A football revolution_ Excellent FT article

[Couldbe]

Good article in todays FT in how stats now rule the game... good article , currently free on their site so grab a read while you can.

 

Warning its long and detailed....

 

Good graphics / video graphics too.

 

FT stats article

[Billy Dane]

Interesting article. Statisticians are playing a bigger part in football, and I wonder how much of a role psychology does and will play in the game.

[Rimbeux]

smart

[épieur]

That's a great read.

 

Love that bit about Maldini. That's the sort of stat that forces you to sit up and think "we have to be wrong in our assumptions about something here."

 

I wonder what you measure instead. I am presuming you still want some sort of 'forced ball loss' and/or 'forced backwards pass' or some such to measure defensive contributions.

 

Also, didn't know that Commoli was so close to Beane. Gives food for thought. Certainly explains why FSG were so keen on him. Probably also tells us that any signing we'll make will have been measured forwards and backwards before we move for them.

Edited June 18, 2011 by epieur

[floyd]

You can also make stats say almost anything, like blaming them on Taggert geting rid of Stam, rather than his rather upsetting book. "Busy cvnts"

[Ombudsam]

That article is a great read

[Maldini]

That's a great read.

 

Love that bit about Maldini. That's the sort of stat that forces you to sit up and think "we have to be wrong in our assumptions about something here."

 

I wonder what you measure instead. I am presuming you still want some sort of 'forced ball loss' and/or 'forced backwards pass' or some such to measure defensive contributions.

 

Also, didn't know that Commoli was so close to Beane. Gives food for thought. Certainly explains why FSG were so keen on him. Probably also tells us that any signing we'll make will have been measured forwards and backwards before we move for them.

 

Yeah they're good mates. Beane mentions him a bit in this interview with EPL Talk which is well worth the listen: http://www.epltalk.c...k-podcast-18842

 

There's a good one with Mike Forde who's mentioned in the article as well: http://www.epltalk.com/mike-forde-interview-epl-talk-podcast-18813

Edited June 18, 2011 by Maldini

[Spike]

A fantastic read that. Cheers for posting.

 

Makes you wonder how, once stats become the norm in football, the game will develop tactically, formationwise etc.

 

Much like how in it's early origins english football used to be one man gets the ball, runs as far as he can, and when it's lost they press to win it back. Until England played Scotland and lost only then did they begin actually passing the ball to each other!!

[Maldini]

Yeah set pieces in particular are open for expansion, I think Beane mentions in that interview that he'd love to get an American football offensive co-ordinator having a look at set pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Clarke's set-piece knowledge is one of the reasons Comolli brought him in, ours have been much better since he arrived and apparently he was the driving force behind them under Mourinho too.

[Ombudsam]

A fantastic read that. Cheers for posting.

 

Makes you wonder how, once stats become the norm in football, the game will develop tactically, formationwise etc.

 

Much like how in it's early origins english football used to be one man gets the ball, runs as far as he can, and when it's lost they press to win it back. Until England played Scotland and lost only then did they begin actually passing the ball to each other!!

 

that's Barca and Messi. Football's gone full cycle

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Yeah set pieces in particular are open for expansion, I think Beane mentions in that interview that he'd love to get an American football offensive co-ordinator having a look at set pieces. I wouldn't be surprised if Steve Clarke's set-piece knowledge is one of the reasons Comolli brought him in, ours have been much better since he arrived and apparently he was the driving force behind them under Mourinho too.

set pieces for us could be interesting next season - option to get it towards Carroll or do the Barca thing & play it short - just give it to Suarez.

 

Heopfully we'll see some f***ing invention

[John am Rhein]

"Keeping the ball in the final third" - that's exactly what the greatest Liverpool teams used to excel at. I wonder if anyone could create 'retro' stats for that? - not enough full match footage, I suppose

[John am Rhein]

that's Barca and Messi. Football's gone full cycle

 

well, yeah, as soon as every team has a Messi - it will have done

[D.Boon]

I think Beane mentions in that interview that he'd love to get an American football offensive co-ordinator having a look at set pieces.

 

Gerrard passes it to Spearing who picks it up and runs behind a wall of 5 players untill the ball is touched down in the goal.

 

Never work that.

[John am Rhein]

"blocking" is definitely an idea that needs to be developed in football*

 

* i.e. real football

Edited June 19, 2011 by John am Rhein

[alli]

A great article tweeted by Tomkins: http://tomkinstimes.com/2011/06/fair-play-for-fenway/

[Rimbeux]

Best thing I've read involving Tomkins that, brings to life many of the discussions that have been going on on ere and no doubt inside the club.

[alli]

Best thing I've read involving Tomkins that, brings to life many of the discussions that have been going on on ere and no doubt inside the club.

 

yeah it's a good article, but it's not Tomkin's work, he just posted it, it's written by a Dan Kennet

[Rimbeux]

yeah it's a good article, but it's not Tomkin's work, he just posted it, it's written by a Dan Kennet

 

 

He gets a credit, I doubt he was the editor though!

[alli]

He gets a credit, I doubt he was the editor though!

 

yeah you're right, i didn't read the top carefully enough, just saw tomkins' tweet and assumed it was all DanKennett:

 

paul_tomkins Superb work from @DanKennett analysing future financial implications for #LFC and Uefa Fair Play Rules for TTT http://bit.ly/ljNvnV (free)

Edited June 19, 2011 by alli

[lfc4eva99]

Awesome read, thanks for posting...

[John am Rhein]

I just bought the German book mentioned there - die Fussball-Matrix.

 

Whether i'll be able to understand it remains to be seen