Dirty Internationals by Alek Pan
What would you say if you were given evidence that overseas players (ie those from outside the UK) make the EPL harder, dirtier and more unfair than it would otherwise be?
Quite probably you would want to look at the evidence twice. Maybe you would suggest that the person who put the evidence together is paranoid.
So, let’s start with the source of the evidence. It comes from our old friends PGMOL. They have never said it in words but it is in their stats.
Everyone can find complete official stats of EPL 2010-11 of yellow and red cards, fouls committed and suffered. These figures are publicly available. So I have made some calculations with that open data.
I take stats for Big 5 clubs: Arsenal, MU, Man City, Chelsea and Spurs. Then I sorted players (and their statisticss) by player origin: one group for citizens of the UK and one for citizens of other countries (whom I call “International Players”.
Then I calculated total sum of games (TG) which equal to games started (GS) plus games when players used as substitute (SB) divided on 3. TG = GS + SB/3.
So then I divide the total sum of fouls in each category by the total sum of games and get the “Dirty Factor”:
The Dirty Factor for Big 5 clubs: Arsenal, MU, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs.
EPL 2010-2011 (from beginning of season to 25 February 2011).
| EPL players | Fouls Committed
per match |
Fouls Suffered
per match |
Yellow Cards
per match |
Red Cards
per match |
| Citizens of the UK | 0.806 | 0.961 | 0.120 | 0.004 |
| International | 1.068 | 0.958 | 0.136 | 0.011 |
| International / Citizens of the UK | 1.324 | 0.997 | 1.131 | 2.501 |
You can see that PGMOL thinks that international players of Big 5 clubs of EPL 2010-11 committed fouls per game 1.32 times more than players citizens of the UK. These dirty guys get 13 percent more yellow cards and 2.5 times more red cards than sweeties from the UK.
So now you know the truth. And you can start to hate these dirty foreigners. But may be you will find helpful to know for internationals of which club deserves to hate more.
Fouls Committed per match list
| 1.30 | Man City | Int |
| 1.06 | Arsenal | Int |
| 1.03 | Chelsea | Int |
| 0.97 | Spurs | Int |
| 0.96 | MU | Int |
| 0.92 | MU | UK |
| 0.84 | Spurs | UK |
| 0.75 | Man City | UK |
| 0.70 | Chelsea | UK |
| 0.68 | Arsenal | UK |
Man City internationals the best object for hatred. Arsenal internationals – the best №2 object for hatred. MU stays in the bottom of the international list.
Players of MU (UK and Int) stay in the middle of the mixed table. Is it a pure accident? Difference between international and UK players of MU is minimal. Is it a pure accident? Or this is something more?
Let’s take a look on Fouls suffered per match list.
| 0.58 | MU | UK |
| 0.82 | Man City | UK |
| 0.84 | Chelsea | UK |
| 0.91 | Arsenal | Int |
| 0.96 | Spurs | Int |
| 0.97 | Chelsea | Int |
| 0.97 | Man City | Int |
| 1.00 | MU | Int |
| 1.21 | Arsenal | UK |
| 1.40 | Spurs | UK |
Man U players who are citizens of the UK suffered from fouls much less than any other. Is it a pure accident? Or do they run so fast that no one can kick they arses?
International players of MU stay on the bottom of International table – but that not far from average level (0.96). All international players of all clubs stay just between 0.91 and 1.00.
Players who are citizens of the UK from clubs of Manchester (MU and Man City) suffered from fouls less than any. Players – Citizens of the UK from clubs of London suffered from fouls more than any in UK list. And Arsenal and Spurs much more than any in total list. Does Manchester know something special that London never knows?
And what about yellow and red cards?
| Yellow Cards
per match |
Red Cards
per match |
Club | UK or Int |
| 0.186 | 0.019 | Man City | Int |
| 0.181 | MU | UK | |
| 0.156 | 0.005 | Spurs | Int |
| 0.137 | Chelsea | UK | |
| 0.133 | 0.018 | Arsenal | Int |
| 0.115 | 0.004 | Chelsea | Int |
| 0.108 | Man City | UK | |
| 0.105 | 0.026 | Arsenal | UK |
| 0.094 | 0.005 | MU | Int |
| 0.075 | 0.007 | Spurs | UK |
UK players of MU get yellow cards more than any in the UK list and never get red cards. Never. This is unbelievable. How do they do it? International players of MU get 2 times less red cards than average for international players (0.011) and less yellow cards than any in the international list. Is it a pure accident? Or this is something more?
PGMOL shows us that Arsenal do not play beautiful football, but plays football of dirty tricks. Just because of our international players – possibly because Arsenal has the biggest percentage of international players than any of Big 5. That is the bad news.
But good news is that some special Club from some special City knows how to select and how to bring international players to respect a fair play.
MU knows how to make these international players to commit less fouls – just on the level of UK players. MU knows how to make International players get yellow and red cards less than any internationals.
PGMOL have clearly indicated through these figures that Professor Wenger and other managers of the EPL need some special help and advice from the one special manager who knows how to overcome this problem.
Don’t be shy Sir Alex, say your words of wisdom that makes EPL less dirty and much more fair.
Footnote…
I made some interesting calculation that have connection to the article “Dirty Int”.
I wanted to know how much impact can be if formula TG = GS + SB/3 is not quite right.
If GS = SB*3 then SB is about 30 min.
If GS = SB*2 then SB is about 45 min.
If GS = SB*6 then SB is about 15 min.
It is amazing! In all these cases difference of final factors is minimal.
| FC | FS | YC | RC | |||
| Int / UK | If SB/3 | 1.323729 | 0.996756 | 1.13129 | 2.500747 | |
| Int / UK | If SB/2 | 1.33227 | 1.003187 | 1.13859 | 2.516883 | |
| Int / UK | If SB/6 | 1.314563 | 0.989854 | 1.123457 | 2.483431 |
Walter – you should have named the article “Do players from overseas…..” rather than “Why players from……”. You never really say say “why” but do an absolutely outstanding job of answering the question “Do players from overseas…..”
Really good work.
Sorry – it is Alek, rather than Walter. Same applies, great work.
Am Ugandan, and i dont need those stats to show me that Brits get away with most anything that will be severely punished if done by any other international. And so often rival fans tell us (am an Arsenal fan) to ‘get British darlings’ when we are complaining about how harsh refs are to our players. Mind you this is a debate that started as far back as the days of Roy Keane, Vieira, Gary MacAlister, Danny Murphy, Dennis Wise… all players who played and tackled with passion and loved to get physical. But we all know who was always came off dirtiest in Referees’ minds and books, plus commentators’ mouths.
Walter ,the really sad and pathetic thing is that they actualy look to catagorize stats on nationality.
What next ? Why dont the PGMOL really come out of the closet and do stats based on the colour of a players skin.
They are a sick bunch at best …..Not real surprise its the foreigners …Rooney can decapitate you with an elbow in the head a foreign player can get shown red for much less.
Foreigners cheat, hence the expression “cheating foreigners”.
English players are sweetness and light, and Wayne Rooney is often heard to recite poetry in Referees ears during critical points in matches.
When last yellow carded, he declaimed:
‘Oh, to be in England
Now that April’s there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England – now!
He never got to the second verse, because Sir Melton Mowbray KBE had fallen into a trance and was hypnotized by that point.
Foreign players swear at referees, this is well known. Even when speaking in their own languages, they are swearing. Referees know this because foreigners are dirty cheating swearing foreigners.
Foreigners are cheats. Its a fact.
Inspired by Minority Report, Sir Melton Mowbray has recently tabled a motion, at the last convention of the 43rd Scottish Rite, for foreign players to be sent off prior to committing offences.
This was narrowly defeated when Lord Dowd of the 32nd echelon of Subterfuge noted that games must be abandoned if a team is reduced to 6 players, which would become a distinct possibility.
Lady Grossman therefore pushed for a quota on foreign payers, which will be discussed at the next cape and slaughter.
That’s why I have been telling this site for some time now, that the day we have between 4-5 English players starting regularly for Arsenal, is the season we will start winning the EPL. I have been telling you people for some time now that there’s a systematic mission, not to allow a team of basically foregn based players win the league, why? because it will send ‘the wrong’ signals that this is the way to go.
What about Chelsea? you would ask. last season they had, Terry, Lampard, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, all England players. Arsenal had one ( Walcott), now they are two (with Jack). Next season, we must try to make sure Lansbury, JET and Kyle Bartley play, then we can be considered.
In the last ten games starting Saturday, we will see intrinsic refereeing mistakes and freak goals against us, then they will say that we bottled it.
Do you remember some time back when after a match in which Howard Webb officiated (I forget which but it was in March), Arsene said, “We know what is going on, we are not stupid”. That shows that even he knows!
There used to be tea towels which said:
“Explaining the laws of Cricket to a foreigner”
How about Football?
“When a player raises his elbow and smashes it into another player’s Temple, this is serious foul play, and is an immediate red card……however, if an English (+2 points) International (+5 points) does the aforesaid, then it must be viewed as a minor lapse of concentration”
“When players get their legs snapped in two, this is obviously very serious. Unless of course it is a foreign player, under a foreign manager, in a team of Johnny Foreigners. In this case the player crippled is at fault for being in the tackle, and the manager must be depicted as a cross-eyed moaning minnie….an inveterate whinger and whiner, and a besmircher of the noble character of the English cart-horse defender. Any argument he raises must be construed as a slur on our national character….”
man utd supporter we don’t believe what you are saying
Marcus
How could you call in question that Wayne Rooney is sweetness and light?)))
@john W
I’d forgotten that statement from Wenger. I can’t remember what the context was, but I do remember him saying it. I have no idea how he normally deals with these things without letting his frustration show. Take Newcastle and Phil Dowd for example.
“Paranoid”? As they say in “NCIS,” Rule Number 40: If it seems like someone is out to get you, they are.
Nice one.
Can you have a look at “if a player leaves Man U and plays for another EPL team, does his yellow card/red card ratio per games grows?”
Rooney clearly had to be sent off at Wigan. Gary Neville had two clear red cards NOT GIVEN against West Brom and Stoke. Paul Scholes has gotten away with so many yellow cards over the years.Rio Ferdinand`s karate kick on Sagna was a red card at Old Trafford this season. Paul Robinson`s horrible tackle on Diaby was a crystal clear red card but not given. I can go on.
@Phv
This is the answer on question – why UK players of MU get yellow cards more than any in the UK list and never get red cards. Just because some yellow cards must be absolutely red.
@IvoryGoonz
Do you mean some defined player?
The reason the refs get their cards mixed up is because they are colour blind…..boom boom
@Alek
And giving them the yellow ensures that they cannot be suspended later.
Shard you are absolutly right about that!
Personally I would argue that if (as I believe) the whole system is corrupt, then it would be utterly wrong for Arsenal to bring in UK players in order to play the system.
We should work to expose the fact that football in this country is utterly broken, not go along with it.
Id pay real money to see marcus’ redefinition of the rules hacked onto the FA’s website lololololol
A bit off Topic I know.. But before all the match fixing stuff, Untold used to report on the finance side of Footie which I loved.. Now that we posted a loss in our most recent half year accounts untold doesn’t mention it.. Just wondering if there will be an article on it soon??
Perhaps this explains why we expect the England team to do so much better than they do. The FA make them look good by protecting them. That and the fact that the squad is full of characters such as A. Cole, Terry and Rooney who the rest of the squad hate. I remember talking to David Pleat in Johannesburg during the World Cup and he said “the England camp is in turmoil, there’s in-fighting throughout the squad and it’s sure to come out in the press after the competition”. Anyway back to the point, we don’t need stats to tell us that refs are bad to the point of being clearly biased. True that stats are slightly more powerful than opinions but still far less powerful than proper evidence.
@ All
What to make of Dowd’s appointment to the Liverpool- Man u game
especially in light of Sir’s recent contretemps with the FA?
Carrot or Stick?
amusing reading-(I’m an Arsenal fan) (so obvious over years)really hope we win this year even more now.
Dowd didn’t send off Vidic in last year’s CC final against Villa even though it was a clear denying of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Last defender, Vidic pulled him back by the shirt and tripped him up down low as well – penalty given, but no sending off.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/7340326/Carling-Cup-final-Lucky-escape-for-Manchester-Uniteds-Nemanja-Vidic.html
The giving a yellow card to players who should get a red card is an old ref trick in the EPL. Look at Dowd against Newcastle when Nolan had to be send off he gave him a yellow to make sure no punishment could be given afterwards.
I would like to think there is definite bias in the game – we have seen it – english players get away with it and rooney is special one here. simples. I have been to the Stoke game, I bought my ticket from a season ticket holder in advance. But I could easily have bought one 15 mins before kick-off on the Holloway Road. I saw at least 2000 empty seats, most in the upper stands and premium seats. During the second half there was a declaration of a 60,041 attendance.
If this figure is about SOLD seats I can’t argue. But if about attendance as it was stated – it is falsehood. Why does the club lies to its fans? Does it show the club’s attitude to his fans? If not – what does it mean? Only a blind businessman does not realize that if you start to lose attendance – finally you will lose the revenues. If the people don’t attend – they will eventually stop spending to attend.
So Arsenal Football Club is on its way to lose supporters? And revenues? We all realize that the just declared half-year loss is not a real loss, but it is a sign.
Every time our manager loses a vital game or the chance of a trophy you, personally you, Ivan, are in a hurry to support him. Why? Does any Gooner believe that the likes of Denilson would play in any top team in the world except Arsenal? Do you personally believe it? Or maybe Arsenal is now not one of the top teams? Do you feel your responsibility for this, Ivan?
When the manager asks to improve the huge wages of proven losers, why do you support him? Why do you pay him personally more than the stadium debt repayment?
I think I have an answer. You repeated many times that Arsene Wenger is the club’s main intangible asset. I guess it is a massive business mistake. The main club’s intangible asset is its fans. Fans are the base of the club. And when you lose fans you lose not only season tickets and replica shirt money. The Arsenal brand is also becoming less attractive to the sponsors and TV and all the efforts of your commercial team will be buried under the loss of the fanbase.
And also the notion that the “manager is the main club’s intangible asset ” is a massive disrespect to all the fans from your side. Fans finance 45% of the club budget. Can they get an answer as to WHY you spend on losers’ wages and don’t spend on top players? The absence of top-quality signings involves not only a lack of trophies. It reduces the interest in the club from all over the world and prevents the growth of its fanbase.
Arsenal are going to visit Japan in the summer. Do you know Japanese people a bit? They ALL like the winners. Unlike English people they always support favorites. They love Beckham, Federer, Tiger Woods, Rooney and Gerard. Can you expect any commercial success in Japan with six years drought and ONE big signing (Arshavin) during eight years? Which shirts are you going to sell them? Diaby’s? Koscielny’s?
I completely understand that the major shareholders don’t care about the sport part of the FOOTBALL club. But you are a soccer professional and you definitely understand – AFC is A FOOTBALL CLUB. It is not a restaurant.
Initially, this looks like an advantage, because if people don’t like food in your restaurant – they will choose another one. But if people don’t like the results of a football club – they will stay and wait. And wait and wait and wait.
And when you start to think that they will wait forever (at least during your contract period) – they begin to leave. And you will never stop them. And never get them back.
A FOOTBALL CLUB must get sport results. If not – it loses competitive ability and therefore financial stability. And AFC is on the verge of losing revenues.
The “glamour” games – for which you are charging £1800 pounds per CL ticket – can only elongate the start of the falling down. And these prices will NEVER attract new people and corporate custom.
As for transferring the VAT increase to the fans. Do you realize that the total amount of this increase for ALL of the season ticket holders totals just a half of Fabianski’s wages?
AFC has the most expensive tickets in the world. And these prices ultimately buy Koscielny/Squilacci? And pays Bendtner the same salary as Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos?
In my mind it is huge disrespect to fans and to the club finances also. It is an inverse world. A world where football manager elects the CEO (or declines the CEO in the case of Vodafone’s Paul Donovan) is also inversed.
So, Ivan, it doesn’t matter how, but you are in charge and you are responsible. And you are aware. If AFC continues the current way of disrespecting fans the hard times will come much quicker than anybody can imagine.
Of course, I’m not talking on behalf of all fans, I’m just talking about myself.
My story is:
This season I don’t buy Club Level packages.
And I don’t buy the goods in official store.
And I will not renew my red membership.
And I will not renew my subscription for Arsenal TV-online.
And I WILL buy CL packages for away games instead of the Emirates ones.
And I love Arsenal. I’m not English, but I also can’t change the club.
And I have to watch how the current management is destroying the Club.
This is your responsibility, Ivan. You are paid for this.
P.S.
Man City doubled commercial revenue last season according to Delloite MFL-2011. The new revenues came from:
Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi),
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority,
Etisalat (Abu Dhabi telecom),
Aabar (Abu Dhabi investment company).
Do you still really think, Ivan, that Arsenal will have an advantage when UEFA starts to practice Financial Fair Play rules?
I can’t believe that no-one has questioned a glaring ommission in this data. WHAT IS THE RATIO OF UK vs. NON-UK PLAYERS? My assumption is that the ratio is much larger towards the NON-UK players, which in turn skews the data.
E.G. Arsenal has only 2 regular UK (Jack and Theo)starters in the first team, and 1 on bench (Theo). So common sense prevails that the international players on the Arsenal team are more likely to be carded than the UK players, BASED purely on their larger set size.
The author has not made any attempt to add a correction factor for this ratio. Until then, his results are inconclusive at best.
sorry meant Gibbs on the bench (not Theo)
I think Wenger’s strategy, in evidence in the Newcastle fiasco, is to use the erxperinces to toughen his boys and to strenghen the team spirit such that:
1. Minimize the opportunities for the ref to show their bias in areas, times and games that it will hurt them badly.
2. Maximize their technical superiority over opponents and in every department such that the earn the grudging respect of the unloving refs.
3. Teach the players to comport themselves with utmost grace under intense pressure and to not give themselves easy excuses – even if they seem valid – for losing.
Wenger believes his team can win trophies in England inspite of subtle biases against his team.
In future, when the Wenger project Youth increases Arsenal’s contribution to the England team and thereby influences England’s style, it will be interesting to check whether, statistically, the bias would have become less distint or it would have reversed in Arsenal’s favour.
Steven, just one question to your long rant against our club:
How do you know what our players earn? How do you know that Bendtner earns the same as Ramos?
Or is it just you making up something and presenting it as “the truth”?
And if you leave: see you back when we win things.
@steven, yes that number was “paid” attendance, not actual attendance.
And another Steven: I have written a large number of articles about stadiums in Europe and one of them was about comparing our ticket price to the rest and guess what: we are not having the most expensive tickets in Europe. So certainly not in the world.
So if you want to be taken serious: use facts and not made up facts by yourself
It is always paid attendance. When we come over from the Benelux on saturday and one of our members cannot make it at the last minute he will be counted as the money is on the Arsenal bank account.
Steven, Im just going to take one point of your argument.
Man City doubled commercial revenue last season according to Delloite MFL-2011. The new revenues came from:
Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi),
Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority,
Etisalat (Abu Dhabi telecom),
Aabar (Abu Dhabi investment company).
1) When they had 0 fucking revenue in the first place it wouldnt be exactly hard to double it each year now would it ?
2) The sponsorship deals which they have in place were not negotiated back when Arsenals were and in general are higher these days.
Do you think Emirates or another sponsor wont be interested in paying even more when we re negotiate.
After all we only reached the carling cup final still going strong in the FA cup,Champs League and EPL. who would want their company associated with that ?
I could pick holes in everything you have said but whats the point you wouldnt get it anyway.
@Steppa.
I can show that you are not right.
Data for UK players of Arsenal is:
GS = 21 (Wilshere) + 12 (Walcott) + 1 (Gibbs) = 34
SB/3 = (3(Wilshere) + 7(Walcott) + 2(Gibbs))/3 = 12/3 = 4
TG = 38
Fouls Committed = 20(Wilshere) + 3 (Walcott) + 3(Gibbs) = 26
Fouls Commited per match = 26/38 = 0.68
You can find that number in Fouls Commited per match list.
Fouls Suffered = 28(Wilshere) + 17 (Walcott) + 1(Gibbs) = 46
Fouls Suffered per match = 46/38 = 1.21
You can find that number in Fouls Suffered per match list.
I made all calculations this way.
I never mixed the data OF UK and NON-UK PLAYERS. Never.
All data was separated before any calculations.
SAF’s major diatribe accuses Martin Atkinson of High Treason
Please note (from the Telgraph):
“It was a major game for both clubs and you want a fair referee. You want a strong referee and we didn’t get that,” Ferguson said.
“I don’t know why he [Atkinson] got the game. I must say that when I saw who was refereeing it, I feared the worst.”
Is that “the end” for Atkinson? Or, will SAF do time on suspension (with 2 games in hand from the last season, that may put Dear Leader into mothballs for 4 games if he challenges and loses. Are these comments the tip of a larger iceberg whereby SAF is spilling that he is usually in a better position to influence which referee might get the game, but is enraged somehow because he didn’t have some kind of customary foreknowledge? Any thoughts on these matters are gratefully received.
@Alek
Hi, in regards to Steppa’s comments, he/she means that under Arsenal, there are fewer chances/less exposure for a UK player to be given a card / commit a foul
Eg: Compare hypothetical – 2 fouls committed by each team
Arsenal (9 Non-UK – 81% exposure; 2 UK – 18% exposure) vs
Team A (11 UK player – 100% exposure) vs
Team B (11 Non-UK – 100% exposure)
Any cards given to Team A & B will automatically skew your analysis result as there is no opportunity otherwise to give cards to another type of player.
Whereas for Arsenal, a card is more likely to be given to a non-UK player because there are more non-UK players on the field
You should try and correct the above for a more accurate analysis.
Agree w/ Steppa that the analysis is non-conclusive, though interesting
Hope the explanation is clear
It would be really interesting to compare these figures relative to the fouls/cards given to the same players in international or European competitions vs the domestic ones.
If the refs are ‘UK player friendly’ it should easily get shown up when the same players get more/less fouls/cards against them outside the UK.
Steven has just cut and pasted that from the Online Gooner, a guy called Ivan Merc published it.
Steven is just a plagerist.
A plagerist is a thief, nuff said!!
Steven will probably be buying Redcurrant coloured scarves which say Dial Square or something to ‘protest’ against the club’s board who spend their entire time counting the wonderful money that they get as salaries and scheming how to cheat and lie to us fans, all the while letting our club go to the dogs with Wenger as the chief saboteur… Ya Steven, Ivan sure has a lot to answer to you for..
Alek. Really interesting article and very nicely put together and does reveal/show clearly something.
This is probably less sinister – although not less acceptable – than Untold’s general narrative would have us believe. I doubt whether there is a conspiracy against Arsenal per se but there more than likely is biais against foreigness (does this word exist in English?) or even perceived foreigness, and as Arsenal is wholly confounded with this, through constant repetition over the years, Arsenal will then be on the wrong end of this biais.
Steppa’s point is correct and it wouldn’t hurt your analysis to show the actual figures as you do in your reply to Steppa. Also should be taken into account the distribution of attackers/defenders, creative midfielders like Fabregas/Giggs against defensive midfielders like Song/Fletcher.
I agree with the sentiments that as Wilshire grows in prominence and is joined by other youngsters with the great foresight to have engineered their births in the UK and/or Ireland or being able to swear fluently with the correct accent then the refs, and the press/tv coverage, will change.
This one is for Tony and Untold’s history unit: Arsenal was one of the first big UK clubs to have a significant number of young black british players break into the first team on a regular basis (and what great players they were – Rocastle, Davis, Thomas etc.). What was it like back then, were they given a harder time by the refs? If so was anything ever said about it? has it stopped? ie would JET, Afobe or Frimpong get the same deal from refs that Wilshire, Lansbury and Henderson will get? I think we’d all like to hope so, and not just because they play for Arsenal, and that the same would go for Coquelin, Sunu and Micquel.
Finally excellent work Alek. Another reason why this blog is worth the visit.
@Steppa
UK players of Arsenal get 4 yellow cards in total sum and 0.105 per match.
NON-UK players of Arsenal get 38 yellow cards in total sum and 0.133 per match.
Difference between 0.133 and 0.105 is 1.26 times.
Difference without correction with RATIO OF UK vs. NON-UK PLAYERS is 9.5 times. 9.5 = 38/4.
So you just confuse yourself with things which you don’t quite understand)))
@Steven – some good points you raise though I think that wanting a fair referee means one that makes consistent decisions, but he sent Vidic off for 2fouls and failed to send Luiz off for more than 2 fouls. Wanting a strong referee could be viewed as wanting one who could handle the situation and the pressure and you could argue that he was swayed by the crowd for the penalty ? Eitherway many people feel his decisions were questionable – Ancelotti said Luiz could have seen red and Zhircov said it wasn’t a penalty – The Prem league force managers and players to give interviews right after the game albeit SAF’s were with MUTV and sky, when emotions are high and then they charge the same people they arevforcing to make those interviews when they say something they don’t like even if it was based on facts. I don’t know about you, but if a news reporter came unto me after the match on Tuesday and said what did you think of the decisions my language and views would have been different to the ones I would use now.
Vidic did get away with another foul on Drogba.. So in that regard the referee was consistent.. Also, as regards answering the reporters, a lot of fans can and do say things which aren’t ‘acceptable’. But a manager has certain responsibilities and cannot say such things and act that they are justified.
Incidentally its quite amusing the way ManU manager and fans are all just complaining because they were ‘forced’ to play 11 vs 11. yet, they won’t accept that Chelsea were in the end the better side. Luiz deserved to be sent off, but it wasn’t a potential leg breaker of a tackle. Vidic too was let off for a second yellow once. Several yellow card offences from both sides were let go by the referee including Rooney’s dive, and yet we’ll never hear the end of this ‘injustice’..
@Observer
“Team A (11 UK player – 100% exposure) vs
Team B (11 Non-UK – 100% exposure)
Any cards given to Team A & B will automatically skew your analysis result”
There is in EPL no team like this – Team A (11 UK player – 100% exposure) – or like this – Team B (11 Non-UK – 100% exposure) – so there is no room for speculations like this – Any cards given to Team A & B will automatically skew your analysis result.
“Whereas for Arsenal, a card is more likely to be given to a non-UK player because there are more non-UK players on the field”
If we talk about situation like this – Arsenal (9 Non-UK – 81% exposure; 2 UK – 18% exposure) – then percentage of fouls must be something like this: 81% (9 Non-UK); 18% (2 UK). So when you divide sum of fouls by exposure for Non-UK and for UK separately and compare results the difference of THESE RESULTS must be minimal. So I invite you to compare THESE RESULTS but not total sums of fouls)))
@Shard,
What’s that you say? “Rooney’s dive” separated by a whole space? Unlike most Lives of Riley referees, my spell-checker now flags that as an error. The corrected word, I propose to you, is “Rooney’sdive.” The Divemaster is all-elbows and back on his back on the pitch (or is it on his gut)for all to see. SAF is in full-snarl at the refs (Atkinson now) who don’t see with his double-standard. And (except for slobbering apologists like Terry here) methinks that they are a wounded animal in increasingly dire straits. These are not the actions of an assured champion, but of a usurper who knows he’s illegitimate and does everything to insist that the odor the he emits (and that more and more are seeing now, in the blogs, the media, and a few refs on the pitch) is perfume rather than what we all know it is. SAF is the next dick-tator to be going down. Four game suspension now! Red cards for Vi-dick and the Divemaster! Up the Arsenal!
No doubt that foreign players get more cards…what might Walter’s report on this one look like I wonder http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/referee-brandishes-36-red-cards-in-one-match-2232288.html
Thinking about it, what might Walter’s report on Lee Mason look like? Where’s it Walter?
Walter, that long rant from Steven is just the latest copied and pasted from a posting from some idiot on Online Gooner
http://onlinegooner.com/article.php?section=exclusive&id=2120
This post is so moronic, not even worth really commenting on it, it content says all that needs to be said about the author.
Copying without acknowledging the sourse – the heitght of bad manners I would say!
this is excellent. I discovered this blog just recently but I never thought that someone will ever do some critical analysis like. But, I knew from the days of Viera that Arsenal is hated because of their foreign players and foreign managers who is critical of RUGBY STYLE FOOTBALL. I just stopped complaining about Refs. injustice in not punishing the illegal tackling that aims at hurting Arsenal players.
If their was any justice in FA Ref.World we could have seen more than one red card for opponent of Arsenal in every game, even against ManU. Remember earlier this year when lost 1 nil Ferdinad got away with Kung fu style kick, that should have been straight red. Last year we all remember talking about ManU player who just fouled everybody anything anywhere and finished the match without yellow.
I also remember our Match against Sunderland earlier in which Diaby was hurt in studs high that should have been red but that imbecile got nothing. In that Match there were about three very bad tackles did go unpunished.
I counted THREE fouls against Diaby only that deserved red but went all unpunished, and then someone is talking about justice and dirty Arsenal.
Dirty Arsenal claims is propaganda designed by Media to justify their own bias for the English players.
Only one click away, GF60
I have long felt there was bias against foreign players in England. I thank you for providing some information in support of this. The English have long believed they have the fairest officials in the game. English referees try to cover up their bias by behaving like sergeant majors in the British armed forces.
What is the THE RATIO OF UK vs. NON-UK PLAYERS?
And how to apply this RATIO?
Eg:
Team A.
Game #1.
Players: 9 Non-UK and 2 UK.
Fouls: 18 Non-UK and 4 UK.
THE RATIO OF UK vs. NON-UK PLAYERS = 9/2
How to apply THE RATIO?
Fouls of one player per game for Non-UK: 18/9=2
Fouls of one player per game for UK: 4/2=2
Game #2.
Players: 9 Non-UK and 2 UK.
Fouls: 27 Non-UK and 6 UK.
THE RATIO OF UK vs. NON-UK PLAYERS = 9/2
How to apply THE RATIO?
Fouls of one player per game for Non-UK: 27/9=3
Fouls of one player per game for UK: 6/2=3
Let’s complicate our case. Suppose we need to compare total stats of Game #1 and Game #2.
Players: 9 + 9 Non-UK and 2 + 2 UK.
Fouls: 18 + 27 Non-UK and 4 + 6 UK.
THE RATIO OF UK vs. NON-UK PLAYERS = 18/4
How to apply THE RATIO?
Fouls of one player per game for Non-UK: (18 + 27)/(9+9) = 45/18 = 2.5
Fouls of one player per game for UK: (4 + 6)/(2 + 2)=10/4 = 2.5
You can see that if
Fouls of one player per Game #1 for all players = 2 and
Fouls of one player per Game #2 for all players = 3 then
Fouls of one average player per one average Game (average Game for Games #1 and #2) for all players = 2.5
You can see that method of calculations in these examples absolutely identical to method which applied by me in the calculations of Dirty Factors.
I hope that it is absolutely clear that application of THE RATIO OF UK vs. NON-UK PLAYERS is in the base of my method. And there is no need for any corrections)))
brilliant article.can you do an article with the no. of matches where manure have got ‘lucky’ in the last 3 yrs?i can give you plenty of examples.tot away 2 yrs back handed them the title.this season there’s west brom,fulham,villa.waiting for the article.thanks