Big chances created is a better measurement tbh
Why don't they just say, Help me if you can !
I like it.
Shows how a player is contributing without necessary banging in the goals. Mads and Kulu - perfect examples
Not necessarily overstated, but the issue is that the stat itself is so reliant on another player for the stat to actually exist that it’s not always that reflective of a player’s quality and contribution.
For example, Salah hasn’t been significantly more creative than Cole Palmer this season but has ten more assists because of the players he’s passing to.
The same was true for years of KDB and Bruno.
It's a stupid stat with more holes in it than one of Sandy's string vests. A player can set up someone, Nunez for example, who balloons an easy chance over the bar and not receive any credit. I blame Opta and Sky who are evil and should be destroyed for the sake of mankind.
Of course it can be misleading so you have to rely on your own eyes as well, but generally it gives you a good idea of someone's performance levels.
Those sort of stats might be able to make you look better than you have been over the odd games, just not over the course of a season. I mean to be honest, it might not look like much to make a simple pass or a simple tap in, but there can be an art there also in being in the right place or making the correct decision. How often have simple passes to a player to score been on and instead a player facks it up another way?
Stats are only 'misleading' if you're trying to use them to shape a narrative, rather than using them to help inform one.
Remove the assist stst all together and I ask this, is what you're left with not misleading? For every basic sideways pass that is registered as an assist, what about a player who dribbles through 3 players and puts the ball across goal into the perfect position for an open goal tap in. Do they deserve an assist?
Stats don't tell the entire story. Using them as though they do is the problem. They are context, not gospel.
And even if it is a case of a simple pass that someone delivers on the back of. I'd still want to know if a player was able to do this 20 times per season vs 3. You may be looking at the final pass in a vacuum but if they are consistently getting those numbers then what does it tell you about their vision? Positioning? Decision making?
You don't just rack up assists for nothing. If a player has well into double digits then it's fair to consider that they are likely doing a good job at contributing towards the team's output.
Stats are also simplified in public discourse. They are analysed and discussed by people who have no idea how to actually evaluate data. The average person is actually terrible at this and there are legitimate psychological reasons for it but it's worth keeping in mind.
As some have said, the biggest issue is that a player does not credited with an assist unless the other person scores.
Yes, we all use our eyes to judge, that's certainly what I focus on (pun not intended!), but reporting someone's assist stats seems to have taken on enormous importance in recent years, despite its clear flaws.
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 40 seconds ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh absolutely with pens that said having a top PK taker in the team is good to have as when they do come around there is nothing more frustrating than when they are missed
I wonder what Hafi thinks
comment by Gezza-Spurs (U18952)
posted 5 minutes ago
As some have said, the biggest issue is that a player does not credited with an assist unless the other person scores.
Yes, we all use our eyes to judge, that's certainly what I focus on (pun not intended!), but reporting someone's assist stats seems to have taken on enormous importance in recent years, despite its clear flaws.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This.
I'm making this stat up but bear with me................ say Fabregas made 18 assists in season 2010 in an average Arsenal side compared to KDB making 19 assists in an era defining Man City side in 2023 - is KDB a better assist maker? Not on these stats he isn't, as he plays in a more accomplished side with better strikers and who probably have more of the ball which provides more opportunities for assists to be made.
It's the same as the stupid clean sheet stats for goalies. Yes Raya is a top goalie but should he win a prize (Golden Glove) over say Pickford who plays in a struggling side with lesser defenders in front of him?
comment by Pedro Poridge at the love Parade (U6468)
posted 1 minute ago
I wonder what Hafi thinks
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He's knocking one out as he reads this in all the excitement.
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 4 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
They are an easier opportunity but it's also a valuable asset. Trophies are literally won and lost on penalties and whilst it may technically be an easier opportunity, it also comes with a different kind of psychological challenge to a 'normal' goal.
I'd rather have an excellent penalty taker than a poor one. Therefore it's a skill that has value. Not everyone is, by default, an excellent penalty taker.
Not having a good penalty taker can also literally cost a team games, titles and cups. It has done so many times in the past.
Again, if you simply use the goal stat to assume it directly correlates with whether striker = good or bad the sure, it's a 'misleading' or pointless stat.
I suspect the data is useful though and it exists for a reason. Just like with the 'simple' assists, I'd want to be able to look at the whole context behind a player's stats and this helps do this.
Why do they 'fluff' up the stats? It's factual information. Should we start awarding more goals to distant strikes because they are harder technically than a tap in?
Or do we understand that if someone is getting a lot of tap ins then their goal stats may tell us more about their reading of the game and ability to get into chances? If someone has a high penalty number, does it give some context as to their mental strength? Why are they getting so many?
If a player beats two people, gets into the box, rounds the keeper and is fouled just before they put it in, they will get a penalty. If the player who won the penalty then scores it, is this more valid?
There is absolutely value in the data, just not if you use it all to try and boil everything down to very binary observations. Player x scoring more goals than player y does not instantly mean they are better. Accessing the whole story of how those numbers are made cna very easily lead to different conclusions, which is why context is crucial. Stats help provide context.
comment by Insufferable-Piffle (U4388)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 40 seconds ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh absolutely with pensthat said having a top PK taker in the team is good to have as when they do come around there is nothing more frustrating than when they are missed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, you still have to put it past the keeper in more pressured conditions so there is some jeopardy and they'd get credit for converting. It's just when people try and defend it to suggest it's no worse than when strikers tap in crosses. Well, they still had to make the movement and get in the position to tap in. Penalties you don't even have to work for them, if you are the guy taking it and weren't the one winning it.
comment by Darren The King Fletcher (U10026)
posted 27 minutes ago
Not necessarily overstated, but the issue is that the stat itself is so reliant on another player for the stat to actually exist that it’s not always that reflective of a player’s quality and contribution.
For example, Salah hasn’t been significantly more creative than Cole Palmer this season but has ten more assists because of the players he’s passing to.
The same was true for years of KDB and Bruno.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By the same token, goalscoring stats are also reliant on the forward being set up well by teammates.
A better striker with very poor service may well get far fewer goals than a poorer player who has chance after chance laid on a plate for him.
There are, of course, other factors involved too, such as the role a player is asked to perform and how the team might play to one or other player's strengths.
As an example, think of how different Benzema's goal returns were over the seasons he spent performing different roles despite nominally playing the same position on the same team.
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 11 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The easiest way to score isn't a penalty.
It's a tap in. Often the assist is the major part of these plays.
So imo goals and assists all have to be looked at individually. Some are nicer than others but none less important.
comment by Dan Arsenal (U21084)
posted 11 minutes ago
comment by Pedro Poridge at the love Parade (U6468)
posted 1 minute ago
I wonder what Hafi thinks
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He's knocking one out as he reads this in all the excitement.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No doubt
Assist Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to just pass a ball sideways to another player who then pulls off a great strike or bit of individual brilliance and to then get credited with an assist seems a bit off to me.
---------------------------------------------
Goal Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to go on a mazy run or a bit of individual brilliance and then pass to another player who then taps it in and then get credited with a goal seems a bit off to me.
Win Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a team's success. I mean, a team could just pass the ball sideways and do nothing and the other team just makes a massive mistake where a player pulls off a moment of individual lack of brilliance and concede a goal, and to then get credited with a win seems a bit off to me.
comment by Calum Ferrie (U1734)
posted 12 minutes ago
Assist Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to just pass a ball sideways to another player who then pulls off a great strike or bit of individual brilliance and to then get credited with an assist seems a bit off to me.
---------------------------------------------
Goal Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to go on a mazy run or a bit of individual brilliance and then pass to another player who then taps it in and then get credited with a goal seems a bit off to me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
😂
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 30 minutes ago
comment by Darren The King Fletcher (U10026)
posted 27 minutes ago
Not necessarily overstated, but the issue is that the stat itself is so reliant on another player for the stat to actually exist that it’s not always that reflective of a player’s quality and contribution.
For example, Salah hasn’t been significantly more creative than Cole Palmer this season but has ten more assists because of the players he’s passing to.
The same was true for years of KDB and Bruno.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By the same token, goalscoring stats are also reliant on the forward being set up well by teammates.
A better striker with very poor service may well get far fewer goals than a poorer player who has chance after chance laid on a plate for him.
There are, of course, other factors involved too, such as the role a player is asked to perform and how the team might play to one or other player's strengths.
As an example, think of how different Benzema's goal returns were over the seasons he spent performing different roles despite nominally playing the same position on the same team.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For sure, but a goal is a more objective statistic as you can score a goal without an assist being made whereas the reverse isn’t possible.
comment by TheFoxOutsideTheBox (U20459)
posted 29 minutes ago
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 4 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
They are an easier opportunity but it's also a valuable asset. Trophies are literally won and lost on penalties and whilst it may technically be an easier opportunity, it also comes with a different kind of psychological challenge to a 'normal' goal.
I'd rather have an excellent penalty taker than a poor one. Therefore it's a skill that has value. Not everyone is, by default, an excellent penalty taker.
Not having a good penalty taker can also literally cost a team games, titles and cups. It has done so many times in the past.
Again, if you simply use the goal stat to assume it directly correlates with whether striker = good or bad the sure, it's a 'misleading' or pointless stat.
I suspect the data is useful though and it exists for a reason. Just like with the 'simple' assists, I'd want to be able to look at the whole context behind a player's stats and this helps do this.
Why do they 'fluff' up the stats? It's factual information. Should we start awarding more goals to distant strikes because they are harder technically than a tap in?
Or do we understand that if someone is getting a lot of tap ins then their goal stats may tell us more about their reading of the game and ability to get into chances? If someone has a high penalty number, does it give some context as to their mental strength? Why are they getting so many?
If a player beats two people, gets into the box, rounds the keeper and is fouled just before they put it in, they will get a penalty. If the player who won the penalty then scores it, is this more valid?
There is absolutely value in the data, just not if you use it all to try and boil everything down to very binary observations. Player x scoring more goals than player y does not instantly mean they are better. Accessing the whole story of how those numbers are made cna very easily lead to different conclusions, which is why context is crucial. Stats help provide context.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not everybody is going to be great at pens but I think it when it comes to strikers, it should be bread and butter to them, particularly in the less important games or less important moments.
Why does it fluff up stats? Because as we've established they are a lot easier to score from. If you had one striker who hadn't taken a single penalty and scored the same as another player who had scored about 10, then for me the one who didn't have the 10 pens should be adjudged to have performed better in their season.
If it wasn't that big a deal then it wouldn't be brought up the way it does.
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 29 minutes ago
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 11 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The easiest way to score isn't a penalty.
It's a tap in. Often the assist is the major part of these plays.
So imo goals and assists all have to be looked at individually. Some are nicer than others but none less important.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Well I disagree and have already said why above. Obviously some tap ins can look harder than others, like if a player had to run the length of the pitch to do it compared to some goal hanger who the ball falls to. Overall though, the easiest way of scoring on a pitch, both for the player, and often for the team i.e. dives, handballs etc. is a penalty.
The team who has the best throw in stats should win the game.
Sign in if you want to comment
Assist Stats
Page 1 of 4
posted on 25/2/25
Big chances created is a better measurement tbh
posted on 25/2/25
Why don't they just say, Help me if you can !
posted on 25/2/25
I like it.
Shows how a player is contributing without necessary banging in the goals. Mads and Kulu - perfect examples
posted on 25/2/25
Not necessarily overstated, but the issue is that the stat itself is so reliant on another player for the stat to actually exist that it’s not always that reflective of a player’s quality and contribution.
For example, Salah hasn’t been significantly more creative than Cole Palmer this season but has ten more assists because of the players he’s passing to.
The same was true for years of KDB and Bruno.
posted on 25/2/25
It's a stupid stat with more holes in it than one of Sandy's string vests. A player can set up someone, Nunez for example, who balloons an easy chance over the bar and not receive any credit. I blame Opta and Sky who are evil and should be destroyed for the sake of mankind.
posted on 25/2/25
Of course it can be misleading so you have to rely on your own eyes as well, but generally it gives you a good idea of someone's performance levels.
Those sort of stats might be able to make you look better than you have been over the odd games, just not over the course of a season. I mean to be honest, it might not look like much to make a simple pass or a simple tap in, but there can be an art there also in being in the right place or making the correct decision. How often have simple passes to a player to score been on and instead a player facks it up another way?
posted on 25/2/25
Stats are only 'misleading' if you're trying to use them to shape a narrative, rather than using them to help inform one.
Remove the assist stst all together and I ask this, is what you're left with not misleading? For every basic sideways pass that is registered as an assist, what about a player who dribbles through 3 players and puts the ball across goal into the perfect position for an open goal tap in. Do they deserve an assist?
Stats don't tell the entire story. Using them as though they do is the problem. They are context, not gospel.
And even if it is a case of a simple pass that someone delivers on the back of. I'd still want to know if a player was able to do this 20 times per season vs 3. You may be looking at the final pass in a vacuum but if they are consistently getting those numbers then what does it tell you about their vision? Positioning? Decision making?
You don't just rack up assists for nothing. If a player has well into double digits then it's fair to consider that they are likely doing a good job at contributing towards the team's output.
Stats are also simplified in public discourse. They are analysed and discussed by people who have no idea how to actually evaluate data. The average person is actually terrible at this and there are legitimate psychological reasons for it but it's worth keeping in mind.
posted on 25/2/25
As some have said, the biggest issue is that a player does not credited with an assist unless the other person scores.
Yes, we all use our eyes to judge, that's certainly what I focus on (pun not intended!), but reporting someone's assist stats seems to have taken on enormous importance in recent years, despite its clear flaws.
posted on 25/2/25
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 40 seconds ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh absolutely with pens that said having a top PK taker in the team is good to have as when they do come around there is nothing more frustrating than when they are missed
posted on 25/2/25
I wonder what Hafi thinks
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Gezza-Spurs (U18952)
posted 5 minutes ago
As some have said, the biggest issue is that a player does not credited with an assist unless the other person scores.
Yes, we all use our eyes to judge, that's certainly what I focus on (pun not intended!), but reporting someone's assist stats seems to have taken on enormous importance in recent years, despite its clear flaws.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This.
I'm making this stat up but bear with me................ say Fabregas made 18 assists in season 2010 in an average Arsenal side compared to KDB making 19 assists in an era defining Man City side in 2023 - is KDB a better assist maker? Not on these stats he isn't, as he plays in a more accomplished side with better strikers and who probably have more of the ball which provides more opportunities for assists to be made.
It's the same as the stupid clean sheet stats for goalies. Yes Raya is a top goalie but should he win a prize (Golden Glove) over say Pickford who plays in a struggling side with lesser defenders in front of him?
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Pedro Poridge at the love Parade (U6468)
posted 1 minute ago
I wonder what Hafi thinks
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He's knocking one out as he reads this in all the excitement.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 4 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
They are an easier opportunity but it's also a valuable asset. Trophies are literally won and lost on penalties and whilst it may technically be an easier opportunity, it also comes with a different kind of psychological challenge to a 'normal' goal.
I'd rather have an excellent penalty taker than a poor one. Therefore it's a skill that has value. Not everyone is, by default, an excellent penalty taker.
Not having a good penalty taker can also literally cost a team games, titles and cups. It has done so many times in the past.
Again, if you simply use the goal stat to assume it directly correlates with whether striker = good or bad the sure, it's a 'misleading' or pointless stat.
I suspect the data is useful though and it exists for a reason. Just like with the 'simple' assists, I'd want to be able to look at the whole context behind a player's stats and this helps do this.
Why do they 'fluff' up the stats? It's factual information. Should we start awarding more goals to distant strikes because they are harder technically than a tap in?
Or do we understand that if someone is getting a lot of tap ins then their goal stats may tell us more about their reading of the game and ability to get into chances? If someone has a high penalty number, does it give some context as to their mental strength? Why are they getting so many?
If a player beats two people, gets into the box, rounds the keeper and is fouled just before they put it in, they will get a penalty. If the player who won the penalty then scores it, is this more valid?
There is absolutely value in the data, just not if you use it all to try and boil everything down to very binary observations. Player x scoring more goals than player y does not instantly mean they are better. Accessing the whole story of how those numbers are made cna very easily lead to different conclusions, which is why context is crucial. Stats help provide context.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Insufferable-Piffle (U4388)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 40 seconds ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh absolutely with pensthat said having a top PK taker in the team is good to have as when they do come around there is nothing more frustrating than when they are missed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, you still have to put it past the keeper in more pressured conditions so there is some jeopardy and they'd get credit for converting. It's just when people try and defend it to suggest it's no worse than when strikers tap in crosses. Well, they still had to make the movement and get in the position to tap in. Penalties you don't even have to work for them, if you are the guy taking it and weren't the one winning it.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Darren The King Fletcher (U10026)
posted 27 minutes ago
Not necessarily overstated, but the issue is that the stat itself is so reliant on another player for the stat to actually exist that it’s not always that reflective of a player’s quality and contribution.
For example, Salah hasn’t been significantly more creative than Cole Palmer this season but has ten more assists because of the players he’s passing to.
The same was true for years of KDB and Bruno.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By the same token, goalscoring stats are also reliant on the forward being set up well by teammates.
A better striker with very poor service may well get far fewer goals than a poorer player who has chance after chance laid on a plate for him.
There are, of course, other factors involved too, such as the role a player is asked to perform and how the team might play to one or other player's strengths.
As an example, think of how different Benzema's goal returns were over the seasons he spent performing different roles despite nominally playing the same position on the same team.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 11 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The easiest way to score isn't a penalty.
It's a tap in. Often the assist is the major part of these plays.
So imo goals and assists all have to be looked at individually. Some are nicer than others but none less important.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Dan Arsenal (U21084)
posted 11 minutes ago
comment by Pedro Poridge at the love Parade (U6468)
posted 1 minute ago
I wonder what Hafi thinks
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He's knocking one out as he reads this in all the excitement.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
No doubt
posted on 25/2/25
Assist Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to just pass a ball sideways to another player who then pulls off a great strike or bit of individual brilliance and to then get credited with an assist seems a bit off to me.
---------------------------------------------
Goal Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to go on a mazy run or a bit of individual brilliance and then pass to another player who then taps it in and then get credited with a goal seems a bit off to me.
posted on 25/2/25
Win Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a team's success. I mean, a team could just pass the ball sideways and do nothing and the other team just makes a massive mistake where a player pulls off a moment of individual lack of brilliance and concede a goal, and to then get credited with a win seems a bit off to me.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by Calum Ferrie (U1734)
posted 12 minutes ago
Assist Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to just pass a ball sideways to another player who then pulls off a great strike or bit of individual brilliance and to then get credited with an assist seems a bit off to me.
---------------------------------------------
Goal Stats
I personally think that they can overstate a player’s contribution. I mean, for a player to go on a mazy run or a bit of individual brilliance and then pass to another player who then taps it in and then get credited with a goal seems a bit off to me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
😂
posted on 25/2/25
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 30 minutes ago
comment by Darren The King Fletcher (U10026)
posted 27 minutes ago
Not necessarily overstated, but the issue is that the stat itself is so reliant on another player for the stat to actually exist that it’s not always that reflective of a player’s quality and contribution.
For example, Salah hasn’t been significantly more creative than Cole Palmer this season but has ten more assists because of the players he’s passing to.
The same was true for years of KDB and Bruno.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By the same token, goalscoring stats are also reliant on the forward being set up well by teammates.
A better striker with very poor service may well get far fewer goals than a poorer player who has chance after chance laid on a plate for him.
There are, of course, other factors involved too, such as the role a player is asked to perform and how the team might play to one or other player's strengths.
As an example, think of how different Benzema's goal returns were over the seasons he spent performing different roles despite nominally playing the same position on the same team.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For sure, but a goal is a more objective statistic as you can score a goal without an assist being made whereas the reverse isn’t possible.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by TheFoxOutsideTheBox (U20459)
posted 29 minutes ago
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 4 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
They are an easier opportunity but it's also a valuable asset. Trophies are literally won and lost on penalties and whilst it may technically be an easier opportunity, it also comes with a different kind of psychological challenge to a 'normal' goal.
I'd rather have an excellent penalty taker than a poor one. Therefore it's a skill that has value. Not everyone is, by default, an excellent penalty taker.
Not having a good penalty taker can also literally cost a team games, titles and cups. It has done so many times in the past.
Again, if you simply use the goal stat to assume it directly correlates with whether striker = good or bad the sure, it's a 'misleading' or pointless stat.
I suspect the data is useful though and it exists for a reason. Just like with the 'simple' assists, I'd want to be able to look at the whole context behind a player's stats and this helps do this.
Why do they 'fluff' up the stats? It's factual information. Should we start awarding more goals to distant strikes because they are harder technically than a tap in?
Or do we understand that if someone is getting a lot of tap ins then their goal stats may tell us more about their reading of the game and ability to get into chances? If someone has a high penalty number, does it give some context as to their mental strength? Why are they getting so many?
If a player beats two people, gets into the box, rounds the keeper and is fouled just before they put it in, they will get a penalty. If the player who won the penalty then scores it, is this more valid?
There is absolutely value in the data, just not if you use it all to try and boil everything down to very binary observations. Player x scoring more goals than player y does not instantly mean they are better. Accessing the whole story of how those numbers are made cna very easily lead to different conclusions, which is why context is crucial. Stats help provide context.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not everybody is going to be great at pens but I think it when it comes to strikers, it should be bread and butter to them, particularly in the less important games or less important moments.
Why does it fluff up stats? Because as we've established they are a lot easier to score from. If you had one striker who hadn't taken a single penalty and scored the same as another player who had scored about 10, then for me the one who didn't have the 10 pens should be adjudged to have performed better in their season.
If it wasn't that big a deal then it wouldn't be brought up the way it does.
posted on 25/2/25
comment by montleeds (U18330)
posted 29 minutes ago
comment by Spurtle (U1608)
posted 11 minutes ago
Penalties are another one, when they significantly fluff up a goal scorers stats. When people say all goals count, they do, but nobody can convince me that they aren't the easiest way of scoring on a football field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The easiest way to score isn't a penalty.
It's a tap in. Often the assist is the major part of these plays.
So imo goals and assists all have to be looked at individually. Some are nicer than others but none less important.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Well I disagree and have already said why above. Obviously some tap ins can look harder than others, like if a player had to run the length of the pitch to do it compared to some goal hanger who the ball falls to. Overall though, the easiest way of scoring on a pitch, both for the player, and often for the team i.e. dives, handballs etc. is a penalty.
posted on 25/2/25
The team who has the best throw in stats should win the game.
Page 1 of 4