarberBucks spent than ever before. More good will destroyed with the fans.
I predict that sometime next winter, ES will say something along these lines during a press conference: "We looked at the data and found that there was no correlation between increased spending on player salaries and improvement on the field and in the standings. Based on this, we have concluded we get better value for our limited funds by spending less on payroll. I mean, who do you think we are, Toronto or Atlanta?"
Fun fact: I built a model in one of my statistics classes back in 2013 looking at this exactly. It's a totally different league now, but the model back then said that if you had to add one player to your roster, 500k-600k was right around the sweet spot to get the biggest points return and things fell off from there. It made sense back then where teams were overpaying for aging stars that probably weren't the best in the locker room and didn't put in the best effort on the field.
He's a typical starter. The Crew played in Seattle over the weekend and actually know how to rotate a squad.
They were also resting his old knees after playing on the plastic grass. Seeing as Cowtown was down a man for a good chunk of that game, the 10 men had to put in more effort, too.
There’s probably still some truth to that... too bad the only player in that sweet spot for the Union is Simpson.
Continuing to dig into the xG stat and xA more... Other post in the Curtin Thread: So next I look at the Union's attacking players. It's really a big statement about under-performance (obvious and not shocking) Looking at xG I think lets you explain a lot of things away... you look at these numbers and think, WOW CJ really should have 3 more goals than where he is currently at... but then Curtin can rationalize this under-performance with the bad luck narrative we hear so often. Same can go with Fafa's under performance. (even though I think the guy just sucks at finishing) Accam and Dockal blame things on the guys needing time to Gel with the team. Other side of the coin is Ilsinho, what a pleasant surprise to get this production out of him! If the Union were playing up to the xG expectations these attacking players score 5 more goals on the season. So now Jim and Earnie can either choose to admit that the players aren't good enough/aren't working in the system they are being deployed in, or they can look at xG as evidence the system IS working and buy into their narrative that the players are just getting unlucky and the team and system they built SHOULD be getting better results. Can spin it either way with the xG stat.
.@21_djones will not be denied!@BSteelFC out early vs @fccincinnati #CINvBST pic.twitter.com/4givKadaTP— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) June 14, 2018 Derrick Jones is bad.
I know we joke about the Union’s lack of South American/Central American talent, but I was just reading Zeitlin’s article and it dawned on me.. we don’t have a single native Spanish speaker on the roster... are we the only team in the league? For the past four years, Penn teachers have come to Chester to teach English to the @PhilaUnion's foreign-born players. I sat in one of the weekly classes for a fun @TheAthleticPHI feature in which Ilsinho and @fabioalves_3 steal the show. https://t.co/XZVVUsCw5w pic.twitter.com/biPioIpq1a— Dave Zeitlin (@DaveZeitlin) June 27, 2018
One thing that we have taken for granted this year is how few injuries the Union have had. Either the training staff has done an excellent job or it's just luck or a combination of the two, but it's a significant reason why the Union have had success this season and, specifically, during this recent run. Think about how different the team would look if Blake, Trusty, Rosenberry, Medunjanin, Bedoya, Dockal, Fafa or Burke were injured for any extended period. Almost every team has at least one starter out for the season. https://www.mlssoccer.com/injuries
It might be luck or a short sample size, but it links up with everything else. I've said this before, but this is the Earnie Stewart legacy. We actually have a coaching staff, and apparently a good medical staff, and people who work full-time for the team. Now we're actually a competitive team on and off the field. We're not a laughing stock when it comes to player movement. The dark days of Chester Park and Kevin Miller's smoothies are long gone.
Per a Union spokesperson, David Accam is out due to a sports hernia. Told surgery is looming.— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) October 6, 2018 David Accam is out due to hernia surgery that is impending next week, per a Union official. #DOOP #PHIvMIN— Joe Tansey (@JTansey90) October 6, 2018 Soooo................this signing looks to be heading down the Mo Edu road...............with way less contribution too
I searched to find when his contract expires and found different answers. An article from the Brotherly Game says that he's under contract through the end of 2020, but if I'm reading his Transfermarkt page correctly, his contract expires at the end of this year. Does anyone know?
Looks like Ernst is having his first official presser. “Borek is a fantastic no. 10. If we can continue with him that is our first choice”— Philly Soccer Page (@phillysoccerpg) October 10, 2018 I guess nobody told him about the whole Union and paying transfer fees thing...
Apparently he had surgery after last season.............and that surgery didn't fix the issue and he is/was still experiencing pain this season.
If we bomb out of the playoffs in round 1 how much worse does standing pat in the summer window look? A real owner would have seen an opportunity and try to seize it with reinforcements.