Meta: I'll be away until Monday, which is really quite handy given the transfer window's just closed and it's an international break. I will miss the three-year anniversary of this blog tomorrow, but that's no great shakes. Here's a book review to hold you over. Don't break anything.
Why England Lose and Other Curious Phenomena Explained
Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski
HarperSport
The title's obviously intriguing, it got a rare five-star review in FourFourTwo, and the blurbs have compared it to Moneyball. Click to continue reading...

Good discussion brewing on regression to the mean (~randomness) in sports at USS Mariner.

Sites like USS Mariner have shaped a lot of the way I think about sport; this is a good example of an occasion where the media is looking for a reason when in the real world it's just sport gremlining away with its usual ups and downs.

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The latest in ridiculous transfer stories is the one about United's bid for Liverpool's Fernando Torres. Much as we rate the Spaniard, it's not a deal that makes sense. There's been talk about Liverpool's reported financial situation that will force Liverpool's hand. But let all that talk not fool you.

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The news of Frank Rijkaard's appointment as the new manager of Galatasaray has certainly made head waves across Turkiye. In the wake of Galatasaray's mediocre season the news of Rijkaard's signing is a coup in Turkiye and has almost eclipsed the celebrations by Istanbul rivals Besiktas of their well deserved league-cup double this season. Click to continue reading...

So, Mark Clattenburg is a narcissist as well as antisocial.
We had already gathered as much.
Watching Arsenal versus Real Madrid in the Emirates Trophy, something felt not-quite-right.
Something was missing from Clattenburg's officiating.
Then he gave Arsenal one of his more generous penalties and we suddenly realised. Click to continue reading...

Soccer Orb's resident statistician, Steve, shared an interesting bit of research with us a couple of days ago (See Premiership Ratings: Biggest Bang for the Buck from June 6). I'm going to swim into some dangerous waters and interpret his findings with my quasi-layperson's eyes. His model was simple, but very revealing. Click to continue reading...