tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12664765505838509852024-03-16T18:52:58.001+00:00AVERAGE OPPOSITION.COMBig Game Player of Flat Track Bully?Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-52132992957416051352014-03-25T23:05:00.000+00:002014-03-25T23:05:54.529+00:00Europe's Best Goal Scoring Partnerships<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;"><em>After writing about the Premier League's best goal scoring partnerships a while back, I was inundated (one comment) with requests for something similar for other leagues. So, instead of signing up to do some accountancy exams that I've been putting off for 13 years, I decided the best way to spend some spare time would be to put together another list for absolutely no reward. I hope somebody somewhere <del>enjoys</del> reads this.</em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;"><em></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">With the return to favour of partnerships such as Suarez and Sturridge, (#dare to) Zlatan and Cavani, and Negredo and Aguero, what better time to have a look back at some of the best partnerships before them. Having searched a whole two pages of Google without finding something exactly the same as this, I thought it was time to put together a combined list.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong>Rules and Workings</strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I've decided to go back 25 years to cover the 1988-89 to the 2012-13 seasons. Why 25 years? Well that just about covers my football watching memory and it's a nice round number. I've decided to include just the Top four Leagues in Europe - the top divisions in England, Germany, Italy and Spain (based on European Trophies won).</span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">A partnership is only considered so if both players (regardless of position)have scored at least 10 goals each. For this list, I've only combined those pairs with 30 goals or more, so sadly that would exclude van Wolfswinkel and Elmander's herculean haul of 2 goals from this season. Tough break fellas.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">A further blow to the Norwich duo's chances are that this season's partnerships are not included as they'll instantly make this post out of date. Expect to see Suarez and Sturridge included in the next update in space year 2038.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Joking aside, as I type, Suarez and Sturridge have just hit their combined 44th, 45th, 46th and 47th goals of the season against Cardiff, so they definitely make it into the Top Partnerships list, but as the season hasn't ended yet, their number is likely to change.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It's worth noting that the German League has fewer games, and the other leagues have varied in number of teams.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">And lastly, it's league goals only.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong>The Stats</strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">In all, there's a whopping 221 instances of 30 goal partnerships in the Top Four European leagues over the last 25 completed seasons - actually a lot higher than I'd expected. Spain lead the way with 70, followed by England (61), Italy (49) and Germany (41). No real shock there as Germany has fewer games, as did Italy for a good chunk of the 25 seasons in question. In terms of clubs represented, there are a decent 61 (Spain 17, England 16, Italy 15 and Germany 13).</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">At the top end of the food chain are the mighty Real Madrid with a 30 goal partnership in 19 of the 25 seasons recorded. No wonder they win quite a lot. As you'd expect, anything they can do, Barcelona can almost do (that would make a catchy song), and the Catalans are second on the list with a healthy 17 partnerships represented. Aside from Spain, England have Man Utd and Liverpool in double figures (13 + 10), whilst somewhat surprisingly, it's Bayer Leverkusen who lead the way in Germany with 10 partnerships making the 30 goal mark. For Italy, AC Milan are the team with the most deadly duos, featuring 8 times.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">At the bottom end, there are 25 clubs with just one 30 goal partnership, sadly, my team don't even have that. The likes of Coventry's Dublin and Huckerby, are joined for their day in the sun by Villarreal's Forlan and Riquelme (2004-05). And who could forget Bochum's world famous Thomas Christiansen and Vahid Hashemian with their 31 goal haul in 2002-03. I know I certainly won't.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>The 50 goal club</em></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As mentioned above, there's a great deal of 30 goal partnerships, so many in fact, that I wonder why I used that number. So to get things going, here's a list of those partnerships that scored at least 50 league goals in a season. Just to manage expectations - it's a bit heavy with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/best-strike-partnerships-50-goals.png" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/best-strike-partnerships-50-goals.png"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><img alt="Best Strike Partnerships (50 goals +)" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2178" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/best-strike-partnerships-50-goals.png" height="244" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/best-strike-partnerships-50-goals.png" width="490" /></span></a></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">In fact it's basically La Liga's greatest partnerships plus three others.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">As its illegal not to mention both Ronaldo and Messi when speaking about the Spanish league, it's worth having a quick look at their record in this list. Interestingly, both players have been part of a successful partnership as the second scorer - which is really what you'd have expected a few years back, with both players featuring out wide early on. Ronaldo's first season in Madrid saw him form one of the most balanced partnerships on this list, with Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentine banging in a decent 27 goals to the shy Portuguese's 26. A pretty good debut season before the championship manager stats started kicking in. Messi's season as the second scorer was in the 2008-09 season that saw Samuel Eto'o hitting 30 to Messi's 23.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Man City fans may be surprised to see Edin Dzeko in 6th place with the wall decorating Brazilian Grafite (I'm sorry) making up the pair - the highest Bundeliga entry with 54 goals. Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard have combined for 30+ goals on two occasions, with the 2009-10 season seeing a combined 51 league goals for the Chelsea legends - albeit not a typical strike partnership. However, in first place for England are Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley with a whopping 55 - all for a promoted club too. Impressive stuff. Must have been before Cole needed five chances to score (Glenn Hoddle's words, not mine).</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Fans of 90s football will be disappointed not to see any Italian partnerships breaking the 50 goal mark but heartened to see the Original Ronaldo and (possibly the original) Luis Enrique with 51 goals in the 1996-97 season. Ronaldo who started the season aged just 19 would score 47 goals (all tournaments) in his only season with the Catalan giants. Damn you Gods of injury.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">What is also interesting (depending on your definition), is that 11 of the 50 goal partnerships have been in the last five years - at a time when 4-5-1's have become the norm. Although a lot of them are rather dependent on Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo being involved.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Cristiano%20Ronaldo%20Gonzalo%20Higuain%20Real%20Madrid%20eByUqYzqFo0l.jpg" src="http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Cristiano%20Ronaldo%20Gonzalo%20Higuain%20Real%20Madrid%20eByUqYzqFo0l.jpg" /></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The number one partnership sees Ronaldo paired up with Higuain for the 3rd time to make a 50 goal mark. The winning season being 2011-12 when Mourinho's men managed to break Barca's dominance of La Liga. A phenomenal 68 league goals from just two players is quite frankly bonkers. </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Both Ronaldo and Messi feature in four 50 goal partnerships - Messi with 4 different partners, the big flirt.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong>Top 20 Partnerships By Country</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I planned to show a top ten by country, but La Liga's are already on show, and it would also mean leaving out the likes of Batistuta and Oliveira who thrived on Rui Costa's assists in 1997-98. And because we haven't featured much from Serie A just yet, now seems as good a time as any. So without further ado:</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>Serie A Top Scoring Partnerships 1988-2013</em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/serie-a-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/serie-a-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><img alt="Serie A Top Scoring Partnerships" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2185" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/serie-a-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" height="395" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/serie-a-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" width="490" /></span></a></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>Premier League/Division One Top Scoring Partnerships 1988-2013</em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/premier-league-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/premier-league-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><img alt="Premier League Top Scoring Partnerships" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2184" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/premier-league-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" height="409" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/premier-league-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" width="490" /></span></a></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>La Liga Top Scoring Partnerships 1988-2013</em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/la-liga-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/la-liga-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><img alt="La Liga Top Scoring Partnerships" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2183" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/la-liga-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" height="332" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/la-liga-top-scoring-partnerships.jpg" width="490" /></span></a></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>Bundesliga Top Scoring Partnerships 1988-2013</em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bundesliga-top-scoring-partnerships-v2.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bundesliga-top-scoring-partnerships-v2.jpg"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><img alt="Bundesliga Top Scoring Partnerships v2" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2186" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bundesliga-top-scoring-partnerships-v2.jpg" height="367" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bundesliga-top-scoring-partnerships-v2.jpg" width="490" /></span></a></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I know what you're thinking - where's Vialli and Mancini? They were undoubtedly a great strike partnership, but they were also playing in the most defensive era of a league known for being defensive. They're best season together came in 1990-91 when they combined to score 31 league goals (ranked 35th in the Serie A charts).</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">It also turns out there was top flight football in England before the Premier League, I'm just as surprised as you. There's three entries from the old Division One, with Barnes and Rush scoring a decent 39 combined goals in the triumphant 1989-90 season for Liverpool, followed by Le Tissier and Wallace (Rod) for Southampton and Wright and Campbell for Arsenal.</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Spain's list sees the crowd pleasing entry of Romario and Stoichkov, who notched 46 goals in 1993-94 whilst the Bundesliga entry reminds us of just how good Roy Makaay was. In fact the Dutchman is one of a number of players who feature across multiple leagues, with the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldo (not a typo), Ibrahimovic, Eto'o, Raul and Berbatov (along with others).</span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong>Other Notes of Interest</strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>Top 10 Teams are:</em></span><br />
<table class="mce-item-table" style="width: 217px;"><tbody>
<tr><td width="179"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Real Madrid</span></td><td width="38"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">19</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Barcelona</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">17</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Man Utd</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">13</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Liverpool</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">10</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Bayer Leverkusen</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">10</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Arsenal</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">9</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Bayern Munich</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">9</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">AC Milan</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">8</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Valencia</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">7</span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Juventus</span></td><td><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">7</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em>Most Featured Players:</em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><em></em></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Only 8 players have featured in five or more 30 goal partnerships and top spot doesn't go to Messi or Ronaldo, but rather Raul who has been involved in 10 great partnerships. Across two countries, he scored goals with Morientes, Zamorano, van Nistelrooy (2), Ronaldo (2), Guti, Huntelaar, Higuain, and Suker. That's impressive.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The other compatibles are Cristiano Ronaldo (7), Messi, Del Piero, Makaay, Eto'o, Berbatov, and Rooney (all five).</span><br />
<br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">So there you have it, it's not just the big man-little man partnership (Quinn-Phillips), or the classic goalpoaching number 9 and playmaking number 10 (Romario and Stoichkov) that make great partnerships. It can be wide men with false number 9s, a lone striker with an advanced midfielder (Torres and Gerrard/Drogba and Lampard) or if you're lucky, it may even be Toni Polster and Bruno Labbadia (FC Koln 1994-95).</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">This season will see entries from Suarez and Sturridge, Ronaldo and Benzema, and Messi and Sanchez. Tevez and Llorente also stand a good chance of joining the elite club along with a few others.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">I'll chuck the full list up in the coming days.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Cheers,</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Liam</span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-2233836119631110492014-03-08T15:30:00.000+00:002014-03-08T15:36:20.691+00:00World Cup - Big Game Scorers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #999999;"><em>Continuing the build up to the upcoming World Cup, we've taken a different look at the Top Scorers in the history of the tournament and looks at their big game credentials:</em></span><br />
<div>
In all, a whopping 2208 Goals have been scored in the nineteen tournaments so far, with 1166 different players getting in on the act - 500 of these goals scored by just 50 players. There's always been a bigger focus on the goalscorers, and this article is guilty of this. Where we're trying to be different however, is to separate those great goalscorers - was your favourite a big game scorer, or a flat track bully?</div>
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Scope<br />
<div>
Our aim was simple on paper - find out who the Big Game Scorers are in the history of the World Cup. "No problem" we said - shouldn't take long. Wrong on both counts. As you'd expect from this site, there's an element of the scientific behind the approach but football isn't always black and white. For a start, the last World Cup had 32 teams competing (there's already talk of expanding to 40 in future installments), compared to the 13 that competed the first edition in 1930. Chuck in a changing format (I'm looking at you 1950, '74, '78 and '82) and certain adjustments have to be made (see below).</div>
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Approach/Workings<br />
In 1994, the Golden Boot was shared between Russia's Oleg Salenko and Hristo Stoichkov of Bulgaria. On paper, they're both deserving of the appreciation that the title gives. However, Salenko scored 5 of his goals in a group game against Cameroon (which was a dead rubber) after both teams were already out. Stoichkov on the other hand, scored 3 in the group stage (including 2 against Argentina), as well as one in the Last 16, the Quarter Final and the Semi Final. And it's the 1994 golden boot gives the best example of what we're trying to prove here.<br />
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With the example of the 1994 World Cup in mind, we decided to create a weighting system based on two major derivatives - the quality of Opposition and the stage of the tournament. Add in those two variations and you've got a points system decided by the weight of the stage divided by the rank of opponent (with the exception being the Final, where full points were awarded for both teams). Fortunately for us, FIFA decided in 1986 to put together a retrospective ranking system based on every tournament from 1930 to 1986, based on performance in the tournament and also each team's qualification record. Even more fortunately, they continued this ranking system after each tournament - giving us a sound basis for the stats.<br />
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A little more troublesome was the score given to each round of the tournament. If we were to take the last tournament as a basis, then there's no problem - 6 points for a Final goal, 4 for the Semi, 3 for the Quarters, 2 for the Last 16 and 1 point for a group game goal. The trouble exists in four particular tournaments. Firstly, 1950 didn't even have a Final. By default, the final Group game between Uruguay and Brazil decided who finished top of the group and therefore the World Champions - due to that being decided in the last game, this is often mistaken for the World Cup Final when in fact a draw would have seen Brazil claim the title (for the calculations, this game was treated as a final). Then there's the 1974 and 1978 installments. Despite 1970 being seen as one of the greatest if not the greatest World Cup, it was decided that things would be freshened up by doing away with the Quarter and Semi Finals and instead replacing them with a Final Group stage. It's obvious what you're thinking - that just doesn't sound like FIFA - making a non-sensical decision on a World Cup, but it's true. Due to the larger number of teams in 1982, the Final Group stage remained, but fortunately there was at least a Semi Final round this time. So with that in mind, these are the weightings per stage:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-mYSGu3ZTgnFCp_em41oBNk6WDGIW6N_15hVSqGmwEZkU4Xo3TEkoMXpo52b8ZGW-4xJ_il94rTY2WDfDSjJEH62MuF97mIIpdbh-9ywfqk9OwEmXKIryPBJKqKDRBPHPu6m9YtHOR8/s1600/Points+by+round.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-mYSGu3ZTgnFCp_em41oBNk6WDGIW6N_15hVSqGmwEZkU4Xo3TEkoMXpo52b8ZGW-4xJ_il94rTY2WDfDSjJEH62MuF97mIIpdbh-9ywfqk9OwEmXKIryPBJKqKDRBPHPu6m9YtHOR8/s1600/Points+by+round.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The First Round existed in the 1934/38 Tournaments instead of Group Stages - so when the Dutch East Indies (Now Indonesia), made their way to France in 1938, they probably hoped to play more than one match before the long journey home. <br />
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<br />
The Data<br />
So on to the main event - just who were the Big Game Scorers in World Cup history. Well there's some obvious names in the list, but also some noteable omissions from the Top 20:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitquqspeJ9aja7mfkZJzA-Vlknfqm3aSb5V8mMhlrwZPRI18ahSNTb6xsdnbtQM1Qlejl8_zuKrGvEKmvacui_Uw8dj_kfR5yRr1WDljCEbMZs8gQryaveOFvHTupzORN_FfYZFq70NdQ/s1600/Top+20+Big+Game+Goalscorers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitquqspeJ9aja7mfkZJzA-Vlknfqm3aSb5V8mMhlrwZPRI18ahSNTb6xsdnbtQM1Qlejl8_zuKrGvEKmvacui_Uw8dj_kfR5yRr1WDljCEbMZs8gQryaveOFvHTupzORN_FfYZFq70NdQ/s1600/Top+20+Big+Game+Goalscorers.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
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No real great surprise in the winner. Pele played an scored in four tournaments, and most importanly, is one of only four men to have scored in two separate finals along with Vava (2nd), Zidane (3rd) and Paul Breitner in 10th. Also in the Top 10 is Geoff Hurst, the only man to have scored a Hat Trick in the biggest game in Football.<br />
<br />
The talking points begin when looking at certain names. Brazil's Ronaldo is the top scorer in the World Cup history yet his 15 goals are worth less than Zidane's five. How so? Well Zidane has three final goals to Ronaldo's two, plus a Semi Final goal and a Round of 16 goal. Zidane is such a big game Scorer, that he doesn't even bother in the group stages. Ronaldo on the other hand, has seven group goals - against the likes of China, Costa Rica and Morocco.<br />
<br />
Though he's not really too much of a victim here - he's still in the Top 5 of the Big Game Scorers in the World Cup. How does he compare against the second and third top scorers in World Cup history?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPYoaxDveE4u_0QOZIgd731gdk6w9SNxpjgSlUSNPQGTE1XyR6Zeb-e83KJc534_KOmeuutEkkUaJQcbrMIddI3YVXVWt1jEy4TvXyYkzKQKwFZTTxq5BSNunbVqRH9vWfJftoLlokrA/s1600/World+Cup+Top+Scorers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPYoaxDveE4u_0QOZIgd731gdk6w9SNxpjgSlUSNPQGTE1XyR6Zeb-e83KJc534_KOmeuutEkkUaJQcbrMIddI3YVXVWt1jEy4TvXyYkzKQKwFZTTxq5BSNunbVqRH9vWfJftoLlokrA/s1600/World+Cup+Top+Scorers.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Well it doesn't look too good. Fontaine had the decency to at least score in the Semi Final. Klose on the other hand had a good 2002 World Cup on Paper - scoring 5 goals. However, he also played in the Quarter Final, the Semi Final and the Final that year, all without scoring. Similarly, he top scored in the 2006 World Cup on home soil, and only scored in one of the three knock out games he played (the Quarter Final with Argentina). At the time of writing, Klose is still in with a shout of playing in this year's World Cup and only needs one more goal to equal the record, but as you can see from above, he'll need to do more in the latter stages to really earn a comparison with Ronaldo.<br />
<br />
Paul Breitner was the most efficient with his goals, scoring just three but gaining a place in the Top 10 Big Game Goalscorers. Two of his three were in World Cup Finals (1974 and 1982), to add to the group stage goal against 22nd Placed Chile in 1974. In fact the only player not to score in the Final from the Top 20 is England's Gary Lineker. Whilst he has a 50-50 split in Group Stage/Knock Out goals, his Semi Final effort in 1990 was against eventual winners West Germany, whilst his Quarter Final effort in 1986 (which won him the Golden Boot) was also against the team ranked in the number 1 spot - Argentina. Evidence of reward for scoring against the best opposition.<br />
<br />
But what of the Flat Track Bullies? Well we've seen the impact of Klose and Fontaine, but they're certainly not the worst offenders of the prolific scorers. One of the World's Top Strikers in the 1990s was Gabriel Batistuta. In fact he was the first man to score a hat trick in two World Cups. Overall, he has 10 goals to his name in the World Cup. His position based on the weightings? He's sitting in 181st place. In this instance, his hat trick in 1994 was against Greece - the team that FIFA ranked 24th out of 24 in that Tournament after they lost all three games, conceding 10 and scoring none. Similarly in 1998, Batigol's hat trick was against Jamaica (ranked 22nd). Of his 10 World Cup goals, 8 of them were in group games and the two knock out goals were both in the Round of 16 (and penalties at that). Undoubtedly an incredible player - but his big game credentials could be questioned on this stage.<br />
<br />
Elsewhere, German pair Uwe Seeler and Jurgen Klinsmann have 9 and 11 goals respectively, which are only good enough for 213th and 153rd places. Raul's 5 goals for Spain, see him ranked in 402nd place in the points scored. Someone that normally draws attention in these lists is Maradona. He ranks in a respectable 69th place (out of 1166 players remember). His 8 goals include two at the Semi Final stage against Belgium (4th) and two in the Quarters against England (ranked 8th) - even though he should have points deducted for that hand ball! That sees him tucked in nicely between fellow South Americans Daniel Pasarella and Uruguay's Diego Forlan.<br />
<br />
For those looking to be a bit more current, Messi has just one goal in the group stage, Cristiano Ronaldo has just two and Luis Suarez's exploits in South Africa saw just the three goals. The highest ranked player eligible for 2014 is Andres Iniesta, largely due to his winning goal in 2010. It's fair to say that there's not as many big game scorers in modern times.<br />
<br />
Conclusion<br />
So what does all of this tell us? Well first and foremost, you should never just look at the goals scored column. Yes, it's an impressive achievement to score a large number of goals in the World Cup like Batistuta or Klose, but they're flattering to deceive on the biggest stages. Players like Brazil's Ronaldo and West Germany's Gerd Muller scored in pretty much every round and the occasion and level of opponent didn't seem to get to them (the strange case of the 1998 Final aside). And then there's the specialists who seem to come alive in the late stages - Hurst, Zidane, Breitner and Brehme.<br />
<br />
Another aspect that became clear when putting the stats together is that it's a lot harder to score now. The average number of goals per game peaked in 1954 at a massive 5.38 compared to 2010's 2.27 (second only to 1990's 2.21). Should this be taken into account? Quite possibly. We believe that the ranking system has counted for this (see talking points) but it's certainly worth a discussion.<br />
<br />
We know that football isn't just about statistics and goals, but you'd still expect the big name goal scorers to be the big game goal scorers. That's not always the case.<br />
<br />
Note: This data was first used on the excellent Football Fanalytics as seen here:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
http://www.footballfanalytics.com/big_game_players.html</div>
</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-35565525095733590082014-02-24T00:17:00.000+00:002014-02-25T23:41:30.653+00:00Combined Leagues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Want stats by opposition? Click on the name of the league you want to see on the above menu for Team Stats, player comparison and more.<br />
<br />
For a quick preview, below are the goalscorers by opponent for all four leagues:<br />
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Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-50359739815296388232014-01-15T23:02:00.000+00:002014-01-16T14:39:19.952+00:00Buy, Sell, Hold? Premier League Forecast - Round 21<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">Arsenal improved from last season? Nope. Man Utd destined to finish outside the Top 4? Unlikely. In what is the first ever guest post, Michael Geaghan makes his Premier League predictions based on the season so far and the results in the remaining corresponding fixtures from last season.....</span></em><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Man City to
win the league. Arsenal guaranteed top 4. Man Utd’s league season already
finished. Palace to get relegated. Newcastle top half. Maybe, Maybe not.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">They say a
league only tells the truth at the end of the season. We saw a glimpse of the reality
behind this at the midway point in the current season, where the only change in
the top 4 was Everton replacing Man Utd in the coveted Champions League
positions, even though the talk for the first 15/16 games of the season was
whether Liverpool could mount a challenge on the league title only to finish the
halfway point in 5<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> and 6 points behind the leaders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Every fan
has their own memories of their own personal experience of luck at the timing
of playing teams, injuries, after a midweek game, whilst the opposition are on
a good run, a bad run, the same applying for their team. Starting games with
confidence has a huge effect on the outcome of results, but the simplicity is
that all teams play each team home and away. At the start of each season each
manager will identify where they are going to pick up points, and at the same
time expectations are managed post games as to whether their teams have
‘dropped points’ or gained bonus unexpected points. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Every week
I overwrite the previous season’s results with the current season’s – for the
corresponding fixtures. For example, Arsenal are generally touted as the ‘most
improved team of the season so far’. That isn’t actually the case. Although
they were top of the league at the halfway point and remain there as I write,
they are in fact one point worse off than the same games last season. We all
remember, I certainly do as a spurs fan, the incredible run that Arsenal went
on towards the end of the season that has slightly skewed the figures, but it
does show that they have now consistently been a good team for quite some time.
The season finishing and restarting just fell at the wrong time as the last 12 months have definitely showed champion consistency and quality, just not in the same season...so far anyway. This
also points towards the basis for this, in looking at the premier league table
now and as a forecast for the final positions. If the results are as similar as
last season, as has been the case so far, they could even find themselves
outside of the top four.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">After 21
games, as mentioned above, Arsenal are one point worse off than the same games
played last season. I mentioned I am a spurs fan, they are actually one point
better off. Clearly though, Arsenal are entering the final 17 games of the
season with confidence and with a very different pressure hanging over their
shoulders. The games they struggled in last season are the games they have yet to
play. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I think a
fair argument is that Man City are the best footballing team in the league at
the moment and they have the strongest squad, they are though competing on four
fronts. they are brutal in front of goal regardless of who the opposition is. The recent game at Newcastle goes to show though that they can get beat, they
didn’t, a crazy refereeing decisions helped make sure they got all three points on the day, but
they are not indestructible. Their start of season questionable away form appears to have been eradicated. They have already accumulated a staggering 16 points more than in the same games last season. Plus they have achieved this with a little more
panache than last season, 28 goals more than the correlating games last season (see goals comparison in the table below).
With the bookies end of season points tally spread for City currently set at 82.5-84 I would
certainly be buying that, as they are on target for around 88 points.
Inheriting last seasons results to complete the league forecast will result in
them winning every home game. At home they only have Chelsea, of the so called
‘big teams’, to entertain at the Etihad and so that is not an unachievable
target. Away from Manchester they inherit results from last season where they
picked up only 14 points (from a possible 24) from the remaining 8 games they
have left on the road.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">At the
bottom of the league, the promoted teams within this system inherit the
respective relegated team from last season - Cardiff assume Wigan’s results,
Hull assume Reading’s and Palace assume QPR’s. This only really stands due to
the team staying in the premier league retaining their results and so implying
the result against the promoted teams. The games played against each other is
the obvious draw back in this system. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Of the
promoted teams though interestingly, and at the same time worryingly for
Cardiff and Palace, is that on a like for like comparison Cardiff have
accumulated exactly the same amount of points as Wigan had over the same games
last season and Palace are 1 point worse off - and that’s against a miserable
return of only 25 points that QPR managed to get last season. It’s been quite
obvious to see that Hull have certainly done themselves proud in the first half
of the season and are well on their way to achieving the 40 points target. On
that note I think it may be as low as a good goal difference on 36 points
needed to stay in the division this season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Man Utd at
the top end of the division finished the league 11 points better off than
second placed City. This means that not only are they finding it tougher this
season, but they are inheriting good points emphasising how many points they
have dropped compared to last season. A staggering 13 points worse off than
last season, by far the largest difference in points versus the previous
season. They are though Man Utd, and despite what everyone says, they have the
same players as last year and can still very easily go and beat any other team
in the league. They are still on target for 76 points, a target that is still
very achievable, as they have definitely turned the corner in my view. I think
they are out of the title race, but by no means are out for the race for the
top four.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">West Ham,
which I am sure most of you would have noticed, have also been shedding points.
They currently sit in the relegation zone having dropped 10 points versus the
same games played last season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Aside from
Man City’s increase in fortunes by the 10 points mentioned earlier, Southampton
are 11 points better off, and Liverpool close behind with a better return to
the tune of 9 points.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">See below
the forecast league table after 38 games:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjmbjfp4Kop24jjg_2jFWIgrfVQHXTeS16-kyamrN71TnPML02TlrYNdZw3SI1e3g2uW2moHQJdoFuXrBBCBbG3d9vEufpH2uOOb-k6BVXMzksJSjOz-GdN0hGSiGaQ4WlBUDqpWtg9c/s1600/Premier+League+Forecast+Round+21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjmbjfp4Kop24jjg_2jFWIgrfVQHXTeS16-kyamrN71TnPML02TlrYNdZw3SI1e3g2uW2moHQJdoFuXrBBCBbG3d9vEufpH2uOOb-k6BVXMzksJSjOz-GdN0hGSiGaQ4WlBUDqpWtg9c/s1600/Premier+League+Forecast+Round+21.jpg" height="380" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
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<o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">
</o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">How to
interpret this?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Stats are
stat, numbers are numbers, so long as the assumptions are clear and understood
then anyone can interpret the numbers as they wish. For me though the main
advantages are vs. the Spreads being offered by bookies as to the final points
tally for each individual team. You may be surprised at how some of them read
and below is a brief summary comment on each team and the spreads currently
being offered as at 15<sup>th</sup> January 2014. This is by no means any
solicitation to encourage anyone to place any bets, or to entice or act as
advice in placing any bets, it is shown purely as food for thought based along
the lines of the article and along side the fact that the league only tells the
truth after all games have been completed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The
format of the note will be:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Current
league position: Team Name: Forecast points using my assumptions: Spread being
offered: Bet Signal (Buy/Sell/hold/Other, for other see the comment below). If
the forecast points and the spread are to close and so no real difference
‘Hold’ will be the call. It is interesting how similar they are and so I only
consider the real opportunities in the spreads offered as worth buying or
selling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">1: Arsenal:
72: 79-80.5: Other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I would
avoid betting on Arsenal either way. The bookies have them finishing 3<sup>rd</sup> but as to the points I think they will pick up more than the forecast indicated 72. They dropped points against Swansea, Fulham, Man City and Man Utd
at home, whom they are yet to play and away from home dropped points against
Stoke, Chelsea, Everton, Tottenham & Southampton. As you glance over the
results some are realistic and will happen, I don’t think all will though
and so feel a better return than the forecasted 72 points will be achieved, just not enough to want to buy or sell the spread either way from the bookie.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">2: Man
City: 88: 82.5-84: Buy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">As already
spoken about I can see City smashing the 84 points being offered by the
bookies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">3: Chelsea:
80: 79.5-81: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I think that
if you held a gun to my head I would be buying the points as 81. At home only
dropping points against Spurs and Man Utd to come, do not give a huge amount of
room to deter from last season results to come. Away from home is a different
kettle of fish. Of the games remaining they dropped points at Swansea, Palace
(well QPR back then), Liverpool, City & West Brom, and I can’t see them
dropping points for what would effectively be every other away game. They will
drop points but not at the rate they did. The forecast inheriting all these
dropped points is bang in the middle of the odds spread being offered and so I
would consider a very prudent forecast and buy would be the spread as I think more probability they will pick up more than the forecasted points than they will drop them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">4:
Liverpool: 70: 73-74.5: Hold (due to commentary below)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">They are a
bit of a wild card this season, mainly because of the little genius from Uruguay.
Love him or hate him, the guy is incredible. They are yet to host Chelsea,
Arsenal, City and Spurs at home (probably shouldn’t include spurs as a possible
threat after the 5-0 mauling at the lane a few weeks back). Of those teams they
only got full points against spurs last season and so there is a lot of scope
for their points tally to improve, coupled with getting beat by Villa at home.
Liverpool do not have what would be considered as really tough games away from
home apart from Man Utd, for which they are not ‘expected’ to get three points.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">5: Everton:
66: 67.5-69: Sell<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I think the
big difference in the second half of the season will come from the home wins
against Man Utd and Man City, which I can’t see them getting full points from
again. Away from home results I can see staying fairly consistent with last
season, games to play away from home = 9, those games last season saw them win
1, lose 4 and draw 4.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">6:
Tottenham: 73: 68.5-70:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I promise
this is unbiased. I think the home games will return a similar amount of
points, Man City and Arsenal are yet to play at White Hart Lane from which Spurs
got full points from last season, but also Fulham and Cardiff (Wigan last
season) for which they lost both games. The two toughest away games they have
are at Liverpool and Chelsea, they only gained 1 point from the same games last
season so do not have a lot of points to replace. Their away from, of which I
am about to curse, has so far been good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">7: Man Utd:
76: 69-70.5: Buy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">They will
have a better second half of the season than they did the first. Sure in the
second half of the season so far they dropped all three points at home against Spurs,
but they did last season, so was in the numbers as an assumed result.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">8:
Newcastle: 47: 53.5-55: Sell<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">My nephew
won’t be happy as an avid Newcastle fan but the points spread offered is some
way above where the forecast is plotting them. The games they have remaining didn’t yield a lot of points for them last year. The forecast has them
getting less than a point per game for the rest of the season. I don’t think
they will finish as low as 47 but would still be selling the points tally being
offered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">9: Southampton:
52: 52.5-54: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">They are a
little hit and miss again following the great start to the season. Injuries,
suspensions and fatigue have set in. I don’t see a big indicator away from the
spread being offered to call either way, and with the concerns at the club surrounding who will be in-charge tomorrow let alone at the end of the season, i would avoid placing any money on Southampton either way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">10:
Swansea: 44: 42.5-44: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Any team
can turn up when you play Swansea, they can be world beaters on any given day.
They are hit and miss though and with Europe about to kick off again with a
two leg Napoli distraction I think the point’s tally spread is in line with the
forecast.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">11: Hull:
35: 39-40.5: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The
forecast numbers using my assumptions have been skewed due to inheriting
Reading’s results from last season, so I am avoiding this. I think they will
stay up, they are spending money. All they need to do now is sort out the name
debate and for what its worth I think the name should stay Hull City AFC. This
is England, we are traditionalists, we do not have franchise football, and we
don’t want it. Dr Allam, you have been great at Hull so far, leave it as Hull
City AFC and concentrate your time, legal and marketing money on improving Hull
City AFC and the local area. By all means give a name to something you have
given birth to or created from nothing, but don’t change the name of a 110 year
old club.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">12: Aston
Villa: 40: 39.5-40: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The bookies
have them finishing as the stats show. It is a shame really as I thought they
had put in the hard graft last season and had turned the corner, that they were
going to start pushing up the league a little with a little more consistency.
They seem to have sizzled out a bit. They gave the Gooners a good run for their
money the other night, but need a lot more consistency towards the back end of
the season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">13: Stoke:
45: 39.5-41: Buy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">A top half
finish is in the sights of Stoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
change of manager hasn’t really had a huge change in fortunes, but they are
showing the fight they have had since joining the premier league. So silly
dropped points at home are built into the numbers from last seasons home loss
against West Ham, and as a comparison only picked up 10 points away from home
from the 9 away games, of which most are against bottom half opposition and I
think they will better that in the latter stages of this season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">14: West
Brom: 39: 39.5-41: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">They were a
good solid outfit last season and have already dropped an additional 10 points
from the 21 same games last season. At home they seemed to beat the teams they
shouldn’t and lose to the teams they should, well that’s how the forecast
looks, I can see them getting 6 points at home against Liverpool and Chelsea,
but at the same time can see them getting more points than the zero obtained at
home against stoke, Cardiff and Fulham last season. There is not real
indication either side from the spread set at the bookies so avoiding this one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">15: West
Ham: 39: 36-37.5: Buy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">They wont
get relegated. I think they are too good. They just need the ‘senior’ player to
stop acting like an impetuous 17 year old. You simply can’t have your leader
getting sent off so needlessly. It could be a blessing in disguise as it will
give others a chance, and watching the game at Cardiff they definitely showed a
lot more togetherness than I have seen (away from White Hart Lane of course
where they have had a great amount of joy from this season). To reach the 39
forecasted points they only need to better 4 points from the remaining 8 away
games and 15 from the 27 points available from home games.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">16: Norwich:
42: 36.5-38: Buy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">They have five
very winnable games to come at home, one they could possibly win and three I
can’t see them getting anything from of which last season they gained 17 points.
This included beating Arsenal though and so I think the 17 points is the top
end of what they will achieve from the remaining games. Away from home they
only picked up 5 points from the equivalent 24 points available last season.
With Cardiff, Swansea, Villa, Fulham, West Ham & Southampton on the away
day calendar equally hit and miss they could see them selves getting the
forecast 42 points and more importantly safety.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">17: Fulham:
44: 34.5-36: Buy<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The
remaining fixtures do contain three good results they achieved away from home
last season, 3 points at Spurs, Swansea and West Brom. I don’t see them
achieving three away wins again but there is certainly enough games in their
favour to gain more than the suggested 17 points the bookies are suggesting are
at the top end of what they can achieve in the remainder of the season. I don’t
think the 44 forecast will be achieved in full but they won’t be far off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">18:
Cardiff: 36: 34-35.5: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">It’s been
tough, especially when compared to their neighbours in Swansea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst I have no doubt Ole has a good
understanding of the Premier League they do not look like picking up more
points than the 36 forecasted to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also considering the forecast contains away wins at Spurs, Southampton
and West Brom I think the top end of the points Cardiff will achieve is already
in the numbers. I hope the optimism of the club and the fans remain and that
the forecast is wrong as I like having two teams of the county of Wales in the Premier
League. If you haven’t been to Cardiff to watch sport go, it is home to, what I
think is one of the greatest sporting venues, the millennium stadium and it is
a great host city for most events.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">19: Crystal
Palace: 24: 30.5-32: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">The numbers
say to sell, but realistically they have inherited terrible results from QPR,
albeit that they are worse off season on season than the results they were
skewed by the terrible results early on in the season. Tony Pulis has already
forced through a change in fortunes but I don’t think they have enough quality
or confidence to gain more than another 19ish points I think will be needed to
stay up. It is all well drawing but they need some wins to gain points, and
prevent others from getting those points and converting the draws to wins is
going to be tough. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">20:
Sunderland: 36: 34.5-36: Hold<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I think
they will be on the cusp of relegation with 36 points. The forecast already
includes them picking up 16 points from the 9 home games remaining, only 4 away
from home though. They have some winnable games at home remaining that saw them
drop points in last season, notably Swansea, Palace, Stoke, Southampton and West
Brom, not winning any of the mentioned games. If they stay up it is going to
have to be from home, away from home they have the hardest games to come: Arsenal,
Newcastle, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Man City, only away at
Norwich is a game Gus is planning on taking a lot from. The derby at St James'
could be as crucial in the run in as it was last season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">To Conclude
as at 15<sup>th</sup> January 2014 the bets I would personally consider placing
versus the final league points spead being offered are:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Buy:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Man City @
84, Man Utd @ 70.5, Spurs @ 70, Stoke @ 41, Norwich @ 38, Fulham @ 36, West Ham
@ 37.5<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Sell:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Everton @
67.5, Newcastle @ 53.5<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"><u><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></u></span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><u><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How it
works, The Assumptions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We assume
the previous season’s results as the starting point for the current season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We then
overwrite the previous result with the current seasons result as the game is
played. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The league
table is then adjusted to reflect the forecast finish for each team after 38
games.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each
promoted team inherits the respective relegated team, for the season 2013/14
the changes are as follows. Agreed this is the largest assumption but one would
estimate that the premier league teams should be stronger and so the results of
the teams remaining in the division start with the previous results. Quite
appropriately the promoted sides are the wildcards in the top division for the
first season.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cardiff as
the champions of the Championship inherit the previous seasons results of 18<sup>th</sup>
positioned Wigan<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hull as the
Championship runner up inherit the previous seasons results of 19<sup>th</sup>
positioned Reading<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crystal
Palace as the promoted team via the playoffs inherit the previous seasons
results of bottom of the table QPR<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-68301712162719089972013-11-17T16:44:00.001+00:002013-11-17T16:44:28.060+00:00World Cup Final - Striker Light?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">What happens to the World's leading goalscorers in the World Cup Final?</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<em></em> </div>
<a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/fifa-world-cup.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/fifa-world-cup.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-452" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/fifa-world-cup.jpg" height="317" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/fifa-world-cup.jpg" title="FIFA World Cup" width="490" /></a><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Jurgen Klinsmann, Romario, Bebeto, Roberto Baggio, Miroslav Klose, Oliver Bierhoff, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Del Piero, Francesco Totti, Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Robin van Persie, David Villa, Fernando Torres. All great players, all big names, all prolific scorers.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Between them they have 7</span>7<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> goals in World Cup tournaments.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">All have played in World Cup Finals, all have failed to score.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">For those fans lucky enough to get <a href="http://www.ticketbis.net/world-cup-brazil-2014-final-tickets/ev41702" target="_blank">Brazil 2014 Finals Tickets</a>, the chances are that it's not going to be decided by a striker.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The principal reason for starting this site was to see who the big game players were, and by looking at the ranking of the opponents, we've been able to identify these to an extent. But what of the biggest game of all? When researching the <span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: blue;"><u>Thierry Henry vs Ruud van Nistelrooy comparison</u></span>, I noticed the quality of Forwards on show in France's 1998 and 2006 World Cup Final appearances. Brazil's Ronaldo and Bebeto, France's Thierry Henry and Trezeguet, and Italy's Del Piero, Toni, and Totti. All quality players, yet none made an impact on the scoresheet.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">And it's not just the 1998 and 2006 Finals. The 1986 Final saw goals from Burruchaga and Valdano for the winners Argentina, whilst Voller and Rummenigge did the same for the West Germans in a 3-2 defeat. Since then only one Striker has scored in the biggest game in World Football. Granted, it's only once every four years, but that's still 6 games, 12 teams, and on average two strikers per team - 24 opportunities. Only the great (and real) Ronaldo has managed to break the pattern with his 2 goals in 2002 - and the big story there was redemption from the 1998 Final, where he was anonymous - albeit under strange circumstances.</span><br />
<br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/ronaldo-rivaldo.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/ronaldo-rivaldo.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/ronaldo-rivaldo.jpg" height="401" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/ronaldo-rivaldo.jpg" title="Ronaldo & Rivaldo" width="351" /></a></em><em><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"></span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;">Two great Forwards, only one truly big game Scorer</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">On closer inspection, you could argue that the big game players in those Finals have been the defenders and keepers. On 6 occasions in the 6 World Cup Finals from 1990, there has been clean sheets kept. In fact, the only occasion that the runner ups have scored was in the 2006 Final, when Zidane scored from the spot, before seeing red.</span><br />
</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1990-2010.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1990-2010.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-455" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1990-2010.jpg" height="442" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1990-2010.jpg" title="World Cup Final Scorers 1990-2010" width="441" /></a></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;"><em>Last 6 World Cup Finals</em></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Indeed, the 2010 World Cup Final saw some vital saves from Iker Casillas, whilst the 1998 and 2006 winners, France and Italy, were teams built on strong defensive models. In those 6 World Cups there were five goals for Midfielders, and two each for Defenders and Forwards.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">So why is this the case?</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;">Change in Mentality:</span></span></strong></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">For a start, the games are now a lot tighter. The mentality seems to have changed from the beautiful attacking game, to keeping it tight and building from the back. Although the 1986 Final was a classic, certainly in terms of goals scored, the change in mentality can be traced back to the 1982 World Cup. </span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Most commentators regularly nominate the 1970 Brazil team as the best side of all time, however, there is also a case for the 1982 side. Containing the likes of Zico, Socrates and Falcao, it has been described by many as the best team of all time, and certainly one of the best to watch. However, their lack of silverware coupled with a similar failure for Holland's Total Football team in the 1970s convinced coaches that attractive football didn't win trophies, as described more eloquently <span id="goog_1493600559"></span><a data-mce-href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/897472/rewind-to-1982:-brilliant-brazil's-brush-with-greatness?cc=5739" href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">here</span></a><span id="goog_1493600560"></span> and <a data-mce-href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tim_vickery/06/09/brazil.1982/index.html" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tim_vickery/06/09/brazil.1982/index.html"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">here</span></a>.</span><br />
</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">The average number of goals in the last 6 finals is a miserly 1.5 per game. By way of comparison, the previous 6 finals generated a massive 27 goals, at an average of 4.5 goals per game. </span><br />
</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1966-1986.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1966-1986.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-462" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1966-1986.jpg" height="522" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-final-scorers-1966-1986.jpg" title="World Cup Final Scorers 1966-1986" width="441" /></a></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;"><em>Previous 6 World Cup Finals</em></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Not a clean sheet in sight, which perhaps best illustrates the change in mentality. Of the 27 goals, 16 were scored by the front men. Comparing different era's can never be conclusive due to all of the different factors, but a swing from 4.5 goals per game to 1.5 per game certainly points to a trend.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;"><strong>The Occasion:</strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">There's also the small matter of the Occasion. Whilst the World Cup Final has always been the biggest game in World football, the scale has undoubtedly increased, with the number of teams, the number of viewers and the coverage. The fact that the game is once every 4 years also adds to it. The idea of making a mistake at this level, with the World's eyes on you, and having to wait 4 years to make ammends (see Ronaldo) must undoubtedly play a part. It's also worth noting that most players to play the game don't even get a chance to <a href="http://www.ticketbis.net/world-cup-brazil-2014-tickets/ca2171" target="_blank">experience the World Cup</a>, let alone play in the Final.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">So what of the next biggest games in Football - The European Championship Final and the Copa America Final. After that, you have Champions League Final, though of course this is repeated on an annual basis. So are those finals similarly troublesome for Forwards?</span><br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/european-championships-1988-2008.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/european-championships-1988-2008.jpg"></a></em><br />
<img alt="European Championships 1992-2012" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2152" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/european-championships-1992-20121.jpg" height="470" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/european-championships-1992-20121.jpg" width="440" /></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;">European Championships Finals</span></em></div>
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Well the short answer is no. Of the last 6 European Championships Finals, there's been 8 goals by the forwards. Interstingly enough, Bierhoff, Torres, Wiltord and Trezeguet have all played in a World Cup Final without scoring.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Upon further investigation, the same patterns seen in the change of era and mentality can also be applied to the Euro's when comparing to the 6 prior finals - though not to a same extent. The average number of goals in the last 6 finals is 2.3 compared to 3 goals in the previous 6 finals. There were also only 2 clean sheets in the finals from 1964 to 1984 as opposed to the 4 in the last 6.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Similarly, for the South American equivalent, the Copa America, there's no problem for the Strikers there either. Of the last 6 tournament finals, only the 2001 Final won by Colombia didn't have a goal by a forward. And that Tournament was different due to the stay away stars - after fear of kidnapping. It was the host's Ivan Cordoba (DF) that settled it that year. In the other years? Ronaldo (in two finals), Rivaldo, Adriano, Suarez, Forlan, Edmundo and Delgado were all on the score sheet. As the tournament was previously held every 2 years, even going back to 1993 saw a couple by Garbiel Batistuta. Familiar names, performing on one of the biggest stages, but not the biggest.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">And then there's the Champions League. It doesn't take much investigation to see the impact that forwards have had on the most recent finals - Mandzukic in 2013, Drogba in 2012, Messi, Villa, Pedro and Rooney all scored in 2011, Diego Milito grabbed a brace in 2010, whilst Messi and Eto did the business in 2009, both having scored in two separate finals.</span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">All massive tournaments, but not the big one. Not the best players in the whole world and not the same coverage. The World Cup Final is the pinnacle in the career of any player, and it's only natural that nerves play a part in the biggest occasion of their careers.</span><br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></strong></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-decoration: underline;" style="color: black; text-decoration: underline;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;">Form:</span></strong></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">There's also the matter of player form, both in the Tournament and the proceeding season. The 2010 World Cup Final showcased the talents of Robin van Persie, Fernando Torres, and David Villa, with supporting roles played by Kuyt, Robben and van der Vaart.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/holland-world-cup-final1.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/holland-world-cup-final1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-469" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/holland-world-cup-final1.jpg" height="387" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/holland-world-cup-final1.jpg" title="Dutch Despair" width="273" /></a></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;">Robin van Persie wasn't fully fit going into the tournament</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Looking at the form and fitness leading into the Tournaments, in 2010 Robin van Persie and Fernando Torres were battling for full fitness, and it showed. Since the 2010 Final, van Persie has scored a phenomenal 50 goals in 63 games for Arsenal, whilst Torres had 39 in 70 games for Liverpool before the tournament. Timing can be very important with over coming injuries. Torres for example was injured from April 2010, and endured a miserable World Cup, with no goals in seven games. Similarly, van Persie only scored one goal in the same number of games, whilst not fully fit. </span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">However, Brazil's Ronaldo had missed the best part of 2 years with serious knee injuries going into the 2002 tournament, but crucially, his return to fitness allowed him to play 16 games for Inter, and regain some of his match fitness and sharpness. With that momentum in force, he went on to score 8 goals, and is the only Forward to score in Football's biggest game since 1986.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-player-form1.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-player-form1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-472" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-player-form1.jpg" height="301" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/world-cup-player-form1.jpg" title="World Cup Player Form" width="490" /></a></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;">
<em><span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;">World Cup Final Forwards 2002-2010</span></em></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">In terms of club season, notable efforts include Henry and Toni's 33 goal hauls, Trezeguet's 29 and Villa's 28. Yet despite the great club form, none of them could manage it in the World Cup Final. In terms of tournament form, Klose, Rivaldo and Villa all had impressive totals of 5 goals in their 6 apperances prior to the Final, but yet again, none were able to repeat the recent good form in the Final.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></strong></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;">Summary:</span></strong></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">There isn't a clear conclusion on why Forwards have a poor goal scoring record in recent World Cup Finals. There is the changing dynamics of football tactics, which have certainly contributed to the number of goals scored, but that doesn't explain why Midfielders have still managed to get in on the scoring. Perhaps you can point to the tight marking that Forwards have to endure, whilst they make space for the players running from deep. But then when we've looked at the other big games outside of the World Cup, the pattern hasn't repeated - with Forwards dominating the goal scoring.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">There's the pressure of the biggest spectator event in the World hanging over the players, something that leads them to be terrified to make mistakes, and play safely, and perhaps even within themselves somewhat. With that pressure, there is the need for a strong psychology. It's surely no coincidence that Ronaldo scored in his second World Cup Final appearance (as did Zidane).</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">There's other aspects as well that haven't been covered above - such as how their team mates have performed. Strikers very much rely on the rest of the team to create chances for them. If the rest of the team are also playing it safe, and with the opposition much more defensive (as we've seen), then all the clever running and positioning in the world won't help in front of goal, unless you have the ball.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">So in conclusion, the changing mentality of tactics, the pressure of the event, the luck with injuries and the performances of their team mates, all contribute to a Forwards chances of scoring in the World Cup Final.</span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">And nerve. </span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: left;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;">Look at the major Finals that Brazil's Ronaldo has played in, 1998 World Cup excluded (on medical grounds). He has played and scored in the 2002 World Cup Final, the 1997 and 1999 Copa America Finals, the 1997 Cup Winners Cup Final, and the 1998 UEFA Cup Final. He epitomises the big game mentality that's needed. Similarly, Zinedine Zidane had the same mentality, scoring in two World Cup Finals, and a Champions League Final. It's this ability to perform on the biggest stages that makes them truly great players.</span></div>
</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-6683653541098113092013-10-12T19:36:00.002+01:002013-10-12T19:54:09.334+01:00Player Comparison: Ferdinand & Vidic vs Bruce & Pallister<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">Next up in the Player Comparison series is a slightly different approach - it'll be a comparison of pairs, in this case the two great Manchester United Centre Back Partnerships of the last 25 years. With apologies to 1999's Stam and Johnsen, this is a look at which partnership has been best (statistically) between the 20th Century's Bruce and Pallister, and the 21st Century's Ferdinand and Vidic....</span></em><br />
<br />
<strong>Background</strong><br />
<br />
Steve Bruce was the first to join the club in 1987 after captaining Norwich City to a 5th Place finish in the 1986-87 season. Just short of his 27th birthday, Bruce cost the Manchester Club £800k and made his debut in a 2-1 win over Portsmouth on December 19th. He's been described as the best player never to have been capped by England, joining the likes of Billy Bonds and Julian Dicks (what?).<br />
Gary Pallister joined two seasons later for £2.3m which was then a national record for a defender. Like Bruce, he also helped his club to promotion, but as soon as Middlesbrough headed back down, it was just a matter of time before the England International moved on. Five years Bruce's junior, he signed for United at the age of 24. In the 1992-93 season, the two of them formed the solid foundations at the back that led the club to their first English Title since Matt Busby's team in 1967.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to 2002 and it was Rio Ferdinand breaking transfer records as he became the most expensive British footballer of all time and the most expensive defender in the World, for just short of £30m as he left Leeds United. Aged just 21, he was joining the seven time Premier League Champions following an impressive World Cup.<br />
And finally, Nemanja Vidic joined the Red Devils in the January 2006 transfer window for a bargain £7m from Spartak Moscow. Whilst he was joining the biggest team in the country, they had failed to win the title since 2003.<br />
<br />
<strong>Rules</strong><br />
<br />
I'll only be looking at the games they played together as partnerships, to see which pair performed better. When looking at League Games, and in keeping with the theme of the site, I'll be ranking the opposition by Bottom 6, Middle 8, and Top 6 - to get an idea of how they performed in the big games. The workings are available in the Rules & Workings menu above. <br />
<br />
As they're still playing and will make this post instantly out of date, Ferdinand and Vidic's records are only taken up to the end of 2012-13.<br />
<br />
<strong>Results and Goals Conceded</strong><br />
<br />
And so onto the stats. Want to check a successful defence? Well surely goals conceded per game is the obvious place to start. As partnerships, in all competitions, Bruce and Pallister (Brullister? Pace? Neither?) played a whopping 317 games together, compared to Ferdinand and Vidic's (Ferdic? Vidinand? Okay, I'm sorry), surprisingly low 183. Considering they've been at the club together for close to eight years, that's quite a low number.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK4c001U10hm9dMxITXAnkpIyWKAJcTTBqViI4sqZ4FRT8mVRKq0avC75lsFP3i0cAPPdWF4LBM4MlxlKBdPkq4thxy_LYJFG7WDsjipwrFkgT_wX5CGOf92Xd3Pg4nIuEqIoHJFykMM/s1600/Bruce+&+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Goals+Conceded+Stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdK4c001U10hm9dMxITXAnkpIyWKAJcTTBqViI4sqZ4FRT8mVRKq0avC75lsFP3i0cAPPdWF4LBM4MlxlKBdPkq4thxy_LYJFG7WDsjipwrFkgT_wX5CGOf92Xd3Pg4nIuEqIoHJFykMM/s1600/Bruce+&+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Goals+Conceded+Stats.jpg" /></a></div>
Both partnerships conceded less than a goal per game, with the newer partnership on top with just 0.72 goals conceded per game, to Bruce and Pallister's 0.89. It should be remembered however, that Ferdinand and Vidic only ever played in a title chasing or title winning team. Bruce and Pallister started playing together in 1988-89, finishing 13th, followed by an 11th placed league placing in the following year. The lowest Ferdinand and Vidic finished is 3rd.<br />
<br />
Bruce and Pallister had a decent 57% win rate compared to Ferdinand and Vidic's 70%.<br />
<br />
<strong>Clean Sheets</strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
A straightforward victory for the more recent partnership, albeit with a caveat of the teams they came into. After goals conceded per game, clean sheets are perhaps the most telling statistic for a defence. And both pairs have a very impressive number - the older duo keeping over 100 together compared to Ferdinand and Vidic's 92 in all competitions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeQXn-TqWm2bOn3O14R1LbQzpz4c59RVTt1hBXiqmtwTtQdObt1wAkH_rnMsVCtTwaNubljQvJPkFUt-LoSOwZ2fFnwep3LfO0kGa1iBY1nuLDSVbpIKE-2ouJT8UJ5JKuyn24woNyl0/s1600/Bruce+&+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Clean+Sheets+Stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeQXn-TqWm2bOn3O14R1LbQzpz4c59RVTt1hBXiqmtwTtQdObt1wAkH_rnMsVCtTwaNubljQvJPkFUt-LoSOwZ2fFnwep3LfO0kGa1iBY1nuLDSVbpIKE-2ouJT8UJ5JKuyn24woNyl0/s320/Bruce+&+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Clean+Sheets+Stats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Once again, when taking into account the number of games played, the current Man Utd partnership come out on top, with a clean sheet every 1.99 games in all competitions. It's easy to see why they've won so many league titles, and reached three Champions League Finals in four seasons.<br />
<br />
You can point to the quality of the teams that they played in again, but to counter that, Bruce and Pallister had a shield of Ince and Keane in front of them for two full seasons (1993-95). Compare that to Michael Carrick since 2006 as the predominant holding midfielder, and the current pairing play in a more open team.<br />
<br />
<strong>Big Games</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
As mentioned above, the idea behind the site is to pick out big game players - so how did the two pairs do when separating the better teams. There are notable games to pick out, such as the aforementioned Champions League Finals (no clean sheets for Vidic and Ferdinand), or the 1991 Cup Winners Cup victory against Barcelona (2-1), but it's difficult to quantify which games should be included, so with that in mind, I'll look at the league games. I've kept the Top 6/Middle 8/Bottom 6 split to check the range of opponent, but it's worth noting that Bruce and Pallister played in some league seasons containing more than 20 teams. Where that is the case, the Top 6 and Bottom 6 will remain, but the middle group will increase.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5xO5RkzPWgSiswOBA_MkqcNHIzRjC180CbNU2dCo9ysfH0hT-g4HkF5uIklD_OpjOwx5UMAVOenxAzqXJd9tnrM-OKTyenZxmz05GsNEJKD9AWxPhYs3TQNyR1SblTypAph6FpTzOTg/s1600/Bruce+%2526+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Clean+Sheets+Stats+Premier+League+Only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5xO5RkzPWgSiswOBA_MkqcNHIzRjC180CbNU2dCo9ysfH0hT-g4HkF5uIklD_OpjOwx5UMAVOenxAzqXJd9tnrM-OKTyenZxmz05GsNEJKD9AWxPhYs3TQNyR1SblTypAph6FpTzOTg/s320/Bruce+%2526+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Clean+Sheets+Stats+Premier+League+Only.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
<br />
No surprises here, with a clear win in every field for Ferdinand and Vidic. They let in a miserly 0.7 goals per match in the Premier League, and in the big games, it's close to just one goal per game when they play together. That's not to say that Bruce and Pallister had a poor record, far from it. With only 0.87 goals conceded per game, it was one of the great defences - and it's worth noting that they played almost 100 more games together in the League. <br />
<br />
Ferdinand and Vidic also kept clean sheets more often, with one every 1.97 games, and only 2.2 games against the Top 6 teams - compared to a clean sheet every 3.33 games against the Top 6 for Bruce and Pallister.<br />
<br />
So once again, it's Ferdinand and Vidic on top.<br />
<br />
What's that? What if I looked at the seasons that Bruce and Pallister were in title challenging teams? To level the playing fields you say? Well, if you insist - here's the same stats for the North East duo from 1992 to 1996 (three titles and one final day 2nd place):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTQ54r4VfvM1-tUIe6zQ617XThZLVngncu0xX79Z4GKkIRZQSYTVUeLo1biqs7zxHWzpSnc6T3EXKVssazhUNxDodwxEMgKHadbFGXYW7k_BHoOs21ADJcZYkTFzKqWrleGbvlw36Ixo/s1600/Bruce+&+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Clean+Sheets+Stats+Premier+League+Only+B&P.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTQ54r4VfvM1-tUIe6zQ617XThZLVngncu0xX79Z4GKkIRZQSYTVUeLo1biqs7zxHWzpSnc6T3EXKVssazhUNxDodwxEMgKHadbFGXYW7k_BHoOs21ADJcZYkTFzKqWrleGbvlw36Ixo/s320/Bruce+&+Pallister+vs+Ferdinand+and+Vidic+Clean+Sheets+Stats+Premier+League+Only+B&P.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Well well well. That certainly evens things up. Now, in almost an identical number of games, they're stats are pretty close - with only 0.78 goals conceded per game, and only 2.20 games per clean sheet. However, Ferdinand and Vidic still edge them out in the biggest games - the games that you need to win in order to win the league - against the Top 6 rivals. They've kept 5 more clean sheets than their predecessors - though Bruce and Pallister can point to a lower goals conceded number of 0.97 to 1.03.<br />
<br />
It's still favouring Ferdinand and Vidic, but it's a lot closer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Other big games? Well if I delve into the AverageOpposition.com mega mainframe then by choosing all Finals (excluding Charity/Community shields), Bruce and Pallister have clean sheets in two FA Cup Finals (Palace and Chelsea), the League Cup (Forest), and the Super Cup Final against Red Star Belgrade. Ferdinand and Vidic in response have two clean sheets in Finals - both League Cup (Wigan and Spurs). They each have individual clean sheets, but this is about partnerships - like Riggs and Murtagh, Laurel and Hardy or John and Edward.<br />
<br />
<strong>Other</strong><br />
<br />
Not really a measure of defensive brilliance, but it's worth noting Bruce's value to the team with his whopping 51 goals - some vital in winning trophies (such as that Sheffield Wednesday brace). Pallister (15), Vidic (19) and Ferdinand (8), don't really come close in this regard. All of which helped Bruce in his "Cult Hero" with the fans. In fact, this is an area where Bruce and Pallister definitely have the upper hand, both having ended the long wait for the League Title for the Manchester Giants.<br />
<br />
In terms of opposition, you could argue that the quality of forwards has changed, but it's hard to quantify. For every Klinsmann and 90's Alan Shearer for Bruce and Pallister to face, there's been an Henry or a van Persie for Ferdinand and Vidic.<br />
<br />
<strong>Conclusion</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Normally I find these things end in a draw, and whilst this one is very close, the stats favour Ferdinand and Vidic. Even when looking at the seasons when Bruce and Pallister were in a title challenging team, the stats still favour the latter partnership.<br />
<br />
The Ferdinand-Vidic Partnership wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the success of Bruce and Pallister but they've built on that early Manchester United success to bring it to another level - most notably in Europe. It's also worth noting as mentioned above that the Bruce-Pallister partnership had a shield of Keane and Ince for two seasons.<br />
<br />
I'm well aware that Stats aren't everything, and can indeed be used to prove most arguments, so make of them what you will!<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
<br />
Liam</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-61397692754386459052013-08-29T23:23:00.000+01:002013-08-30T09:51:15.893+01:00Big Games, Lamela and other Fellas - The Premier League Returns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="color: #999999;">The Premier League is back! Not quite with the bang we were hoping, but with plenty of new signings and a set of Sunday Fixtures that may well live up to their 'Super' billing, that looks set to change. I'll have a look at a few of the new faces, and put my neck on the line to suggest where you should put </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cccccc;">your money</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"> </span><a href="http://www.paddypower.com/football/uk-football/premier-league" style="color: blue;" target="_blank">on the latest Premier League odds</a><span style="color: #999999;"> this weekend......</span></i><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><i><br /></i></span>
<i>New Signings</i><br />
And it's with a few of those new signings that we'll start with. At the time of writing, it looks all but confirmed that Erik Lamela will be joining Spurs as a replacement for the Madrid bound Gareth Bale, and whilst there's no doubt that the Welshman will be a huge miss for the North London outfit, the fans should be in for a treat with the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK3N1W0IN24" target="_blank">tricky Argentinian</a>.<br />
<br />
One of the main aims of this site is to attempt to track who are the big game players - by looking at the level of opposition that they score against. Whilst Bale scored a whopping 21 League goals for Spurs last season, to Lamela's 15, it is the incoming player that did it most against the Top 6 teams in the league. Despite Roma finishing 6th, the 21 year old scored five times against Serie A's best to Bale's four in the Premier League. Three goals were scored against Udinese (5th) over the two games, and a brace against third place AC Milan saw the winger/number 10 thrive in high pressure games. And just outside the Top 6 in 7th place was Roma's fierce rivals, Lazio, whom also conceded to Lamela. Chuck in a brace of assists against 2nd placed Napoli and you have proof of a big game temperament indeed.<br />
<br />
Another deeper lying player who joined a London club was Andre Schurrle who somewhat surprisingly started the game away at Man Utd. Whilst he's a good prospect at 22, looking at his scoring performances against the Top teams in the Bundesliga last season (Below is Top 5 as it's an 18 team league), he was quite unlikely to worry the Champions defence.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79N6hTIplg1SRRykckZaLDx0pyTBxaVZEw4Y5wZDm2FFygytr-XZvJrprvCvnfJIrnUsVHeVmZnN3taddtxIqmUUl39UdHHebRtMHvzodtkwdJTuq11kN5ygUtBNpWXOV9JZT3toTlUg/s1600/2012-13+Schurrle+Lamela+Soldado+Negredo+Stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79N6hTIplg1SRRykckZaLDx0pyTBxaVZEw4Y5wZDm2FFygytr-XZvJrprvCvnfJIrnUsVHeVmZnN3taddtxIqmUUl39UdHHebRtMHvzodtkwdJTuq11kN5ygUtBNpWXOV9JZT3toTlUg/s400/2012-13+Schurrle+Lamela+Soldado+Negredo+Stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Two other big name signings to join the Premier League in the summer were Spanish duo Alvaro Negredo and Roberto Soldado. Both had excellent scoring records against the Top Teams in Spain. The new Man City striker Negrado scored 5 goals against the top teams despite Sevilla finishing in 9th, with 4 strikes against Valencia (in a 4-3 win) and a goal against Barcelona. Soldado went one better with 6 goals against the big teams, with Pellegrini's Malaga, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid the victims.<br />
<br />
<i>The Big Games</i><br />
And so onto this weekend's games. Whilst league positions don't really mean an awful lot at this stage of the season, it's fair to say that Liverpool vs Man Utd and Arsenal vs Spurs are massive games - both derbies of sorts.<br />
<br />
So who are the big game players that thrive in these games? Based on last season, Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez scored the most goals against the Top 6 with six strikes each. Unfortunately for Liverpool, the controversial Uruguayan isn't available for this match. But all is not lost. Daniel Sturridge is in great form with 4 goals in 3 appearances this season, and looking at his 2012-13 stats, he managed 3 goals against the Top 6 despite only signing for the Reds in January - with goals against former clubs Chelsea (h) and Man City (a) as well as this weekend's opponents (also away). With that kind of form, <a href="http://www.paddypower.com/football/uk-football/premier-league" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">the 6-1 first goal scorer bet</span></a> looks a decent price and if you're feeling brave, he's at 13-1 to score twice. For those of you that fancy the away team, then RvP is at 4-1 for first or last goal.<br />
<br />
Elsewhere, Gerrard had three goals against the Top 6 last season, one in the corresponding fixture, as well as strikes against City and Spurs, whilst Rooney topped the charts against Top 6 teams in the 2011-12 with 7 goals.<br />
<br />
In the North London derby, Theo Walcott had a decent knack of doing it in the big games. And last season was no different, with goals against United, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Spurs. In fact it was only Man City in the Top 7 that kept him out. At 7-1 for first goal scorer the England winger could make it four seasons in row against Spurs.<br />
<br />
For Spurs, if Lamela isn't available then there isn't a great deal of big game scorers to bet on. Last season, Adebayor only scored 5 league goals, but 3 were against the best teams. He's unlikely to play, as is Bale (4 goals) and their other big game scorer last season was Clint Dempsey (also 4 goals) who has since departed the Premier League. For an outside bet, Jan Vertonghen scored three times against Man Utd and Liverpool. He's available at 22-1 for first scorer or 15/2 at any time. If not, then it's Soldado at 7-1 that may be their best hope.<br />
<br />
Good luck!<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
<br />
Liam</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-28462568040072489672013-04-07T16:44:00.000+01:002013-04-07T16:44:55.420+01:00Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">This isn't a David Bowie tribute (though I am a fan) no, this is a look at the changing landscape of a Premier League football club in terms of playing staff.....</span></em><br />
<br />
Out of part boredom and part curiosity (mainly boredom) I started wondering how much teams have changed over the last 5 years. Why 5 years? Well that seems a reasonable amount of time to expect a player to stay at a club. How to measure it? I could have taken the squad as a whole, but players get loaned out quite reguarly, so decided the best way to monitor the changing team line ups would be to take the match day 18 at the same time of the season across the last five years. In this instance, I've tried to take the end of February/start of March as it allows for January signings to settle in.<br />
<br />
What's it gonna tell us? I started putting the stats together with the prediction that consistency would result in relative success - for example, Wigan wouldn't expect to be winning the league, but staying up each season can be seen as a success, given the resources available. However, I'm writing this before I've analysed the numbers, so we'll see how accurate this hypothesis is.<br />
<br />
<u>Parameters:</u><br />
<ul>
<li>Last 5 seasons from 2009-2013, end Feb/start March</li>
<li>The matchday 16 have been taken into account</li>
<li>Current Premier League Clubs only - includes Football League line ups where applicable</li>
</ul>
<u>Stats:</u><br />
<br />
First up, the team stats. The first measurement is the number of new players in the matchday squad this season:<br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 156px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 3364; mso-width-source: userset; width: 69pt;" width="92"></col>
<col style="width: 48pt;" width="64"></col>
<tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt; width: 69pt;" width="92"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">QPR</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; width: 48pt;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">11</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Aston Villa</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">9</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">West Ham</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">9</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Fulham</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">8</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Norwich</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">8</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Swansea</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">8</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Reading</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">7</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Southampton</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">7</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Newcastle</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">6</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Sunderland</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">6</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Chelsea</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">5</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Everton</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">5</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Stoke</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">5</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Tottenham</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">5</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Arsenal</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">4</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Liverpool</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">4</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Man City</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">4</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Wigan</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">4</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">West Brom</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">2</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black; height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Man Utd</span></td><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><td align="right" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">1</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></colgroup></table>
<br />
The most obvious check would be to look at the team with the most new players in compared to the team with the least. QPR, with 11 new faces in their squad are currently one of the favourites to go down. Aston Villa with the next highest number of new faces are fighting relegation, as are Norwich (8), Reading (7) and Southampton (7). At the other end of the table, Man Utd who are walking to the title, only had one new player in their matchday squad in their 2-0 win over QPR - Robin van Persie, much to the <span style="background-color: white;">sorrow </span>of Arsenal fans, and a player with 8 years of Premier League experience. Up next are West Brom with just two new players (Yacob and Lukaku), a club that have surprised many. On four new players are Top Four chasing Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City - along with a Wigan team that many tipped for relegation, but who are still in the fight.<br />
<br />
So it's easy to point to conclude that the fewer new faces, leads to greater consistency - not a massive revelation. There are of course outliers - West Ham as a newly promoted club also had 9 new face, but are performing relatively well in their first season back. Swansea, in the notorious difficult second season, have made 8 changes as Michael Laudrup looked to put his own stamp on the team. And it's worked a treat as they're comfortably in the Top half and have a League Cup trophy for good measure. One of the 8 include <span style="background-color: white;">Starman </span>Michu, who's scored 17 league goals at the time of writing.<br />
<br />
So what about longevity? Well it's a similar tale. When looking at the players in the match day squad five seasons ago compared to the same weekend this season, it'll surprise precisely no one that it's the same two teams at either end. Man Utd had a whopping 10 players in their matchday squad against Newcastle five years aga, and that's excluding Paul Scholes. Impressive stuff. QPR on the other hand have just one player left from their game against Barnsley in 2009 - 3rd choice goalkeeper Radek Cerny. Norwich City have just one player from five years ago, which is understandable when you consider that their last five years includes a spell in League One - Irish playmaker Wes Hoolahan. Also on one player from five seasons ago are Sunderland - currently one point above relegation at the time of writing.<br />
<br />
Behind Man Utd with the most players still active are Chelsea, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea and Arsenal - all with at least 6 players still at the club today. All of which are enjoying decent seasons, with perhaps the exclusion of Newcastle who are currently <span style="background-color: white;">under pressure</span>.<br />
<br />
Each team had at least five players from 2011, and Fulham had the lowest with 9 from last season.<br />
<br />
In terms of player consistency, somewhat surprisingly there's only 17 players that have been in the starting line up of the same team over the 5 seasons. It's not a perfect measurement of consistency as players can be injured or rested before Champions League games but it's still an impressive achievement. Less surprising are the names of some of them. Frank Lampard may have been in and out of <span style="background-color: white;">fashion</span> with different managers, but makes the list despite being in his <span style="background-color: white;">golden years</span>. As does the not so <span style="background-color: white;">young American</span> Tim Howard - forging a good career at Everton after not making the grade at Man Utd, which leads neatly onto another player that left Old Trafford for first team football - Ryan "he's not that sort of player" Shawcross. Leighton Baines joins his goalkeeper in the list as do fellow Merseyside <span style="background-color: white;">heroes</span> Jamie Carragher and Pepe Reina. <br />
<br />
Perhaps more impressively is the fact that there's several players that have gone through the leagues and are still in the team every season. Swansea's Dyer, Williams and Rangel underline why the club have that unusual quality of an easily identifiable playing style/culture. Southampton's Lallana has the claim to <span style="background-color: white;">fame</span> of playing across 3 divisions, Reading have Jimmy Kebe and Newcastle have Argentinian pair Sideshow Coloccini and Gutierrez - all having played in the Championship. Making up the list are Schwarzer, Figueroa, Zabaleta and Evra (three more full backs along with Baines and Rangel). Interestingly, there's no strikers in the list.<br />
<br />
The interactive table below allows you to look at the Match Day squads for each current Premier League Teams going back the last five seasons.<br />
<script src="http://public.tableausoftware.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
<div class="tableauPlaceholder" style="height: 629px; width: 654px;">
<noscript><a href="#"><img alt="5 Seasons of Team Line Ups " src="http://public.tableausoftware.com/static/images/Ch/Changes/Dashboard1/1_rss.png" style="border: none" /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" height="629" style="display: none;" width="654"><param name="host_url" value="http%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableausoftware.com%2F" /><param name="site_root" value="" /><param name="name" value="Changes/Dashboard1" /><param name="tabs" value="no" /><param name="toolbar" value="yes" /><param name="static_image" value="http://public.tableausoftware.com/static/images/Ch/Changes/Dashboard1/1.png" /><param name="animate_transition" value="yes" /><param name="display_static_image" value="yes" /><param name="display_spinner" value="yes" /><param name="display_overlay" value="yes" /><param name="display_count" value="yes" /></object></div>
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<a href="http://www.tableausoftware.com/public/about-tableau-products?ref=http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/Changes/Dashboard1" target="_blank">Learn About Tableau</a></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
And for those of you that ended up on this page whilst searching for David Bowie, I've included 9 of his song titles, but sadly couldn't work in Modern Love, China Girl, or Space Oddity.</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-90496246925278623052013-03-05T00:02:00.001+00:002013-03-05T00:04:06.155+00:00The Bale Effect - One Man Team?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">There's been plenty written about Gareth Bale of late, and rightly so - he's currently the form player in the Premier League and his goals have been worth 17 points for Spurs this season. But what about the rest of the teams? And what happens when you take each of the main points winners out of each team?</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #999999;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;">It's been mentioned a lot that if you took Gareth Bale's goals away from Spurs, they'd be 17 points worse off and down to 37 points. That would leave them in 10th Position, and closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places. Sound logic? No, not really - the only fare comparison would be if you levelled the playing field and took every team's top points scorer out to see what happens.</span><br />
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First and Foremost, the calculations: Using Gareth Bale (why not) as an example:<br />
<br />
West Ham 2 Carroll, Cole<br />
Spurs 3 Bale 2, Sigurdsson<br />
<br />
Remove Bale's goals and it becomes West Ham 2-1 Spurs. This means they're down 3 points. Simple enough. If you were to remove one goal from a 1-0 win, then they lose 2 points as they would have still won a point for a draw. It's not an exact science as you don't play with 10 men and someone would replace them, but it's a good guide.<br />
<br />
So on that basis, I've taken the top points scorers based on goals for each team in the Premier League and measured their impact on the team's position if all of them were removed:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgUDAC7au5Vegdn-CvJxgNnxn0ghpfZaYuM_01_eM8t4My2ENnvl9_FDfepKugShoMBC4G_xXWYDbvCPur-Rp60RoKmfFymwDGWeWz9ze6BQsqbxXb_7b3U4qxM764swpDDT0dnHD83Y/s1600/Bale+Effect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgUDAC7au5Vegdn-CvJxgNnxn0ghpfZaYuM_01_eM8t4My2ENnvl9_FDfepKugShoMBC4G_xXWYDbvCPur-Rp60RoKmfFymwDGWeWz9ze6BQsqbxXb_7b3U4qxM764swpDDT0dnHD83Y/s400/Bale+Effect.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well that settles it! Whilst Bale is the difference between Spurs being in the magical top 4 positions or not, then he has been the difference. If for example you took him and Santi Cazorla out of their respected clubs then it's Spurs that would feel the pinch more than their North London rivals, who would actually go up a position. What does this mean? Well the teams that have risen up the table can point to less reliance on one particular player. Those in red that have fallen, are too reliant on just one star player.<br />
<br />
Man Utd's Robin van Persie may be the highest points scorer, but United would still be top if his goals were removed. In fact, the two teams most reliant on their top points scorer in this measure are Sunderland (Fletcher) and Fulham (Berbatov). Both would fall three positions.<br />
<br />
What else? <br />
<br />
Well going back to that West Ham vs Spurs game, and at 2-1 to West Ham, Joe Cole played Matt Taylor clean through for a one on one opportunity against Hugo Lloris. The keeper was off his line in a split second and pulled off a great save. At 3-1 with 20 minutes left, it's unlikely Spurs would have won, regardless of Bale's second goal. This measure doesn't track the impact of these incidents, so is admittedly slightly flawed, but that hasn't stopped people from doing it anyway!</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-90774207565571891082013-02-25T00:10:00.001+00:002013-02-25T00:10:39.836+00:00Kevin Keegan - A Case for the Defence?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">Throughout his managerial career, Kevin Keegan was widely regarded to be a passionate, great man manager, and motivator but never good defensively. The lasting opinion of Keegan's teams is that they'd try and outscore the opposition, without much regard for defending. I thought I'd review that and see if King Kev has been a bit hard done by......</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #999999;"></span></em><br />
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.ie/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=svLepfiVwqxXbM&tbnid=eQH50ZJCxdHWQM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymail.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Farticle-1111145%2FIts-early-Fergies-mind-games-Benitez-dodges-United-boss-trap.html&ei=7FIlUb_nD8eThgfKw4Fg&bvm=bv.42661473,d.ZG4&psig=AFQjCNFyJw9nnqp55PlLuU6ekVGRP4Sg7Q&ust=1361486926563767" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="320" id="irc_mi" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/09/article-0-00EECE9700000191-841_306x423.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="231" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="color: #cccccc;">I'd love it if people took my defensive record seriously.....love it!</span></em></div>
<em><span style="color: #999999;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;">A slightly different feature this time, in the sense that it's not about a Big Game Player or Flat Track Bully, but instead looking to try and prove or disprove one of football's longstanding assumptions - much like <a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/03/the-myth-of-maradona.html" target="_blank">Maradona being a one man team</a>. This time it's the turn of everyone's favourite Geordie Kevin Keegan and his defensive skills. </span><br />
<br />
From his appointment as Newcastle United Manager in February 1992, Keegan has overseen over 500 club games, winning over half of them. A great record, especially when looking a bit deeper. Most will point to the 12 point lead that he lost with Newcastle in the 95-96 season but that would be doing the man a disservice. Promotions with three different teams from the old First Division (twice) and Division Two, as well as finshing 3rd in the Premier League with a promoted team before pushing Man Utd to the last day of the season in 1995-96. In fact, his perfUormance as a manager is severely under rated, and more eloquently highlighted <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2007/oct/31/1" target="_blank">here</a>. So surely with three promotions and several Premier League top half finishes, his defensive record can't be that bad?<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Stats</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
So without further ado, a look at the statistics. The best way to measure defensive capability is surely clean sheets and goals conceded, so with that in mind, below are the relevant statistics for Keegan's teams in League Competition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgycBlpDS4Wuh4LRycwGced4sFXWeL4FlRpuEwruXzKtLG4obKrZz25uzURjiGfElRM6ABW7BTm5NNaHRgvi0wXUAKgWcBlrXExT0scOn0SeDTRdaOTtDyuyzC1zyx3wc-Ly4BlbAGZ0/s1600/Keegan+League+Defensive+Stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgycBlpDS4Wuh4LRycwGced4sFXWeL4FlRpuEwruXzKtLG4obKrZz25uzURjiGfElRM6ABW7BTm5NNaHRgvi0wXUAKgWcBlrXExT0scOn0SeDTRdaOTtDyuyzC1zyx3wc-Ly4BlbAGZ0/s400/Keegan+League+Defensive+Stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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An overall record of a clean sheet every three league games certainly points to a good defensive performance. When you take into account that the 1991-92 season was with a team fighting relegation to the third tier of English football, and that the 1993-94 and 2002-03 seasons were as a promoted team in the Premier League, then the record is even more impressive. Unsurprisingly, the promtion campaigns saw the highest number of clean sheets with 18, 24 and 16 for Newcastle, Fulham and Man City respectively, but there were also double figures in four full Premier League seasons. </div>
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The 1995-96 season was his closest to winning the Premier League title, and was also his best defensively, with 13 clean sheets in 38 games. When looking at this season's Premier League, only Liverpool and Man City are on track to beat that. Current run away league leaders Man Utd are on course to finish with 10 clean sheets this league season (7 after 26 games).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOh267iDSAqIhjmAE7_Uqgz1_E_88ap0P-6Qw239Ix4nwI2U3H8fnLW3q8kihsm1Jzi20bDgtAxnv053dEaaXRgDY1LkZ7Z51WPt3XYjfYSDvuJIWk2iGj77mqREbbtw8OIoagI1JtU0/s1600/Keegan+League+Defensive+Stats+Summary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOh267iDSAqIhjmAE7_Uqgz1_E_88ap0P-6Qw239Ix4nwI2U3H8fnLW3q8kihsm1Jzi20bDgtAxnv053dEaaXRgDY1LkZ7Z51WPt3XYjfYSDvuJIWk2iGj77mqREbbtw8OIoagI1JtU0/s400/Keegan+League+Defensive+Stats+Summary.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's a similar story with the goals conceded. Of course with Fulham in Division Two he had his best record with 0.7 goals conceded per game. It should be pointed out that he had a bigger budget than most of the other clubs in the Division, but that's not always enough. Looking at his time with Newcastle, he had an overall recored of conceding 1.07 goals per game over 224 matches. A phenomenal record which gets even better if you look just at his first Premier League spell with Newcastle - 147 goals conceded in 143 games (1.03 goals per game). Looking at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League_records_and_statistics#All-time_FA_Premier_League_Table" target="_blank">all time Premier League Table</a>, only 4 teams can better that - Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. </div>
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<em>Peer Comparison</em></div>
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So we've seen that Keegan's best Premier League season would be the third best in terms of Clean Sheets in this season's competition, and the goals conceded rate of 0.97 per game would be the second best based on current defensive stats at the moment. So how does he compare to his peers?</div>
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Well the first thing is to identify relevant Managers. The main one that jumps out is Harry Redknapp - another English manager that's managed in the lower leagues like Keegan, has won promotion to the Premier League and who also has several top 5 finishes in common with him. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcRILhHMSEFGQS4elVl3aEpila0_Nd_ZfFw-LAYcEY30uOmWdv-zXKmP8hXuafQjcyOvKQkIKU-64xgcl-m-bJ1-IZC9FSPk-zj0okYXRpFEmU6u21L-mdhyphenhyphenOqlUG95x_Jk95cgW5jOk/s1600/Harry+Redknapp+League+Defensive+Stats+Summary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcRILhHMSEFGQS4elVl3aEpila0_Nd_ZfFw-LAYcEY30uOmWdv-zXKmP8hXuafQjcyOvKQkIKU-64xgcl-m-bJ1-IZC9FSPk-zj0okYXRpFEmU6u21L-mdhyphenhyphenOqlUG95x_Jk95cgW5jOk/s320/Harry+Redknapp+League+Defensive+Stats+Summary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Redknapp has more clean sheets than Keegan with 202, but that was achieved over 677 league games, compared to Keegan's 141 in 421. Redknapp's rate of a clean sheet every 3.35 games is poorer than Keegan's and in fact, when looking at Redknapp's overall defensive record, he trails Keegan in each one - conceding on average 1.26 goals per game (to Keegan's 1.10). Keegan has a superior record in the Football League as well as the Premier League. Harry's most successful time was with Spurs where he kept a clean sheet every 3.06 games, and conceded an average of 1.12 per game - inferior to Keegan's time at Newcastle. A clear win for Keegan here.</div>
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Who else? Other managers that were around in Keegan's time include
Dalglish, Souness, and Allardyce - all British managers, and all Newcastle
manager at some point, but all without the tag of being defensively weak.
Dalglish had a record of 0.93 goals conceded per game in Blackburn's title
winning season, compared to 1.05 at Liverpool last season - more than Keegan's
Premier record with Newcastle. Dalglish's one full season with Newcastle saw an
average of 1.16 conceded per game. Souness conceded 1.35 goals per game at
Newcastle whilst Sam Allardyce's short reign saw them conceded 1.57 goals per
game - although his best season at Bolton saw just 1.08 conceded per game in
2005/06 as he led Bolton to 8th.</div>
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</div>
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<em>Improvement</em></div>
<br />
One last quick measure would be to look at his impact on each team he's
taken over, compared to his predecessor. Now it should be pointed out that if a
new manager has been appointed, it's likely that the old manager wasn't doing
particularly well, so I'll look at the successor's record as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DvIvWcKDCFCQeYi8x4jFxggKqTaIid0pdI3cSavgimmprbhg1p5MgPAeT3utU8Oq1mARRR6kNWjNCRrgvXq-WKZan4s7wENpF4QK4wY-LGvyuDTHjA1a2WXrkvyR6eoofpTqTYk13Ac/s1600/Keegan+League+Defensive+Stats+-+Successors+and+Predecessors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DvIvWcKDCFCQeYi8x4jFxggKqTaIid0pdI3cSavgimmprbhg1p5MgPAeT3utU8Oq1mARRR6kNWjNCRrgvXq-WKZan4s7wENpF4QK4wY-LGvyuDTHjA1a2WXrkvyR6eoofpTqTYk13Ac/s320/Keegan+League+Defensive+Stats+-+Successors+and+Predecessors.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
The only manager that has a better record was Stuart Pearce who took over
for the last nine games of the 2004-05 season. Pearce followed that up with
1.26 conceded per game in his first full season. The Fulham stat is a little
harsh on Paul Bracewell as Keegan had just got them promoted to Division One. I
haven't included the last spell at Newcastle, but that ended in relegation, so
it's fair to say they were better defensively under Keegan.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Conclusion</u></strong><br />
<br />
A clean sheet total of 141 and a record of one every three games would
suggest that Keegan was not the defensively naive manager he's made out to be.
Conceding less than a goal a game in four different seasons would also back
this up. He compares favourably to his peers, and defensively, he improved
every team he managed. There's no real debate - Keegan's defensive record is
very good, it's just the perception of it that's poor.<br />
</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-79262859972005416482013-02-14T00:21:00.003+00:002013-02-14T10:02:32.883+00:00Player Comparison: Ferdinand vs Terry vs Carragher<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><em><span style="color: #999999;">On the back of Jamie Carragher's retirement announcement last week, I thought I'd revisit the Ferdinand vs Terry player Comparison, and see how the Liverpool hero compares to his peers:</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #999999;"></span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvsrCpDqyThZoougiond-ZA85T4hBCrxQ2o_AOUVNBo8vqTxRRkn8rlRmzKDHPsH7y8MwN2r3nmoETLHMP7VQ7I8F7smMqQwVAKYUFwKeBBw4hLJOJ7QvMHSDj0vn8Zqwvvg-eOu2Mqc/s1600/Rio+Jamie+and+John.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvsrCpDqyThZoougiond-ZA85T4hBCrxQ2o_AOUVNBo8vqTxRRkn8rlRmzKDHPsH7y8MwN2r3nmoETLHMP7VQ7I8F7smMqQwVAKYUFwKeBBw4hLJOJ7QvMHSDj0vn8Zqwvvg-eOu2Mqc/s320/Rio+Jamie+and+John.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="color: black;">At the time of writing, Jamie Carragher has played 724 games for the Anfield Giants, and if you were to ask most fans of Liverpool who they'd have rather had in their team out of him, Ferdinand, and Terry they'd say Carragher, and most wouldn't even give it a second's thought. Certainly the Liverpool fans I know at least. </span><br />
<br />
So statistically, how did he compare? When looking at the Ferdinand vs Terry defensive stats, there wasn't much in it - Terry was more likely to keep a clean sheet, but Ferdinand was more likely to do it against better opposition. Comparing Carragher to the two multiple title winning defenders isn't going to be completely fair given the quality of the teams the other two have played with - certainly the final league positions, but I thought it might be interesting nonetheless. This will be a shorter one that usual as most two thirds have been covered <a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/12/player-comparison-rio-ferdinand-vs-john.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
<br />
<strong><u>Premier League</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
First up is the simple clean sheets against appearances. Terry leads the way in both the number of clean sheets (159) and the rate of clean sheets with one every 1.96. Unsurprisingly Ferdinand has the next best rate as you'd expect from five title winning seasons. However, when looking at Carragher, he actually kept more clean sheets than Ferdinand with 144, and like John Terry, has managed to keep over twenty clean sheets on more than three seasons - a phenomenal achievement.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjoPWSRLDhyGPh4M90evi-G0o_GdYRKovrG3dSc2x7xQcL9YXrr_fh6kwKpD-jlcLuTr5MYksa2_v9G2J1gbaIEQ3Cb-1tHb3eVr7w7-FfV2Hfu9VONciUMJ1Cok04RazXhonycjA_iI/s1600/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjoPWSRLDhyGPh4M90evi-G0o_GdYRKovrG3dSc2x7xQcL9YXrr_fh6kwKpD-jlcLuTr5MYksa2_v9G2J1gbaIEQ3Cb-1tHb3eVr7w7-FfV2Hfu9VONciUMJ1Cok04RazXhonycjA_iI/s400/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>And like Terry, Carragher kept at least ten clean sheets eight of the last ten seasons, compared to Ferdinands. Take into account Liverpool's average league ranking was 4.7 in that time - with a low of 8th last season. Ferdinand's Man Utd have an average ranking of 1.6 in the same ten year period, and Terry's Chelsea is 2.4. <br />
<br />
Moving on to the range of opposition, this looks at clean sheets kept against the Bottom 6, Middle 8 and Top 6 teams:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT_8yeMNHjhUZE7lknD2xTyNXl4Q8RDd-eIOTtFb6nwkB8sd6fHY8IfJx8_CpRT71JtkWD-t60wNwWExw16_n0KU1yKpRGPAbg6NJKDiXPgjSrWXP2Y9j-yubjsygSUPK_W2buTyQuFM/s1600/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+by+Range.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT_8yeMNHjhUZE7lknD2xTyNXl4Q8RDd-eIOTtFb6nwkB8sd6fHY8IfJx8_CpRT71JtkWD-t60wNwWExw16_n0KU1yKpRGPAbg6NJKDiXPgjSrWXP2Y9j-yubjsygSUPK_W2buTyQuFM/s400/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+by+Range.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ferdinand leads the way with the rate of clean sheets against the Top 6 teams in the Premier League with one every 2.44 games, compared to Terry's 2.61 and Carragher's 3.13, though the Liverpool man has achieved two more clean sheets against the Top 6 teams than his Chelsea conterpart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So whilst Carragher is behind his peers in the games per clean sheet rate, his 2.26 is certainly impressive, although the rate against the Top 6 isn't quite on the same level as the other two - reflected in Liverpool's league positions in the ten years.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's a similar story on the goals conceded table:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGP1KGjWEMmEjU7SrpwLacbcQ4CXa98uTiy7vlmK0nabdhc64tlAe94ylWX7URYk-nvaudru1p6Z6IW82LkuaKJ4Co4evSgg3ZPpwLGATfYXcmiOQVL5iOMs6-S4O-ZtH4cbTQgfNn6U/s1600/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+by+Range+Conceded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGP1KGjWEMmEjU7SrpwLacbcQ4CXa98uTiy7vlmK0nabdhc64tlAe94ylWX7URYk-nvaudru1p6Z6IW82LkuaKJ4Co4evSgg3ZPpwLGATfYXcmiOQVL5iOMs6-S4O-ZtH4cbTQgfNn6U/s320/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+by+Range+Conceded.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All three have conceded less than a goal a game over the ten years, though the rate drops when taking into account the Top 6 opponents for all three players. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><u>Champions League</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For new readers, the main aim of this site is to identify the Big Game players, and keeping with that theme, the biggest games in club football are in the European Champions League.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Onto the stats - All three players have won the Champions League Trophy and all have suffered defeat in the final. So how do they compare in the big tournament:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Clean Sheets</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiR8wWr07RdAKuSsfaVjbJFLT41viPydAAxyronJs6dI-d6zR35Hlk-JdO6pJrTusQv0yrJCCICK2RTAgxvo2vxSSS0EUwZVYsyqEqJ69nTJU9EKxNoxdyzyj_y-4RCjHIyFVhxwpz_Vg/s1600/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+Champions+League+Clean+Sheets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiR8wWr07RdAKuSsfaVjbJFLT41viPydAAxyronJs6dI-d6zR35Hlk-JdO6pJrTusQv0yrJCCICK2RTAgxvo2vxSSS0EUwZVYsyqEqJ69nTJU9EKxNoxdyzyj_y-4RCjHIyFVhxwpz_Vg/s320/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+Champions+League+Clean+Sheets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em>Conceded</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJE1zRHH8_s0MNX1kLJbeDoUVmDWLj4_ZRm8dYNfghayaL-eu46U4EbZ7XW6FRajqsHp9DkYlKRFP7r4q0axq0Ld4r3OHKKXjE9714tdaKFmP41jNseffDCXqmbJfhQkcBmkW0zKe6Tx0/s1600/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+Champions+League+Conceded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJE1zRHH8_s0MNX1kLJbeDoUVmDWLj4_ZRm8dYNfghayaL-eu46U4EbZ7XW6FRajqsHp9DkYlKRFP7r4q0axq0Ld4r3OHKKXjE9714tdaKFmP41jNseffDCXqmbJfhQkcBmkW0zKe6Tx0/s320/Ferdinand+vs+Terry+vs+Carragher+Champions+League+Conceded.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Carragher has played in 10 qualifying games - keeping 6 clean sheets, and conceding just 4 goals as Liverpool safely made it through in the five seasons needed. Moving onto the group stage, where the games are lower pressure and the opponents are in general weaker, Carragher has a decent 16 clean sheets in 36 games - a lower rate than Ferdinand and Carragher, but still a decent return. The big games however can be measured in the knock out games.<br />
<br />
Whilst Ferdinand is the clear winner with a clean sheet every two games in the knock out stages of the Champions League, Carragher actually has a much better record than his Chelsea rival - keeping a very decent clean sheet for every 2.77 games, compared to Terry's 3.4 games. In terms of goals conceded, once again it's Ferdinand that has the lowest number per game, whilst Carragher's is just worse than Terry's with 1.1 each (1.07 to 1.12).<br />
<br />
So on the big European Stage, Ferdinand is king, but Carragher out performs Terry in terms of clean sheets.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Other</u></strong><br />
<br />
On the Ferdinand vs Terry piece, I looked at Goals scored as a measure. I think it's fair to say that's probably not necessary for Carragher!<br />
<br />
However, another measure was the defensive stats in domestic cup finals - another measure of big game players. Whilst Ferdinand has three clean sheets for five domestic cup finals to Terry's two in seven, Carragher's appearances have seen one clean sheet (against Man United) in the League Cup and the 2006 FA Cup Final saw im concede three goals against West Ham (one of which he scored). He does of course have winners medals for the 2001 FA Cup and League Cups as part of their Cup treble - none of which contained clean sheets.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>Conclusion</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
I'll leave this one up to the reader. The stats of course only tell half the story but they're interesting nonetheless. Many would argue that Carragher's best game for the club was in the 2005 Champions League Final - but statistically, they let in three goals. <br />
<br />
All three have been outstanding for their clubs in the 10 year period from 2002-03 to 2011-12, and it's unlikely the fans of each club would swap for another. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div>Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-33702164219214231722013-02-07T15:56:00.000+00:002013-02-07T16:18:50.623+00:00Top 50 Big Game Scorers - Some Findings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #666666;">Based on the large amount of feedback from the </span></em><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/feb/06/best-big-game-goalscorer-football-history"><em><span style="color: #666666;">Guardian Football link</span></em></a><em><span style="color: #666666;"> to the <a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-20-11.html">Top 50 Big Game Scorers</a> piece, I thought I'd add a bit more detail to answer some of the questions raised in the comments:</span></em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNiUCMc5yZNqC7RVHtr431btY6ygQBaD1sZ9k61cpT9ga17wMvpHR7kflzposz1uIULc6acACpio771C9H3Eoi4pbFRPdPM-YW3V-N16X0d66yfPXEHYoLTU1NQEE1BXsQmsplYc7QwQ/s1600/Gerd+Muller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNiUCMc5yZNqC7RVHtr431btY6ygQBaD1sZ9k61cpT9ga17wMvpHR7kflzposz1uIULc6acACpio771C9H3Eoi4pbFRPdPM-YW3V-N16X0d66yfPXEHYoLTU1NQEE1BXsQmsplYc7QwQ/s1600/Gerd+Muller.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">In terms of rankings, I've added an interactive table at the bottom of the post including the Top 200 - so filter on whatever you think is relevant for what you want to find out - whether that be club goals only, or just English Players, or even the decades - the tool can give a bit more detail.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="color: black;">Where's Maradona? (and others)</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Maradona doesn't feature in the Top 50 Big Game Scorers list due to not scoring in the biggest games as regularly as others. That's not to say he's not one of the greatest players of all time, because only a fool would argue that. I'm just saying that based on major Global, European and South American Tournaments, Maradona scored just three goals in the Semi Final or Final stages - pretty low for the man many consider to be the greatest of all time. Given his club and national team goal scoring record, it's quite surprising - he has 311 in 589 club games and 34 in 91 for his country. That's a prolific strike rate for anyone - so for a man considered greatest of all time, and who has played in four World Cups, and Three Copa Americas, you'd expect more than just two Semi Final goals (in the same match 1986). </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">That's two World Cup Finals (1986 & 1990), a Semi Final (1990), and a Copa America Semi (1987) - without him scoring. In fact, he didn't score once in the 1990 World Cup. It's obvious that he was more than just goals - his </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is1CxzEAxoI"><span style="color: black;">assists</span></a><span style="color: black;"> tell you that, but for a prolific scorer, his strike rate wasn't carried into the biggest games. His other big game goal was a penalty in the UEFA Cup Final of 1989.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Andres Iniesta</strong> - 3 goals/9 points - <em>World Cup Final (2012), Champions League Semi Final (2009 & 2012)</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Didier Drogba</strong> - 4 goals/9 points - <em>Champions League Final (2012), Champions League Semi Final (2 x 2008, 2012)</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Andriy Shevchenko</strong> - 4 goals/8 points - <em>Champions League Semi Final (2 x 1999, 2003, 2005)</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Steven Gerrard</strong> - 2 goals/5 points - <em>Champions League Final (2005), UEFA Cup Final (2001)</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Frank Lampard</strong> - 3 goals/7 points - <em>Champions League Final (2008), Champions League Semi Final (2004, 2008)</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Rivaldo</strong> - 3 goals/11 points - <em>Copa America Final (1999), Copa America Semi Final (2 x 1999)</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Carlos Tevez</strong> - 6 goals/11.5 points - <em>Copa Libertadores Final (2003) Copa Libertadores Semi Final (3 x 2003, 2 x 2004)</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Lothar Matthaus</strong> - 5 goals/11 points - <em>UEFA Cup Final (1980, 1981), European Cup Semi Final (2 x 1987, 1989)</em></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Luis Suarez</strong> - 3 goals/11 points - <em>Copa America Final (2011), Copa America Semi Final (2 x 2011)</em></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Lineker and Klose have just one entry each - World Cup Semi Final in 1990 and Euro 2008 Semi Final respectively.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Steven Gerrard for example, is known for stepping up at important times, but the 2006 FA Cup Final goal for example is a domestic cup and although very prestigious, not included in the biggest games in World Football. Similarly, the goal in the Champions League to get Liverpool to the next round against Olympiakos, was a group game match. Similarly, a hat trick in the Merseyside Derby is undoubtedly showing a big game temperament, but this list is for the very biggest games in World Football.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I can confirm that Roger Milla did not feature.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="color: black;">Appearances and Assists</span></u></strong><br />
<strong><u><span style="color: black;"></span></u></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">Some interesting points were made on the opportunities that the players had. In this choice of games, George Best for example only had the one game that he could have scored in - the 1968 European Cup Final, in which he showed his Big Game pedigree by scoring 2 goals. Alternatively, Thierry Henry has played in the following Finals without scoring: World Cup 2006, Euro 2000, UEFA Cup 2000, Champions League 2006, 2009. Also the Semi Final stages of all of the above only brought one goal - in the UEFA Cup Semi Final against Lens.A footballing great without doubt, but not on the biggest stages.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">So on that front, the opportunities to join the list are worth noting, but unfortunately the line up data for all of the tournaments going back to 1950 aren't available, so had to be omitted.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">And the same can be said of assists. Although I mention Maradona's lack of goals in the World Cup Finals, he did create the winning goal for Burruchaga in 1986 with a sensational pass that split the West Germany defence and left the striker clean through. However, the assist information is not widely available for all of the big games from 1950, so unfortunately they had to be left out. That's why the article was specifically called Big Game Scorer rather than Player.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="color: black;">Weighting of Goals</span></u></strong><br />
<strong><u><span style="color: black;"></span></u></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">Also another valid point is the weighting of goals. Should Fernando Torres' two European Championship Final goals be worth the same weight? The 2008 goal was the winning goal in a 1-0 win, compared to the 2012 goal which was the third in a 4-0 win. However, given the scale of the project, this just wasn't possible. Plus there's the further issue of weighting, when the games themselves have already been weighted.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<strong><u><span style="color: black;">Top 200<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(and 10)</span></span></u></strong><br />
<u></u><br />
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Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-13951675469585248822013-01-29T22:54:00.001+00:002013-01-29T22:54:32.329+00:00Player Comparison: Wayne Rooney vs Michael Owen for England<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">Next up in the Player Comparison series is a quick look at the goalscoring performances for the national team, of the 4th and 5th most prolific England strikers of all time, current England Star Wayne Rooney, and former England striker Michael Owen. Who has performed better for the National Team, and who's been the better performer in the big games? Read on to find out.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #999999;"></span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;">In February 1998, Michael Owen made his international debut, becoming the youngest England player of the 20th century, aged just 18 years old and 59 days. Fast forward 5 years to February 2003, and Wayne Rooney was starting out even younger at 17 years and 111 days. Both tasted defeat in the friendlies versus Chile and Australia respectively, but both would go on to enter the Top 5 goal scorers in England History.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5nI4IfshoKzFFSy5HTEm8XwEvKpqhtmWrZY3FFiOpdjuPmklMZcyKDe9Oe8Ppl18D9ATc6VAsR2kYUhQHXjRKhuu75v2sDjMKPl7yfiHWEnQKhMvaI1nM9jxSa4feMzzmRZgTD7ZhYg/s1600/Rooney+and+Owen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5nI4IfshoKzFFSy5HTEm8XwEvKpqhtmWrZY3FFiOpdjuPmklMZcyKDe9Oe8Ppl18D9ATc6VAsR2kYUhQHXjRKhuu75v2sDjMKPl7yfiHWEnQKhMvaI1nM9jxSa4feMzzmRZgTD7ZhYg/s1600/Rooney+and+Owen.jpg" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">"At least I'm taller than you"</span></em></div>
<br />
<strong><u>Rules:</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
For this comparison, it'll strictly be International goals. I'll look at Competitive vs Friendly, with a look at knockout stages as a gauge for the Biggest Games. In terms of the usual Average Opposition treatment, the average rank of the opponent per goal will be based on the official FIFA World Rankings (I know they're sometimes flawed, but offer a decent guide). As well as that, there's also the ranges as so:<br />
<br />
Top 10<br />
11-25<br />
26-50<br />
51-100<br />
100+<br />
<br />
This comparison is strictly on goals. I know that takes away assists which is more likely to affect "Wazza" but seeing as they're both in the Top 5 for England Goals, I thought it worthwhile. The records are accurate as at January 2013. Rooney's likely to score more, Owen less so.<br />
<br />
<strong><u>The Numbers:</u></strong><br />
<strong><u></u></strong><br />
First and foremost a simple look at the goals per games for each player. The bread and butter measurement that all strikers are judged on - all aiming for the magical one in two strike rate. Michael Owen has 40 goals from 89 caps - at a rate of a goal every 2.23 games. For International strikers, that's pretty impressive. Rooney on ther other hand has 32 goals in 78 appearances - a rate of 2.44. Not much in it, but first blood to Owen. Out of interest, here's how they compare to selected others, firstly England's finest:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLThvdZ2BI9lhatIJWEREenbwTCklbNtZ-MZF4KJ6inbvTLsdeMRuEqVYJs_U_KoVKf_2ot5uce_RafSgeghw5qHOSGUAOR8LRS1F0tB6eg4QgjJe3Ezi3OqhFBR7dLx5RvLZ2I8f_aIY/s1600/England+Top+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLThvdZ2BI9lhatIJWEREenbwTCklbNtZ-MZF4KJ6inbvTLsdeMRuEqVYJs_U_KoVKf_2ot5uce_RafSgeghw5qHOSGUAOR8LRS1F0tB6eg4QgjJe3Ezi3OqhFBR7dLx5RvLZ2I8f_aIY/s320/England+Top+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And just out of (nerdy) interest, a look at a few of their peers since Owen's debut in 1998 (click image to enlarge):</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gBdddyKzrxSOycIuX0MBjyVxs-LHv3j9IqA0lQuCZuRcdMkPxxkqzISjOujTV4RTyLKYN6LhUby-Zndhijj6bfjRK_ZfOK2ZAfquYpHD50pEdbV6QNi9KvtEFflDKtEARfM8Zf4tREg/s1600/International+Goalscorers+1998-2013+v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gBdddyKzrxSOycIuX0MBjyVxs-LHv3j9IqA0lQuCZuRcdMkPxxkqzISjOujTV4RTyLKYN6LhUby-Zndhijj6bfjRK_ZfOK2ZAfquYpHD50pEdbV6QNi9KvtEFflDKtEARfM8Zf4tREg/s320/International+Goalscorers+1998-2013+v2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In terms of goal scoring, Owen's decent 40 goals puts him around halfway up the list of illustrious strikers, with Rooney's 32 closer to the lower end. In terms of goals per games though, neither really stand out compared to the biggest names - Batistuta, Suker, Drogba, Ronaldo and Villa. Tevez and Anelka, Premier League peers, even less so.<br />
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So far, not much in it. So how about the famous Average Opposition and Range Comparison?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJHevcJXSrLxyGckcaEzbPuhbR76al9c1dAf0mNB-FLjESgTum7LSxO6BWoKunSnHhkGFVDMMfZgBmmKQ4Vqp3MEhSjM3li1iORQwmZQA1_Z60lqPJpZNSWntsQtPzFpbqfvZejsf5P0/s1600/Rooney+and+Owen+by+Opposition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJHevcJXSrLxyGckcaEzbPuhbR76al9c1dAf0mNB-FLjESgTum7LSxO6BWoKunSnHhkGFVDMMfZgBmmKQ4Vqp3MEhSjM3li1iORQwmZQA1_Z60lqPJpZNSWntsQtPzFpbqfvZejsf5P0/s1600/Rooney+and+Owen+by+Opposition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJHevcJXSrLxyGckcaEzbPuhbR76al9c1dAf0mNB-FLjESgTum7LSxO6BWoKunSnHhkGFVDMMfZgBmmKQ4Vqp3MEhSjM3li1iORQwmZQA1_Z60lqPJpZNSWntsQtPzFpbqfvZejsf5P0/s1600/Rooney+and+Owen+by+Opposition.jpg" /></a>Once again, a win for Owen. He's scored more goals than Rooney in each of the first three Ranges - with almost double the amount of goals against the Top 10 teams in World football (at the time of the game), and in fact shows great consistency regardless of the opponent. Rooney on the other hand, has the air of a Flat Track Bully, with 20 of his 32 goals being scored against teams ranked over 50th in the World.<br />
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The average opposition per goal for each player reflects this - with Owen having a decent 48.23 compared to Rooney's 73.63. So does this prove that Owen is the bigger game player than Rooney? It certainly goes some way. Though this doesn't allow for the type of game.<br />
When you take into account the Competitive and Friendlies split, it's actually a nod to Rooney. His 32 goals are split as 24 in Competitive games and just 8 in Friendlies (75/25 split) compared to Owen's 26 Competitive and 14 Friendly goals (65/35 split).<br />
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<strong><u>Competitive Goals:</u></strong><br />
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So from the above, Rooney has the higher percentage of Competitive goals, but in terms of number, they're very similar at 24 and 26. This is the big game player category. Splitting Competitive games into Qualifying and Tournaments, gives an even better indication of Big Game Players. In this instance, Rooney scored 19 qualifying goals to Owen's 20, meaning Owen has 6 tournament goals to Rooney's 5. Once again, pretty close. <br />
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However, dig a bit deeper and there is only one winner. <br />
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Whilst Rooney was undoubtedly England's best Player in Euro 2004 when as a teenager he scored 4 goals in the group stages before getting injured early on against Portugal in the second round, his first tournament was the exception rather than the rule. Since then, no goals in World Cup 2006 were followed by no goals in World Cup 2010, and most recently one group goal in Euro 2012 - from two yards out. Against a Ukraine team ranked 52nd in the world.<br />
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Owen on the other hand has never scored more than two goals at a tournament, but has scored in four out of the five he's played in - two in World Cup 98, two in World Cup 2002 and a goal in each of Euro 2000 and 2004. Though that only tells half the story - only two of those goals were in group games, and Owen has the impressive record of scoring in every knock out game that he's played for England - that's four different occasions including two Quarter Final Goals. And looking at the opposition, Owen clearly has the big game mentality, with Argentina, Brazil and Portugal added to a goal against Denmark:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0tP0B0YtDB5B0VhWa46K87po7cjjyZhW_x3IVkIBMSMA8Czal3U4II9QYrHqS28ntGmRd4_H-n0zDESEvAIR63KNOpo8r7mmikWOY54xM1gCvVXs1FXwFJsx5FaziEpzvz70T4zbgGo/s1600/Owen+vs+Rooney+Tournament+Goals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0tP0B0YtDB5B0VhWa46K87po7cjjyZhW_x3IVkIBMSMA8Czal3U4II9QYrHqS28ntGmRd4_H-n0zDESEvAIR63KNOpo8r7mmikWOY54xM1gCvVXs1FXwFJsx5FaziEpzvz70T4zbgGo/s320/Owen+vs+Rooney+Tournament+Goals.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So simply put, if you were a betting man (like the players in question) Owen was the man you'd want for the big occasion - something that he's proven throughout his club career with a double in the FA Cup Final, as well as goals in the League Cup and UEFA Cup finals - not to mention the hat-trick away to Germany in World Cup qualifying back in 2001. That's not to say Rooney is without goals on the big stage as the Champions League Final goal against Barcelona showed. Unfortunately it's not been replicated in the white of England.<br />
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<strong><u>Conclusion:</u></strong><br />
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There's not much in it when looking at the overall records - Owen has a slightly better strike rate but not significantly. In terms of the overall split between friendly and competitive, once again, it's similar, this time in Rooney's favour. The real difference is the Tournament Football.<br />
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After Rooney scored a brace against Switzerland and Croatia, the team lost it's momentum when he went off injured after just 27 minutes against Portugal in the Quarter Finals. It's hard to predict how the result would have been affected by an in form Rooney playing the whole game. If he'd carried on scoring, who knows what England would have achieved. At the time it was thought that it was going to be the start of a glittering International Career - unfortunately, a mixture of form, temper and injuries has meant the Rooney is still waiting to match that first explosive tournament. At just 27 at the time of writing, Rooney should still go on to reach Owen's 40 goal mark, and perhaps even beating Bobby Charlton's 49 goals for the National Team, but to some it still feels like a career that's failed to reach the massive potential shown nine years ago.<br />
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Similarly, Owen also excelled in his first International Tournament, scoring the goal of the tournament against bitter rivals Argentina. Unlike Rooney though, he continued to show a level of self control, and form and indeed calmness in front of goal that saw him score in four different tournaments, and most impressively, every knock out game he's played. As a warning to Rooney, Owen also looked odds on to beat Charlton's record but the injury in the 2006 group stages saw the start of the decline in his International career - staggeringly, he was just 25 when he went off against Sweden. Owen had scored his 40th goal by the time he was 26. He's scored none since. So it's also a case of what could have been for Owen to an extent - some poor career choices and unfortunate injuries saw him fall out of favour under both MacClaren and Capello.<br />
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At 27, Rooney still has the chance to make the grade with potentially three more tournaments by 32. Owen at 33 and without regular club football does not.<br />
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<strong><u>The Full Interactive Stats:</u></strong><br />
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Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-91913890599705809852013-01-18T22:58:00.000+00:002013-01-23T22:30:35.990+00:00What happened to the great English Striker?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #999999;"><span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;"><em>With twenty seasons of the Premier League completed at the end of the 2011-12 season, I had a look at the best goalscoring partnerships (</em></span><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.blogspot.ie/2012/04/the-premier-leagues-best-goalscoring.html?showComment=1357509349953" href="http://averageopposition.blogspot.ie/2012/04/the-premier-leagues-best-goalscoring.html?showComment=1357509349953"><span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;"><em>click here</em></span></a><span data-mce-style="color: #999999;" style="color: #999999;"><em>), and one thing that jumped out was the quality of English Striker in the first ten years, compared to the last ten. So with that in mind, I thought I'd highlight the trend...</em></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wayne Rooney is currently considered the only world class English striker and after his showing in Euro 2012 (and World Cup 2010 for that matter), even question marks have been raised over him. Runner up for the Premier League Golden Boot in both the 2009-10 and 2011-12 seasons, he's undoubtedly about more than just goals - but he's the closest English winner for the Golden Boot the league has seen since Kevin Phillips 30 goal haul in 1999-2000. That's twelve seasons without an Englishman top scoring in the English top division.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now this isn't a dig a Rooney - far from it, he's doing his best to live up to the fine goalscoring tradition of his fellow country men, and but for injury at the end of the 2009-10 season, he surely would have gone on to win the title that Drogba won. It's just that he's England's best forward, and he's not even the best striker at his club anymore - playing second fiddle to the man that beat him in the scoring charts last season, Robin van Persie. So when did it all go wrong for the English forward, and why?</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rules</span></span></strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've gone through the Top Scorers lists from the first Premier League season in 1992-93 (Englishman Brian Deane scoring the first goal) to the 2011-12 season - a nice neat 20 seasons, complete with a handy 10 year split. To keep things equal, I've only considered Premier League Goals, and although there were 42 game seasons until 1995-96, I've left them in as it was the same number of games regardless of the nationality of the players.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In terms of threshold, it's the Top 10 ranked goal scorers for each season. In several occasions that was more than ten players as there were several tied on the same amout of goals.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First Ten Years</span></span></strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You almost get nostalgic looking back. Shearer, Sheringham, Wright, Fowler, Collymore, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand. All top class forwards. Even Michael Owen scored over half of his goals in the first ten years of the Premier League. Then you had good players like Chris Sutton, Dion Dublin, Tony Cottee, Kevin Phillips and Kevin Campbell - good players and prolific in spells.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/first-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers1.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/first-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers1.jpg"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="First Ten Years Premier League Top Scorers" class="alignleft" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/first-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers1.jpg?w=163" height="300" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/first-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers1.jpg?w=163" width="163" /></span></a></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So 21 different nationalities were represented in the first ten years of Premier League Top Scorers. No real surprise to see that English players were in the Top 10 scorers on 66 occasions out of a possible 106 - with the closest nationalities being Holland and France with 7 entries each. The players involved? Cantona, Anelka and Henry for France and Bergkamp, Hasselbaink and van Nistelrooy for the Dutch, all legends of the Premier League, and all top class talents.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Americas are represented by just four entries - Juninho, Hamilton Ricard, Paulo Wanchope and midfield Gus Poyet. Somewhat surprisingly, there's only one entry from African players - with France born and bred Freddie Kanoute hitting 11 goals in 2000-01 (10th). The only other entries from outside of Europe were Australia's Mark Viduka, whose 17 goals in the same season, saw him finish in 4th place for the Golden Boot, and Trinidad and Tobago's Dwight Yorke who made the Top 10 on four occasions.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elsewhere, there's another surprise when looking at the Ireland (Quinn), Scotland (Gallacher) and Wales (Hughes, Saunders, Hartson), who had a combined five entries. Perhaps the rot for Scottish football in particular has set in earlier than some thought, but that's for another discussion.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What of the English players? Well seven of the ten seasons saw an English winner - the first six seasons, followed by Kevin Phillips debut Premier League season in 1999-00. Shearer (three occasions), Andy Cole and Phillips all made or bettered the 30 goal mark, whilst Fowler (twice), Ferdinand and Sutton all scored 25 goals or more in a season. In total, the first ten years of the Premier League saw English players score 20 goals or more on 21 occasions.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Second Ten Years</span></span></strong></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The standout stat and the the centrepiece of this article is the drop in English goalscorers - there's been a reduction of 50% in the Top 10 ranked scorers list. Whilst the likes of Shearer, Ferdinand, Sheringham and Cole were all still playing into the second decade of the Premier League, they were all on the way down and nearing the end of their careers. Owen and Fowler were still in their twenties but couldn't match the form they'd shown earlier in their careers - both saw a significant drop in their strike rates after leaving Liverpool.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/second-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/second-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers.jpg"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img alt="Second Ten Years Premier League Top Scorers" class="size-medium wp-image-2037 alignright" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/second-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers.jpg?w=137" height="300" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/second-ten-years-premier-league-top-scorers.jpg?w=137" width="137" /></span></span></a></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were still good performances, of the 33 entries in to the Top Scorers from the English players, there were seven 20+ goal seasons - twice from Rooney, and one each from Shearer, Andy Johnson, Darren Bent and James Beattie. Making up the list is midfielder Frank Lampard. The interesting thing there is that the entries from Johnson, Bent and Beattie were exceptions rather than rules. Take Andy Johnson for example - aside from his debut 21 goal Premier League season, his other tallies were 11, 6, 7, 3, and 3. Hardly prolific. Similarly, James Beattie's 23 goals in the 2002-03 season were followed by 14, 3, 1, 10, 2, 7 and 2.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jermaine Defoe makes it into the Top 10 scorers list on just two occasions. He looks odds on to do so again this season, but it's quite a surprising stat from one of the better English Strikers in the second decade of the Premier League - especially for one known as a poacher.</span></span><br />
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scotland fall out of the equation all together, whilst Wales are restricted to just one entry - Craig Bellamy's 13 goals in 2005-06. Ireland fare a little better, largely thanks to Robbie Keane and one good season from Kevin Doyle. When comparing to the first decade, the influence from both inside and outside of Europe has grown in almost all cases.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Americas are now represented nine times, Africa on 18 occasions and Australia up to three. New entries include Argentina, Spain and Portugal, whilst France and Holland remain the highest non British/Irish countries - with France up to 13 and Holland up to 10. In total, there were 26 nationalities represented in the Top 10 scorers lists from 2003-12</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has happened to the great English Striker?</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Number of Foreign Players</span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obvious as it may be, the first and foremost reason and shown clearly above, is the number of foreign players is the largest factor.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, for every Henry, van Nistelrooy and van Persie, there's a Manucho, Boselli and Fuertes. In fact there's been several highly rated prolific scorers arriving in the Premier League with high hopes and expectations, but a relatively small fee. And that's the key point - the price. The market for English players is bloated beyond belief. It's easy to raise the example of Andy Carroll - £35m for half a good season in the Premier League. Michu costs £2m. Not really much to think about there. </span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For all the sub standard players like those mentioned above, and the likes of Sava, Aloisi, and Mpenza, a home grown player is seeing their progress blocked. Last season saw Grant Holt score 15 Premier League goals - because he was given a chance. Danny Graham managed a decent 12 - just outside the Top 10. This season, Rickie Lambert is doing his best to follow in their footsteps. All English strikers who have scored goals in the top flight after spending most of their careers to date in the lower leagues. Add in Kevin Phillips, Dean Ashton and Marcus Stewart, and there's a case to be made for giving more players from lower leagues a chance.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why were they in the lower leagues in the first place? Well the influx of foreign players - both talented and not so, squeezes out English players. Looking at Jermaine Defoe again, he was sold from Tottenham the first time around as he was deemed surplus to requirements - Giovanni Dos Santos was one of the replacement forwards signed. Peter Crouch was also shown the door at Aston Villa, Liverpool and later Spurs. Players kept in his position include Marcus Allback, Andriy Voronin, Nabir El Zhar, and an ageing Louis Saha. It's a similar story for several English Strikers.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another element of the foreign influx is the standard of defender that's been brought in - Stam, Desailly, Bilic, Vidic et al, have all made life tougher for the forwards to score.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be clear, I'm not against Foreign Players, but wouldn't it be better if only those more talented than English players were brought in? Unfortunately, due to the transfer fees involved when buying British, clubs will continue to look abroad. This isn't restricted just to the second decade (Boogers, Silenzi etc..) but the frequency has certainly increased.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Formations</span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another large factor is that of formation. Looking back at the successful Premier League teams of recent years, and how many have actually played two up front? The death of the strike duo originated in Ferguson's quest to conquer Europe. The signing of Juan Sebastien Veron saw a move to a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation, as he looked to sure up the midfield. That led to van Nistelrooy largely leading the line as the focal point, with runners from midfield working off him.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the next major change was with Jose Mourinho's introduction to Chelsea. The 2002-03 season saw a great partnership of Hasselbaink and Gudjohnsen - with Zola coming in regularly. The season after, it was Hasselbaink and Mutu. Under Mourinho, Chelsea moved to a 4-3-3 - with Drogba the lone striker, supported by two wide players - initially Robben and Duff, and later Joe Cole. That formation has remained in place up to the present day - the Champions League Final saw a £50m striker left on the bench as there was only one starting striking role and Drogba was ahead in form. That 4-3-3 also found it's way to Man Utd (Tevez/Ronaldo/Rooney), Arsenal, Spurs and just about all of the top clubs. This season, Liverpool are also playing it, as are City (at times).</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what impact has this had to English Strikers? Well a few. The football upbringing of the average English striker is in a 4-4-2 formation for a start. As a result, they're often lacking experience in leading the line alone. It's also led to many players pushed out wide. In the 2008 title winning season, many will recall Wayne Rooney stuck out on the left wing - resulting in just 12 league goals that season. Similarly, the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Theo Walcott have seen their opportunities in a central role restricted. Sturridge has had to move to Liverpool in an attempt to play through the middle, whilst at the time of writing, it appears to be te sticking point for Walcott signing a new contract at Arsenal. A return to the 4-4-2 of old would see more opportunities for these type of players.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Goal Scoring Midfielders</span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tied in with the change in formation, has seen one change in the scoring habits. That of the scoring midfielder. Looking at the Top 10 scorers by season in the first decade of the Premier League, there were seven entries from midfield (four of them were from Matt Le Tissier). Fast forward to the second decade and that increases to 17. Pires, Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Dempsey and others have all made the Top 10 goal scorers. This season has seen Wales winger, Gareth Bale do the same.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So whilst the goals are drying up for English strikers (and indeed all strikers), the frequency of the midfielders in the Top 10 scorers list has significantly increased.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Future</span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whilst the change in formation and the price of English footballers remain as they are, it's unlikely that we'll see a return to prominence of the great English goalscorer. There are promising young talents such as Sturridge and Welbeck, but there's far too few of them to suggest a recovery. A quick look at the first choice forwards of each team tells a story.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dip in quality is best highlighted when looking at the England Squads for major tournaments. Euro 96 saw Shearer (31 goals), Sheringham (16), Fowler (28) and Ferdinand (25). Jump forward to Euro 2012 and Rooney (27), Carroll (4), Welbeck (9) and Defoe (11) were the forward options available to Roy Hodgson. In 1996, Ian Wright and Andy Cole didn't make the squad - both prolific strikers.</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">100 Goal Club</span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just for your viewing pleasure, to finish off, a list of all the players with 100 Premier League goals. Just four of the English strikers in the list are currently active in the Premier League, with midfielders Scholes and Lampard coming to the end of their Premier League careers:</span></span><br />
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><strong><a data-mce-href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/premier-league-100-goals.jpg" href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/premier-league-100-goals.jpg"><em><img alt="Premier League 100 Goals" class="size-medium wp-image-2039 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/premier-league-100-goals.jpg?w=265" height="300" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/premier-league-100-goals.jpg?w=265" width="265" /></em></a></strong></span></div>
</span><br /></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-51339185705820820362012-12-22T16:23:00.000+00:002012-12-22T17:03:36.077+00:00Home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<script type="text/javascript" src="http://public.tableausoftware.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js"></script><div class="tableauPlaceholder" style="width:654px; height:629px;"><noscript><a href="#"><img alt="Dashboard 1 " src="http://public.tableausoftware.com/static/images/Fr/FrontSheet/Dashboard1/1_rss.png" style="border: none" /></a></noscript><object class="tableauViz" width="654" height="629" style="display:none;"><param name="host_url" value="http%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableausoftware.com%2F" /><param name="site_root" value="" /><param name="name" value="FrontSheet/Dashboard1" /><param name="tabs" value="no" /><param name="toolbar" value="yes" /><param name="static_image" value="http://public.tableausoftware.com/static/images/Fr/FrontSheet/Dashboard1/1.png" /><param name="animate_transition" value="yes" /><param name="display_static_image" value="yes" /><param name="display_spinner" value="yes" /><param name="display_overlay" value="yes" /><param name="display_count" value="yes" /></object></div><div style="width:654px;height:22px;padding:0px 10px 0px 0px;color:black;font:normal 8pt verdana,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;"><div style="float:right; padding-right:8px;"><a href="http://www.tableausoftware.com/public?ref=http://public.tableausoftware.com/views/FrontSheet/Dashboard1" target="_blank">Powered by Tableau</a></div></div>Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-79956239282289689492012-12-21T18:24:00.000+00:002013-02-03T22:18:23.048+00:002011-12 Player Comparison: Premier League, Bundesliga, Eredivisie, La Liga, Serie A<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Goal scoring Player Comparison for 2011-2012 season by average and range of opposition. This includes the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, La Liga and Eredivisie:<br />
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Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-60610308460103099542012-12-16T20:29:00.001+00:002012-12-16T20:29:22.722+00:00Player Comparison: Rio Ferdinand vs John Terry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;">Up next in the <span class="msoDel"><del>World Famous</del></span> Player
Comparison series is a slightly controversial one. England defenders and
definitely not best friends, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Two of the best
defenders in Premier League history, this is the first comparison of defenders,
and could be the last depending on feedback….</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Given the recent disharmony between Terry and the Ferdinands, this may
seem a bit on the reactive side, but I’ve had this request on more than one
occasion (twice) so thought I’d give it a go. Both are entering the twilight of
their careers (Rio has just turned is 34, JT, approaching 32), both have been
League winners and Champions League winners. Both have played at one of the
biggest clubs in the world for 10 years or more, and for a long time, the two
were playing alongside eachother at the heart of the England defence. With that
in mind, and the added spice of club and personality clashes/rivalries, they’re
ideal candidates to compare.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Rules</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Usually I’m comparing goals and assists, but in this instance the focus
is all about the dirty business of stopping them. So when looking at the range
and average opponent, it’ll be by goals conceded and clean sheets. The primary
focus will be on Premier League stats, but there will be a look at
international and cup games. The calculations can be found in the rules and
workings page on the top menu, but simply enough, it’s a look at their stats
but by the level of opposition.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The time period is from when Ferdinand signed for Manchester United at
the start of the 2002-03 season, up until the end of 2011-12 – 10 full seasons.
In that time, Terry has played 311 Premier League games to Ferdinand’s 269. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Background</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Despite being born and bred in South London, Rio Ferdinand began his
Football career in the prestigious West Ham academy. Initially a central
midfielder, Rio was taught the art of defending under the tutelage of Tony
Carr, and was hailed as the heir to Bobby Moore’s throne for club and country.
With his ability on the ball, Ferdinand also played for the West Ham first team
in central midfield, wing back and even up front – scoring his first senior
goal in just his second substitute appearance, after his debut aged just 17.
Seen as talented but unfocused, eyebrows were raised when Leeds United paid
£18m for the young defender in November 2000 – both a British Record transfer
and also the World Record price for a defender. But Ferdinand excelled under
fellow Centre Back David O’Leary and helped a young Leeds team to the Semi
Final of the Champions League later that season. Another good season later, and
Ferdinand was starting for England in the 2002 World Cup, as they got to the
Quarter Finals. His displays for both Leeds and England were enough for Sir Alex
Ferguson to pay over £30m – making him once again the most expensive British
footballer, and regaining the title of World’s most expensive defender from
Lilian Thuram.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">John Terry on the other hand, has been a one club man. Despite also
training with West Ham as a youngster, the Barking born defender signed for
Chelsea at the age of 14 after playing for famous boys club Senrab, along with
the likes of Bobby Zamora, Ledley King and JLloyd Samuel. During his early
years around the Chelsea first team squad, he saw his chances limited due to
Marcel Desailly and Frank Le Boeuf, and subsequently found himself at
Nottingham Forest on a short term loan to get first team experience under David
Platt. Despite making his Chelsea debut in the 1998-99 season, Terry didn’t
become a first team regular until the 2000-01 season, playing 22 league games
as Chelsea finished in 6th place. The following season, Terry further cemented
his place as a first team regular, playing in 33 of the 38 league games, as
Chelsea once again finished in 6th place. Seen as a typical British defender,
Terry made a reputation for putting his body on the line for the cause, but it
his ability to pass the ball was often overlooked as a result.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Premier League</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;">Clean
Sheets</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">And so on to the hard numbers. First and foremost, the appearances and
clean sheets by season:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1881" height="283" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/apps-and-clean-sheets2.jpg?w=490&h=283" title="Ferdinand vs Terry Apps and Clean Sheets" width="490" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Both have pretty good records with close to a one in two clean sheet
rate. Ferdinand’s appearances have been slightly limited due to injury and an
eight month ban for forgetfulness. Over the ten years, Ferdinand has made an
average of 27 league appearances per season, and in that time, has kept an
average of 12.9 clean sheets per season. In total, he’s kept a clean sheet for
every 2.085 games. John Terry’s 311 appearances work out at an average of 31
games per season, with a clean sheet rate of 15.9. So on the face of it, Terry
is ahead, with a clean sheet every 1.955 games. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Terry’s high of 25 in Chelsea’s title winning season of 2004-05 dwarfs
Ferdinand’s 19 in 2007-08, when United won the total. In fact, Terry has kept
20 clean sheets or more in three of the ten seasons. Surprisingly, neither
player has completed a full 38 game season.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So Terry’s ahead on the overall defensive stats, but in reality, both
keep a clean sheet every second game – a phenomenal rate over a ten year
period. But what of their quality of the opposition? Step this way.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1882" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/rio-ferdinand-stats.jpg?w=490" title="Rio Ferdinand Stats" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">First up (due to age and alphabet) is Ferdinand. A decent 27 clean
sheets against the teams that finished in the Top 6, 65 against the Mid table
teams and 37 against the teams struggling against relegation. An average ranked
opponent of 11.21 over 129 clean sheets, his highest number of clean sheets
against the big teams was five, which was achieved in three consecutive seasons
between 2005-06 to 2007-08, with Man Utd winning the league in the latter two
seasons. His highest average was in 2010-11, with 7.50 average from his eight
clean sheets – of which, half were against the Top 6 teams, with Spurs (twice),
Arsenal and Man City all being kept out. Tellingly, no clean sheets were kept
against the Top 6 in the 2011-12 season as United lost the title on goal
difference, with Ferdinand being part of the United team that lost 6-1 at home
to Manchester City. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1883" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/john-terry-stats.jpg?w=490" title="John Terry Stats" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Terry’s best season was by far and away
the 2004-05 season. Keeping a whopping 25 clean sheets against an average
ranked opponent of 10.12 as Chelsea went on to win the league for the first
time in 50 years, breaking, posting the best defensive record in the history of
the English top flight. The season after also saw a stellar defensive display
from Chelsea, and Terry was partly responsible for 20 clean sheets, including
five against the Top 6 teams. Last season however, saw a drop in the number of
clean sheets as he posted just 9 during his 31 league appearances. This could
be down to a number of things, such as off the field problems, or defensive
partners. Long gone are the days of Carvalho, who has been replaced by Luiz and
Cahill. As a result, the number of clean sheets have dropped significantly.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So John Terry is more likely to play first and foremost, and he’s just
ahead of Rio Ferdinand in terms of games per clean sheet. But……</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">If we take a closer look at Clean Sheets against the Top 6, taking into
account Ferdinand’s appearances. Each player has finished in the Top 6 in each
of the ten seasons, meaning there’s a maximum of ten appearances against Top 6
opposition. So here’s the clean sheets and appearances by player versus the
best in the league:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1918" height="294" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/apps-and-clean-sheets-top-6-only.jpg?w=490&h=294" title="Apps and Clean Sheets Top 6 Only" width="490" /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">John Terry’s clean sheet rate of one every 1.955 games becomes a clean
sheet every 2.61 games, compared to Ferdinand’s clean sheet every 2.44 games.
So Terry’s more likely to keep clean sheets overall, but Ferdinand did it more
against the best in the league. In United’s last title winning season, he kept
an impressive four in just six appearances.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;">Goals
Conceded</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Moving on to goals conceded. First up is Ferdinand again. Over the 269
Premier League games for United in the last 10 years, he’s let in on average
0.75 goals per game – comfortably under the magical 1 per game target. His best
season, being the 2007-08 title win, where he let in only 21 goals in 35 games
– 0.6 goals per game. The season before, he played 8 games versus the Top 6
teams, and only conceded 4 goals, whilst in 2010-11, the other Top teams only
managed to score twice during his 6 games against. In total, he conceded 70
goals in 66 apearances against the best teams in the league – a number damaged
by the 6-1 Manchester Derby.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1921" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/rio-ferdinand-stats-conceded1.jpg?w=490" title="Rio Ferdinand Stats Conceded" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Moving on to Chelsea’s Captain, on the same comparison, Terry conceded
83 goals in 81 appearances against fellow Top 6 teams – just ahead of
Ferdinand’s rate. His best season against the Top 6 was in 2004-05 when just
four strikes got past him and his team mates in 9 appearances. His overall
goals conceded rate is 0.72 per game – almost identical to his rival’s 0.75.
His best season was the phenomenal 2004-05 when just 13 goals were conceded on
Terry’s watch – a phenomenal 0.36 goals per game. No wonder they won the league
so comfortably.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1924" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/john-terry-stats-conceded2.jpg?w=490" title="John Terry Stats Conceded" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Discipline</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This isn’t taking into account the many off the field issues affecting
each player, but a very quick look at the yellow/red card count in their last
ten years. It’s fair to say that the records are like Chalk and Cheese in this
regard. In just the Premier League games, they’ve shared 5 Red Cards – 4 of
which were for Terry. Reds against Spurs (twice), Everton and Man City have
cost his team as they managed just one win in the four games. Ferdinand’s one
red was in the 4-3 defeat to Blackburn, that saw young up and coming midfielder
David Bentley score a hat trick against United. A platform for great things…..</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the yellow cards, it’s pretty much the same story – Terry has 52 to
Ferdinand’s 20 in what is in keeping with the general expectation of the
players – Terry seen as a British Bulldog, win at all costs type, with
Ferdinand seen as the cultured type. In all competitions, for club and country
over the 10 years we’re looking at, it’s 31 yellows and 1 red for Ferdinand,
and 80 yellows and 5 reds for John Terry, with the last Red costing him a place
in the Champions League Final – not that he missed the celebrations.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goals</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">One area where there really is no contest is at the other end of the
pitch. Whilst Ferdinand scored 7 Manchester United goals in the ten years we’re
looking at, John Terry scored a massive 43 in the same period. Whilst it has
nothing to do with who is a better defender (Philippe Albert anyone?), it’s
certainly an interesting angle, and some could use it when looking at the all
round footballers. Terry can point to goals against Roma, Arsenal, Man City and
Barcelona in recent years, whilst Ferdinand’s highlights in front of goal would
be scoring against Liverpool in back to back seasons.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Champions League</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of course, both players have Champions League medals and both have
tasted defeat in the final, so it’s worth comparing their records in Europe –
both at a group stage and a knock out stage – where in theory, the opposition
are better.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Once again, Terry leads the way with the overall number of clean sheets –
posting 39 against Ferdinand’s 36, however, when you take into account the
number of games, then Ferdinand has the fewer number of games per clean sheet
at 1.94 from 70 appearances compared to Terry’s clean sheets every 2.23 games
from his 87 appearances. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Champions League break down:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1928" height="102" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/ferdinand-v-terry-champions-league.jpg?w=490&h=102" title="Ferdinand v Terry Champions League" width="490" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So in keeping with the Premier League stats, Ferdinand is more likely to
keep a clean sheet in the bigger games. Terry has kept a clean sheet for every
1.7 group games in the Champions League, but just one every 3.42 in the knock
out stages. Ferdinand on the other hand is pretty consistent – averaging a
clean sheet every two games regardless of the stage.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Other big games</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Both players have played in three league cup finals. Ferdinand has two
medals, keeping clean sheets in two games, and conceding two goals in the three
games, whilst Terry’s three finals have seen five goals conceded, and one win.
Moving on to the FA Cup, Ferdinand has played in two FA Cup finals – keeping a
clean sheet before losing on penalties to Arsenal in 2005, and the equally
thrilling 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in 2007. Surprisingly, after ten years at Old
Trafford, he doesn’t have an FA Cup winners medal (he was suspended when
Millwall were beaten in 2004). Terry on the other hand has four winners medals in
that time (to add to his 99-00 one), keeping clean sheets against Portsmouth
(2008) and Man Utd in the aforementioned snorefest. Two 2-1 victories over both
Merseyside clubs completed the set. So Ferdinand has three clean sheets in five
domestic Cup Finals to Terry’s two in seven.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">England</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/england1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1933" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/england1.jpg?w=490" title="England" /></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So we’ve established that both are
great defenders in their own right, but how we’re they together, and did they
fair better with or without each other for England? Ferdinand won the first of
his 81 caps in 1997 as a teenager, and even made it to the World Cup the
following year as a non playing squad member. Terry would have to wait another
five seasons for his first cap, and up until his recent international
retirement, made 78 appearances for the Three Lions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the last ten years, Ferdinand’s made 59 appearances to Terry’s 72 –
playing alongside eachother on 34 occasions:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1929" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/england-appearances-ferdinand-and-terry.jpg?w=490" title="England Appearances Ferdinand and Terry" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">In terms of clean sheets, there wasn’t really much difference. Together
they kept a clean sheet every 2.20 games, Ferdinand without Terry was 2.27 and
Terry without Ferdinand was 2.17 – a slight edge to Terry. In terms of goals
conceded, together they let in 0.82 goals per game, with Ferdinand keeping a
slightly better 0.8 conceded without Terry and Terry keeping a consistent 0.82.
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Once again, there’s not a great deal in it. In terms of highlights,
Terry’s clean sheet against Italy in Euro 2012, compares with Ferdinand’s clean
sheet against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup. In terms of goals, it’s a bit
closer than their club appearances, with Ferdinand scoring three goals for
England compared to Terry’s six. Interestingly though, all of Ferdinand’s have
been in competitive matches, with five of Terry’s six being in friendlies
(including Brazil and Germany).</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Makelele Factor</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s hard to put an exact impact to the Chelsea clean sheets that John
Terry kept, but from 2003-04 to 2007-08 Claude Makelele played the holding
midfield role so well that it was renamed the Makelele role. During that time,
John Terry kept 91 of his 159 clean sheets, keeping 68 in the five seasons
without him. Ferdinand meanwhile had Roy Keane for his first three seasons at
the club with his best defensive performances coming after the departure of the
influential skipper. And it’s fair to say that he wasn’t quite as defensively disciplined
as Makelele.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Conclusion</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shock Horror, I’m going to declare this one a draw. Terry was slightly
more likely to keep a clean sheet, but Ferdinand was slightly more likely to do
so against the best opponents. In the big games, Ferdinand had the edge in
terms of both clean sheets and goals conceded (such as domestic Cup Finals and
European knock out games) but Terry was much more likely to trouble the
opposition by scoring. Looking at their England records, it was near identical
with and without each other. There was only ever going to be one conclusion
based on the stats.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So despite your view of each player as a person, no one can honestly say
that they haven’t both been excellent players – perhaps two of the best in
English history. Both are coming to the end of their careers now, but for those
ten years, there are very few who can compare.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cheers,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Liam</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IE;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-31408971506633682692012-11-20T23:50:00.000+00:002012-12-21T23:52:34.379+00:00Big Game Youth Systems<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/barca-trio2.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1816" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/barca-trio2.jpg?w=490" title="Barca Trio" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">In the continued quest to understand what makes a big game player, I thought I’d look into the part that youth teams play in a player’s big game temperament, or more precisely, which Youth Teams are responsible for the big game players, or in fact just a steady flow of good players. I’ll be looking at World Players of the Year, Golden Ball winners and a few other bits and pieces. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Rules</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">For the sake of consistency, if the player has been at two youth academies, I’ll use the club that they made their professional debut with. So whilst Barcelona’s famed La Masia Academy helped produce Piqué and Fabregas, they finished their youth team education with Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Each category is as per the official FIFA lists.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>World Player of the Year</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">First things first, some lists. The first is the Worlds best players from 1991 onwards, complete with their youth team. Why 1991? Because surprisingly, that’s when the award began. From 2009 onwards, the award merged with the Ballon d’Or to become one global award. To widen the data a bit further and because there’s not always a lot in it, I’ve taken the Top three players for each year.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">So is there an outstanding Youth Team that produces more World Class players (and that’s a pretty safe use of the phrase) than the others? Well yes and no. If you take Ronaldo as an example, he won the award three times and finished in the top 3 on another two occasions, meaning five entries for Brazilian club Cruzeiro. So to avoid duplication, each player is only allowed one entry. When that’s taken into account, there’s not really a run away winner.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">In fact, only three clubs have had more than one representative from their youth team to finish in the top three players in the World:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: black;">Barcelona – Lionel Messi (1st in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2nd in 2007, 2008) Andres Iniesta (2nd in 2010), Xavi (3rd in 2009, 2010, 2011)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">Sporting Lisbon – Luis Figo (1st in 2001, 2nd in 2000), Cristiano Ronaldo (1st in 2008, 2nd in 2009, 2011, 3rd in 2007)</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black;">Ajax – Dennis Bergkamp (3rd in 1993, 1997), Marco van Basten (1st in 1992)</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">It’s not a massive surprise that those three clubs are where they are. A large chunk of the current Barcelona squad have at one time been graduates of the famous youth system. Aside from the trio above, you could point to Pedro, Sergio Busquets, Victor Valdes, Puyol as well as those that left before returning – Fabregas, Alba and Pique. There’s also players that went elsewhere like Mikel Arteta, Bojan Krkic, Thiago Motta, Oriel Romeu and Giovanni Dos Santos. Going back further than that and the list goes on – Pep Guardiola anyone? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Masia#Alumni"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: blue;">It’s impressive</span></span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Sporting Lisbon aren’t exactly slouches either. Aside from the lads above, there’s Paolo Futre, Simao, Nani, and many others. Though they can’t compete with Ajax. The team that won the 1995 Champions League contained 11 youth team graduates from a match day squad of 16. And that’s just one batch. Add in the 60s-70s graduates and it’s easy to understand why they have a reputation of being the best in the World.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Other than that, there’s 28 other clubs that have produced one of the best three players in the last 22 years, ranging from AC Milan (Maldini) to West Ham United (Frank Lampard Jr).</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>European Footballer of the Year</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">So applying the same logic, I thought I’d have a look at the European Player of the Year awards (Ballon d’Or). This award goes back to 1956, giving us a wider base to look at. Up untol 1995, it was European Player only. From then onwards, it was changed to players playing in Europe, regardless of their nationality. There’s been 6 South American winners of it, if you exclude Alfredo Di Stefano who was apparently Spanish when he won it in 1957. As mentioned above, the award merged with the World Player of the Year awards in 2010, so the below data is 1956-2009.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Does it offer us a better of view of the best Youth Systems for producing big game players? Well the greater pool of players (Top 3 and sometimes 4 players if level on points) numbers at 164, giving a greater scope. Surprisingly, there’s only 13 teams that have produced more than one player to feature in the Ballon d’Or awards:</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/european-player-of-the-year1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1818" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/european-player-of-the-year1.jpg?w=490" title="European Player of the Year" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">The same three that featured on the earlier list are all present, though Barca lose one player, whilst Sporting gain another, in Paulo Futre. Ajax are the single most successful youth system on this measurement with five legends of the game, and that’s with the surprising omissions of Kluivert, Davids, and Seedorf from the lists. In terms of countries, both Spain and England have three clubs represented. There’s no suprise of the three English clubs, just of the players missing.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">A couple of points of note. Firstly, Raul is down as a Real Madrid youth product but actually spent a number of years on the books of Atletico Madrid. Ouch. Secondly, Luis Suarez from the Deportivo youth team isn’t the current Liverpool striker (his youth team was Nacional), but rather Barcelona, Spain and Inter Milan legend </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Su%C3%A1rez_Miramontes">Luis Suarez Miramontes</a>.<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>South American Footballer of the Year</strong><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Like the European equivalent, this award has been running for longer than the World Player of the year, dating back to 1971 when Brazil legend Tostao picked up the first award whilst playing for Cruzeiro (his youth team was America MG). In all, there’s been 130 players to finish in the Top 3 positions, from 54 different Youth Academies. Unlike the European award, there’s actually quite a lot of repeat achievers, meaning that I’ve restricted it to teams that have produced three players or more.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">The award was initially for any player from South America (Mario Kempes won it whilst playing for Valencia), but after 1986, it was restricted to those players playing their football in South America and Mexico.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">And so to the list:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/south-american-player-of-the-year2.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1824" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/south-american-player-of-the-year2.jpg?w=490" title="South American Player of the Year" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">River Plate do well – appearing on both lists, and contributing a whopping eight players to the European or South American player of the year awards. And it’s easy to see why with some of the names listed above. When you also think that they also produced Pablo Aimar, Claudio Caniggia, Gonzalo Higuain and many others, it’s easy to understand why they’re the best represented club in the lists above, but it also makes it hard to understand how they were recently relegated (before a quick promotion).</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Their bitter rivals, Boca Juniors don’t do too badly either. Current Argentina Internationals, Carlos Tevez and Fernando Gago both began their careers at the club, as well as World Cup winner Oscar Ruggeri, whilst surprisingly it was Argentinos Juniors that produced Boca legends Diego Maradona and Juan Roman Riquelme. So River Plate may be more prolific, but Boca can point to one of the greatest players of all time. Which leads nicely to Pele and Santos.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Along with Pele, Santos also began the careers of Diego, Ganso, Robinho and the latest flavour of the month, Neymar, who’s the current holder of the South American Player of the Year title. Not a bad list to be fair.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Other</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I was going to include the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ball awards for the three best players at the World Cup, but after reviewing the list, I decided it wasn’t as useful as first thought. For a start, Zidane (Cannes Youth Team) didn’t feature in the 1998 awards. After that, in 2002 Oliver Kahn won the award despite a massive howler in the Final, and South Korea’s Hong Myung-Bo took the Bronze Ball. I’m a pretty avid Football fan, but I have no recollection of this player, but do recall Michael Ballack, Miroslav Klose and Rivaldo having a pretty decent tournament before having to miss the Final. Furthermore, in 1986, there was no Silver or Bronze awards at all – with just Maradona and no one else – which given his impact on that World Cup, is probably fair enough,</span> <a href="http://averageopposition.com/2012/03/25/the-myth-of-maradona/">not that it was a completely one man team</a>, <span style="color: black;">although a little harsh on Top Scorer Gary Lineker (Leicester Youth Team) and one or two other decent players.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Well going through all of the lists and background research, there’s three clubs that have really stood out as having the best youth systems in the World, Ajax, Barcelona and River Plate. There’s been several clubs that have produced great batches of youngsters – The Man Utd youth team of the early 90′s produced World Class players – Giggs, Scholes, Beckham and to an extent (as a Right Back), Gary Neville. That same batch also produced the likes of Nicky Butt, Phil Neville, Keith Gillespie, Robbie Savage and whilst not World Class, they all won several caps for the their countries and had good careers. This is the same Youth System that produce the likes of Charlton, Best, Edwards back in the 50s-60s.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Similarly the famed West Ham Academy had a batch of similarly talented players from 96-99, including Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson and Jermaine Defoe. The current team includes Tomkins, Noble and Collison, whilst going back the most famous batch of the early 1960′s included World Cup winners Geoff Hurst (Hat trick in the final), Martin Peters (goal in the final) and Bobby Moore (two assists and captain in the final). It’s a running joke that West Ham won the World Cup, but it does say a lot for their youth system to have produced three players that had such a large impact on the biggest game of all. Moving on, Trevor Brooking, Paul Ince, Alvin Martin, Tony Cottee and somewhat surprisingly Ray Houghton</span> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Academy_of_Football">amongst others</a>) <span style="color: black;">all came through the Youth Team before going on to good careers for club and country.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">There are strong cases to be made for Liverpool</span> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_F.C._Reserves_and_Academy#Noted_graduates">click here for more</a>), <span style="color: black;">Arsenal and Southampton in England, with the Saints recently producing several talented wide players – Bridge, Bale, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Dyer, as well as going back a bit further to Le Tissier, Shearer and Flowers.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">But in terms of the truly top players in their continents and in the World it’s Barcelona that currently lead the way. Currently lauded as the best team in the World, and some say of all time, they’re matchday XI regularly contain upto 7 or 8 form youth team players as listed above. There’s several more promising youngsters making their way in football as well, some still with the club, some looking to advance elsewhere, but the La Masia academy is currently the most prolific youth system in World football. And well it should be, as Barcelona spend an estimated £15m a year on it – dwarfing every other club in the World. And it’s clearly money well spent.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">River Plate have suffered recently, having been relegated the season before last, but the list of players mentioned above only tells part of the story. Other notable graduates from the River youth team include Almeyda, Gallardo, Hernan Crespo, De Michelis, Cavenaghi, current Roma starlet Erik Lamela and somewhat surprisingly, Colombian super star Radamel Falcao. Not too shabby.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">And with Ajax, there’s not really much more I can add to the thousands of articles already written about them. It’s not just a football academy, it’s also an education system that they run, a culture. The 1995 European Champions were years of academy work paying off. From van der Sar in goal, Blind, de Boer, Reiziger and Bogarde at the back, Davids, Seedorf and de Boer in midfield and a teenage Patrick Kluivert up front. All heavily involved in the run to the final, and with some help of some others (Rijkaard, Kanu, Litmanen), were able to emulate the great 70′s team of Cruyff et al – again, heavily represented by youth team graduates.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">There’s a lot more to investigate in terms of what makes a big game player. The example of the De Jong brothers in Holland proves its not just the club environment as both brothers scored regularly against Top 6 Opponents last season, but the youth team education undoubtedly helps. I’ve no doubt missed several great youth systems (Monchengladbach anyone?) but I think I’ve covered the main ones, certainly from a big game player point of view. Missed some other good ones? Leave a comment below.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Cheers,</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Liam</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">th team by World Players, Golden Boots, Recent Big Game players, Top 50</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">Other Findings</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">Good youth team academies</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">West Ham</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">Man Utd</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">Liverpool</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">Southampton – Dyer, Bridge, Bale, Walcott, Oxlade Chamberlain, Le Tissier, Shearer, Flowers</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">Everton</span><br />
<span style="color: white;">Youth teams with speciality in positions – Southampton, Sporting Lisbon, lack of Man Utd strikers</span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-51584008837140799892012-08-11T23:44:00.000+01:002012-12-21T23:45:17.211+00:00Top 50 Big Game Scorers: 5-1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">Here it is, the Top 5 Big Game Scorers in the history of Football. All are well known superstars, and after taking thousands of goals and matches into account, the top player is revealed. To see numbers 10-6, click <a href="http://averageopposition.com/2012/09/11/top-50-big-game-scorers-10-6/">here</a></span></em><br />
<h3>
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em> </h3>
<h3>
<em><span style="color: black;">5. <span style="color: #999999;">Zinedine Zidane (France) 1988-2006 / 33 points – 10 goals </span></span></em></h3>
<br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/zidane-top-50.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1749" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/zidane-top-50.jpg?w=490" title="Zidane Top 50" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;">In at number 5 is the man that many believe was able to break the Maradona/Pele stranglehold on the best player of all time title. And part of that can be attributed to his performance in big games. Although an attacking midfielder, he wasn’t in the Maradona, Platini and Lampard gang of prolific scorers. In an 18 year professional career, he got double figures on just six occasions, with his highest season total being 12. However, as you probably know, he stepped up on the biggest stages. The most recent player to score in two World Cup Finals, Zizou scored a headed double in 1998 and then a pretty much perfect penalty in the 2006 Final against Buffon, which also had added pressure as he’d announced it would be his last game as a professional. What a great way to bow out…. </span><br /><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tO_E1TeT770?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br /><span style="color: black;">And it wasn’t just the World Cup that he excelled in. The successful Euro 2000 campaign for France saw Zidane put his country through in the Semi Final against Portugal (who must have a deep dislike of him after he repeated the trick in the 2006 World Cup semi final). In club football, he was equally adept at stepping up in the biggest games, most notably in the 2002 Champions League Final where he did this:</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></span><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E3BLrgvgHnE?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br /><span style="color: black;">A perfect volley into the top corner from a looping cross on his weaker foot? Not a problem. That goal also won the trophy for the Madrid. And whilst that was his most notable goal in a great club career, he also scored plenty of other significant goals. Many forget the semi final goal against bitter rivals Barcelona at the Nou Camp (seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaD3TcFKNZE">here</a>), whilst his time at Juventus was also memorable, if a touch unlucky as he lost two finals with the Turin giants. In the 1997 Champions League Semi Final, Zidane scored against Ajax, before scoring against Monaco at the same stage a year later, before going on to lose the finals to Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively. In fact, his Champions League campaigns involving Juventus generally didn’t end too well, with his former club knocking out Real Madrid at the same stage in 2003, despite Zidane’s goal in a 4-3 aggregate loss.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">He was of course much much more than about goals, but the fact that he stepped up with so many high pressure big game goals, only added to the high regard he was held in. There’s a great</span> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jun/19/barcelona.brazil">article</a> <span style="color: black;">that makes a pretty good case for comparing Rivaldo to Zidane, and rightly so, however, doesn’t quite match Zidane’s achievements and ability to impact the very biggest games so consistently – surely something that warrants the Frenchman’s placing in the history of football.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Cesare Maldini when manager of the 1998 Italy World Cup squad said that he’d give up five of his players for one Zidane, but perhaps Franz Beckenbauer sums up Zidane the best:</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Beckenbauer on Zidane “<em>Zidane is one of the greatest players in history, a truly magnificent player…….Zidane is unique, The ball flows with him. He’s more like a dancer than a footballer</em>“</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/zidane.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1732" height="197" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/zidane.jpg?w=490&h=197" title="Zidane" width="490" /></a><br />
<h3>
<em></em> </h3>
<h3>
<em>4. <span style="color: #888888;">Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) 1943-1966 / 40 points – 15 goals</span></em></h3>
<br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/puskas-top-50.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1750" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/puskas-top-50.jpg?w=490" title="Puskas Top 50" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;">Yet another one of the dominant Real Madrid team of the 50s and 60s, Ferenc Puskas holds the distinction of scoring two hat tricks in the finals of the European Cup, in fact one of them was actually a four goal haul. He also had the distinction of playing for different countries at the World Cup – firstly Hungary and later on Spain. But more on that later.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">A dominant part of three great teams, Puskas first came to prominence playing for the Hungarian military team Honved where he earned the nickname “the Galloping Major”, whilst playing alongside fellow Hungarian legends Czibor and Kocsis. He won five titles in his time with them and the golden boot in four seasons – including a 50 goal season in 1947-48, which was the highest in Europe. But it wasn’t with Honved that Puskas became known and feared around Europe, it was with his national team – the Mighty Magyars. He would eventually go on to score a massive 84 goals in 85 appearances for his (first country) and in that time they beat England 6-3 at Wembley and 7-1 away (unheard of then) as well as going on a 32 game unbeaten run that saw them win the 1952 Olympics (with Puskas scoring in the Final) that ended at the worst possible time – the 1954 World Cup Final. In the Final, Puskas showed his big game temperament once again as he put the favourites 1-0 up after just six minutes. That lead became 2-0 before West Germany managed to turn the game around and win 3-2 in a match that came to be known as the Miracle of Bern.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">After leaving Hungary in 1956 on a tour around Europe, Puskas was one of many who refused to return to Hungary. As a result he received a 2 year ban from FIFA. Once the ban had ended, he was turend down by clubs in Italy and was denied a move to Manchester United before Real Madrid took a gamble on the overweight 31 year old. And it didn’t end too badly for him. In his first season, he scored two goals in the European Cup semi final against neighbours Atletico as Real went on to retain the trophy. The following year he really made his mark. In a semi final against rivals Barcelona, Puskas scored three goals over the two legs to put Real in their fifth straight Final – and it was in this Final that his legendary status at Madrid would be cemented. Facing Eintracht Frankfurt, Puskas scored four goals in a 7-3 win:.</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></span><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_717RCKR1us?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br /><span style="color: black;">And of course, he wasn’t done there. After a year off, Madrid were back in the final in 1962, and juts to prove it wasn’t a fluke before, Puskas scored another hat trick in the final – although unfortunately for him, he was facing a Eusebio inspired Benfica who scored five to his three. Not to worry though, him and Real Madrid won the trophy again in 1966 with the big 39 year old striker scoring four goals in one game against Feyenoord along the way. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">So a World Cup Final goal, an Olympic Final goal, and two European Cup Final hat tricks. That pretty much settles any debate (if there was any). He went on to manage several teams, most notably taking Panathinaikos to the European Cup Final in 1971 (the only time a Greek club has ever reached that stage) and in 2002, the Hungarian national team stadium was renamed in his honour.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/puskas.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="280" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/puskas.jpg?w=490&h=280" title="Puskas" width="490" /></a><br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em> </h3>
<h3>
<em><span style="color: black;">3. <span style="color: #999999;">Pele (Brazil) 1956-1977 / 40.5 points – 13 goals</span></span></em></h3>
<br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/pele-top-50.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1751" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/pele-top-50.jpg?w=490" title="Pele Top 50" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;">Where to start with Pele? How about some modest words from the man himself: “Every kid around the world who plays soccer wants to be Pele”. Well he is the only man to have won three World Cups, but personally, I wanted to be Tony Cottee. Even still, he is generally considered to be one of the holy trilogy of the greatest of all time. Scorer of over 1,000 goals, Pele will be judged by some due to never playing in European leagues – though this wasn’t necessarrily his fault, like Eusebio, Pele was banned from leaving Brazil – certainly in his prime anyway. As you’d expect, 3 World Cups + Brazil’s all time top scorer (77) = some big game goals. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">A truly innovative player who’s near misses are almost as famous as his goals (this is the best</span> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryIGWJx_CmA&feature=relmfu">one</a>, <span style="color: black;">but there’s also the halfway line shot and the Banks save), Pele burst onto the global scene during the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Aged just 17, Pele scored six times, all in the knock out stages. First up was the winner as Wales were defeated 1-0 in the Quarters. From then, things really took off. Facing Just Fontaine’s France (the only player to outscore him at that tournament), Pele scored a hat trick in a 5-2 win – proving to be the difference on the day. And the momentum kept going as in the Final the teenager did this:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4NYFncumAvc?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">One of two goals that day, Brazil won their first World Cup and a legend was born. He played and scored at both the 1962 and 1966 World Cup’s but injuries (fouls) robbed him of playing the full tournament. In fact the “attention” he was receiving from opposition defenders in 1966 led him to declare that he’d never play in the World Cup again. Luckily for us, Brazil and the 1970 World Cup, he changed his mind – spearheading the Brazil team considered to be the best in history. Scoring four goals along the way, including the opener in the Final, Pele also racked up five assists, including two in the 4-1 win over Italy to win their third title and the Jules Rimet trophy for keeps. It was his crowning performance in what was a glittering career:</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></span><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3_3nRplehGk?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br /><span style="color: black;">He also did pretty well for his club team Santos as well. Although not quite as prolifc as Alberto Spencer, Pele did end Penarol’s dominance in the tournament as Santos became just the second team to win the tournament in 1962. With the two legged final ending level on aggregate, Santos had the returning Pele for the Play Off, and he didn’t disappoint with two goals in a 3-0 win for the Brazilians. A year later he was even more deadly, scoring a four goals in the two legged semi against Jairzinho’s Botafogo (including a hat trick in the away leg), before scoring again in the second leg of the final against Argentina’s Boca Juniors to claim his and Santos’ second title. In what was a good tournament for Pele, he also won the golden boot in the 1965 season.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Since retiring from football, he’s made a good career in comedy by getting into very public arguments with Maradona (who doesn’t?), saying that Nicky Butt was the player of the 2002 World Cup and doing adverts for viagra even though he made it very clear that he never need to use one. As entertaining as that’s all been, very few have or will ever be able to entertain on the pitch the way Pele did. A complete original, a genius, prolific in front of goal, provider of great goals, and inventor of iconic moments. He’s best summed up by Italy’s defender in the 1970 Final, Tarcisio Burgnich:</span><br />
“<em>I told myself before the game, ‘he’s made of skin and bones just like everyone else’ — but I was wrong</em>“<br />
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/pele1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1741" height="245" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/pele1.jpg?w=490&h=245" title="Pele" width="490" /></a><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em> </h3>
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<em><span style="color: black;">2. <span style="color: #999999;">Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina) 1945-1966/ 45 points – 19 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/di-stefano-trophies.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1754" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/di-stefano-trophies.jpg?w=490" title="Di Stefano Trophies" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;">Much of what was said for Puskas can be repeated for his strike partner Di Stefano – apart from serving for the Hungarian Army that is. It’s more the games scored in then, and the fact that like Puskas, Di Stefano wasn’t particularly bothered about his nationality – also appearing for Spain as well as his native of Argentina, and also for one time home, Colombia. He also qualified for Italy.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Di Stefano spent 11 seasons with Real Madrid after playing for River Plate of Argentina and Millonarios of Colombia, despite not signing until he was 27. But it could have been very different – Di Stefano was destined for Madrid’s great rivals Barcelona until complications allowed Real to nip in at the last minute to at first share him with the Catalan club before eventually owning him outright. At one point there was a scenario where he’d play alternate seasons for each club – it’s hard to imagine that’d work out too well today. And Barcelona’s loss was certainly Real Madrid’s gain as the capital club went on to win the first five European Cups in a row, and whilst Puskas’ input was instrumental, no one had a bigger hand in the era of dominance than Di Stefano. Of the five European Cup wins from 1956 to 1960, Di Stefano scored in every single Final – including a hat trick in the 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">And it wasn’t just the Finals that he excelled in. Starting with inaugural tournament in 1955-56, where there were just 16 teams competing, Di Stefano scored in the semi final win over AC Milan (5-4 agg) before going on to score Madrid’s first goal in the final against Stade Reims as they won 4-3 against Hibernian’s conquerors. A year later he repeated thhe trick with a semi final strike against Matt Busby’s youngsters before going on to score the first goal in the Final win against Fiorentina. And his knack of scoring important goals would continue into the next season. After a hat trick against Hungarian’s Vasas in the semi final, Di Stefano scored Madrid’s first goal for the third conscutive Final – this time an equaliser against AC Milan, in a 3-2 win. The 1959 Final saw him score against Stade Reims who would no doubt be sick of the sight of him, this time in a 2-0 after he scored both home and away in the semi final win against city rivals Atletico Madrid. And the fifth and final consecutive European Cup win was arguably the best, with a famous 7-3 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Di Stefano once again scored Madrid’s opener and in fact their second as well, on the way to a hat trick in a match considered by many to be one of the greatest of all time. Perhaps just as importantly, he scored a brace in the semi final win over Barcelona. In what was a recurring pattern, not only would he score important goals, but he’d also step up in the games against rivals – with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid on the end of his goals.</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></span><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ntMj-1FEfw0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe><br /></span><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">So there you</span><span style="color: black;"> have it, the Alberto Spencer of the European Cup and undobtedly a big game player. The only disappointment was that he only did it in one competition. Everyone else in the Top 10 scored in multiple competitions, with most impacting the World Cup. Unfortunately for Di Stefano, Argentina refused to participate at the 1954 tournament, Spain failed to qualify in 1958 and he was injured for the 1962 edition – meaning Di Stefano would join a list of greats </span><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1233018/THE-LIST-The-best-footballers-played-World-Cup--Nos-10-1.html">never to play on the biggest stage</a> <span style="color: black;">with the likes of George Best, George Weah, Ryan Giggs and Julian Dicks.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">And it wasn’t just his playing career that was eventful, moving into management, he memorably led both Boca Juniors and River Plate to national league titles, whilst in Spain he won the League, the cup and European Cup Winners Cup with Valencia. However, he couldn’t quite replicate that success with his beloved Real – finishing second in the league, the Copa del Rey, the Cup Winners Cup, Supercopa de Espana and the Copa de la Liga – five runners up medals!</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Eusebio described the Blonde Arrow as “the most complete footballer in the history of the game”. Not a bad way to be described if you’re a footballer.</span><br />
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/di-stefano1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1752" height="344" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/di-stefano1.jpg?w=490&h=344" title="Di Stefano" width="490" /></a><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em> </h3>
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<em><span style="color: black;">1. <span style="color: #999999;">Gerd Muller (Germany) 1963-1981 / 51 points – 16 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/gerd-muller.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1755" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/gerd-muller.jpg?w=490" title="Gerd Muller" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;">And at number one is a player that scored 68 goals in 62 Internationals for his country, and who scored in the Final and Semi Finals of the three biggest tournaments possible. Gerd Muller, known as ‘Der Bomber’ was a prolific striker for every team he played for and in every competition. In total, he scored 655 goals in just 709 games – and these don’t include the types of goals that Romario counted, these were real goals. He was top scorer in the European Cup, The World Cup, the European Championships, the Bundesliga, and probably in training too, yet he’s never seriously considered when talking about the second tier of greats – after Pele, Maradona and Zidane, people tend to discuss Cruyff, Best, Charlton, Di Stefano and plenty of others, but never Muller (certainly not in England anyway). Yet he was the most reliable and devastating player of his generation.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">He won the Bundesliga four times, the German Cup four times and the European Cup three times (in a row), among other trophies. You could point out that he was playing for Bayern Munich but when he joined them (in 1964), they were still in the second division having won a single title in the 1930s. It’s fair to say that he played a massive part in the history of Germany’s super club.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">So on to the goals, the first of his big game strikes was in 1970 World Cup. Aged 25, Muller scored a double in “The Game of the Century” – not a bad way to introduce yourself to a global audience. Unfortunately for Gerd, it was in a 4-3 defeat to Italy. He scored two goals in extra time which in any normal circumstances should have been enough to win a game, not in that game though, as Italy scored three. He did at least finish the tournament as the Top Scorer with 10 goals, including the winner in an epic quarter final against 1966 conquerors, England. Regarded as a better team than the 1966 champions, Muller capped off a comeback from 2-0 down to put West Germany through. He wasn’t to be denied though, and four years later, on home soil he would have his moment of glory. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">After scoring in the Final Group stage games against Yugoslavia and then the winner against Poland in what was effectively a semi final, this happened:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O6m2WUyOTL0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br />
<br /><span style="color: black;">Although he didn’t quite get the golden boot, he did score the winning goal in the final against Johan Cruyff’s much fancied Holland, and in scoring his 14th World Cup goal, he became the top scorer in World Cup history – a record that stood for 32 years until Ronaldo took the crown (it took him an extra World Cup).</span><span style="color: black;">That made it an impressive double as Muller also top scored as West Germany won Euro ’72, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avSTXci35KU&feature=related">including two goals in the Final against Russia</a>. Before that he’d scored a double against Belgium to put his country through.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">For his club team, Bayern won three consecutive European Cups from 1974-1976 and Muller was once again instrumental in all three wins. The 1974 tournament saw him score in the semi final against Dozsa of Hungary before they faced Atletico Madrid. After the Final ended 1-1, Bayern won the replay 4-0 with a brace from our man Muller. And to prove that he wasn’t just the poacher he was made out to be, he scored two brilliant goals, one from a van Basten-esque angle after a great first touch, and the second a classy lob that he really should have taken more time on:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yR7WdA0Ozak?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br /><span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">A year later, he and they faced Don Revie’s Leeds team led by Billy Bremner in France. Despite only finishing the German league in 10th positon, Muller and his team mates managed to shake off their poor domestic form to win 2-0 – Muller scoring the second. It was a game remembered for some unusual refereeing decisions, but Muller didn’t care as he and his team mates won their second successive European Cup. And a year later, they were celebrating again – this time beating Saint Etienne. This time Muller didn’t score in the final, instead saving his impact for the semi finals against Real Madrid – scoring once away and twice at home as Bayern knocked out the one time dominant force in the competition.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">He was also known mistakenly as “Short Fat Muller” after a hilarious lost in translation moment, but what was never in doubt was his ability to influence the biggest games in football. Pressure was not an issue for him. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">He was quite simply the most prolific big game scorer that’s ever played football.</span><br />
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/muller.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1737" height="294" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/muller.jpg?w=490&h=294" title="Muller" width="490" /></a><br />
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Cheers,<br />
<br />
Liam</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-70745278683163419652012-08-10T23:37:00.000+01:002013-01-30T20:47:45.954+00:00Top 50 Big Game Scorers: 10-6<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #888888;"><em>Finally into the Top 10, and the big guns are out, with seven World Cup Final goals between the next five players, plus a Copa Libertadores legend. For 20-11 see <a href="http://averageopposition.blogspot.ie/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-20-11.html">HERE</a></em></span><br />
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<strong><em>10.</em></strong><span style="color: #888888;"><strong><em> Eusebio (Portugal) 1957-1979 / 23 points – 9 goals</em></strong></span></h3>
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/eusebio21.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="232" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/eusebio21.jpg?w=217&h=232" title="Eusebio2" width="217" /></a><br />
<span style="color: black;">Mozambique born Portuguese legend, Eusebio was one of the most prolific scorers of the 60′s. With a reported 727 goals for Benfica, the lightening quick frontman dominated the Portuguese league, winning eleven titles in his stay with the Lisbon giants. However, it was his performances in the European cup that first brought him to the World’s attention. Playing in four finals and scoring in two of them, Eusebio lifted the trophy just once in 1962. The previous year had seen Benfica end Real Madrid’s reign as Kings of Europe as they beat Barcelona in the Final, and the 1962 Final paired the two of them against each other. Despite Madrid storming into a 2-0 and then 3-2 lead (thanks to a Puskas hat trick), Benfica stormed back to win 5-3 thanks largely to a brace by Eusebio. The man known as the Black Pearl had done this aged just 20 in his first full season with the club.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MondTrac_PQ?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">A year later, he was in the thick of it again as he scored against Feyenoord in the semi before notching another Final goal, this time against AC Milan who overturned Eusebio’s goal with a brace by Altafini. He’d suffer further Final heartache to Inter Milan in 1965 and Manchester United in 1968, scoring two semi final goals in both seasons.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">His stay with Benfica wasn’t always so smooth though. When he signed for them, he alledgedly had to go under an alias to avoid kidnapping, whilst after the 1966 World Cup, Portugal’s dictator Salazar passed a law stating that he wasn’t allowed to leave Portugal after Inter Milan bid a massive $3m for him. In 1966. And whilst on the subject of the 1966 World Cup, Eusebio top scored with nine goals, including a memorable four goals haul versus North Korea. Portugal would eventually bow out at the Semi Final stage where Eusebio’s goal wasn’t enough to stop hosts England progressing to the Final.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/eusebio2.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="185" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/eusebio2.jpg?w=490&h=185" title="Eusebio" width="490" /></a><br />
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<em>9. <span style="color: #999999;">Mario Kempes (Argentina) 1970-1996 / 24 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/kempes.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="187" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/kempes.jpg?w=268&h=187" title="Kempes" width="268" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black;">It’s fair to say that the 1978 World Cup brought the best out of Mario Kempes, and especially the big games. Kempes won the golden boot much like Paolo Rossi after him, with all his goals scored in the final stages. Argentina finished the first group stages behind Italy, but in the Final Group stage, Kempes would burst into life. He scored the only goals of the game in a 2-0 win against Poland, before hitting another brace in the 6-0 win over Peru, a result that put them in final ahead of Brazil on goal difference. And of course, it was the Final that would be Kempes’ greatest moment. On home soil, Argentina faced the mighty Dutch who were contesting their second successive Final. Kempes opened the scoring in the 38th minute, only for the Dutch to equalise late on. In extra time, Kempes put the hosts ahead for a second time before it was made safe by Daniel Bertoni. Argentina had won their first ever World Cup, and Kempes had finished top scorer with six goals. <em>You might want to put the video</em><em> on mute:</em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rmXdIyRwAfU" width="420"></iframe>
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<span style="color: black;"><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></span><div>
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</span><span style="color: black;">In what was a prolific career, Kempes will be best remembered for his time with Valencia which saw him win two Pichichi trophies, a UEFA Cup Winners Cup (versus Arsenal) and the Copa del Rey in 1979, when he scored both goals in a 2-0 win against the mighty Real Madrid. He became something of a journeyman in his later career (that saw him scoring goals into his 40s), taking in spells in Austria, Chile and Indonesia, where he still remained prolific. He went on to play twelve more times for his country, but the extra time goal in the World Cup Final was his last for his country. A big game player when his country needed him most.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/mario-kempes1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="136" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/mario-kempes1.jpg?w=490&h=136" title="Mario Kempes" width="490" /></a></div>
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</h3>
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</h3>
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<em>8. <span style="color: #999999;">Vava (Brazil) 1949-1969/ 27 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vava-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="339" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vava-2.jpg?w=232&h=339" title="Vava 2" width="232" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black;">And coming in at number eight is Brazilian great Evaldo Izidio Neto, known more widely as Vava. Despite winning just 20 caps for the national team, Vava won the World Cup twice, in 1958 and 1962 and scored nine of his 15 national team goals along the way. Nicknamed Steel Chest (not quite as cool at Zico’s nickname), Vava was known as a goalscorer first and foremost. And he did that very very well. The first man to score in two World Cup Finals (only three others have managed this), he first came to International prominence in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. With Brazil looking to make amends for finishing runners up at home four years earlier, Vava, along with a 17 year old Pele and the mercurial Garrincha, won Brazil’s first World Cup. Aftecr just four minutes, they found themselves 1-0 down in the Final to the hosts, courtesy of a goal from AC Milan’s Nils Liedholm. cometh the hour, cometh the man – Vava stepped up to make sure there would be no repeat of the 1954 disappointment. And despite all of Brazil’s beautiful football, it was two poachers goals from him that firstly equalised, and then put them 2-1 up. Brazil went on to win the game 5-2 and in doing so, would begin a legacy that has seen them become the greatest footballing nation in the history of game.</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Syncd5yq8o4?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">And it shouldn’t be forgotten that he also scored in the Semi Final win against France – once again an important goal, with Vava scoring the opener. And he wasn’t finished there. Four years later he was even more instrumental. He top scored with four goals despite the fact that his first goal wasn’t until the Quarter Final win over England. In the Semi final win against hosts Chile, Vava’s goals were the difference as he scored a brace in a 4-2 win (along with player of the tournament Garrincha). And once again, he was at it again in the Final, scoring the third and final goal as Brazil retained their trophy with a 3-1 win over the Czechs. Once again, it wasn’t a classic Brazilian strike, with Vava this time pouncing on a goalkeeper mistake as seen <a href="http://youtu.be/x0AJx7QHrFc?t=37s"><span style="color: black;">here</span></a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">He enjoyed spells with Vasco da Gama, Atletico Madrid and Palmeiras (among others) before moving into coaching, where most notably he was the assistant manager of the 1982 Brazil squad – generally regarded as the best team never to win the tournament.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vava1.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1708" height="136" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/vava1.jpg?w=490&h=136" title="Vava" width="490" /></a></div>
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</h3>
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<em><span style="color: black;"></span></em> </h3>
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<em><span style="color: black;">7.</span> <span style="color: #888888;">Alberto Spencer (Ecuador) 1953-1972 / 27.5 points – 13 goals</span></em></h3>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/alberto-spencer2.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1712" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/alberto-spencer2.jpg?w=490" title="Alberto Spencer2" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black;">After a few World Cup specialists comes the King of the Copa Libertadores, Alberto Spencer. After spending his whole career in Ecuador and Uruguay (he also represented both countries), he’s somewhat unknown in Europe, despite his prolific scoring record. Even now, he’s the all time Top Scorer in the history of the Copa Libertadores, and it’s his 13 goals in the latter stages of the tournament that warrants his inclusion in the top 10. In total he scored 54 goals in the tournament from 1960 to 1972. Internationally, despite never appearing in a World Cup, he does have the distinction of being the only player to have played and scored simultaneously for two countries. In fact, he swapped between Ecuador and Uruguay no less than four occasions. Nicknamed the Magic Head due to his heading ability, Pele once said of him “<em>Someone that headed better than me was Spencer. I was good, but he was spectacular heading the ball</em>“. He didn’t however, mention problems in the bedroom.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">And so onto the goals. Spencer scored in four different Copa Libertadores finals, and has a whopping eight Final goals. It should be remembered that Finals were played over two legs, but that’s still an incredible record and the epitome of a big game player. On top of that, he also scored five goals at the Semi Final stages.</span> <span style="color: black;">In 1960, after Spencer scored two goals in the semis, Penarol were facing Olimpia of Paraguay. In the first leg, he scored the first Final goal in the history of the now prestigious tournament – a fitting start for what he’d go on to achieve. That goal proved to be the difference as Penarol won 2-1 on aggregate. A year later, and the opponents had changed (Palmeiras of Brazil) but the outcome was the same. Spencer scored the only goal of a 1-0 first leg win, as Penarol went on to defend their crown with another 2-1 aggregate win. Penarol found themselves in a 3rd successive final in 1962 as they looked set to dominate the tournament the way Real Madrid had done with the European Cup. But it wasn’t to be. Spencer scored three more semi final goals against fellow Uruguayan’s Nacional. In the final, they faced Pele’s Santos, and despite Spencer’s goals in both legs of the Final, the Brazilians went on to win the play off 3-0. Injuries and form meant that Spencer didn’t get to play in another Final until 1966, and once again, he was pivotal. Scoring in the second leg of the final, this time against River Plate, Spencer decided the playoff game with the first and third goals 4-2 win to win his third and final winners medal. Pele wasn’t lying about his heading ability:</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></span><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HVjPyCPK1NI?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br />
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/alberto-spencer.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1710" height="253" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/alberto-spencer.jpg?w=490&h=253" title="Alberto Spencer" width="490" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;">6.</span><span style="color: #888888;"> Ronaldo (Brazil) 1993-2011 / 32 points – 9 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">It’s probably easiest to just start with the goals for Ronaldo, as they tell a pretty clear story:</span><br />
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ronaldo.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1715" height="185" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ronaldo.jpg?w=490&h=185" title="Ronaldo" width="490" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">He’s played in the Final of four different major tournaments and scored in all of them. Some correctly point out that he never scored in the European Cup Final, to which the simple answer is that he didn’t play in one. The closest he came was with Real Madrid in 2002-03. They ended up losing to Juventus 4-3 on aggregate, with Ronaldo playing and scoring in the 2-1 first leg win, but missing the return match which meant both he missed the chance to play in the Champions League Final, and also that the rest of us had to watch what is one of the worst Finals in the history of the competition. But I digress. This is all about Ronaldo. In my eyes, the pre injury Ronaldo was the best player I’ve ever seen, and had the potential to be the best of all time. Quite a statement I think you’ll agree but when you compare him with say Messi at the same age (19-20) Ronaldo scored 47 goals for Barca whilst Messi scored 17. I know there are plenty of variables to that, but it does tell a story.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Unfortunately though, the injury did happen, and football fans of the World had to put up with a bulked up but watered down version of the Brazilian striker, and he didn’t do too badly. Pre injury, he played and scored the only goal in the Cup Winners Cup Final for Barcelona against PSG in 1997. A year later at Inter, he played and scored in the UEFA Cup Final win over a Lazio team containing Nesta, Casiraghi, Nedved and Mancini. The goal showed his trademark rounding of the keeper, something that he seemed to take great joy in doing (as seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqwseKhjDGk&feature=share&list=PL62BBF7F54751A646"><span style="color: black;">here</span></a>). For Brazil, by the time of his first injury, he’d dazzled all before him with goals and assists in the 1998 World Cup, including a goal in the Semi Final against Holland. Unfortunately, we all know what happened in the Final, though at the same time, we all know what was to come four year later. He’d also scored in the Final of both the 1997 Copa America verus Bolivia and the 1999 Final against Uruguay with this effort – highlighting his ability to finish equally well on his left foot as his right. Pace, Power, Technique and accuracy:</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"></span><span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hv4T-ZWTzZw?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">After the inj</span><span style="color: black;">ury (November 1999), he was visibly different, but he adapted to great success and fulfilled his greatest dream by winning the World Cup in 2002 (after recoevring from a second career threatening injury). And how. Ronaldo scored 8 goals in his 7 games (the highest total since 1970) including the winner in a 1-0 defeat of Turkey in the semi final, before his moment of redemption – the 2002 World Cup Final against Germany. Sure, he had a crap haircut, but look at the hunger for the first goal – winning the ball back (after losing it to be fair), and following up on Rivaldo’s speculative effort. The second was a thing of beauty though.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">To be the all time World Cup top scorer, to have scored in two Copa America finals, and two European club finals, and to be the only man to score on both sides of the el Clasico and the Milan derby tells you all you need to know about his big game credentials. Ronaldo was a man for the big occasion. The fact that he did all this and people still talk about what might have been also shows you what a player he was, especially before the injuries. When Zinedine Zidane was asked who was the best player he ever played with or against he didn’t pause when he replied “without hesitation, Ronaldo”</span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-42391196285014568662012-08-09T23:32:00.000+01:002012-12-21T23:33:53.703+00:00Top 50 Big Game Scorers: 20-11<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">Next up are the players in 20th to 11th as the countdown of the Top 50 Big Game Scorers continues. Included are a couple of Dutch and a couple of German greats as well as a couple of lesser known players. For numbers 30-21, click <a href="http://averageopposition.blogspot.ie/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-30-21.html">HERE</a></span></em><br />
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/platini.png"> <img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="254" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/platini.png?w=198&h=254" title="Platini" width="198" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="color: black;">20. <span style="color: #999999;">Michel Platini (France) 1972-1987 /18 points – 6 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">I mentioned in a <a href="http://averageopposition.com/2012/03/25/the-myth-of-maradona/">previous article</a> </span><span style="color: black;">that Michel Platini’s performances in the 1984 European Championship were comparable to those of Maradona in Mexico 86. Not everyone agreed it turns out, but I stand by the claim. The European Championships of 1984 were completed dominated by the mercurial midfielder, with Platini scoring 9 goals in just 5 games – a haul that’s still enough for him to be the all time leading scorer in that tournament. And it wasn’t as if he did it against poor teams (See Oleg Salenko’s 5 goals in USA 94). Platini scored in every match – including a winner in the 119th minute against Portugal in the Semi Final, and then the opening goal against Spain in the Final. Part of the magic square midfield for France along with Tigana, Fernandes and Giresse, Platini was the standout performer. From the 1982 World Cup semi final against West Germany, Platini scored in every international knock out game until the 1986 World Cup semi final – or to put it another way, six consecutive games – one of the greatest big game players of all time. To back this up, he was also pretty handy for his club sides, excelling in particular with Juventus. The successor to Liam Brady at the heart of the Juve midfield, he scored in the 1983 European Cup semi final against Lodz, before repeating the trick in 1985 against Bordeaux. In the final, sadly overshadowed by tragedy, he scored the only goal from the penalty spot to win the trophy for Juventus and the golden boot for himself. For the record, Maradona was ranked in joint 65th place on this list.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">19. <span style="color: #999999;">Bobby Charlton (England) 1956-1976 / 18 points – 6 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">From one prolific midfielder to another, Bobby Charlton’s big game goals are spread across 13 years and three great teams. Part of the Busby Babes team that won the Division One title in 1956-57, Charlton scored a late equaliser at home to the great Real Madrid team of the time in the Semi Final of the European Cup, in just it’s second season. Tragically, that great team would never complete a full season again after the Munich Air Disaster claimed the lives of many of Matt Busby’s league champions. In fact, the last game they played together saw Bobby Charlton score twice in the Quarter Final second leg game against Red Star Belgrade. Ten years later Busby with Bobby Charlton famously won the competition, with Charlton scoring two goals in the Final against Eusebio’s Benfica. A year later, he scored at the semi final stage against eventual champions AC Milan. For England, he also stepped up on the big occasion, with both goals in the 1966 World Cup semi final </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">win over Portugal, as Alf Ramsey’s men lifted the only trophy in England’s history.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">18. <span style="color: #999999;">Paolo Rossi (Italy) 1976-1987 / 18.5 points – 5 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/rossi.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1677" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/rossi.jpg?w=490" title="Rossi" /></a>When you see Paolo Rossi’s name then there’s a good chance you’d assume the hat trick against Brazil in the 1982 World Cup was the driver behind his lofty position. Well it’s not. It was undoubtedly a big game, and the redemption angle certainly built it up, but as this is the very biggest games (semis and finals), then it doesn’t qualify. Instead, Rossi has a bigger portfolio than suspected. In the 1978 World Cup, Rossi scored in the final group stage match against Austria, he then had an enforced absence for two years before claiming the golden boot in 1982 with 6 goals, all in the knock out stages. After the Brazil hat trick, he hit a double against Poland in the semi final, before scoring the all important opener against West Germany in the Final. In club football, he scored in the semi final aggregate win against Lodz in the 1983 European cup before defeat to Hamburg.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">17. <span style="color: #999999;">Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany) 1974-1989 / 18.5 points – 6 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">A prolific striker, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge enjoyed great career success with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and West Germany. But it could have been even better. He won the European Cup in 1975 and 1976 with Bayern, but didn’t score in any of the semi finals or either of the finals. He did however score goals in the unsuccessful campaigns of 1981 and 1982 at the semi final stage against firstly Liverpool as Bayern went out on away goals, and then a brace to knock out CSKA Sofia a year later, only to lose to Aston Villa in the final. For his country he played in the three World Cups in between Germany’s wins in 1974 and 1990 – including</span> two<span style="color: black;"> Final defeats in 1982 to Italy and 1986 to Argentina. In his first World Cup (1978), he scored the first three of his total nine World Cup goals, with the last of them in the final stage defeat to Austria. Four years later, he scored five goals as West Germany went all the way to final. His most notable goal was in the 3-3 Semi Final against France, with Rummenigge also scoring his penalty. In the 1986 World Cup, he scored in the Final against Maradona’s Argentina, but it wasn’t to be enough as Burruchaga scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute. As a consolation, he does at least have a European Championships medal from 1980.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">16. <span style="color: #999999;">Johan Cruyff (Netherlands) 1964-1984 / 18.5 points – 6 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">There’s been millions of words written about the football genius that was Johan Cruyff, and there’s not much I can add that hasn’t been said on his ability. But what of his goal scoring in the big games? Well despite not being an out and out striker, the Dutch legend had a very impressive strike rate of a goal every 1.7 games for his clubs, and an even better 33 goals in 48 caps for Holland. And amongst those goals, were six scored in the latter stages of the biggest tournaments. First up was the 1969 European Cup semi final, when he scored the opener in a 3-2 aggregate win over Czechoslovakian Champions Spartak Trnava, before losing to AC Milan in the Final. He and his Ajax team mates wouldn’t have to wait too long for that first title though, following on Feyenoord’s lead, they lifted the trophy in 1971, 1972 and 1973 and it was the second of that hat trick of wins that saw Cruyff really hit the big time. In what’s been described as Total Football’s greatest moment, Ajax defeated Italian giants Inter Milan 2-0 in the final with Cruyff scoring both the goals – one an open goal, the second a towering header at the back post, not quite the beautiful goals you’d expect, but very important nonetheless.</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fTmJxevgoC0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br /><span style="color: black;"> For his country, he had a massive impact on the 1974 World Cup, scoring three goals in the Final Group stage, propelling Holland to the Final. His double against Argentina was followed up with the second against Brazil in what was essentially a semi final. Sadly for football lovers, he didn’t play in the 1978 tournament, but he still left his mark on the biggest stages.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">15. <span style="color: #999999;">Diego Forlan (Uruguay) 1997-Current / 19 points – 6 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Ready for another current player? Step forward Diego Forlan. Almost unrecognisable from the young forward that spent three seasons with Manchester United, Forlan who is currently playing in Brazil with Internacional, has been one of the best front men in World Football for the last five years, and has the goals to back this up. Having scored in both semi final legs against Liverpool, the first of these big game goals was in the 32nd minutedof the 2010 Europa League Final against Roy Hodgson’s Fulham. The second was in the same match, and an extra time winner to give Atletico Madrid the trophy. Later on that summer, Forlan scored five goals in the World Cup, with the biggest being the equaliser in the semi final against Holland. Sadly for him and his countrymen, Holland went on to win the game, though Forlan’s goal in the quarter final also pointed to a big game temperement. Fast forward 12 months and he was the star of the 2011 Copa America as Uruguay won their 15th South American title, but more importantly, their first since 1995. Forlan combined with Luis Suarez to form a devastating partnership that scored all the goals in the Semi Final and Final of the tournament, as Forlan scored a brace against Paraguay to win the silverware for his country.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">14. <span style="color: #999999;">Paul Breitner (Germany) 1970-1983 / 19.5 points – 6 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/breitner.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1679" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/breitner.jpg?w=490" title="Breitner" /></a>We’ve already seen Rummenigge in the list, and just 3 places later is the other player who made up the FC Breitnigge partnership, Paul Breitner. It’s not the catchiest moniker, but it does illustrate the importance of the partnership that the pair struck up for both Bayern Munich and Germany. The interesting thing about Breitner’s inclusion this high up the list is that he played mainly as a left back (albeit cavalier) before moving into midfield. His first major impact on the big game scoresheet was in the 1974 World Cup where the 23 year old left back scored in the Final Group stage game against Yugoslavia in a 2-0 win. He then went on to score in the Final with just the second penalty ever awarded in a World Cup Final – 23 minutes after the first as West Germany went on to win the tournament. Fast forward to 1982 with Breitner back at Bayern after spells with Real Madrid and Eintracht Braunschweig and he was back amoung the big game goals. The 1982 European Cup saw Breitner as a midfield captain and he led by example in the semi finals, scoring three goals across the two legs against CSKA Sofia (he and Rummenigge scoring all four goals in the home leg). He’d feel the heartache of a final defeat in both that tournament and the World Cup that summer, as West Germany lost in the Final to Paolo Rossi’s Italy – though Breitner did become only the third player to score in two World Cup finals, behind Vava and Pele (only Zidane has managed it since).</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">13. <span style="color: #999999;">Dieter Muller (Germany) 1972-1989 / 20.5 – 7 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">No big game scorers list would be complete without West Germany’s Muller. And this is no different, except that this isn’t the Muller that everyone knows. No, this is Dieter Muller rather than Gerd (no relation). And you have to feel a bit sorry for him as he’s something of a nearly man. Although he had a prolific career, he was always in the shadow of his namesake despite being the top scorer in Germany for both the 1976-77 and 1977-78 seasons. He also had the record for most goals in a Bundesliga match, scoring six goals in Cologne’s 7-2 win over Werder Bremen – only there were no cameramen to record it due to a strike. He only won 12 caps for West Germany (scoring 9 times), but he certainly made the most of his time with national team. His greatest moments in football came in the 1976 European Championships. With Gerd Muller now retired from the national team, Dieter had his chance to shine, and shine he did winning the golden boot. He scored a hat trick in the Semi Final against Yugoslavia with the latter two strikes coming in extra time to win it the game 4-2. And on the biggest stage of his career, he scored his country’s first goal as they drew 2-2 with the Dutch conquering Czechoslovakia team. Sadly for Muller though, the tournament is known for Panenka’s penalty. Two years later in the 1978 World Cup, Mulller scored two more goals, one in the final group stage in a 2-2 draw against finalists Holland. The fact that six of his nine international goals were in major tournaments suggests he wasn’t troubled by nerves. For his clubs, despite never playing for any of Europe’s giants, he scored in the 1979 European Cup semi final defeat to Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest for Cologne, and then repeated his goalscoring semi final heartbreak in 1985, for Bordeaux against Juventus. Both occasions saw his team miss out on reaching the final by one goal. A prolific but very unlucky scorer.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">12. <span style="color: #999999;">Ademir (Brazil) 1939-1957 / 21 points – 6 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">According to the South American football expert Tim Vickery, Ademir (full name Ademir Marques de Menezes) was one of Brazil’s greatest ever strikers and looking at his performances in the 1950 World Cup, it’s easy to see why. Ademir scored nine goals in just six games, as the hosts bulldozed everyone before them, except in the Final game against Uruguay. Perhaps this is why Ademir’s name isn’t as well known as it should be. At the height of his powers aged 28, six of his nine World Cup goals came in the final group stages. Firstly, he scored a massive four goals in the 7-1 win against Sweden before following it up with a brace in a 6-1 win over Spain. He won the golden boot but had to settle for a runners up medal as Uruguay produced a massive upset. Having made his professional debut in 1939, you have to wonder what he could have acheived on the World stage had World War II not halted the 1942 and 1946 editions, where Ademir would have been 20 and 24 respectively. In total, he scored a very decent 32 goals in 39 appearances for his country, including a hat trick in a play off final versus Paraguay in 1949 to win an early Souh American championship (before the Copa America was officially set up in 1975).</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">11. <span style="color: #999999;">Marco van Basten (Netherlands) 1981-1993 / 21 points – 8 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Just outside the top ten is a player that many regard as the greatest striker of modern times. Marco van Basten played his last match aged just 28, but had already won the European Player of the Year award three times, and the World Player of the Year title once. Known as a finisher of the highest quality, comfortable on either foot and aerially, van Basten still managed to score eight goals on the biggest stages despite his short career. The first being the winning goal in the 1987 European Cup Winners Cup Final as Ajax beat East Germany’s Lokomotive Leipzig to win their first European trophy since Cruyff’s team in 1973. After a prolific 154 goals in 175 games for the Amsterdam club, van Basten joined AC Milan in 1987 with fellow countrymen Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard joining a year later. Together, they helped restore the club into the giants we know today. And he left his mark on the European Cup. In the 1989 tournament, van Basten top scored with 10 goals, including a goal in both semi final legs against Real Madrid. In the Final, van Basten scored the second and fourth goals in a 4-0 win over Steaua Bucharest as Milan won the title for the first time in 30 years. A year later, van Basten scored a penalty to give AC Milan a 1-0 first leg semi final win over Bayern Munich on their way to second successive title. For his country, he was equally deadly. Scoring 24 goals in 58 appearances, van Basten’s most famous goals were in the Euro ’88. Following a group stage hat trick against England, van Basten scored an 88th minute winner against West Germany in the semi final before doing this in the Final:</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JmAZKvMxuQc?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br /><span style="color: black;">Injury robbed him of at least five more years at the top, and the rest of us a chance to see a great player end his career properly, but he certainly made the most of his short time.</span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-67128338971517609492012-08-08T23:26:00.000+01:002012-12-21T23:28:15.775+00:00Top 50 Big Game Scorers: 30-21<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #999999;"><em>The countdown continues from 30 through to 21. This ten feature four players still active(ish), and some all time greats. For 40-31, click</em> </span><a href="http://averageopposition.blogspot.ie/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-40-31.html">HERE</a><br />
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/number-25.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1650" height="300" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/number-25.jpg?w=285&h=300" title="Number 25" width="285" /></a><span style="color: #999999;"><em></em></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999;"><em>Cristiano Ronaldo makes the Top 50 Big Game Scorers – ahead of Lionel Messi…..for now</em></span></div>
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<em>30. <span style="color: #999999;">Sandro Mazzola (Italy) 1960-1977 / 15 points – 6 goals</span> </em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Son of the great Valentino Mazzola of Torino and sadly the Superga air disaster, Sandro Mazzola was a great in his own right. Part of ‘Le Grande Inter’, he had a massive impact on the golden era of Inter Milan under Helanio Herrera. Despite the defensive tactics employed by the team, Mazzola was a regular scorer from the outside right position and especially so in the European Cup. An integral part of Inter’s run of three finals in four years from 1964-67, he scored some of the most crucial goals in that time. Facing European giants Real Madrid complete with Di Stefano, Amaro, Gento and Puskas in the 1964 Final, Mazzola was the difference with two goals in a famous 3-1 win, coming after his two goals in the Semi finals put Inter through against Borussia Dortmund. A year later, it was Mazzola’s away goal in the semi final away to Liverpool that made the difference on aggregate as the Italians defended their crown. Fast forward to 1967 and Mazzola scored in the final again although this time it would end in defeat to the Lisbon Lions of Celtic.</span><br />
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<em>29. <span style="color: #999999;">Pieter Robert (Rob) Rensenbrink (Netherlands) 1965-1982 / 15 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Eagle eyed readers will have noticed Kurt Hamrin’s pretty impressive four goal tally in UEFA Cup Winners Cup Finals – in fact it’s the joint highest in the history of the competition. Joint with Rob Rensenbrink. The left winger took an unusual career path, when you see a Dutch player from the 70′s featuring on this list then there’s a good chance he was part of the great Ajax team. Oh no. Rensenbrink played for AFC Door Wilskracht Sterk in Holland from 1965 to 1969 before moving to FC Brugge in Belgium. Surprise number two is that he joined big rivals FC Anderlecht after just two seasons. And it’s with Anderlecht that he shone – winning the Belgian league twice, as well as the Belgian Cup, and most importantly for this list, two Cup Winners Cup medals. In the 1976 Final, it was Rensenbrink that scored twice to deny West Ham their second European trophy in a 4-2 win. A defeat the following season in the Final was forgotten just a year later as they defeated Austria Vienna 4-0 with Rensenbrink scoring the all important first and second goals. His other big game entries came in the Final Group stages of the 1974 and 1978 World Cups where he scored against East Germany and Austria respectively. He could however have been a lot higher up the list and in the list of greats had it not been for a few inches. The 1978 World Cup final was stuck at 1-1 with hosts Argentina competing with Holland. Resenbrink was able to play in his preferred wide left of the front three due to Cruyff’s absence. With just 30 seconds left, this happened:</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N1lIy6dzEwg?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">A few inches to the right and Rensenbrink would have scored the winning goal for the first time in Holland’s history and finished as the tournament’s top scorer. Instead, people talk about how they would have won it with Cruyff. Football can be a cruel game. In the words of Jan Mulder, his Holland and Anderlecht team mate “Robbie Rensenbrink was as good as Cruyff, only in his mind he was not”.</span><br />
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<em>28. <span style="color: #999999;">Hernan Crespo (Argentina) 1993-Present / 15 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Now onto someone a bit more current – just. Hernan Crespo is currently a free agent (at the time of writing) after leaving Parma, though aged 37 it’s just a matter of time before he hangs up the boots. Perhaps, understandably compared to Argentine team mate Gabriel Batistuta, Crespo was once the holder of the World Record Transfer fee when he moved to Lazio for £35m in 2000. Famous for his off the ball movement, he was a clinical finisher and especially in the big games. Most notably in the 2005 Champions League Final, scoring two goals to put AC Milan 3-0 up. That didn’t end particularly well for him and his team mates, but his second goal was one of the best finishes seen on the big stage:</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ySCNyBrDiLU?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><span style="color: black;">The previous year also saw him score in the semi final stage against Monaco for Chelsea, whilst in 1999 he scored the opening goal in the UEFA Cup Final as a star studded Parma team demolished Marseille 3-0. And to confirm his big game credentials, 1996 saw Crespo’s brace in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores Final to win the tournament for River Plate, for only the second time in their history. Final goals in three major competitions leaves his place in the list unquestioned.</span><br />
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<em>27. <span style="color: #999999;">Marcelo Delgado (Argentina) 1990-2010 / 15.5 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Very much a Copa Libertadores specialist, Marcelo Delgado was not prolific striker (his 18 caps for Argentina produced no goals), but he was very much a man for the big occasion. Only two men in the history of football have scored more Copa Libertadores Final goals – Uruguay’s Alberto Spencer (more on him later) and Coutinho of Brazil (#42). Delgado’s first came in the 2001 Final when Boca Juniors faced Mexican side Cruz Azul. Delgado scored the away goal as the Argentines won in Mexico, only for the second leg to end in a reverse. Penalties ensued, and as befitting of a big game player, Delgado scored what would prove to be the winning penalty to give Boca their 4th title. Two seasons later he was at it again, this time scoring in the semi final win against Colombia’s America de Cali before an all Argentine team beat Santos 5-1 on aggregate. Alongside Carlos Tevez in attack, Delgado scored three final goals (two at home, one away). He then briefly left the club for a one season spell with Cruz Azul where he formed a partnerhip with Delgado (Cesar) before returning to Boca for 2005-06. In all, he won three Libertadores medals with the Buenos Aires team, who have won the trophy six times in their history.</span><br />
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<em>26. <span style="color: #999999;">Juan Alberto Schiaffino (Uruguay) 1943-1962/ 16 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">The Uruguayan and some time Italian international (that sort of thing was a lot more common back then) was part of the Maracanazo final of 1950. With Brazil leading it was Schiaffino that struck the equaliser in the high pressure Final against the hosts. Uruguay would go on to claim their third crown, much to the World’s surprise, with a goal from Ghiggia (51st on this list). For his club teams the forward excelled for Penarol in Uruguay but it was after a move to AC Milan in the mid 50′s that he’d score more high profile goals. He hit one in the 1956 European Cup semi final defeat to Real Madrid who were taking their first step to becoming the greatest team in competition’s history. Two years later he hit two more at the semi final stage to knock out a Manchester United that were tragically weakened by the Munich air disaster. In the Final Shiaffino actually put the Italians 1-0 up, but it wasn’t to be as the game ended 2-2 after 90 minutes and 3-2 to Madrid after extra time, thanks to Gento.</span><br />
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<em>25. <span style="color: #999999;">Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 2002-Present / 16 points – 7 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Ronaldo has an unfair reputation of being something of a flat track bully. But fear not Cristiano, you’ve made it into the Top 50 big game scorers, which is one of, if not the biggest achievement in football. He’s specialised in the Champions League with a semi final goal against AC Milan in 2007, followed by a brace at the same stage in 2009 against Arsenal, and then another two in this year’s semi final against Bayern, this time for Real. The biggest goal came in the 2008 final against Chelsea as United completed a memorable double when Ronaldo scored one of his famous headers. A year later, he didn’t score in the Final, but was Man Utd’s best player and the only one that put any real pressure on the Barca goal. For his country, a semi final strike for Portugal on home soil in Euro 2004 is the biggest goal he scored as they qualified for the Final, and if you point to the winning goal in the Copa del Rey Final (2011) against Barcelona and an FA Cup final goal against Millwall, then you have a case for the defence. In short, he’s not a bottler.</span><br />
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<em>24.<span style="color: #999999;"> Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina) 1995-Present / 16.5 points – 8 goals</span></em></h3>
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/number-24.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1651" height="300" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/number-24.jpg?w=287&h=300" title="Number 24" width="287" /></a><span style="color: black;">Despite spending a large chunk of his career in Spain with European regulars Barcelona and Villarreal, all of Riquelme’s big game goals have come in South American games, for club and country. A gifted if slightly lazy number 10, Riquelme specialised in dictating play and set pieces. A legend at Boca Juniors where he’s sometimes been seen as a disruptive influence (it is rumoured that team mate <a href="http://www.thefootballramble.com/indepth/entry/love-lost-between-bocas-odd-couple"><span style="color: black;">Martin Palermo</span></a> retired instead of playing another season with him), the talented number 10 and Scarface impersonator brought back the good times to Boca. Scoring in the semis on the way to Boca’s first title in years (alongside Delgado), he would go on to do so again on his return to Argentinean football with semi final goals in both 2007 and 2008. But it was for his contribution to the 2007 final that would result in a statue being erected in his honour. Facing Brazil’s Gremio, Boca won the first leg 3-0 with Riquelme scoring the second. In the second leg, the playmaker scored both goals to give Boca a 5-0 win. Impressive. For his country, he often played second fiddle to Veron and Aimar but was on target in the Copa America semi final of 2007 against Mexico on the way to defeat in the final against Brazil.</span><br />
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<em>23. <span style="color: #888888;">Hector Rial (Spain) 1947-1964 / 17 points – 7 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Another of the great Real Madrid side of the 1950′s, Rial joined Real from fresh from winning the Uruguayan championship with Nacional. Born and bred in Argentina (although he played for Spain), the front man spent seven seasons in the Spanish capital from 1954 to 1961 – neatly coinciding with the five straight European Cup wins. And he had a pretty big part to play in them too. In the Semi Final of the first ever European Cup in 1956, Rial scored the first goal as Madrid knocked out Milan 5-4 on aggregate, and in the final, would score both an equaliser and the winning goal as they defeated Stade Reims 4-3. Not content with being the man to make the difference in the biggest club game ever played, he scored two semi final goals the following year – this time home and away against Matt Busby’s Manchester United before Real would claim the trophy against Fiorentina. In the 1957-58 competition he scored a 79th minute equaliser as Real came from behind to beat AC Milan to win their third successive trophy. He was scoring not only in the big games, but decisive goals. By the time the 1958-59 season had come around, the tournament had grown from 16 teams to 28, not that it made any difference to Rial and Madrid. He scored the equaliser in the semi final stage against city rivals Atleti before claiming another winners medal in the final. Sure, his international career wasn’t much to write home about (5 caps and 1 goal for Spain), but when it came to performing in the big matches, Rial was a man to rely on.</span><br />
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<em>22. <span style="color: #888888;">Alessandro Del Piero (Italy) 1988-Current / 17 points – 7 goals</span></em></h3>
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<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/number-22.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-1653" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/number-22.jpg?w=490" title="Number 22" /></a><span style="color: black;">There’s always been a feeling of Del Piero going missing in the big games (regular readers may remember <a href="http://averageopposition.com/2012/05/18/serie-a-round-38/"><span style="color: black;">these stats</span></a>), but that’s only when taking his ability into account. The fact that he’s still 22nd on the all time list of Big Game Scorers suggests that maybe he has been a man for the big occasion. Hi first big game goal came in the 1997 Champions League Final against Borussia Dortmund as Juventus lost their crown as the Champions of Europe. Fast forward to the 1997-98 competition, and Del Piero was top scorer with 10 goals. In particualr, he absolutely dominated the semi final stage – hitting a hat trick in the first leg at home to Monaco, before soring his fourth against them in the return leg. Unfortunately for him and Juve, despite reaching their third successive final, they’d lose 1-0 to Real Madrid and a goal from Pedrag Mijatovic. He wasn’t quite done there though, as he scored in the semi final of the 2002-2003 tournament, getting revenge on Real as they were defeated 4-3 on aggregate. In the final, despite scoring his penalty in the shoot out with AC Milan, he ended up with his third runners up medal in seven years. Even more disappointing is that Juve had finished a massive 16 points ahead of their conquerors in Serie A. For the natioanl team, Del Piero famously missed two good opportunities as France came from behind to win Euro 2000 in extra time, but he would have redemption in the shape of World Cup semi final goal against hosts Germany in 2006.</span><br />
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<em>21. <span style="color: #888888;">Romario (Brazil) 1985-2009 / 17.5 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">World Player of the Year? Check. World Cup Golden Boot? Check. Scorer of 1000 goals? Check. All things point to a natural inclusion for Romario on this list. His most important goal came in the 1994 World Cup semi final win against Sweden to Brazil in their first final for 24 years. He also scored his penalty in the World Cup Final shoot out better known for Baggio’s miss. Aside from 1994, Romario also popped up with some valuable goals on the way to winning the Copa America in 1989 and again in 1997. The 1989 edition saw final group stage goals against bitter rivals Argentina, Paraguay and then in the final group game to decide the winners against Uruguay. Eight years later and with the tournament back in a knock out format, Romario scored a double in the semi final as Brazil scraped past Peru 7-0 on the way to winning the tournament. Big game scorer then?</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Well maybe, but if you’ve claimed to have scored 1000 goals (including youth matches and presumably headers and volleys in the back garden), surely you should have scored more than six goals in the Finals and Semi Finals of major tournaments? Especially when playing for the likes of Brazil and Barcelona. In fact, when you scrapte the surface, he played in the Finals of the 1994 World Cup, the 1994 Champions League, and the 1997 Copa America, but didn’t score. Fair enough, you can’t be expected to score in every match, but when you say that you’re better than Messi, and equal to Pele, Maradona and Zidane, then you should probably be able to back it up a bit better. More on Messi vs Romario (and Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho)</span> <a href="http://averageopposition.blogspot.ie/2012/02/player-comparison-romario-vs-ronaldo-vs.html">here</a>.</div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-82948572384548118802012-08-07T23:18:00.000+01:002012-12-21T23:21:13.180+00:00Top 50 Big Game Scorers: 40-31<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #999999;"><em>The next 10 players to feature include the World’s best player, a few Ajax legends, England’s first entry and the odd Brazilian here and there. For numbers 50-41, click <a href="http://averageopposition.blogspot.ie/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-50-41.html">HERE</a>.</em> </span><br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/hurst.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1622" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/hurst.jpg?w=490" title="Hurst" /></a><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">40. <span style="color: #999999;">Andreas Brehme (West Germany) 1978-1998 /13 points – 3 goals</span></span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">“<em>I think people dwell on that penalty in 1990 a little too much. We deserved to win. Argentina didn’t play well enough in the Final and that is the long and the short of it</em>“</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Well Andy, the reason people dwell on that goal is because a left footed player took a penalty in the final of the World Cup with just five minutes left, on his right foot. That is ballsy.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/brehme.jpg"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1620" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/brehme.jpg?w=490" title="Brehme" /></span></a>In reality, Brehme was pretty much both footed, he took free kicks on his left foot and the odd penalty on his right. That’s all well and good, but to do it on the biggest stage to win the game is something else completely. There’s a big game temperament and then there’s showing off. Even Ibrahimovic would think twice before trying a stunt like that. His other two big stage goals were at the semi final stage of both the 1986 World Cup and then four years later against England in Italia ’90 – both were free kicks on his left foot. He scored 8 goals for his country (pretty good for a left back), five of which were in either the World Cup or Euros. Quite simply, he was a big game player.</span><br />
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<em>39. <span style="color: #999999;">Lionel Messi (Argentina) 2005-Present / 13 points – 5 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Strange as it may seem, there were still question marks over whether or not Messi was the best player in the World as recently as 2009. They said that Ronaldo could do everything Messi could but could score headers as well. Then in May 2009, Messi scored his first Champions League final goal – a back post header that was expertly directed back across goal and over van der Sar. The arguments stopped pretty soon after that. The dominant force in the recent history of the Champions League, Barcelona have won titles in 2006, 2009 and 2011, with Messi also scoring in the 2011 final, as well as two semi final goals against Real Madrid. Sure, he hasn’t quite been as devastating with his national team, but a recent hat trick against Brazil has hinted at a change there as well. To date, his biggest goal for Argentina was in the semi final of the 2007 Copa America. There’s still a lot of time to go though.</span><br />
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<em>38. <span style="color: #999999;">Jari Litmanen (Finland) 1987-2011 / 13 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">If Messi has been the most consistent scorer in high profile Champions League games of the past few years, then Jari Litmanen was his equivalent in the mid 90s. A winner with Ajax in 1995, the diminutive forward scored two in the semi’s that year. He went a step further a year later, repeating a semi double but also notching in the final against Juventus which won him the Golden Boot. Ajax lost it on penalties though Litmanen did score his. In 1997 he scored once again in the semi’s but it wasn’t enough to take the Amsterdam club to their third successive final, and brought to an end a great team. He went on to play for Barcelona and Liverpool, and is the only player to play international football in four different decades, with the 90s being the high point.</span><br />
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<em>37. <span style="color: #999999;">Jonny Rep (Netherlands) 1971-1987 / 13.5 points – 4 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Something of a troublesome character at Ajax (daring to question Johan Cruyff’s tactics when still a youngster), Rep was never short in self belief, and to be fair, he could back it up. Although his Ajax career was a lot shorter than it should have been (41 goals from 97 games), he did manage to score a pretty famous goal. In the third of three successive European Cup wins, it was Rep that scored the only goal as they beat Juventus 1-0 in Belgrade. He left Amsterdam in 1975 for spells with Valencia, Bastia, and St. Etienne (among others), but never again reached the heights of that night. For Holland he also performed well in the 1974 and 1978 World Cups as they lost in the final of both. He’s still the Netherlands top World Cup scorer with seven World Cup goals, and three of those came in the final group stages (no knock out games in either tournament), against Argentina in 1974 and a brace against Austria in 1978</span><br />
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<em>36.<span style="color: #999999;"> Zico (Brazil) 1971-1994 / 13.5 points – 5 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">When you have the nicknames “God of Soccer” and “The White Pele” then you know you’re a pretty good player. In fact Pele himself once said “<em>throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico</em>” which was both pretty arrogant but also not really worth much based on some of his previous quotes (“God gave Freddy Adu the gift to play soccer” – really?). Either way, Zico was the mutt’s nuts. The heartbeat of the 1982 side thought to be the best team never to win the tournament, he was prolific from midfield, scoring 52 goals for Brazil in just 72 games. He bagged four in the 1982 World Cup alone, but as Brazil didn’t get past the Quarter Final (damn you Paolo Rossi!), his only national team goal to make the list was in the Final Group stages of the 1978 World Cup where he scored against Peru. The rest of his entries were down to his biggest success as a player – the 1981 Copa Libertadores. In the first leg of the final, Zico scored a double against Cobreloa of Chile to give Flamengo a 2-1 lead. The second leg ended 1-0 to the Chileans, meaning a one off final was to be played in a neutral venue (Uruguay). Once again Zico scored two goals, this time without reply, to win the trophy for the Brazilians and finish the tournament on 11 goals.</span><br />
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<em>35. <span style="color: #999999;">Johan Neeskens 1968-1991 (Netherlands) / 14 points – 4 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Known as “Johan the Second”, Neeskens played alongside Cruyff for Ajax, Barcelona, and Holland. Initially a right back in his early Ajax days, Neeskens matured into a centre midfielder of high work rate which was equalled by his ability. A regular scorer from deep, Neeskens could be counted on for the big occasion. He scored the third goal in the 1971 European Cup semi final against Atletico Madrid as Ajax went on to win the trophy for the first time. For his country, he also delivered on the big stage, scoring in the 1974 Final Group Stage against East Germany on the way to a 2-0 win before facing Brazil in what was effectively the semi final. Neeskens put Holland 1-0 up in the 50th minute before Johan the First finished off the World Champions. In the Final, Neeskens continued to show his big game prowess by opening the scoring once more against West Germany. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the Dutch, they lost to their bitter rivals 2-1.</span><br />
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<em>34. <span style="color: #999999;">Chico (Brazil) 1939-1956/ 14 points – 4 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">Francisco Aramburu, better known as Chico, was part of the great Vasco de Gama team of 1947-52. Known as the Victory Express due to five title wins, Vasco had the lightning quick Chico up front (wide left) forming a deadly partnership with national team mate Ademir. And it was the Vasco pair that would dominate the Final Group stages of the 1950 World Cup. Brazil walked through the first group stage, undefeated and scoring 8 goals along the way. And things would get better. Chico scored a brace in a 7-1 demolition of Sweden, and repeated the trick in the next game - a 6-1 trouncing of Spain. Going into the final group game, in what was essentially the World Cup final, Uruguay had only drawn with Spain, and snuck past Sweden with an 85th minute winner. Brazil were heavy favourites, with the media claiming a victory on front pages of that day’s newspapers. People were having street parties in anticipation of Brazil’s first World Cup. But Uruguay had other ideas. In front of a world record crowd at the Maracana (200,000+), it wasn’t to be Chico’s time, nor Ademir’s for that matter. In a game that would go on to be known as the Maracanazo (the Maracana Blow), Uruguay run out 2-1 winners with neither of the prolific Vasco boys on the scoresheet. No pressure for 2014 then….</span><br />
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<em>33. <span style="color: #999999;">Kurt Hamrin (Sweden) 1952-1972 / 14 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">If you think about early Swedes in Serie A, then it’s more than likely that you think of Gre-No-Li, the AC Milan trio of the 1950s. That however, would be doing a disservice to Kurt Hamrin. The lightning fast winger had a pretty impressive career in Italy with Juve, Padova, AC Milan, Napoli and above all, Fiorentina. He scored over 150 goals for the Viola including goals in the final of the European Cup winners cup in both 1961 and 1962 (beating Rangers and losing to Atleti). In fact that seemed to be his favoured competition as he also scored a final brace for AC Milan in 1968′s 2-0 win over Hamburg – only Milan’s second European trophy. To cap things off from a big game perspective, he also scored the decisive goal in the European Cup semi final in 1969 to knock out holders Manchester United, on the way to lifting the trophy. And for his country he also performed well in the 1958 World Cup on home soil – scoring in the semi final against West Germany.</span><br />
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<em>32. <span style="color: #999999;">Geoff Hurst (England) 1959-1979/ 15 points – 3 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">The only entry that scored all of his points in one game, (Sir) Geoff Hurst is known the world wide as being the only man to score a hat trick in the biggest of all games – the World Cup Final. Not just that, but it was also a perfect hat trick. Bouyed by the home Wembley crowd, Hurst and his <del>West Ham</del> England team mates won the nation’s only trophy (excluding 1997′s famous Le Tournoi). And yet it was almost so different for Geoff. If it wasn’t for the last minute equaliser by Wolfgang Weber for West Germany then Martin Peters would have been the match winner after his 78th minute goal. In fact, had it not been for injury, Jimmy Greaves would have been England’s centre forward for the latter stages of the tournament. It’s a funny old game. Its easy to forget that Hurst’s England career aside from the 1966 World Cup (where he also scored the winner in the quarter final) was pretty good – 24 goals in 49 games. Just to prove that ol’ Geoff wasn’t a one game wonder, he also scored in the 1964 FA Cup final for the Hammers.</span><br />
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<em>31. <span style="color: #999999;">Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) 1943-1961 / 15 points – 5 goals</span></em></h3>
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<span style="color: black;">To give a rough idea of just what a great Goalscorer Kocsis was, there’s a few stats that tell the story. He was the first man to score two hat tricks in one World Cup. His strike rate of 1.1 goals per game for Hungary is the best in the history of international football for those with 43 caps or more. And lastly, he was the highest scorer in the top leagues of world football in both 1951 and 1952. Prolific doesn’t really do him justice. Yet the 1954 World Cup was a bittersweet experience for him and the magic Magyars. Whilst he scored a massive 11 goals in 5 games, the only game he failed to score in was against Germany in the Final. A team they’d beaten 8-3 in the earlier rounds defied the odds and the Olympic Champions, unbeaten in competitive games for four years, lost at the worst time.</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> By 1958, Kocsis was at Barcelona, trying to counter Puskas’ influence at rivals Madrid. The European Cup would elude them until 1992 but the Hungarian striker did score in the 1960 semi final and again a year later as well as scoring in the 1961 Final defeat to Benfica.</span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-20406018015640411012012-08-06T23:00:00.000+01:002013-02-05T10:51:03.060+00:00Top 50 Big Game Scorers: 50-41<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #888888;"><em>And the countdown begins. 1071 scorers, 62 years, and 1,931 goals. This is the countdown of the Top 50 Big Game Scorers. To see the other pages with rules and workings, click <a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/08/the-top-50-big-game-scorers-of-all-time.html">HERE</a></em></span><br />
<span style="color: #888888;"><em></em></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/triple-dutch.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-1559 aligncenter" height="344" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/triple-dutch.jpg?w=490&h=344" title="Triple Dutch" width="490" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em><span style="color: #999999;">Treble Dutch – All three of these players have scored in major finals, but only two make the Top 50</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><em>50.</em></span> <span style="color: #999999;"><em>Karl-Heinz Riedle (Germany) 1983-2001 /</em></span><span style="color: #999999;"><em> 12 Points – 4 Goals</em></span></h3>
<span style="color: black;">To kick things off is the first of many German players to feature in the list (see the stats section later). Riedle enjoyed spells with Werder Bremen, Lazio, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool before finishing his illustrious career at Fulham in 2001. Not someone that would jump out as a big game player to fans of the Premier League, the Germany International popped up with some notable goals in his career. The most memorable being his brace in the final of the 1997 Champions League. Playing for Borussia Dortmund against holders Juventus, complete with new signing Zidane behind Vieri and Boksic (a frontline so good that Del Piero was only on the bench), Riedle put Dortmund 2-0 up after just 34 minutes. Del Piero got one back before Lars Ricken’s classy lob sealed the win for the German team to give Rielde and new Aston Villa manager, Paul Lambert, winners medals. His other big game goals came in the Semi Final of Euro ’92, when his brace was once again the difference as Germany beat hosts Sweden 3-2, which was enough to see him share the golden boot with three strikes overall, though they would lose famously to Denmark in the final. He also scored in the 1989 German Cup Final for Werder Bremen in a 4-1 defeat against future club Dortmund. Sadly for Riedle, he’s not even the highest ranked Karl Heinz on the list.</span><br />
<h3>
<em><span style="color: black;">49.</span> <span style="color: #888888;">Ruud Gullit (Netherlands) 1979-1998 / 12 points – 4 goals</span></em></h3>
<span style="color: black;">Not an out and out striker, he was once described as the Dutch Duncan Edwards due to his versatility and quality. He eventually settled as a number 10 and certainly delivered on the big stage. The former PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea star is best remembered for his time in Italy with AC Milan where he linked up with fellow Dutchmen Rijkaard and van Basten. And it’s with Milan that he scored a brace in a 4-0 thumping of Hagi’s Steaua Bucharest in the the European Cup Final of 1989, after scoring in the Semi Final demolition of Real Madrid (5-0). However, the goal he’s most famous for, and on perhaps his biggest stage was in the Final of Euro 88 with that iconic header (before an even more iconic volley by his strike partner). The fact that such a great footballing nation has only won one title (I’m not talking about England), makes this goal even more important. The dreadlocks also made it look a lot cooler.</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hI6PoqTyGHc?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br />
<h3>
<em>48. <span style="color: #888888;">Horst Hubresch (Germany) 1971-1986 / 12 points – 4 goals</span></em></h3>
<span style="color: black;">Not quite the household name as Gullit (unless you lived in the Hubresch house), the tall West Germany Centre Forward was known for his aerial prowess, and it was with his head that he scored two of his biggest goals, winning the Euro 1980 final with a 2-1 win over Belgium. The second goal was in the 88th minute, to win the whole tournament for the Germans. The surprising thing is that he’d never been capped before 1980, not that nerves seemed to have affected him. Just a few months earlier, he also scored two semi final goals in the European Cup as Hamburg made the final against Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, only to get injured on the way to defeat. Described as The Monster, the big frontman also showed his big game temperament with the winning penalty in the 1982 World Cup Semi Final with France, a game famous for Harald Schumacher’s assisination attempt on Patrick Battiston.</span><br />
<h3>
<em>47.<span style="color: #888888;"> Fernando Torres (Spain) 2001-Current / 12 points – 4 goals</span></em></h3>
<img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-1567 alignleft" height="180" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/torres.jpg?w=300&h=180" title="Torres" width="300" /><span style="color: black;">The first current player to feature on the list, El Nino hasn’t had a good time of it since his £50m move to Chelsea in January 2011, but the green shoots of recovery started to show near the end of the 2011-12 season. Torres’ big game goals have a neat symmetry to them, scoring a Champions League Semi Final goal for Liverpool in 2008, followed that summer by a goal in the European Championships Final. Four long years passed without any other big game goals, including a miserable 2010 World Cup, but a change in fortune came in the Second Leg of the 2011-12 Champions League Semi-Final away at Barcelona. Ten man Chelsea were under immense pressure from the European Champions, with the score level on aggregate at 2-2 but Chelsea ahead on away goals. This was a big game, and this was big pressure – then came the moment of redemption, after Torres lost the ball on the left wing, he found himself out of position, just in time for a clearance to fall at his feet with half the pitch and no opponent between him and Victor Valdes. If he’d missed then you would have feared for his future and mental stability, but Torres went round the Barca keeper to confirm Chelsea’s progression to the final, and give Gary Neville a man crush. Just a few short months later, he became the first player to score in consecutive European Championships Finals, as Spain brushed Italy aside 4-0. That made it three tournaments in a row for the Spanish national team, but only possible with Torres’ winner in the 2008 Final against Germany.</span><br />
<h3>
<em>46.<span style="color: #888888;"> Amancio Amaro (Spain) 1958-1976 / 12 points – 5 goals</span></em></h3>
<span style="color: black;">Moving on neatly from the man that revived Spain’s fortunes to a man that had a big hand in their first International title. Amancio Amaro had the bad luck to join Real Madrid in 1962, just after they’d won five consecutive European Cups. He had to wait until the 1965-66 season before the club won ‘their trophy’ again, scoring the equaliser in the final against Partizan Belgrade in a 2-1 win for the Madrid giants. Three semi final goals in the same competition cement his inclusion, and for his country, it was the extra time winner in the 1964 European Nations Cup (effectively Euro ’64) that proved the most decisive. Playing against Hungary, Amancio struck in the 113th minute to give Spain a 2-1 lead and put them in the final.</span><br />
<h3>
<em>45. <span style="color: #888888;">José Águas (Portugal) 1948-1964 / 12 points – 5 goals</span></em></h3>
<span style="color: black;">An essential part of Benfica’s golden era alongside Eusebio, Águas scored in both the finals of the 1961 European Cup and the following year’s tournament. A prolific scorer ( 290 goals in 281 games for the Lisbon club), he won the golden boot in Portugal on five occasions. The first big game goal that he scored was in the first leg of the 1961 European Cup Semi-Final, in a 3-0 win over Rapid Vienna. He repeated the trick again in the second leg, this time ending in a 1-1 draw. In the final, Benfica would face the mighty Barcelona, who were hungrily looking for their first European Cup (they’d have to wait a while longer). Containing the legendary Hungarian trio Kubala, Kocsis and Czibor, the Catalan’s went 1-0 up, only for Águas to show his big game mettle once more and equalise, and take his tally to 11 for the tournament – wining him the golden boot. Benfica went on to win that game 3-2 to win their first European Cup. And the following year he was at it again. He scored Benfica’s goal in a 2-1 defeat to Danny Blanchflower’s Tottenham to put Benfica through to the final on aggregate (4-3), where they’d face another Spanish giant – this time it was Real Madrid, and they wanted their trophy back. Despite a hat trick by Ferenc Puskas, Benfica won 5-3 with Águas once again scoring his team’s first goal. The following year Benfica reached the final for a third successive time, but without an injured Águas, they would lose to AC Milan.</span><br />
<h3>
<em>44. <span style="color: #999999;">Santillana (Spain) 1970-1988 / 12 points – 6 goals</span></em></h3>
<span style="color: black;">In what appears to be a tribute to Iberian footballers, the next up is another Spanish striker. Similar to Amancio in terms of unlucky timings, Santillana (Carlos Alonso Gonzalez) played for Real Madrid for 17 seasons, only to miss out on the European Cup. Not that he’ll be too worried after 9 league titles, two UEFA Cups and four Copa del reys. It was in the UEFA Cup Finals that he scored two of his biggest goals, with the second in a 3-0 Final win over Hungary’s Videoton (me neither) in 1985, followed a year later with the final goal in a 5-1 lesson for FC Cologne. Of course his lack of European Cup medals wasn’t for the want of trying, with Santillana scoring in two semi final goals in 1980, one the following year, and then again just before retirement in 1987. It wasn’t to be for the talented front man (8th in the all time Spanish league goalscoring list), but it wasn’t a bad career to be fair.</span><br />
<h3>
<em><span style="color: black;">43.</span> <span style="color: #888888;">Jairzinho (Brazil) 1959-1982 / 12.5 points – 3 goals</span></em></h3>
<span style="color: black;">The first entry from the legendary 1970 team was arguably their most important player. One of only three players in history to score in every game in a World Cup, Jairzinho stood out, even in the team considered by many to be the greatest of all time – certainly the most entertaining. And it’s from the 1970 World Cup that he scored two of his biggest goals, firstly in the Semi Final against Uruguay, and then he scored the 3rd for Brazil in the final against Italy. Whilst he hero worshipped Garrincha (whom he replaced for Brazil), he wasn’t short of his own confidence, claiming that FIFA had awarded him the ‘Best Body on the Planet’ prize – an award that doesn’t exist, at least not in FIFA (as seen <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/dec/01/cristiano-ronaldo-ballon-dor-football">here</a>). I’m not sure whether or not he was a comedy genius or very arrogant but no one can deny he was one of the best of all time. His other major goal came in the 1974 World Cup Final Group stages – a winner against bitter rivals Argentina no less. He wasn’t much of a coach, getting sacked by Gabon in his only</span> Managerial<span style="color: black;"> role, he did however make up for this by spotting a 14 year old Brazilian lad by the name of Ronaldo, recommending him to his old club Cruzeiro.</span><br />
<span class="embed-youtube" style="display: block; text-align: center;"><iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="306" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DgxYC3xtiIM?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="490"></iframe></span><br />
<h3>
<em><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: black;">42.</span> Coutinho (Brazil) 1953-1972 / 12.5 points 5 goals</span></em></h3>
<span style="color: black;">Antonio Wilson Vieira Honorio (better known as Coutinho) is the</span> <span style="color: black;">football equivalent of Buzz Aldrin. Sure, a lot of people know his name, but a lot more don’t and should do. Because Countinho’s Neil Armstrong was a fella by the name of Pele. Coutinho was voted Santos’ best ever player – if you exclude Pele. He scored over 370 goals for the team, and was one of the most important players in their team during their golden era of the early 60s. And few had more impact on the team. Of the two Copa Libertadores titles they won in 1962 and 1963, Coutinho scored a whopping five final goals (two in 62/three in 63). It’s a slightly misleading stat as there were three finals in 1962 and two in 1963, but he was certainly a big game player. Just to put it into context, Pele scored three goals in the same five games.</span><br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #999999;"><em><span style="color: black;">41.</span> Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) 1988-2005 / 13 points 4 goals</em></span></h3>
<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/batigol.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1578" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/batigol.jpg?w=490" title="Batigol" /></a>One for the fans of 90′s Football Italia programme next. Gabriel ‘Batigol’ Batistuta was arguably the most complete centre forward of his era. Comfortable on either foot and handy in the air, he had a cannon of a shot on him. He spent the best years of his career with unfashionable Fiorentina, who somehow kept him for ten years, resulting in him not playing in the biggest European club games. One of the very few modern era footballers to play for both River Plate and hated rivals Boca Juniors (in that order), his biggest goals came in the blue and white of Argentina. Although he was a regular scorer in World Cups, he never scored in the last two rounds (he was at least the first player to score a hat trick at two World Cups). As a result, his big game scorer entries are all down to Copa America goals. In 1991, the tournament was decided by a final group table instead of a knock out round. Batistuta’s Argentina beat Colombia and Brazil along with a draw against Chile. Batistuta scored the winner against Brazil in a 3-2 victory, and the winner in a 2-1 win over Colombia – a goal that both won the tournament for Argentina, and the golden boot for the talented striker. Skip forward two years and it was Batigol that scored the decisive goals again to win the title for his country, with a brace against Mexico in a 2-1 win. </span><span style="color: black;"> Those aside, he also scored in both legs of the 1996 Coppa Italia Final to bring glory and silverware to Florence. They repaid him with a statue.</span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1266476550583850985.post-53447054102477141082012-08-06T22:57:00.000+01:002013-02-06T10:21:59.645+00:00The Top 50 Big Game Scorers of All Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When I started this site, it was with the aim of separating the Big Game Players from the Flat Track Bullies as I couldn’t find it recorded anywhere else on the Internet. By tracking the average ranked opponent that a player scores against and tracking the range (Top 6/Middle 8/Bottom 6) I’ve been able to to determine this, but it’s limited when looking at tournament football when there’s no league ranking. That’s where my system is flawed.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Until now. Sort of.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In an attempt to sort out the ultimate Big Game Scorers, I’ve researched what I regard as the biggest and hardest tournaments in the history of World Football to find out who were the best scorers in the biggest games. Each goal is awarded a points weighting, and their accumulation of these points will decide where the player is ranked. I have 1071 different scorers, but have chosen the Top 50.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tournaments:</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">International: World Cup, European Championships, Copa America</span><br /><span style="color: black;"> Club: European Cup/Champions League, Copa Libertadores, UEFA Cup/Europa League, European Cup Winners Cup</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Years:</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When I say “All Time” I really mean from 1950 onwards, basically from the 1950 World Cup. So it’s the Top 50 Big Game Scorers of the modern era. So the list doesn’t include the scorers from the first three World Cups. Why? Well partly it was due to the reliability of the data, and partly for comparison purposes.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Exclusions:</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Why not include domestic cups? Well there’s a lot of countries that play football and I am but one man doing this as a hobby. One man that has just become a first time father, so time is not something that lends itself to me at the moment.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Why only South American and European tournaments? Well I was trying to pick the highest quality tournaments, and in my (possibly blinkered opinion), the other tournaments aren’t quite up to the same standard, and whilst they are still big games, the pressure and audiences are nowhere near as high. There is of course the argument about what makes up a big game – for example, Man City beating QPR to win the league was a massive game, but on paper it’s a game of 1st place at home to 17th place.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Weightings:</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">This is probably the area of the biggest discussion points. I’ve started off with the World Cup Final being the biggest game in World Football, and have awarded any goal scored in it 5 points. Dropping back a round, I take off a point for all semi-finals. So as the European Championships Final is worth 4 points, the semi final is worth 3.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Champions League Final is worth 3 points as although it’s seen by many as the highest standard of football, it’s only European based players, and it occurs every year, meaning that the pressure is nowhere near as high as a World Cup Final that only occurs every four years.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/points2.jpg"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1587" height="284" src="http://averageopposition.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/points2.jpg?w=300&h=284" title="Points" width="300" /></span></span></a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">As you can see the points change for Final Group stages. The World Cup of 1950 for example was decided on a final group table rather than the knock out stages. Similarly, the Copa America tournaments of 1989 and 1991 were also based on a final table rather than Semi Finals and a Final. The Copa Libertadores Final is rated at 2.5 instead of the European version’s 3 because of two legged finals, and quality. Each weighting was given careful consideration.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">What Else?</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I’ve deliberately called it the Big Game Scorers instead of Big Game Players as I’m well aware that a player can dominate a game without scoring. Unfortunately, aside from trawling through all of the man of the match records of all time, this data isn’t readily available or accurate. There’s no doubting the goalscorers – that’s fact (unless you go into the mirky waters of controversial goals – I’m looking at you Hurst), but the assists information, and non-goalscoring big game performances just aren’t possible to track.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Format:</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Inspired by the awesome <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://footballpantheon.com/" target="_blank">Football Pantheon</a></span> lists (which I’d highly recommend), I’ve tried to avoid imitation but due to the nature of the list, it’s been difficult. So the format takes place in the shape of a countdown, beginning with 50-41 and working down from there, with special focus on the Top Ten players to score in the biggest games. And at the end of it all, I’ll keep in the tradition of the site and throw some statistics in and have a quick look at those to miss out.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Links:</span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-50-41.html">50-41</a></span></em></span><br />
<a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-40-31.html"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <em>40-31</em></span></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-30-21.html"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <em>30-21</em></span></span></span></a><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <em>20-11</em></span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.com/2012/09/11/top-50-big-game-scorers-10-6/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <em>10-6</em></span></span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://averageopposition.com/2012/09/24/top-50-big-game-scorers-5-1/"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> <em>5-</em></span><span style="color: black;"><em>1</em></span></span></span></a><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Any questions can be posted in the comments section of this page or the page in question, or if you’re shy then e-mail me on </span><a href="mailto:lpcorbett@hotmail.com"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">lpcorbett@hotmail.com</span></span></a></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thanks,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Liam50-4120-11<a href="http://www.averageopposition.com/2012/08/top-50-big-game-scorers-20-11.html">20-11</a></span></span></div>
Liamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04824662356080199075noreply@blogger.com0