Bloody Football!

[robertlouis]

Padded Men ? Dat Beez Rayciss

Nope. Here's the proof. I played rugby at a fairly high level for nearly twenty years, and the assertion that only girls play soccer does come to mind.....

[Stavros]

Interesting and objective analysis in todays Telegraph which shows United ought to be Champions already -I think QPR will draw at least on Sunday anyway and that United will knock one past Sunderland...

Manchester United have cause for complaint as unique survey highlights Premier League errors

Manchester United would already be celebrating retaining their Premier League title, rather than preparing to surrender it to Manchester City, if every key refereeing decision had been made correctly this season, a study has shown.












By Tim Long

7:00AM BST 11 May 2012




Manchester City will win their first title for 44 years with victory against Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday but thorough analysis of every big decision made by officials has revealed that Manchester United should be four points clear and already crowned as champions.

More than 200 hours has been spent analysing 674 decisions from all 370 games played this season including disallowed goals, penalty incidents and sendings-off.

Each replay was watched repeatedly in slow and super-slow motion with effort made to side with the referee where possible – decisions were not changed unless there was clear evidence that they should be.

The big calls that went against United and could have influenced the course of the title race included a penalty decision given against Rio Ferdinand for his tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa at Old Trafford last November, which meant they drew 1-1 with Newcastle.

There was also a potentially game-changing Jonathan Woodgate foul on Javier Hernández which was not given in the 1-1 draw at Stoke last September and should have resulted in a penalty and a red card. Each of these decisions probably cost United two points and a foul in the penalty area on Patrice Evra not given in their 3-2 defeat by Blackburn is likely to have deprived them another point.






The theory that the impact of refereeing decisions evens itself out over the course of the season is challenged by the research. United, for example, had 59.3 per cent of incorrect decisions go against them; City had 73.7 per cent of incorrect calls go against them. The difference between them and United is that when they lost out to refereeing decisions it didn’t alter the eventual result and only cost them two points.
The decisions analysed were those which could have, or did, lead to a goal. Match scores were adjusted as if each of the 179 incorrect decisions had been corrected by video technology in real time and an assumption made that any penalty that should have been given was successfully converted. The adjusted league table was then constructed based on the revised match results.
Among the 674 decisions analysed were 345 penalty calls made or missed, 129 key offside rulings and 135 incidents which did or should have led to a sending off.
Refereeing decisions might have cost Tottenham a Champions League with a league table adjusted to correct the officials’ mistakes giving them a three-point lead over Arsenal in the race for third place, with Newcastle adrift of fourth.
Bolton should be relegated by now and QPR safe. Blackburn would not yet be doomed while Aston Villa would go to Norwich on Sunday with their Premier League status still very much in jeopardy.
The research picked up 179 mistakes made by referees from the 674 significant decisions, meaning an impressive 74 per cent success rate in a job which does not benefit from the study’s advantage of video replays.
Chelsea may have benefited twice in key FA Cup moments but goalline controversies in the Premier League are rare. They are also usually called correctly, with 14 of the 18 decisions being spot on and judgments on two more inconclusive despite super slow-motion replays. Of the two the officials got wrong, only one would have brought a key change: QPR having been deprived of a goal and, therefore, a point in losing 2-1 rather than drawing 2-2 at Bolton in March.
Team
Decisions
Incorrect
Benefits team
Percentgae benefit
Arsenal
80
20
11
55
Aston Villa
69
17
11
64.7
Blackburn
62
17
8
47.1
Bolton
58
13
7
53.8
Chelsea
80
24
14
58.3
Everton
55
16
5
31.3
Fulham
54
16
5
31.3
Liverpool
87
19
5
26.3
Man City
77
11
3
27.3
Man Utd
79
27
11
40.7
Newcastle
74
20
13
65
Norwich
55
23
11
47.8
QPR
64
15
7
46.6
Stoke
80
26
17
65.4
Sunderland
57
16
12
75
Swansea
43
10
6
60
Spurs
76
21
9
42.9
West Brom
68
18
9
50
Wigan
62
16
5
31.3
Wolves
68
21
10
47.6
How the survey worked
Each replay was watched up to six times in slow motion/super-slow motion.
For penalty incidents, separate viewings were used to look for potential contact at the feet, ankles, knees, and upper-body areas.
If a penalty was judged to be 'missed’ it was assumed the kick would have been converted.
A conscious effort to side with the referee’s decision was made where possible.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...ue-errors.html

[SammiValentine]

Liverpool have the highest net of decisions incorrect against a team, what a shocker. isnt it meant to balance out ?

[robertlouis]

Liverpool have the highest net of decisions incorrect against a team, what a shocker. isnt it meant to balance out ?

That stat will piss off Arsene Wenger so much that I almost feel like dancing a jig.

[SammiValentine]

haha those stats combined with the amount of times we hit the woodwork and "battered" teams do give me more than hope that we are not as bad as people make out, its simply cos we are Liverpool. Make us dream !!

[SammiValentine]

"Opta stats state that Manchester United have had 51 shots fewer than Liverpool in the league this season, but have remarkably scored 41 more goals than the Reds."

[robertlouis]

"Opta stats state that Manchester United have had 51 shots fewer than Liverpool in the league this season, but have remarkably scored 41 more goals than the Reds."

Is there any truth in the rumour that a wee Scotsman in a padded coat has been seen in every premiership ground, under cover of night, with a bag of wet and dry sandpaper and a plane over by the goalposts in an attempt to improve those stats?

BTW, I had lunch with Kenny in 1996 - I was a hospitality guest at the England vs Scotland game at Wembley at Euro 1996. Yes, that, fuckin' game with Gazza's goal and the ball that wobbled on the penalty spot.

Also Denis Law, wee Billy Bremner and JInkin' Jimmy Johnstone.

[SammiValentine]

haha genius goal, what a waste gazza was. talent wise.

[robertlouis]

haha genius goal, what a waste gazza was. talent wise.

He certainly was. Wonder what would have happened if he'd ended up under a master man manager like Ferguson or Martin O'Neill.

And it was a great goal - said through gritted teeth.

As good as wee Archie Gemmill's against Holland in 1978? The only goal, by the way, which has ever been turned into a ballet. No, honestly.



Archie Gemmill's World Cup Goal re-enacted in dance for Hogmanay
Dance performers 'Off Kilter' are to set Edinburgh's Hogmanay alight with their performance which will include a dramtic reconstruction of Archie Gemmills World Cup goal.

Culture Minister, Fiona Hyslop visited Dance Base in Edinburgh today to meet them.

'Innit Innat - No?' is choreographed by highland dance expert Frank McConnell and features traditional and Hip Hop dancers performing to a Martyn Bennett mix from Bothy Culture.

This is one of ten exciting dance pieces included in the Off Kilter programme, which also features original work by Scottish Ballet's Ashley Page and world-renowned choreographer Mark Morris, as well as an aerial acrobatic routine and an Indian classical dance piece.

[SammiValentine]

Who missed the pen? Was it gary mac? He never missed when it really mattered. tee hee.