Tradition has it that around now we dust off the crystal balls and gaze into the year ahead. So: while you're up in the loft looking for your predicting paraphernalia for 2025, let's look at how 2024 worked out against everyone's forecasting.
The questions from last year:
- UK GE: date (month);
- ... and number of Labour MPs after the GE
- US Presidency: who wins?
- Size of V. Putin's share of the Russian vote (as announced)
- By how much, and in what direction, will the FTSE100 change between midnight UK GE polling day and the end of 2024?
- Length of Sam B-F's gaol term upon sentencing (note: zero is a number). Extra point for size of the fine in USD
- Where will Man Utd rank in the Prem at the end of the '23-4 season, and who will be manager?
- 4 July. We all plumped for the autumn ... save for Mr Cowshed who said "early July"! Off to a flying start.
- 411. What a fiasco. Closest here was Caesar H, at 400.
- Mostly Trumps here: two Bidens and, errrr, a "Haley"
- 88.48%. Another win for Cowshed, with 92%: see footnote on a curiosity.
- As of 10am, it's plus 0.2%. Barring some amazing action this afternoon, SubOptimal easily wins this one with +0.22%
- 25 years / "repay $11bn". Not sure that's strictly a fine. Anyhow, several people went with either 20 or 30 years; nobody got close on the $$$. An entertaining 99 years sentence from the retributive Caesar (thumbs down from him, then); and a lenient 3 from Lilith.
- 8th / ten Hag. The best all-round performance on this one: the majority saw tH surviving - well, at least that long - and clustered tightly around 8th. An entertaining suggestion of Wayne Rooney from BQ.
Up soon: 2025.
ND
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Note on Putin's vote: the initial announcement was 87.3%, on which I had been tipped off a few days earlier & duly reported here. However, subsequently it seems to have been revised upwards (a few late votes, perhaps - well, it's always hard to vote with a severely twisted arm. And 87% was pretty demeaning). A pity, because then I'd have won in this category - my prediction was 83%. But there's no accounting for rigged votes.
6 comments:
I was genuinely surprised at SBF getting off quite lightly - the US can really stamp down on financial shenanigans, and SBF is hardly a figure that attracts sympathy.
With ten Hag, you may be able to repeat the question with Amorim.
They'd have been better off letting him stay at Sporting until summer, with input on new players, giving him the off-season to get the squad ready. Instead he finds himself with a set of players United have overpaid for, not suited for his tactics, not really suited for the EPL really, with the distant spectre of relegation waving at him.
Ratcliffe and his team seem intent on turning Man U into the next Spurs, a club that welcomes every new manager with a cloak of failure due to abject mismanagement.
Now, as with City's fall from grace too, on one hand there is a lot of amusement in there. but as someone who used to enjoy drinks in Manchester on European nights, I shall miss the temporary boost of naturally tanned ladies drowning out the Fanta-coloured ones.
Blimey.
I'll hold my hands up and admit to going for Haley for Q3. Bit of a cheeky punt, admittedly, but at the time, I could definitely see a scenario where it could've happened. Shame I now can't remember what it was.
Man City: back in the 19/20 season (ie. CoVid) City were 22 points behind Liverpool by game 25, 14 points by game 19. Does seem a somewhat familiar season, as far as that goes.
Of course, the boy Tabarrok at MR is currently banging on about Bird Flu.
I was astonished they didn't sack tH after he won the FA Cup - it would have given them a chance to gush about the win, assure him publicly that he'd always be welcome at Old Trafford, and so on.
Instead they denied the new man a pre-season with the squad and a say on the summer buys. Loopy. How in God's name did Ratcliffe become a billionaire? I suppose he was younger then. Or maybe just a couple of good decisions were enough.
And what was all that business with Ashworth? Apart from making the management absurdly top-heavy maybe his other sin was to want tH out immediately.
Oh well, another season of entertainment for those who still are so heartless as to mock ManU.
"SBF is hardly a figure that attracts sympathy." Aye but his parent are big noises in the Dem Party in California.
Ratcliffe et al came from a different industry; very definitely not the leisure/entertainment one.
Where there are winner takes all/superstar effects.
It's a completely different game.
That said, they're minority shareholders - are they being used as a lightening rod?
That said, Man U appear to have developed into a team that can only be counted upon to raise their game against a handful of opponents - basically, City and Liverpool, may be Arsenal and Chelsea, tH got lucky, very lucky, with the draw .
Liverpool, QF, then Coventry, then City in the final.
I have not met any (neutral) fan who understands why the Coventry goal was disallowed. Not one.
Strange incentives, possibly obsolete, for PGMOL, the FA and the PL?
Which gives way first? The PL?
Damn, that'd be me, not Anon.
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