MacKay and statistics

Statistics can be used to "prove" anything, if applied ignorantly enough. Anyone who has seen us play over the past few seasons can see, without recourse to statistics, that the sale of MacKay was a blunder.
Over many years now, our cup results against any opposition suggest that Norwich City don't take cup competitions seriously. In September 2002, with MacKay in the side, we were hammered by Cheltenham. A year later, with a defence of Green, Drury, MacKay, Fleming and Edworthy we lost to Northampton. Oddly enough, those results don't "prove" anything, but they are suggestive of our attitude to cup competitions. We have no wins over top-flight opposition in any cup competition since December 1995 - and then it was on penalties against relegation-bound Bolton. Our last victory over top flight opposition in a cup within 90 minutes was in January 1993.
Anyone that draws conclusions about any player's ability from our cup results is making the same error as the idiot who "knew" without ever seeing him that Sutch was a great player.

Posted By: The King of Prussia, May 22, 10:34:15