Footie in all its Glory
All right. We're doomed. That's the bitter Huth. Let the clouds of smog roll in and enclose this sorry bit of turf so that we might sit, motionless as our central defenders, and weep quiet men's tears into the pint pots of history. Sigh.
This weekend's footie proved one thing - there's Real Time and there's Big Four Time. Real time is counted in minutes and seconds but in Big Four Time you get these strange units called Superseconds, which can be added whenever you need them and you get at least 120 more of these than you would in normal life.
It is perfectly possible, of course, in the right circumstances (Manchester United or Liverpool are a goal UP with 90 minutes on the clock, say) that Superseconds can be lost as well as found. What this proves is that, in footballing terms Time is the Big Fourth Dimension.
What you can't deny is the entertainment provided by this weekend. I'm not talking Shearer here, mind. How he's going to mend that shenanigans of a defence I do not know. I doubt Dowie does, but I'm glad he's back, if only 'cos his face looks like it must have been formed from undersea volcanic activity.
Coloccini, so dependable early doors, is looking less like a footballer and more like one of them frothy cappuccinos with cinnamon sprinkles all over it. He tackles like one, too. It's a miserable consolation but at least the Magpies are coming down with us.
No, I'm talking about that immense five-goal thriller. You didn't see Luton win the Johnstone Paints Trophy? Shame on you. I swear that cup should be a massive silver plated five-litre tin of brilliant white emulsion with a five-week-old dried up brush sticking out of it. But I shouldn't jest. The Boro'll be playing for it soon enough.
Man U-Villa was almost as good. At 2-1 down, with United playing like numpties and Carew vs Neville looking more like Godzilla vs a Vauxhall Corsa, the game looked up.
Benayoun's late winner, after Liverpool had hit the woodwork more times than Gepetto, seemed to be too much for the flailing champs. Fergie was sitting there on the bench Allardycing his chewing gum like a sheep who's whiffed a Rottweiler at the end of his field.
Worse still, he'd looked in his reserves and found that the cupboard was bare. Not a Forlan to be seen. So he sends on some 17-year-old no-mark who no one's ever heard of. "Macheda?" said me mateTony Thompson, "Isn't that some sort of Spanish cheese?" Some spod muttered darkly about the lad having scored a hat-trick against Newcastle reserves on Monday - but having seen the first team, just imagine how easy it would be to score against a bunch of second-string barcodes.
The ale flowed, as did the sniggering behind the hands, as Man U didn't so much attack in waves as in ripples and Davies and Cuellar looked fine and dandy. But then United do have the Gelled Tumbler. (A lot more gel than tumble on Sunday I'm pleased to say).
As I've said before, the lad's a pouting little prancer and about as charming as a pickled egg, but by heck he's a threat. He did nowt except score two cracking goals. If he does go to Real there's no one to replace him.
But the suspiciously middle-aged looking teenager was the superstar. It was one of them goals that you won't forget. Like Rooney's winner against Arsenal when he was nothing but a hairy 16-year-old. And Gazza lifting the ball over Colin Hendry and leaving the defender flat on his back like a slapstick vaudevillian's stooge before driving in the volley.
Goals that make you sneak out on to some dirty lump of open ground in front of a slumped and rusty white rectangle of a goal, and make your mate be Giggsy so you can be the glory boy. Looks like the lad enjoys a bit of limelight too, although I could do without this kissing the camera malarkey. I'm still having nightmares about Gerrard's full-frontal snog on my telly (although I'm guessing the average Liverpool fan has got it as a knee-weakening screen-saver now).
But these late twists just go to prove summat that I've known since I was able to shape me own jumper into a goalpost. Football is the greatest game on earth. And even though them herberts who go out there and for the cost of two terraced houses in a Northern town a week, pose and plummet and whinge and wail, they're still just trying to stick a pig's bladder between two sticks.
Some people say that to devalue the sport. To me it makes the whole thing way, way better. 'Cos anyone - from a porky lump like meself to a cocky Roman adolescent - can enjoy that unbelievable feeling.
Of the three goals I have scored for the Blue Bell, one was a ricochet off me knee, another one had me team-mates saying it was converted by the Hand of Sod, but the third... oh dear readers the third...!
A cleared header came looping out to us - some say it was at the edge of the penalty box but since when have penalty boxes been 40 yards long? As it dropped I was being closed down by the full force of a midfield populated by inhabitants of Acklam.
Suffice to say it was like sidestepping a slow angry traction engine. With my left foot I flicked it up and with the right I delivered the whipcrack thunderbolt that dipped and swerved and picked out the keeper's top corner with a pinpoint accuracy that would make Phil the Power Taylor blench.
Now if you ask regulars about it, they'll just lie about the distance, power of the shot and the weight and height of their keeper. But if you'd have been there, boys and girls, you'd all be trying to recreate it in your local park as we speak.
I'm Derek Robson. People call me Robbo. Legend has it I was raised in the furnace and smog of Teesside. Some might say I took the hard road. I like to tell folk I had trials for Middlesbrough, for Hartlepool and for burglary (not guilty). I've always loved sport. My job is to say it as I see it - whether it's in the bar of the Blue Bell or on this blog. You won't find me calling a spade a soil-redistribution implement.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~18~RS~)
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On the other channel, the one which is on all the time and usually features a bloke in a suit and an attractive side-kick, worked out that there should have been 4 minutes and 38 seconds of added time at Old Trafford.
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Great blog robbo!
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lee your talking about sky mate :P
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Hey Robbo - I doubt 5, 10 or even another 90 minutes of 'supertime' would've helped the 'Boro this weekend. But it was a great couple of days of football - if not necessarily refereeing.
and just wanna say: "hit the woodwork more times than Gepetto"
I'm nicking that!
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I do know how to pick 'em, don't I. One weekend I swear off sport (In favour of Planet Lazer - does that count as a sport?), three dramatic games. Gutted! great Blog robbo, nice to know you've accepted the inevitable. Shame you didn't do a Crewe and get a decent boss in at Christmas. Still close, but I think we might just survive!
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I found it a little bit churlish, and totally out of character, when Martin O'Neill was complaining about United getting 4 minutes of injury time. Macheda scored in the second minute.
Still, fulfilling my role as an Arsenal fan: jammy, jammy little so-and-sos.
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"niemals wird so viel gelogen wie vor der Wahl, während des Krieges und nach der Jagd"
Otto von Bismarck
TRANSLATION: "No greater lies are told than before the elections, during a war and after a hunt"
I bet if Herr Bismarck had been into footie, he would've mentioned it instead of a hunt.
I only believe what I see and though that was a class goal the other day, I have me doubts how your goal was realised. You most definitely see it completely different as to how your and the opposite team see it.
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#7
I know what happened with my 45-yarder. I'd have seen it right off me boot if I hadn't been closing me eyes and hoping.
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Robbo, thought it was 40 yards?
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Robbo, that was one of the most annoying blogs I have read. Why can't you write using proper english? Whatever happened to decent journalism standards at the BBC? "But these late twists just go to prove summat that I've known since I was able to shape me own jumper into a goalpost".
Not only was the blg factually a load of rubbish, it was also terribly written. Technically, referees are allowed to give set amounts of extra time in respect of every substitution, which would often account for much of the 5 minutes the united game had anyway. Learn the rules mate, then learn how to write properly.
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Boro's demise can be traced back to a ludicrous transfer policy where they wouldn't replace decent players who left, like Schwartzer, relied too heavily on their youth team products who have been failures (apart from Downing and Johnson)and bought terrible foreign imports like the fantastically mediocre Aliadiere and Alves. And also, in what bizarre parallel universe was Fabio Rochemback a Premier League player?? The only Brazilian who couldn't control, pass or shoot the ball. Brilliant!
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The Big Four Time is not real. What it's should be called is Old Trafford Time. I have never ever seen 5 minutes of stoppage time at the Emirates. It just goes to show how much United are favoured in this league compared to all the other teams. I loved it when O'Neill said you wouldn't see that at Villa Park. Very true.
Not because it mattered of course, but United can always rely on refs when they need help. One game I still cannot understand is United against Stoke away. Rooney and Ronaldo should both have been sent off, but the ref gave a red card to a Stoke player and United scored in the last 5 minutes.
I'm not blind I see what is going on
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What a load of Bull!
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We've all score one like that Robbo.....
Me I scored direct from a corner with my weaker foot and it got stuck in the Stanction. I don't care the wind played around an 80% assist nor the quality of the opposition.
I know if Buffon had been in goals he wouldn't of stopped it, the ball never flew below the bar until the last second!
Word of warning Robbo if both you and the Toon go down, one of you be prepared to be disappointed.....WBA will go straight back up and you two will battle it out for second....a plucky run form Crystal Palace will destroy your play-offs.
Footy was good this weekend though, even my team Everton have taught Jo were the goal is!
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Massive insult, Robbo. What's my Vauxhall Corsa ever done to you?!
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9. At 1:55pm on 07 Apr 2009, WhatKatieDid wrote:
Robbo, thought it was 40 yards?
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It was at an oblique-ish angle which must've easily put another five yards on it, now I think about it.
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I with you Robbo, I've never hit a ball so sweetly before and since......
I bet your detractors have never kicked a ball in competitive anger...shame on them
If the clan all go on you tube, I suspect if you type Jason Cundy, this will accurately reflect the style and distance a goal Robbo scored.....
Can't remember if was for Spurs or Ipswich, Might have been for Spurs against Ipswich. big defender 40-45 yards out and straigh in!
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The haphazard allocations of stoppage times also get me at times but tis nthin compared to the utter bulls excrement that is the standard of refereeing in general.
Forget the extra minute at the end, these muppets have even awarded the goals that never were, stop play when giving advantage would be more appropriate, retake penalties because some bloke had a tin of beans before the game and was hence subjected to an untimely release of the ensuing non-solid by-products in form of a non-silent, gaseous exhaust ......
I would go on and on but I only have 3 minutes of injury time on the end of me lunch break.
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Grammar aside you get my drift?
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Seds83uk, are you just the same guy who comes on here every week complaining mainly about standards and that the blog is not factual. It's not meant to be a news report for The Observer, rather a more ireverent interpretation of last weekend's events, I have been reading Robbo for sometime now and while I don't always agree with him he always makes me laugh, if It doesn't meet your journalistic standards, read another blog.
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Robbo, I actually heard your goal was just inside the halfway line D and it was an overhead kick.
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Macheda goal 92nd minute. Doesn't that give Martin O'Neill another 3 minutes to find an equaliser? I'd be pretty chuffed if I was him....
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#21
Overhead's putting it a bit strong but it was slightly hooked over the right shoulder and I had to do that thing where you kick the standing leg up first in order to bring more power into the shot with the striking foot. Yeah. And now you mention it I could only just have been inside thier half, if at all.
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Have you ever thourght about dropping the cliches and talking how a normal person might.
The dribble that flows from your mouth could drown a nation.
Here's an analogy for you;
Gereth southgateis to footballmanagement what you are to the english language.
i.e. - southgate is inept, incompident, out of his depth
I bet you draft your blogs then sit there for hours trying to IMPROVE (sarcasm) them
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That's called the Robson:
"To score from roughly 50 yards whilst only on one leg, with both power and accuracy" Most kids practice this every day hoping to emmulate this technique
I wager we'll see at least one 'Robson' in next years World Cup. More 'Robson' facts are that most goals of this type are scored at altitude in South America
Best exponent and long time admirer of the 'Robson' : Xavi Alonso
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When Nayim goes to sleep at night he checks his Closet for Robbo Robson.
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When Nayim goes to sleep at night he checks his closet for Robbo Robson.
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I feel that complaining about Robbo's English is a tad rich judging by your post, shevchenkslow.
What's with the angry sods, void of any sense of humour, who keep complaining about your blogs, Robbo? Are they just bitter Man Utd fans, sick of the ridicule their team has (deservedly) received in the last few weeks?
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24*
good to see that normal service has been resumed this week... keep up the good work! (loved the cheese reference...)
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What?
Nayim checks twice, that's just paranoid......such is the shadow of the great man
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Since they changed the way you post to blogs mine always times out and I don't know whether it's done or not so I post twice sometimes....
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I can't cope with the tosh people write in slating this blog. It's a funny blog and it's a nice change from the more serious. If you dont like it then stop reading it. I don't particularly like songs of praise ruining my tv viewing but i don't write into the BBC to complain about it because ive got this magical thing called a remote. Does all sorts of things.
And also Robbo we wont be going down once we beat Stoke on Saturday (if we don't then we are indeed gone) so you can enjoy the championship football with the rotten mackems
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crazyteknohead
you *^@'(£ - whats the betting that you are a loserpoo fan
i'm not a journalist - sorry if my typing isnt up to your standard - i dont proof read it
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To #20 saintgunni;
I agree 100% with your comments. These people don't seem to get it that this blog is meant to be akin to chatting with your mates in the pub. As a Londoner the word "summat" is not in my vocablary but it is still acceptable parlance in a pub when coming from a Northener.
To#24 shevchenkslow:
I really hope you were attempting humour when you said Robbo should talk how a normal person might. I don't know what your definition of normal is but it certainly doesn't comply with mine. Your feeble attempt to write a witty analogy about Southgate was the wost flawed piece of writing I have ever seen. Please tell me you were not serious. The spelling,syntax and incorrect use/non use of capitals and inability to use a space bar must have been an IMPROVEMENT (Sarcasm).
Great blog again Robbo. You always make me laugh.
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Oops check the spelling of Northerner. Sorry.
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How the heck do you think these things up Robbo me mate - a frothy cappuccino, Godzilla v Vauxhall Corsa, Geppetto, chewing gum like a sheep etc etc - hilarious.
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At 2:53pm on 07 Apr 2009, shevchenkslow wrote:
crazyteknohead
you *^@'(? - whats the betting that you are a loserpoo fan
i'm not a journalist - sorry if my typing isnt up to your standard - i dont proof read it
---
What's the bettin that you're an idiot - oh wait!
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Do people forget that Agbonlahor spent 2 minutes on the floor after scoring? That was a huge part of the added time. Zat Knight was also down on the floor at one point (or was it Curtis Davis)for a couple minutes. The added time at OT was perfectly Legit. Can anyone say teh same for the time at Craven Cottage?
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Robbo mate, top notch as ever mush, and even though its early doors yet some top comments... Ere Shever, wind ya neck in a bit son it's only a bit of fun...
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I once scored a goal from the half way line - so ok the keeper wasn't great and rather flapped at it but I knew that's he'd do anway. Still a goal from the half way line is a goal from the half way line.
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12. At 2:05pm on 07 Apr 2009, messi4arsenal wrote:
The Big Four Time is not real. What it's should be called is Old Trafford Time. I have never ever seen 5 minutes of stoppage time at the Emirates. It just goes to show how much United are favoured in this league compared to all the other teams. I loved it when O'Neill said you wouldn't see that at Villa Park. Very true.
I'm not blind I see what is going on
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Never seen that much extra time at emirates don't make me laugh.Last season aginst villa scored in the 6th minute of usual 5 min of injury time at the emirates obviously.
anuways united scored in the 2nd minute so the 5 min didn't really matter.
Great blog robbo,really made me laugh.
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# 17 Xavierneville
it was for Spurs against Ipswich at Portman Road!!
its on one of my old 'Goals,Goals,Goals' video's!! Classic!
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Robbo:
I'm glad i'm not the only one who's noticed how old Macheda looks. How come teenage footballers always look 10 years older than average normal teenagers?
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Robbo - If I recall correctly 'The Evening Gazette' had it that you had already clered it off the line from behind your own stranded keeper before clearing it upfield to set up the initial attack, then ran full half length of the field to be ahead of your own flagging midfielders? Oh and was it not in the fourth minute of added time too??
Another top comedy blog, well off field in respect of football, but who cares, good humour - keep it up.
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35. At 2:58pm on 07 Apr 2009, glazierNOWeagle wrote:
Oops check the spelling of Northerner. Sorry.
Or your grammar perhaps?
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Had I not spent the afternoon in the pub, my Sunday afternoon would have been totally ruined...
Martin O’Neil stood on the touchline, his face disbelieving, his hands as empty as the Lazio youth academy. Never on the field of human conflict had so much owed by millions of Man U fans to so few (namely Giggs, Carrick and digging deep…oh and a single piece of magic from a teenager) – or been so little deserved.
“Wot maaaan?” A Man U fan about 10 yards away from me in the pub was disagreeing in a high-pitched voice with a Villa fan in front of him…”Wot? Undeserved? We woz all over you maaaan innit…Man U totally deserved that innit…we smacked it innit….innit?” He imploringly looked over to the bar where two more United fans were clinking two fresh new pints of Carling shandy.
“Errr…” one AIG boy winced unconvincingly at the other and replied: “Well….we had the better of the last 15 minutes mate”
What’s that? I was choking on the dregs of my pint…quick, have them killed, stuffed and sold to the Science Museum so that they can be mounted inside a glass box on a plinth marked: “Manchester United fans with dignity, integrity and honesty – very rare”.
For the first ten minutes United had hustled and bustled in the sunshine while their fans chanted that one song they know…”Un-i-ted, Un-i-ted”. Then after a brilliant display of incisive, artistic, direct football, they carved an opening innit…no wait…hang on…indirect free kick from a back pass…who’s gonna take it? Damn it…if only that boy Ronaldo was playing…what’s that? He is playing? Sorry…didn’t realize…it’s only Villa after all…even Thierry Henry couldn’t disappear in this game.
Boom! The right foot of the Brylcreemed slapper cracks an unstoppable shot into the top corner. Well…you know what I mean by unstoppable…unstoppable as in can’t be stopped if you put a toddler on the post and your keeper in the wall.
The prawn sarnies were singing that other song they know…the one about not being moved when Villa clawed themselves back into the game, a well placed header into the bottom corner by Carew while Neville watched and applauded. Some United players (Giggs, Tevez, Carrick) were digging in and working when it mattered, others were not.
CR7 had disappeared faster than a slowing-down bullet. The World Player of the Year was again an anonymous but well polished side-show, a bit like the little guy from Hong Kong that amuses you at half time with his kick-ups. His only contribution between his gifted first and his deflected second was his assist in Agbonlahor’s goal on the hour. If you really think Ronaldo is the best player in the world innit, then watch him standing hands on hips after giving the ball away needlessly, watching while his team-mates chase back and Villa take the lead and ask yourself if you wouldn’t swap him like a rocket for Messi, Kaka, Iniesta, Xavi et al (hell we all know that Sir Alex would swap him for Stevie G tomorrow…and he’s rubbish innit). In fact personally I’d swap him like a rocket for a rocket…either a real rocket or one of them ice lolly ones with the 3 flavours….mmmmm.
Whether or not this Hollyoaks extra leaves the Premier League in the summer will depend not on his ambition or skill…but on whether Alex Ferguson realizes that the Emperor really does not have any clothes. He may not have to watch his defenders fumble around after Kaka this season…but nothing makes you feel more naked than Lionel Messi running at you, and you can tell him I told you so. If anyone offers Mr Ferguson sixty million quid for him, he should rip off their arm, hand and everything else. With that kind of money you can buy clothes that you can’t see through.
After the equalizer, Villa started to sit back and invite Man U on. Not sensible. Perhaps O’Neill was hoping that with play stretched his nippy forwards and wingers could somehow smuggle a winner. Admirably on a couple of occasions Carew and Young went towards goal instead of the corner flags but ultimately gave up possession and handed the ball back to Man U when they should have/could have been running the clock down.
5 minutes of injury time. Not one glance at Sir Alex’s special watch. Not yet anyway. To be fair when Macheda’s moment of brilliance came it was in the third minute of added time. 5 minutes you could argue with…3 minutes you couldn’t - and that’s a fact Rafa. The turn was sublime, the shot was perfect, the noise of the ball rippling down the inside netting and the resulting euphoria like R&B to the ears of the United fans drowning out the collective squeaking of bums.
The fact is though, with regard to the injury time it's easy to forget some important facts. Firstly that had the board read 3 minutes and not 5, Villa may well have chosen to waste the time whether down by the corner flag (as Ronaldo did after the 3rd United goal) or in possession. Had they done this the little Spanish chesse boy may not even have touched the ball. Instead Villa twice pushed for a winner in injury time thinking that 5 was too much time to whittle down. Secondly added time can have a serious psychological effect on teams, a bit like in cricket when professionals say it's psychologically harder to chase down 500 runs than it is 499. Villa got nervous, careless and edgy in injury time once the "5" had gone up. Finally, the whistle went in the end in the region of 95 minutes 40 odd seconds. Therefore the ref added in the region of 40 seconds for the near-on two minutes Man U wasted with their in-crowd goal celebrations.
Sigh...Villa fans crying. Arsenal fans high-fiving. Liverpool fans drinking up and leaving.
I was convinced after Liverpool’s victory over Villa that it would come down to this: If Liverpool are very, very lucky, then come May 16 and with two games remaining each, the gap will still be 4 points (the way it virtually is now). Liverpool can only win the title if Man U slip up not just at Old Trafford against Arsenal – but also against a Hull side on the last day of the season who may have nothing to play for by then except pride - through the celebratory hangovers of a Premier League survival season. The final thing is this, it’s hard to see Chelsea not picking up 21 points from their last 7 and finishing on 85 points. On those crowded city streets, Paula Radcliffe often gets so far ahead that she doesn’t notice the one with the accent and the sprint finish lurking in the background.
And that’s a fact camarero. Innit.
(Please note, names have been changed to protect the guilty and some events in this comment are fabrication…Man Utd fans with “dignity, integrity and honesty”…of course they’re not real kids)
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I love all this factual moaning about the amount of time that gets added onto games - err didn't United score in the second minute of extra time - so what's all this complaining about 5 mins then? Get over it your all only jealous anyway - not only do you all wish your club was a big club like United who regularly win trophies I bet you all wish your club could be as big as mine when we rubbish in the 70's and 80's!
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#42
Grammar seems fine to a normal person. Except when quoting Shevchenslow. I should have used inverted commas. Still i think you understood it though.
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Terrible blog! About as clear as a dark room ....
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To all the hypocrites out there, here are a few match facts for you
Arsenal
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1. Oct 4th, 2008: Sunderland vs Arsenal. Arsenal trailing from Leadbitter's 86th minute goal; the ref added 5min of extra time; Fabregas equalized in the 93rd
2. Nov 1st, 2008: Stoke vs Arsenal. Arsenal was 2 goals down. Don't remember exactly how many minutes added, but it was more than 5 and Clichy got a consolation in the 94th
Liverpool
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1. August 23rd, 2008: Liverpool vs Boro. At 1-1, the ref added 6min of extra time; Gerrard scores in the 94th.
2. Sept 20th, 2008: Liverpool vs Stoke. At 0-0, the ref added 4min of ET. Liverpool still failed to score.
3. Oct 5th, 2008: Man City vs Liverpool. At 2-2, the ref added 7min. Kuyt scores in 92nd.
4. Nov 4th, 2008: Liverpool vs Atletico. Trailing 0-1 at home, Liverpool get an extra 6 min to equalize which Gerrard did (pen) in the 95th.
5. April 4th, 2009: Fulham vs Liverpool. At 0-0, The ref gives 4min added, Benayoun scores in the 92nd.
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vertigo timbo
its comments like yours that makes hating man utd and all their 'cling on' supporters so much easier
Whitley for the Vase!
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Good grief, have so many of you forgotten the rules, the ref is the sole timekeeper, when he indicates 5 minutes of added time that is just a guide to how much time he will add on not a sworn promise. he added the extra minute to help VILLA because the new Dennis Law (haircut) went walk about after he scored (he got a yellow for it) so the ref rightly added the extra minute.
I can still remember Fosse Park as the sun set and the ball came out to me on the half way line at a perfect angle and I met it with a mixture of power and accuracy that saw the ball pierce the imaginary net, my mates all said it was over the bar but the goalie was only 4ft 6in. To this day I know it was a goal of Nayim from the halfway line proportions.
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Vertigo Timbo, your a joker, it seems some fans of the big four (mainly the 'pool and utd boys to be fair) are so far removed from actual football they have no idea about the real love of the game... You've been spoilt... Jealous? Never, enjoy your mickey mouse Champions League matche, were off to the mighty Portvale for some real football tonite...
Come on you Shots!
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McNulty take notice, see how much better a blog can flow anddevelop when comments aren't put into black hole and only return eight hours later?
What are you scared of?
Whtehter you are Man U Or Bury. Late goals are scored be cause teams keep going and are in the main fitter than others. Everton have scored loads of late goals not because the ref kindly play until they do because they keep going. Can't score if you don't go forward.
Liverpool, Utd, Arsenal, Villa all attack and keep going in the main, no surprises for me teams score late.
Each sub in a game is a statuatory 30 secs, most teams use at least two each if not all three in most games. Therefore we have at least two and a half, three minutes. A good manager will always know this to be the case and make sure the team know this to. Add in any other type of stoppage and we have a standard three, possibly four minutes of add time. Stop whinning all people and know its coming, most 5 year olds can do simple maths......
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And that my proof reading is very shoddy!!! LOL
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In defence of United, plenty of managers employ time-wasting tactics at the Emirates. The Hull City FA Cup game was just the latest in a long history of cheating that I've witnessed. I guess the same goes on at Old Trafford.
Quite simply, the time keeping should be taken out of the hands of the referee. All the ref should have to do is say "time off" and "time on" to a set of agreed regulations as is done in Rugby.
I don't hear rugby supporters moaning about such issues.
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There is a simple reason the 'big four' can score time and time again in injury time and thats quite simply because thats what the best teams do. Teams like my beloved Toon crumble under any sort of intense pressure and lose concentration at the end of a match. Man UTD etc win because they are born champions. No club gets any extra time, thats an idiots view, its what the club does with that time thats makes a ridiculous difference.
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To all the bitter and twisted Villa fans out there who are still wearing their hearts on their sleeves and passing comments about how Mile Riley has traded in his super accurate kinetic time keeping device for a signed Man United shirt - You guys need to look a little closer to home, take Milner for example, it took the lad over a minute to walk (although it did seem like crawling) a fraction of the pitch to tag Reo-Coker in as a sub. Even the ref had to intervene and advise Milner to pull his finger out and get a move on! Also Friedel didn't exactly have a spring in his step when taking goal kicks in the last 10 minutes or so.
All this talk about "Superseconds" is rubbish! Villa tried to play the clock down (as probably all teams do) but by doing this they added time onto the game and thus got punished by a United side who, it seems, where suddenly possessed by ghosts of their former selves in the last 15 minutes.
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There's only two reasons why people are talking about stoppage time and that is because 1.) O'Neil moaned about it after the game and 2.) Its Old Trafford/United involved. It really does get tiring because United acutally equalised before 90 minutes and as Villa were perhaps the better team in the game why didn't Martin O'Neil see it as an opportunity to win the game? After all as United were so camped in Villas half it meant O'Neil's side could and did counter attack at times.
Facts are that Ferderico "Kiko" Macheda scored at the 92/93 minute mark which is not unheard of in fact is about the norm in stoppage time these days but also the stoppage time Mike Reilly gave was as someone pointed out justified by Sky Sports news when they examined it. Time is giving for goals because of celebrations, substitutions, injuries and time wasting. Now as I recall their were plenty of goals in the game prior to Machedas goal, a fair few subs including Welbeck and Macheda from United alone, towards the end but before time board went up and 3 big injuries from Villa. O'neil, Villa and those wanting Man United to drop points only have Villa to blame because Barry went down injured and had to go off for a bit, Cuellar I think it was had cream or something applied to his head and Gabby Agbonalahor went down for ages when he scored that goal clutching his leg if you recall. Then there's the subs from Villa including the Millner one where he walked off slow to waste time which angered both the crowd and Reillly where he actually raised his wrist as if to say "doesn't matter I'm giving stoppage time for that so crawl off if you wish".
Now as much as people love to hate the best and most successful team at the minute, the champions if you like its actually Liverpool who have had all the favours from refs. Not only is it them who has scored more injury time goals than anyone in the Premiership but also they have had 3 red cards and 4 penalties in their favour help them out to get some pretty big scorelines. Haven't they seen their opponents Arsenal, Chelsea and United get red cards, well its no surprising they lead the so called big 4 table is it? Chelsea's Lampard and Villa's Brad Friedel were wrongly sent off with both being recinded by the FA.
Liverpool got 4 minutes stoppage time in their game not home but AWAY from home to Fulham when they were drawing and need a win to keep their title hopes alive yet there was no goal or celebrations, no time wasting subs who did what Millner did and no people laying on the floor or needing treatment like the 3 Villa players so why oh why did they get 4 minutes?
Man United Villa game should have had 10 minutes stoppage time if the Fulham Liverpool one needing 4. Its a joke IMO but no one ever talks about Liverpool getting Ref bias because they don't win anything and aren't the favourites with the big stadium and world player of the year etc.
Either way as said Macheda scored in less time that the news channel said should have been given, 4 mins 38. If anything if gave time for Villa to equalise but they didn't so that's why we're talking about this.
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24. At 2:33pm on 07 Apr 2009, shevchenkslow wrote:
Have you ever thourght about dropping the cliches and talking how a normal person might.
The dribble that flows from your mouth could drown a nation.
Here's an analogy for you;
Gereth southgateis to footballmanagement what you are to the english language.
i.e. - southgate is inept, incompident, out of his depth
I bet you draft your blogs then sit there for hours trying to IMPROVE (sarcasm) them
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Now while you're entitled to your opinion, and we all make mistakes in haste, it's hard for me to let you off when you (a) slag off the language I use and (b) misspell 'incompetent'.
As for not using cliches and talking like a normal person. Well the thing is that 'normal' people, presumably like yourself, use cliches all the time... otherwise they wouldn't be cliches, they'd be novel turns of phrase like 'incompident'. Anyway I'm off to analyse your other contributions to see whether they are worthy of the English literary tradition.
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#58
You were so close to making a decent point, so very close.
Then you said 'Man UTD etc win because they are born champions' I know you aren't a Utd supporter either but no team are born champions you earn it.
But because you are floundering like a daddy long legs on the end of a tyrannical 5 year old because you support the Toon, I'll let you off.
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Post 57 a few more things re rugby and time. At big games the "real time" is shown on the tv screen so we all know
1) How much time is left. Imagine the fun and games if the crowd at Old Trafford and viewers at Old Trafford would have known exactly waht time was left.
2) We alos know if the clock has been stopped for a reason. Interesting also that in rugby the game goes on unless the injury is serious. That might stop a few divers and roller overers in football.
3) Also most importantly the game is not over at the 80 minute but the first time that the ball goes dead after that i.e. off the pitch or a foul / penalty is given to the leading team. If you are behind and one of your players is fouled in rugby the game is stopped and allowed to continue until it goes dead which stops cynical killing of the game.
Point 3 is particularly relevant as in the Wales vs Ireland game this year when the Irish won the grand slam they gave away a penalty and the ref allowed it to be taken by Wales. Had it gone over Wales would have won the game.
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Robbo,
I see you played the last comment safe, I reckon you penned the response in haste, but have take time to post it to ensure the sepll checker is on and a few mates round the office have checked it to so no come back there....
Please don't analysie my tosh, you maybe deeply disappointed how badly the english language can be used.
I reckon you should employee a secretary to type your responses, you can't lose.....
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It's a fair point, the better sides are going to score more late goals than the ones that are hanging on for grim death. But I can't see where 5 minutes came from at OT on Sunday. There were no obvious delays for injuries and if there were six substitutions then that makes three minutes. Job done. The rapidly ageing Macheda would've got his goal by then - in any case the lad's effort was worth adding a tad extra anyway.
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...back on song, Robbinho.
too many class lines to pick out.
and i, for one, believe in yer 40-yard thunderbolt. as they say, the sun shines on every dog's arsenal once in awhile!
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Don't worry I'll only look at shevchenkslow's as he's the one with a bee in his bonnet. Me I'm not bothered about spelling until some numpty gets on here assuming I'm a long-lost brother of that long-nosed drawler Will Self and should therefore be able to write like I've been forcefed Dickens form a foetal stage.
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The thunderbolt is true!!! Denis, I tell you. It was a filthy day too. I think I fired it in through a 50 mile an hour howler of a wind.
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cheers for making me doze off at work robbo, a 5 minute break turned into a 20!
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I'm not sure why it's my job to keep you awake, son.
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Valuable superseconds of working time gone Robbo, gone
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#61 buyaka buyaka. Bap bap bap. Robbo is a genius.
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And I'll bet you were nursing foot-knack too, Robbo.
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Robbo, I guess you Wengered Agbonlahor's 'noticable' injury after scoring. It was quite a bit of time.
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Conceded. Utterly wengered it. Made a complete Bendtner of that comment didn't I?
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One small fact that seems to be sneaking by everyone here is that any time added on at Old Trafford was more time for VILLA to go and snatch a winner too, as after all hadn't they been running the United Vauxhall Corsa defence ragged all afternoon hadn't they?
If you shut up shop against Utd and try and hang on you get what you deserve... ask Bayern Munich players from 1999... ho hum
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Foot-knack, Welby!? You've never seen brusing like it. Came up like a football but I played the next week. None of this Andy Murray oo I've chipped a nail rubbish from me.
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Can I hear more from Shevchenkslow please?
He opens with:
"Have you ever thourght about dropping the cliches and talking how a normal person might"
then proceeds with a comment littered with mistakes.
He even cites poor use of the English language again and the goes on to spell "incompident".
And then we get "?innit??" guy.....what's going on?
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Cheers for the blog Robbo, really enjoyed the light hearted read, and it's nice when something of a journalist's individualism comes through when they write, which it clearly does with you!
It's a shame some people have to spoil it with picky, snobbish comments... like someone mentioned earlier, why are you reading it if you're so offended?!
Serious question though... If you were Steve Gibson, would you fire Gareth Southgate now? If not, would you fire him if you were relegated?
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I'm Italian, I live in Italy: my English teacher has noticed huge improvements in my compositions since I started to regularly read (and learn by heart) Robbo's blogs.
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As always 79, who do you replace him with?
Any one want the job, not likely, keep him and a probable return next year.
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Careful Rudy! Italian - good English - if you can kick a ball United will be bundling you into a sack and dragging you into their reserve team if the Lazio president is to be believed.
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"hit the woodwork more times than gepetto" funniest thing ive read in a while, great blog.
why the hate for these blogs? they are refreshing twist on the usual.
id say the same people who complain about these blogs also vote on news channel polls and "have your say" on teletext. But thats my opinion....
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Sack Southgate? And replace him with who... or what? Not many Messiahs around Teesside, really. Mowbray? Jack Charlton? Wait a minute, remember that knobbly-kneed schoolboy in the big shorts who looked like Casper from Kes, but played like a genius?
Juninho! Your time has come!
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someone with a smaller nose? (which rules out steve orgrizovic i know)
juninho and ravanelli!! what a combination!
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Great Blog Robbo!You'r late this week?isnt it usually Mondays and Fridays ?>Thats been the pattern...Anyway its not just the Blog thats fun..its the After Blog (Comments)That just puts the Icing on the cake.!!Cheers
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Robbo, 'Big Four Time'
I support Everton and saw my team squander a home win to Van Persie in the dying seconds 10 weeks back...WHY? Not cos Arsenal cheated or the big four have more time. Because like many other 'outsiders' Everton did not protect the ball, acted more nerviously than the dominated 85 minutes of that game, but within seconds of victory threw it away. It does not happen more with the Big 4 - its just that the journalists are preoccupied with over-analysing these teams results. Rather than use statistics across the whole league to prove this. Our blue men have scored some late late goals against lower teams in the league.
Its got a lot to do with pressure, psychological factors and simply that a stronger side is more likely to score at any time. Hence why Torres, Ronado, Van Persie, Lampard frequesntly 'seem' to score late, but really are just stronger players over 38 games.
Number of goals scored in the last 10 minutes (Premier League only) Team Total Goals Goals in last 10 minutes
Arsenal 37 11
Everton 30 9
Aston Villa 37 8
Blackburn Rovers 25 8
Liverpool 36 8
Manchester City 39 8
Manchester United 34 8
Hull City 29 7
Newcastle United 28 7
Sunderland 23 7
Tottenham Hotspur 21 7
Middlesbrough 18 6
Stoke City 19 5
West Bromwich Albion 20 5
Wigan Athletic 25 5
Bolton Wanderers 22 4
Chelsea 42 4
West Ham United 29 4
Portsmouth 22 3
Fulham 19 2
This was January 17th and a little dated but at least I have spent 10 seconds on google getting some evidence rather than making up a fictional arguement based on two games this wkend.
Doesnt look like Chelsea have this BIG FOUR TIME??
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Wow, the Paints Trophy was so important to the BBC that Robbo had to link to an article on the Guardian website rather than here on the Beeb.
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Perhaps we should ask the fourth official to explain just how they work out time added on. Imo the lad Agbonlahor was down for a few minutes at OT so its possible that 5 minutes was the correct amount of added time. I watched the entire 2nd half of the Fulham v Liverpool game and the ball barely went out of play, let alone any injury stoppage. How is it that there were 4 added minutes?
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65. At 4:38pm on 07 Apr 2009, Robbo Robson wrote:
It's a fair point, the better sides are going to score more late goals than the ones that are hanging on for grim death. But I can't see where 5 minutes came from at OT on Sunday. There were no obvious delays for injuries and if there were six substitutions then that makes three minutes. Job done. The rapidly ageing Macheda would've got his goal by then - in any case the lad's effort was worth adding a tad extra anyway.
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Come on Robbo! Watch the game again if you didn't before. When Agbonlahor scored He was down clutching his leg for at least a minute after he scored. There was another minute when one of the Villa defenders was "injured". Also remember that Barry walked off slowly feigning injury for another minute. Then the substitutions. That's clear issues that warrant the 5 minutes. Now address the Liverpool injury time. My question is, why isn't anyone talking about the Liverpool decisions. Like 5, yes FIVE penalties in 3 games after Rafa's mutterings and "facts" about United penalties.
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"Conceded. Utterly wengered it. Made a complete Bendtner of that comment didn't I?"
Yep. Made a total Boruc of yourself.
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Hi Robbo. I'm a Wanderers fan and was at the game on Saturday. I have to say that the likes of Huth, Aliadiere and Alves are better off in the pop league than up with the big boys. Despite the fact we won and have probably knocked the first nail in the coffin lid for you, I am sure there are loads of people who will feel that the Prem League is losing a terrific role model for clubs everywhere. Gibson deserves as many local gongs as you smoggies can throw at him for trying to breathe new life back into the post industrial wasteland that Teeside is threatening to become. Oh, and he has dignity.
Anyhow, good luck with what's left of the season (and boy do you need it!) and thanks for an always entertaining read.
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@gilessmith83
The point is not "how many", but "how important". 4-0 and 5-0 late goals in an easy secured 3-0 match don't mean you've had a "Big four time". Your statistics are pure numbers, good for American boys to read on some match-book during half an hour waiting for next action time; while Robbo's blog deals with football metaphysics. Football is the most metaphysical sport of all.
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It's a shame to see all the unfair and unnecessary criticism once again, because despite all the whining, the crack about the Liverpool fans and their 'knee-weakening screen saver' is the funniest thing that's been on the BBC in ages.
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Robbo Robson wrote:
"Careful Rudy! Italian - good English - if you can kick a ball United will be bundling you into a sack and dragging you into their reserve team if the Lazio president is to be believed."
I'm 45 yo... does it matter?
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Rudywaltz - point taken the 2 secs of research is a very vanilla way of looking at things. My point is that a little but of analysis is required. The beautiful game can never be fully quantified however, it is clear that if Chelsea have only scored 4 all season in the last ten minutes. They have hardly been getting any goals let alone important ones in this period of the match.
Everton have scored highly which is also a lot to do with the fact the non-big four are much less likely to be relaxing on a 4-0 lead at the late stages and therefore have to play to the final seconds.
There are hundreds of factors why teams score late on, but 100% nonsense is the suggestion that the Big Four get more time to do this.
Your comment about 'important goals' is an ignorent suggestion that the goals scored by the top four are more important....only to the media my friend. I think a late winner on saturday for Boro or Newcastle will be significantly more important to their history....
I agree with you its wrong to get too statto when it comes to football. But to base an article purely on fantasy and 'metaphysics' is not better that the 'American way' as you put it....
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Class blog yet again, Robbo, more power to your pencil!!!
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hit the woodwork more than gepetto! that is just brilliant!
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Do you think the end of the season will have stoppage time?
About that goal... "For your own safety do not attempt to replicate any of the stunts seen here today. Performed by professionals with a safety team always on standby".
;)
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It was once said of Bob Paisleys Liverpool, by no lesser man than Brian Clough, that "They win more games because they play the full 90 minutes". Of course in those days you had one sub, and David Fairclough only came on if we werent winning, so 30 seconds of injury time was quite normal. Now I have, as a Liverpool fan, been impressed and frustrated in almost equal measure, at the tenacity of Ferguson and his multiple incarnations of United. Their ability to keep pushing for a goal until the final whistle blows has been one of the biggest reasons for their success. Too many teams are simply hanging on, wasting time, making substitutions (in the hope the referee forgets to add time?), praying for the clock to roll over to 90...well it aint 90 no more. Its 93 as a minimum, and can be as much as 97.
At last Liverpool have figured that out, and they are using the same pressure tactics as United have for years. We have had a few late goals, and a couple of injury time goals, and they have been important ones. But heres a question. How often is a goal scored in injury time that ISNT important?
Good blog Robbo, I laughed out loud, literally not metaphorically. I dont care that you use colloquial language, it adds personality.
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Robbo, a 99th minute game winning, scissor kick volley from inside your own half, virtually on the touch-line and within ear-shot of the abuse from the opposition bench, you lashed a low screamer, still rising as it crashed off the bar and across the line leaving the oppo goalie rooted to the spot.... is how I heard it. Are there any pictures?
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Who said that this blog was not educational as well as entertaining?
I had never heard of the word "blench" and had assumed it was a typo for "blanch", but no it seems to be correct
Cheers for the WordPower Robbo
Excellent Blog, as is usually the case. The punter comments only add to the entertainment value as too many of the wannabees weep, quail (ie blench) and gnash teeth as the BBC have not seen fit to grant them their own blog
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"This weekend's footie proved one thing - there's Real Time and there's Big Four Time. Real time is counted in minutes and seconds but in Big Four Time you get these strange units called Superseconds, which can be added whenever you need them and you get at least 120 more of these than you would in normal life."
This will happen as long as the media/FA/referees give them special treatment.
We have seen it on a daily basis for years. For example the media are outraged when Real Madrid illegally tap up Ronaldo from time to time but say nothing (indeed, they were actively helping) when Man Utd illegally tapped up Dimitar Berbatov on a daily basis.
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Liverpool scored their winning goal in the 92nd minute. By anyones standards there was at least 3 minutes extra time the majority of games in the premier league get 3 - 4 minutes so for us to score in the 92nd minute doesn't mean the ref did us any favours?!? Don't see the point in this blog so if you score in any other minute except for the added time its ok? Genius!
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"Conceded. Utterly wengered it. Made a complete Bendtner of that comment didn't I?"
Yep. Made a total Boruc of yourself.
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Robbo, i just have to say you have Skrtel'd it. :).
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103*
What you read in the papers, and what actually happens are frequently not the same! Was Berbatov really "tapped up"? or did he make suggestions that he wanted to go to OT, and they simply followed up the interest? Spurs has been a selling club for years, they knew the score, and it's why Ramos dropped him. They obviously like to sell their assets at peak prices (Keane, Carrick etc) I can't help thinking that much of that tapping-up "hype" was merely their own press office getting the player's transfer out in the open, to push the price up. look at the price Utd initially offered, and the price City eventually offered...
Any of the big spenders are able to buy whoever they want if; a) they put the money on the table b) the club is willing to sell c) the player wants to go...
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#11 just cuz there were couple of subz made dont mean every game should have 5min extra time mate there only min extra time because its woz at old traford I bet if man u woz winning ther would have only been 3min if not less of extra time....... So how about you go and learn the rules of old traford which all favours to Mancheter United!!!!!!
By the way this was one of the worst blogs on bbc robbo maybe it woz just me but the so called jokes were lame
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Eh...Macheda scored in the third minute of injury time...not the fifth...just thought I'd point that out...
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#107
It was more or less just you.
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TrotterUSA: You missed the sore ankle. ;-)
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In the pubs of Nairobi where we watch the EPL via satellite TV, the word is that every hour at the theatre of dreams has 64 minutes when Man**** are behind and only 56 minutes when Man**** are ahead. It is also believed that as soon as Man**** equalize or go ahead the clock increases speed. Needless to say the situation is somewhat different in the UEFA competitions, hence the relative lack of success by Man**** in those type of competitions.
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Outstanding blog Robbo (again).
I will definitely be using the phrase "hit the woodwork more times than Gepetto" !
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Robbo,I wonder if the people who ask why they pay their TV licence to read your 'rubbish' blog realise they are watching a computer screen?
I had being reading your stuff for some time and really enjoy your ramblings. If people could graps that this is a well-presented rant maybe you wouldn't have to explain yourself so often.
Thumbs up though!
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I once scored from the half way line, God I love Subbuteo...
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61. At 4:31pm on 07 Apr 2009, Robbo Robson wrote:
"... otherwise they wouldn't be cliches, they'd be novel turns of phrase like 'incompident'."
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Hahahahah!! Oh my god, I'm sat in an office all on my own and actually guffawing out loud!!
I wonder what school did he went at when he was a children, eh?
Even though you are a dorty smoggie Robbo, you are truly amusing.
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Having read through the comments on here, and seeing a slight inaccuracy in post #87 and then some comments about the fact that the stats do not necessarily always reflect the true nature of things, couples along with post #100 where the poster posed the question how many 90+ min goals that are not important, I decided to be boring and do a little research on this with two of the 'BIG FOUR' (and those most recent of culprits) Manchester United & Liverpool to see how many goals have been scored from the 81st minute to the end of the game (Premier League games only)
And here are the results...
Manchester United.
(H) WBA - 1 Goal - 90th minute, final score 4-0 (w)
(A) Arsenal - 1 Goal - 89th minute, final score 2-1 (l)
(H) Stoke - 2 Goals - 84th & 89th minutes, final score 5-0 (w)
(H) Sunderland - 1 Goal - 91st minute, final score 1-0 (w)
(A) Stoke - 1 Goal - 83rd minute, final score 0-1 (w)
(H) Chelsea - 1 Goal - 87th minute, final score 3-0 (w)
(A) Bolton - 1 Goal - 91st minute, final score 0-1 (w)
(H) Villa - 1 Goal - 93rd minute, final score 3-2 (w)
to summarise this, Manchester United have scored 9 goals with 10 minutes left on the clock and 4 of these after the 90th minute. 3 of these 4 goals affected the result in favour of Manchester United resulting in them gaining an extra 6 points to this point in the season.
Liverpool.
(A) Sunderland - 1 Goal - 83rd minute - final score 0-1 (w)
(H) Middlesbrough - 2 Goals - 86th & 94th minutes - final score 2-1 (w)
(A) Manchester City - 1 Goal - 92nd minute - final score 1-2 (w)
(H) WBA - 1 Goal - 93rd minute - final score 3-0 (w)
(A) Blackburn - 1 Goal - 95th minute - final score 1-3 (w)
(H) Chelsea - 2 Goals - 89th & 94th minutes - final score 2-0 (w)
(A) Portsmouth - 2 Goals - 85th & 92nd minutes - final score 2-3 (w)
(A) Manchester United - 1 Goal - 90th minute - final score 1-4 (w)
(A) Fulham - 1 Goal - 92nd minute - final score 0-1 (w)
to summarise this, Liverpool have scored 12 goals with 10 minutes left on the clock with 8 of these goals after the 90th minute. 4 of these 8 goals affected the outcome of the match in favour of Liverpool resulting in them having an extra 8 points so far this season.
A couple of thins I think this highlights is that both of these teams are able to get goals late on, but they are not always significant, and the idea that goals in time added on are only scored when they play at home is disproved as both of these teams seem to have split the goals evenly between home and away matches.
I acknowledge that this is only a limited selection of teams that I have looked at, and I have only looked at goals in their favour as opposed to all goals for/against in games throughout this premiership season.
And now that this is written, I better get back to work before someone notices....
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#110 You're absolutely right, I missed that but the medical report shows that it was a torn achilles plus a partial tear of his ACL (not to mention the two herniated discs in his back), just makes the feat even more remarkable and with the endless stream of injuries currently being suffered by our England lads, we might finally have a durable solution in Robbo.
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I love the stats boys. Just great. I wonder if anyone's done a comparison of Robbo's blog responses -- 117 as I write, 118 if mine is passed by the moderator which they haven't been lately -- versus other sport writers under a respective sport category -- remember Robbo is under Fund and Games. Please enlighten someone.
also just watching Barca/Bayern. Barca 2-0 up in no time and could be 13 by the end. The big 4 ought to be very very worried watching these guys play.
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I agree about big four time, but generally the issue of stoppage time surely has little to do with actual stoppages.
Save when players had to be given oxygen and attached to a drip while on the pitch, has there ever been more first half stoppage time in a major time, than second half? Very unusual at any rate. But if it is a technical consideration it should be half and half, no? The actual rules of FIFA and the FA on stoppage time are .....
If the result is already fairly clear then injury time at the end of the second half can be a couple of minutes whatever happened. Let's just go home.
If the game is quite exciting and the teams are still playing as if they care, make the game a bit longer, three or four minutes.
If the game involves a top four team that is pushing hard for a winner or an equaliser and a large TV audience, play as long as you can reasonably get away with (or just a bit longer) until they get the result than most of the huge world wide audience is hoping for. (This will get them tuning in for another great victory the next week.)
If any suffering opposition managers complain about this, they must 'explain their statements', (unless of course their name begins 'Fer..')
To finish the gripe, although a Liverpool fan, I for more than one am sick of the above and also the failure to use video technology to back up key decisions in all games. It reminds us all that FIFA is a multi-national company in the business of football, and being fair to smaller teams is just not in their interest. Leaves a sour taste in the mouth
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Okay, so I was sad enough to come up with that list yesterday, and today I have had another slow day and boring lunch break.
I thought it might be interesting to compare how much extra time has been played for the current top two of the EPL.
Manchester United are famous for the 'Fergie Stop Watch' with all that added extra time, so lets look at the figures for them first.
Manchester United - Played 30 games, 15 home & 15 away
Home games - 1st half extra mins = 26, 2nd half extra mins = 47
Away games - 1st half extra mins = 22, 2nd half extra mins = 47
They have over the 30 games played just over 1.5 games of football in terms of extra minutes added on. But if you look only at 2nd half minutes then they have played 3.1 mins of stoppage time at the end of the match.
If you look at the two second half numbers, amazingly they are exactly the same, suggesting that Manchester United do not get extra extra time when playing at home.
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Liverpool - played 31 games, 15 home & 16 away
Home games - 1st half extra mins =31, 2nd half mins = 59
Away games - 1st half extra mins =29, 2nd half mins = 54
They have over the 31 games played just short of 2 extra games of football. Again if you look at the 2nd half minutes only they average 3.6 minutes of stoppage time at the end of the match.
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If as is believed the average amount of time added on at the end of the match is 3 minutes, then both of these sides are marginally above that mark, this in my opinion is unsurprising and I would guess similar figures would be found if looking at either Chelsea or Arsenal, because a lot of teams will go and try to waste time in the hope of getting a result of some sort.
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Lupethan - thanks for the follow up to my post #96...my stats were a little dated as mentioned and appreciate your research.
Especially as your discovery reinforces my point that this is for the 8th week running an article based on no research other than the authors own opinion. Its definately a good blog in that its provocative but inaccurate in its conclusions. I tried to find a league table of the premier ship if all games ended on 85 minutes, but was unsuccessful...maybe a new project for you!!!
Im pretty sure the outcome would prove cool hip colloquial Robbo to consult the statisticians at the BBC. Perhaps he should employ you?
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TO Messiforarsenal
I distinctly remember when Everton were beating Arsenal a season or 2 ago at Highbury when the ref added minute after minute to normal first-half time while Arsenal huffed and puffed at Everton's goal. In the end, 5 additional minutes were played, instead of the 3 advertised. They ended, incidentally, when Everton broke into a rapid counter-attack and were odds-on to score. Moyes had to be physically restrained at this blatant cheating - he's not used to it, unlike United players and supporters. Ask any Toffee!
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Godzilla vs a Vauxhall Corsa
YOU ROCK MATE!!!!!!
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Your theory about 'big four time' is flawed.
1) statistics show that the big four receive no more time than the other teams - in fact often they receive less because their games are less stop/start.
2) since the fourth official began showing the board with number of minutes stoppage time, Manchester United have never scored later than the allocated number of minutes stoppage time.
3) ironically, the only time this has happened in a United match was on October 29 2005, when Yakubu netted from the penalty spot, over four minutes in to two additional minutes (when Boro won 4-1 at the Riverside).
Of course the big four will score more late goals but to suggest there is a conspiracy is desperate to say the least.
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Re 47 Wegotmorecorners:
I think you win the prize for the worst comment ever witnessed on a bbc blog. that was embarrassingly bad, sorry. ps - i notice that once again you are obsessing over Manchester United - a bit like your manager.
Re 31. Missing: Cristiano Ronaldo, Last known location: Fabio Aurelio's pocket
And you win the prize for the spur-of-the-moment-leave-yourself-open-to-ridicule-in-the-future username. For your information, Ronaldo scored twice versus Villa.
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#31 - if you have any future tip's please pass them along!!
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having seen ronaldo's thunderbolt against porto in the champions league, i was reminded about your post, robbo, you know, about *that* goal. was it something like that? :)
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