₦airaland Forum

.

elampiro: 1. Opta is confused, they have no parameter in determining what constitute a long pass: see this article below:
.................................................
English soccer has been stereotyped as a game that features long passing. This label may be unfair or outdated as the game has progressed with time. Since Opta provides long passing statistics, I thought it would be interesting to look at long passing more in depth to determine if any trends could be identified that related to success in 2011-12.

MUFC & Opta provides frequency counts of successful and unsuccessful long passes for each player in each team. I want to state up front that I am not sure what defines a long pass as I could not find the definition of long pass in Opta’s event definitions. I assume that the pass must cover a minimum distance, but I am not sure that that distance is – if anyone can clarify please post a comment and I will update this blog accordingly. For now, however, we will assume a long pass is one that travels some distance longer than a short pass. I think a reasonable way to think of this is as a pass that bypasses some teammates.
Number of long passes

In the Premiership in 2011-12, there were 23,014 successful long passes, 18,710 unsuccessful long passes and 41,724 total passes. With a total of 380 matches, this equates to 60.6, 49.2, and 109.8 long passes per match. Overall passing accuracy was approximately 55%.

http://john-dewitt..com/2012/09/long-passing-in-premiership.html

3. Responding to the bold part of your comment: In 2011/2012, Wayne Rooney gave the highest number of successful long passes in United. He was 7th in the EPL, he achieved that even though he was a striker and the highest goal scorer for United that season and second highest in the EPL. Before you go there, I have already removed his penalties and he is still second. What a genius. He was among the best creators and now it has come to the fore that he was a great distributor from midfield, coupled with the fact that he was the second highest goal scorer. Any United fan who dislikes Rooney is an ingrate.

I am done with this, except Opta defines their parameters.

But why is Rooney always among the best in every stat?

Robin van Persie wants to stay at Manchester #United for years. Van #Persie enjoyed a stellar debut campaign, collecting a second successive golden boot as he fired United to the Premier League title.

It justified the Dutchman's decision to leave Arsenal for a rival - and he's now revealed he wants to extend his Old Trafford stay.

"I have three more years to go and I would like to stay longer. I know, and I see people around me, making decisions where I think these guys will look back and say 'was that a good one?' I don't want that. I want to play as long as possible at the highest level."

"Winning trophies is what it is all about. Last year we got one trophy in four. Now we have to look at it from the opposite side. We have the chance to get five this year. How many do we get out of those five? In my opinion we should be able to win two or three." (Source: Daily Star)

[quote author=superstar1][/quote]These days, Young's nickname is 'reverse'

coogar: it doesn't matter what other sites define as a long pass. if they are credible, they should have gotten the contract to compute the stats for the premier league. however, opta did not recognise the rooney pass to RVP on saturday as a long pass. it falls short of their standard.

if it irks you, go & take panadol!



evra defends better than baines. defending is the primary role of a defender not attacking. baines is a set-piece taker for everton, evra isn't. however, i can understand why teams who don't use out & out wingers rely on baines to provide the width.



so opta is wrong with the stats of baines? are you deliberately trolling or you have nothing tangible to say? baines is a defender, not an attacking midfielder or winger - so i don't understand what you mean by other clubs in europe.



these eyes also saw roy keane playing against bayern in the 1999 final. the credibility of your eyes is questionable. opta are a reputable company paid by the premier league to supply statistics for the best league in the world. i know who i would put my trust in.

1. Opta is confused, they have no parameter in determining what constitute a long pass: see this article below:
.................................................
English soccer has been stereotyped as a game that features long passing. This label may be unfair or outdated as the game has progressed with time. Since Opta provides long passing statistics, I thought it would be interesting to look at long passing more in depth to determine if any trends could be identified that related to success in 2011-12.

MUFC & Opta provides frequency counts of successful and unsuccessful long passes for each player in each team. I want to state up front that I am not sure what defines a long pass as I could not find the definition of long pass in Opta’s event definitions. I assume that the pass must cover a minimum distance, but I am not sure that that distance is – if anyone can clarify please post a comment and I will update this blog accordingly. For now, however, we will assume a long pass is one that travels some distance longer than a short pass. I think a reasonable way to think of this is as a pass that bypasses some teammates.
Number of long passes

In the Premiership in 2011-12, there were 23,014 successful long passes, 18,710 unsuccessful long passes and 41,724 total passes. With a total of 380 matches, this equates to 60.6, 49.2, and 109.8 long passes per match. Overall passing accuracy was approximately 55%.

http://john-dewitt..com/2012/09/long-passing-in-premiership.html

3. Responding to the bold part of your comment: In 2011/2012, Wayne Rooney gave the highest number of successful long passes in United. He was 7th in the EPL, he achieved that even though he was a striker and the highest goal scorer for United that season and second highest in the EPL. Before you go there, I have already removed his penalties and he is still second. What a genius. He was among the best creators and now it has come to the fore that he was a great distributor from midfield, coupled with the fact that he was the second highest goal scorer. Any United fan who dislikes Rooney is an ingrate.

superstar1: is true ooooo. the god of soccer smiled on naija.

Lovely. On paper. we got the weakest opponent.

I could have taken Senegal or Burkina Faso too.

coogar: why not? those of us who play fantasy league know baines has been productive in the last 3-4 seasons. what is new to you is a well-known fact to many of us.



it's either you are producing the goods as a defender or keeping clean sheets. baines play for everton so keeping clean sheets can't be his strength. however, what he loses by conceding goals, he makes up by scoring/assisting/creating chances.



this definition had been written before rooney made the pass. if opta defines a long pass as 30 or more yards and rooney made a 29-yard pass then rooney's pass is not a long pass. it's as simple as that. we should not take opta serious because it failed to recognise rooney's pass as a long pass? you must be a joker. if rooney cüms in a condom, i am 100% sure you would drink it.



if young was poor, his fellow midfielders were poorer than him.

1. I have learnt nothing from the above. Simple question, what is along pass by opta? I will publish what some other sites see as a long pass.

2. You have agreed that you can submit Baines as the best creator in the EPL. I hold you to this statement in future argument. I remember only recently you described him as far below Evra.

If Baines is so good in creating chances as (wrongly) portrayed by Opta, then EPL teams didnt need to look far when they were bidding 40 millions all over Europe for attacking midfielders and wingers.

3. On Ashley Young, I won't argue because it won't lead nowhere. Opta cannot form an opinion for me on what I saw colocolo with my eyes only few days ago.

...........................................................

(a) Long Passing[edit source | editbeta]
The aim of a long pass is to switch play or find a teammate in space. A long pass is generally more attacking than a short pass, but this can depend on where you are on the field. If you want to drive your pass, approach the ball at a 30-degree angle so there is room to swing your kicking leg through. Use your arms for balance, position your non-kicking foot close to the side of the ball, and keep your eyes on the ball. If you want to keep the ball low you must keep the knee of your kicking foot over the ball and not lean back as you strike the center of the ball with your laces, following through. If you want increased power and height, hit the ball near the bottom, lean back further and follow through the ball more. Ideally you do not want the ball to bounce before it reaches a teammate as a bouncing ball is harder to control and can hold up an attack.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passing_(association_football)


(b) Long ball is the term used in association football to describe an attempt, often speculative, to distribute the ball a long distance down the field via a cross, without the intention to pass it to the feet of the receiving player. In Continental Europe the style is often called kick and rush.[1]

It is a technique that can be especially effective for a team with either fast or tall strikers. The long ball technique is also a through pass from distance in an effort to get the ball by the defensive line and create a foot race between striker and defender.[2] While often derided as either boring or primitive,[3] it can prove effective where players or weather conditions suit this style; in particular, it is an effective counter-attacking style of play in which some defenders can be caught off-guard.

superstar1: Cote d'Ivoire v Senegal
Ethiopia v Nigeria
Tunisia v Cameroon
Ghana v Egypt
Algeria v Burkina Faso

Is this true? or still speculating?

coogar: chevrolet gave all the united players a brand new car each. audi did the same too. those players are balling.



young was our best midfielder against liverpool - this was why he started against palace. there's no parameter you can think of
that young didn't do better than his fellow midfielders. he even outpasssed carrick & cleverley.



and in your frail mind, you don't think baines created the most chances last season? how did he manage to be on the PFA team? statistics are facts, not your opinion.

Exactly what I am telling you, opta stat can be misleading because they have their own definition of things in soccer. So if you were told to get the best creator in the EPL you will mention Baines?

Being on the PFA team is not a guarantee that he was the best creator, Evra has been on the PFA list manay times without being a creator.

Now, the Rooney's pass to RVP against Villa, what were their distance measurement respectively? Then what is opta measurement/definition of a long pass?


Young was poor against Liverpool. But let me just leave that.

coogar: are you a dreamer?
i said show us where you told us baines was the best creator before opta printed the stats. who does not know baines' productivity? honestly, i really think you drink shekpe before coming on this forum to post.

baines' productivity has been a topic of discussion before you found your way to this section of the forum - stop lying to us that you discovered baines' productivity. when i said show proof - i mean you should show us your posts/comments where i was arguing with you about baines, not the nonsense charts you are putting up.

Stop twisting issues. Show me where I said I discovered Baines was the highest before opta published it? The argument I put forward was that Opta stat should not be taken serious because:

(A) opta told us Young was our best midfielder against Liverpool whereas he wasn't.
(B) opta told us baines is the most creative player in the EPL.

This is it. The EPL best creator is Baines. Also, total clear cut chances created is 21. He is highest on both parameters.

There is a second creative start sorted on other parameters as goal assists. Mata, Rooney, Hazard, Carzola and Walcott came top. When drilled to minutes played in the season per assist, Rooney and Mata came top.

coogar: show us where you told us baines was the most creative player in the premier league last season before opta stats noticed this secret of yours.....

Hopefully I will repost that chat tomorrow. Hope you will not ask us to deduct penalties and corner kicks because that is not what this argument is about.

coogar: why need opta then? we should just listen to elampirostats that told us messi got his left foot clipped by hargreaves or elampirostats that saw keane playing against bayern in the final @ nou camp!

topic of discussion was the number of long passes rooney made in a match. you jumped into the argument without tact & nous to tell us rooney made a long pass. how do you know what opta defines as a long pass? sometimes, it's better you just shut up & let people that know discuss football.

show us where you told us baines was the most creative player last year. how did you spot baines was the most creative and opta did not? do you run your own stats company that can see things opta can never see? anyways, you lie for a living - i won't be surprised if you cannot find any evidence to support this claim as usual.

I am not out for any argument, but if you go pages upon pages back, you will see where I posted the chart in an argument between you and I. Baines came top ahead of people like Mata, Hazard, and the rest.

Moyes: I don't want to see Manchester United players diving

Manchester United manager David Moyes has called on his players to stop diving after another controversial incident overshadowed his first win at Old Trafford.

Ashley Young was booked after he went down in the area under pressure from Kagisho Dikgacoi, with television replays showing that though there was contact, referee Jon Moss made the correct decision.

Moyes was disappointed to see a United player dive and admitted that he will be talking to the England international about his onfield conduct.

"I've always said I don't like diving. He deserved to get booked, and even though the Palace player stuck his leg out, Ashley wrapped his leg around it," he told reporters after the match.

"I don't want my players diving. You can see the boy definitely sticks his leg out so I'll be speaking to Ashley about it."

1. MOTM: Fans give it to Rooney again.

2. Ronaldo reported to sign a mega deal that will keep him in Madrid till 2018.



"Today is a very special day for me. I'm proud to renew my contract with Real Madrid C.F. Hala Madrid!"- CR7 on his facebook page.

The boy dey use gogo like old man

.

[quote author=Fili_Dei]@ elampiro,

Let me get your message.

Pope Francis is an agent of satan?[/quote]Let me first get your side. Do you support his controversial comments? What is your opinion on his comment that atheist are saved if they do good, even when they know the church is available and Jesus has said one has to go through Him to heaven.

What is your comment on his statement that when people go to confession they are not to seek for forgiveness but to hand Jesus' sins to Him (Jesus).

What is your take on Pope Francis' gay comment?

Do you know that as Cardinal Bergoglio, Pope Francis surppoted gay union in Argentina?
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/20/world/americas/argentina-pope-civil-unions/index.html



Lets here your opinion about this. I am only expressing my worry.

coogar: sometimes i think you just type absent common sense. the argument was focused on the number of long passes rooney made, not the number of perfect passes.



rooney's pass to RVP does not qualify as a long pass according to opta. yes, it was accurate and it was perfect but it's not a long ball. it's reminiscent of the villa game RVP scored from last season but that was way longer, rooney made that pass from united's half of the pitch.

https://i.minus.com/iM39P3A0tEJxS.gif

the one of yesterday was made deep inside palace's half of the pitch. the accuracy of the pass is not what is being disputed but the distance travelled by the ball......

Opta should not help us define the match we all saw together and were running commentary together on the forum. It shouldn't be 'alpha and omega' but it should just be a guide. Opta stat tempted some people last two week to believe Young was our best midfielder. Last year I said Baines was the most creative player in the EPL.

chrisley024: I don't undastand d fate of City this season if they continue to drop points on away games this way.

Let's beat them first before we celebrate their suppose weakness. I for one want to see them drown in the EPL. They can fly in Europe thou.

Spending money is not the solution. After Tevez and Balotelli left they became very weak. Their only danger man now is Aguero. Their own Barry clipped them yesterday. Lol

Screwface: Here' hoping Everton continue to be a pain in the buttt for all and sundry. I watched them last night and I marvel at rate they played. Still unbeaten, but still too early to gloat. Anyways, anything that keeps chopping off points off our rivals suits me damn well

The Everton team is marvelous. You can't beat the players individually, you can piece the defence, you can beat them in aerial battle. They give you a serious speed games from start to finish, they are evenly spread on the field and they play with confidence.

italo2: Perhaps they are editing it for overgrown kids who misconstrue adult language and spread chaos on nairaland.

You are so ignorant about your world that you didn't see that the discussion and damage done by the Pope was worse in forum like yahoo news discussion, cnn news discuss forum, and even many catholic sites. You assume the internet is limited to nairaland or the world is Nigeria? The gays were celebrating the Pope's statement. They didn't see it as an invitation to repent but as a statement of acceptance.

This is the all inclusive church already prophesied which will tolerate sin and form a one world religion. Please try and read what the Europeans and Americans are saying about these Pope statements. He is giving consent to already brainwashed lifestyle of unbelievers. Pope Francis is hiding the truth from God's children.

When the Vatican had to correct him, know there is a problem.

italo2: Benedict was silent. If one of his Cardinals was spreading freemasonry and he remained silent...the Vatican was silent, that means Benedict and Vatican are free masons.

But why were they silent? Because the Cardinal said nothing against Catholic teaching.

1. Benedict wasn't silent at all. Benedict will go down in history as one of the Popes who reaffirmed and tightened the liturgy in line with what has always been obtained in tradition. He had wolves trying to undermine his work committing atrocities left and right to find way to weaken his papacy and force him out. Why do you think Benedict was nickname 'the enforcer'?

If you are a true Catholic you will know that what is happening now are just as been prophesied. Go and study Marian apparitions and those messages given by Jesus to visionaries over centuries and you will see where we are in salvation history. Go read Malachy prophecy of Popes, read Fatima messages, read Lassalete, Garabandal, messages to St. Pio, late Fr Stafano Gobbi of Italy, prophecy of Francis of Asisi, etc down to contemporary visionaries all around the world.

There will be a time of apostacy and confusion, the Catholic church will have to go through Calvary and a division will come. Many years ago it was revealed that the apostacy will happen when a pope will be forced to resign, then a new one will be elected. Then errors will be thought and after sometime, the mass will be abolished with words of consecration changed. Everything is happening in that line today.


Just watch out.

italo2: www.catholicnews.com/jpii/stories/story04.htm

And Pharisees like you crucified him, calling him everything you are now calling Pope Francis.
................


1. Fr Thomas Rosica is not a Vatican spokesman. So if a news medium has told you he is, common sense should tell you that they may have an ulterior motive.

2. Thomas Rosica's statement actually proves that Atheists can go to heaven if they DONT "know about the Catholic Church." "Knowing here does not just mean seeing or hearing about Catholicism. It means knowing that the Catholic Church is the one true faith. For this, we must leave the judgement to God who sees the heart and knows if the Atheist knows this or not. May I also inform you that this goes for Protestants too. If they "know about the Catholic Church and reject it, they cannot be saved." Would you then crucify Pope Francis when he says Protestants can go to heaven by doing good and following conscience?

Next time you're on the internet, try reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It will do a lot of good to you heart and soul.

I still want to know your quarrel with this man, Francis.

1. You cannot draw the line between articles. Do you pay attention to details at all? The Vatican is saying atheist are not saved if they know the church and refused to enter it. This is same stance with the catechism of the caholic church. But Pope Francis is saying that atheist are saved even without entering or accepting the church despite they having the knowledge of its existence. The Vatican had to correct Pope Francis' statement.

2. You are yet to show me where John Paul II worshiped with Babalawos.

3. Pope John Paul II entered a mosque in order to help negotiate religion tolerance for christians in the muslim world, that is different from Cardinal Bergoglio who went on his knees for leaders of other religions and protestants to pray for him, he fellowship with them severally. Who should pray for who? A cardinal or a protester?

Pls draw the lines very well and stop defending new age teachings.

4. Go and search my comments on nairaland since 2005 whether you will see any one word I said against John Paul II or Benedict XVI. You have told a lie.

I saw this but I haven't the time to verify it.

Fellaini made more passes in half an hour compared to anderson who played for an hour

Fellaini:43
Anderson:36

Hod did Valencia and Anderson get this bad?

...............
UCL

I am sure Nani, Kagawa and Giggs will be involved on Tuesday.

@Italo see this, I wonder what you have to say now.
..........

Catholic Church confirms atheists still go to hell, after Pope Francis suggests they might go to heaven

The Vatican has quickly clarified that atheists  - they believe - are still going to hell, despite Pope Francis appearing to say non-believers could be saved through Christ if they do good.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Thomas Rosica said people who know about the Catholic church “cannot be saved” if they “refuse to enter her or remain in her.”

In an unprepared speech on Wednesday, the Pope emphasised the importance of “doing good,” for all people.

According to a report from Vatican radio, he explained how upset Jesus’ disciples were that someone outside their group was doing good.

He said: “They complain, ‘If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good’. And Jesus corrects them: 'Do not hinder him', he says, 'let him do good.'”

The disciples, he said, “were a little intolerant,” thinking that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.”

He said: “This was wrong . . . Jesus broadens the horizon. The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation.”

"The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/catholic-church-confirms-atheists-still-go-to-hell-after-pope-francis-suggests-they-might-go-to-heaven-8634479.html

italo2: Jesus words should stand for themselves then...

Pluck out your eyes...it has made you sin.

Jesus words have stood for themselves over two thousands years and the Catholic church has never been confused about interpreting them to the world.


When you see church hierarchy at odds with the comments of the Pope, know that the end has come. I hope too you are aware that the Vatican radio stopped broadcasting Pope Francis live after he said Jesus is a sinner for us and we don't seek forgiveness in confession? What they do is to edit his words much later.

italo2: He didnt say so.

Again, you misunderstand.

I hope you know he made the statement you misunderstand in Benedict's tenure.

What did beloved Benedict do about it, Mr 'Francis is bad.'

There is no misunderstanding there. Stop defending lies and Freemanson new age teachings.



Again, Benedict would never have appointed Cardinal Pell to advise him and reform the church. Benedict new that the Catholic church doesn't need a reform.

italo2: But he prayed with babalawo and prayed in a mosque.

...and Pharisees like you said the same things you are saying now.

Show me where John Paul II prayed with Babalawos. He entered a mosque doesn't mean he prayed r approve their religion. I never for once said anything bad about Pope John Paul II. Stop saying what you don't know.

................

Meanwhile, see your Pope Francis comment being rejected or reversed by Vatican.


Catholic Church confirms atheists still go to hell, after Pope Francis suggests they might go to heaven

The Vatican has quickly clarified that atheists  - they believe - are still going to hell, despite Pope Francis appearing to say non-believers could be saved through Christ if they do good.

Vatican spokesman Rev. Thomas Rosica said people who know about the Catholic church “cannot be saved” if they “refuse to enter her or remain in her.”

In an unprepared speech on Wednesday, the Pope emphasised the importance of “doing good,” for all people.

According to a report from Vatican radio, he explained how upset Jesus’ disciples were that someone outside their group was doing good.

He said: “They complain, ‘If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good’. And Jesus corrects them: 'Do not hinder him', he says, 'let him do good.'”

The disciples, he said, “were a little intolerant,” thinking that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.”

He said: “This was wrong . . . Jesus broadens the horizon. The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation.”

"The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/catholic-church-confirms-atheists-still-go-to-hell-after-pope-francis-suggests-they-might-go-to-heaven-8634479.html

chuqudy: Guy, you are far from reality. Adam and Eve never existed. Job never existed. You need to study the history of bible and theology. There are some stories told in the bible like the "lazarus and the rich man" which are meant for educational purposes but which never happened. I am not an atheist but you are. You believe in a "God" that does not exist and that is your concept or imagination. You are very far from the true knowledge of the the real God and the holy bible.

Adam and Eve existed just as the bible told us. That wasn't a story at all.

Lazarus and the rich man was just a story.

Secondly, I will like you to explain further the bold part of your comment above.

I don't know what you mean because I believe in God- the Holy Trinity.

Manchester #United have been named as the other team who offered more than Real Madrid's whopping £85m bid for Gareth #Bale.

The news of a second bidder came to light after Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti claimed Spurs received a higher offer for Bale from another club.

Speaking ahead of Real's match at Villarreal this weekend where Bale will make his debut for his new club, Ancelotti confirmed that it was the Welshman's desire to play in Madrid that was decisive.

And French newspaper L'Equipe claim the other club was in fact United, who made a bid worth around the £125m mark which failed because of Bale's desire to move to the Spanish giants. (Source: The Express, L'Eqiupe)

........................................

Some joke

But in the final 10 minutes of the first half the match sprung to life. Twice Van Persie came close to giving United the lead. The first effort went just wide after an ambitious flick with his back to goal from a Patrice Evra cross. The second chance was reminiscent of the memorable goal the Dutchman scored in United’s title-clinching victory over Aston Villa last season. This time, though, after another sublime pass over the top from Rooney, Van Persie elected to chest down the ball and his volley struck the top of the crossbar.

http://www.ibtimes.com/video-manchester-united-2-0-crystal-palace-highlights-van-persie-penalty-rooney-free-kick-give

Rooney had three perfect passes today that could have given him some assist had those chances been converted. His shortcomings were his constantly being caught in offside position and some passing errors. Passing errors were general today to all our forwards due to the fast paced game they attempted to play. Despite his wound Rooney worked tirelessly today contesting aerial balls and retracting well.

Delighted with the 3 points today. Made up to score my first goal of the season. Hopefully the first of many! - Rooney.