Football

don't know if anyone else has posted this but interesting take on analytics in football, and how it is being used directly to guide football clubs
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/feb/22/brentford-mathematical-modelling-denmark

Broke my hand last night playing 5s; went to drop back for a header only to lose my footing and fuck several bones up. fml

Have you considered cycle football training?

(gws)

I couldn't agree more. Awful challenge.

Interesting that the two podcasts I listen to on a semi-regular basis (The Guardian and The Times) took quite different POV's on the incident. Amazingly, Richardson et al on Football Weekly seemed to decide that the challenge wasn't that bad because he got something of the ball, which is a pretty ridiculous way of looking at it in my opinion. The Times disagreed (thankfully), saying that whether or not he got anything of the ball was irrelevant. Which it is. They then went on to have quite an interesting discussion about the fact that players who have been fouled and react badly are usually punished more than the person who committed the (potentially career ending) foul in the first place. Something I've always had an issue with.
I genuinely think Matic should have got a yellow card (if you look at this shove, it really is just a shove - it's the fact that he reacts at all which earns him the red) and Barnes should be suspended for some time.

@cmburns - heal up quick and well dude

Cheers d00d. Currently in a cast and waiting to go in again. People at St Guy's & Thomas were great last night, got it done in just over an hour.

Friend who was with me fractured his clavicle, he didnt get home till gone 4

Couldn't agree more with you.

I can sympathise with Matic's reaction, I'd have done the same (or worse!) but it is a red card and he has to accept that.

The blame there lies with the FA. The rules that are in place mean that Barnes can't be punished. Costa was retrospectively banned for something 'off the ball' yet it was committed in plain sight of the referee as was Barnes' tackle.

Eduardo and Diaby both had the top flight careers pretty much ended by horrific tackles like that on Matic - it should carry a much more serious ban than three games commensurate with the amount of damage that can be done. For me he would miss the same time as Suarez nibbling someone on the neck. I guess that is a hard thing to adjudicate on but it would cut out poor/reckless/dangerous tackles.

Ban the fuckers that commit reckless challenges like that for the duration of the victim's rehabilitation process.

And suspend referees without pay for a month as well.

#votejawforfifaprez

#noqatarworldcup

Barnes didn't get something of the ball, he had the ball and passed it to Jones. Matic made the challenge and got caught. Whether or not it was intentional from Barnes or the follow through from the pass, it's tough to tell.

My first thought when I see pundits describing it is a terrible tackle is that, given that there wasn't a tackle, they haven't actually seen the full thing.

As Jose said

"‘If you have contact or the opponent was aggressive, let’s go, keep going, this is English football. Foreign players are bringing lots of good things. They come here because they are talented, but I prefer English blood in football.

‘English blood in this situation is: “Come on, let’s go”. The tackle is a hard and aggressive one. Football is for men or for women with fantastic attitude."

My first thought when I see pundits describing it is a terrible tackle is that, given that there wasn't a tackle, they haven't actually seen the full thing.

+1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e852UDSWgTk

Watch the replay from about 0:36.

Barnes passes with the inside of his foot and it's Matic that gets his leg in way of Barnes' foot after he's clearly played the pass. Hard for Barnes not to follow through like that after playing a pass.

Ref got it right. Nothing for Barnes and a red for Matic for the reaction.

He meant that challenge, he left his foot in and knew what he was doing, his foot and weight are in an un-natural position. I'm not saying he meant to break Matic's leg - I don't think there are many players that would do that but he has committed that challenge to leave a mark on Matic.

I have no idea how you can watch that video and not realise that is a shocking challenge

He left his foot in there - he knew exactly what he was doing. Look at his eyes - they're focused on Matic's leg, not the ball - which has gone the other way. It's completely intentional.

We're not talking about some 40 chopper year old playing Sunday League on Hackney Marsh - these guys are professionals.

To argue that Matic got in the way is fucking ridiculous - Barnes doesn't even need to follow through like that - it's an unnatural and deliberate extension of the movement. Anyone arguing that angle has clearly never stepped onto a pitch in their life.

God yeah - I once punched someone in the face for trying to break my leg deliberately. The ref sent me off (and the other player too) - but walked me to the touchline and said: "I would have done the same".

He's not passing the ball, he's gone through it to get to Matic - there are two burnley players near him and he doesn't pass it in either of their directions. It goes towards Willian.
His body shape is wrong to try to achieve a pass to either of his team mates to his left and right.

I'm not a Chelsea fan but you're a mug if you think anything different

Actually I agree that it was intentional. Just wondering who would pop out of the woodwork to agree that it wasn't.

http://www.o2academyislington.co.uk/event/74877/an-evening-with-jamie-carragher-tickets

The whole thing's fucked and smacks of bias to me (but it would, wouldn't it?)... Jose's outbursts probably haven't done us any favours, IMHO the whole thing is an attempt to put TSO in his place and to toe the FA line... Which, of course, he won't...

The whole thing sickens me, it cost us the three points and very nearly cost us one of our best players... I don't wanna watch a game where players can get away with that...

Costa gets a three match ban and Barmes gets sweet FA... It's all bollocks...

I don't think you can argue the card for Matic though. Which in the end probably cost you more than a card for Barnes. Hypothetical of course.

You're right, you can't... I think it should've been a yellow, in the circumstances, but the ref was in full dick-swinging mode... In essence, the referee got it wrong and when the FA had a chance to make amends by charging Barnes with dangerous play they chose not to...

It stinks and makes me so angry because Matic could so easily have joined the ranks of players whose careers have been cut short by some neanderthal who doesn't even deserve to be on the same pitch...