Glen Little - Appreciation for the Big Man...

[Behindu]

Surely statistics can be complied in any way - either objectively or subjectively.
They can then be presented in different ways and then interpreted in different ways.

Most of the 'new' stats in football are garbage - in accurate, poorly defined and as good as meaningless. The Championship Manager generation love them but football isn;t baseball or cricket where you can tell something from stats. The only stats I am interested in are the ones in the league table, the rest I'll use my own eyes to (subjectively) assess.

[papereyes]

Surely statistics can be complied in any way - either objectively or subjectively.

Surely a statistic (in a footballing sense) is simply based on the number of times an event happens.

Some subjectivity on how you define it, but more the most part, on here certainly, its relatively objective things like assists and goals.

They can then be presented in different ways and then interpreted in different ways.

I'd argue that the presentation and interpretation are closley interrelated.

Most of the 'new' stats in football are garbage - inaccurate, poorly defined and as good as meaningless. The Championship Manager generation love them but football isn;t baseball or cricket where you can tell something from stats.

That's my gripe with them. There's something that strikes me as wrong about them - so many other factors, so many other key issues.

As a bare description, they have their uses.

[Behindu]

Stats in cricket are easy - runs, fours, catches....

In football there are many fewer clearly defined things to count. Different people will consider shots on goal to be different, tackles will be different, successful passes will be different.

Even if the event is defined properly trying to actually spot them in a game is next to imposible, it all happens so quickly, so much is error rather than intent.

Hence very few of the stats ever agree.

Presentation and interpretation are quite different IMHO. Presentation comes from the compiler - it is what they want you to think the stat means, whereas interpretation comes from the viewer. The provider will hope their presentation leads to the interpretation they intend, but it often won;t.

I don;t even think they do much in terms of description. I've watched games where I've kept count of shots and the 'official' stats don;t then match. Someonehas got it wrong. But I just do not give any of the Actim or Opta or Evening Post numbers much credence. They add nothing and smack of people trying to impose some kind of 'science' on what is a pretty simple game where your gut feel about how a game has gone is usually right (if youcan extract it from your partisanship which inevitably tints your vision...!)

[Scarface]

As soon as Blakey gets the ball the entire ground comes alive. That says it all for me, the bloke is class.

[Katie Marsden]

That was my view point and I've been slated for saying the same over the last few years. Idiots only wanted evidence in terms of stats.

Some stats however are worthwhile, strikers are judged by the number of goals they score and midfielders/wingers are judged by the number of assists they have and the amount of goals they score.

Also It's no surprise looking at the official stats all the top players are at the top of the individual stat lists.

[Corky341]

Glen Little is the player I've missed most without a doubt. I'm so looking forward to next season. Glen back and Bobby. And now perhaps Cisse in there too. Another push for Europe? Yes please!

[Vision]

Stats can be useful i'm sure but frankly i don't need a bean counter to tell me that Glen Little is technically the best footballer i've ever seen at Reading.

[warrpp]

totally agree

whenever he gets the ball, the crowd expect something good to happen, and it usually does.

[Jerry St Clair]

I'd happily have Glen Little's children, if he so wished.

The best player of my Reading-supporting life, just nudging ahead of Dariusz Wdowcyck.

[Sir Rodney Effing]

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics! (btw - I'm not talking about this thread! Just think this quote is relevant to it!)