Alright, so I'm not sure if you've heard about Arsene Wenger's new proposal to spice up the league, but in my opinion, his idea is kinda off. Let me back up...
A couple of days ago (sorry not exactly sure when, though think it was on the 3rd) the Arsenal (psht) boss proposed a change to the Premier League's scoring: a team would receive the usual 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a tie, but also would be rewarded with points equaling their positive goal differential in that game. E.g. you win 4-1, you get 3 points for win + 3 points from g.d. = 6 points from the game. The loser, zero.
I understand where he is coming from with this idea - its nice for teams to score goals, and win with scores like 2-0 or 4-1. It is indeed quite upsetting that Manchester United wins 1-0 on far too many accounts, employing a 'get one and hold em' strategy. However, this is their style of play, and it has been incredibly effective. Can you really fault a team for playing in a manner that wins them championships time and time again?
Also, with this new points scheme, it is conceivable that a team with an inferior record (W-D-L) could end up above a more successful team if they win by large margins. Another flaw with the system is say two teams are tied 3-3 in closing minutes (sick). The next goal is effectively worth 7 points in the table - that's just nuts! (You'll remember when Tottenham came back to tie Arsenal 4-4 in week 10, you know Wenger would be even less pleased if the new scoring system were in play).
A potentially more effective strategy could be to reward teams with a point for every goal they score. So a 4-3 match between A and B would result in 7 points for A and 3 for B, instead of 7 for A and 0 for B, as Wenger wants it. This would also reward goal scoring, attacking play, which is what Wenger has said he would like to see. Better yet, would be to give only a fraction of a point for goals scored, as 1 point per goal seems way too much - say a quarter of a point or something.
However, I have never been, and will never be a fan of goals or goal differential deciding rankings at the end of the season. Have a playoff game - THAT would be exciting (potentially). If spots 12 and 13 are tied on points at the end of the season, and they have a playoff game for bragging rights to spot 12 - boring. But imagine how thrilling it would be to have something similar to the promotion playoff games of the Coca-Cola Championship.
I'm getting wordy. My opinion is this: ONE - Do not ammend the points system, because scoring three points above the team you just beat should not effectively be 2 wins for you. TWO - If some goal differential/total goals proposition is accepted, do not make a goal = 1 point in the table. That places way too much importance on the number of goals you score versus the number of wins, draws, and losses you have. Make it such that 1 goal = 1/4 of a point, maybe 1/3 or at most 1/2.
Bottom line, I love how close the Premeirship table is, and I would not like to see a points scheme change that messes with that.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Well, if it's point differential, winning a game 4-3 would only give you 4 points. I guess there are plenty of problems with this. There's a four point differential between a win and a draw (you can't win by less than 1) and so draws become increasingly meaningless. And imagine having a 7 point lead erased on the last day because the other team beat WBA 5-0? It adds drama, but rather artificially, so I agree that it's a dumb idea. Obviously, if we were back in the days of Boring, Boring Arsenal, I don't think the Arsenal manager would advocate this.
I really don't see a reason to change the system, because by the same token, seeing attacking play is nice, but embarassing opponents because you have to isn't. Imagine having Gerrard get injured because he was going balls out in the end of a 6-0 win, knowing that each goal mattered. Goal differential is useful, it provides the tie-break (though I personally advocate the more European head-to-head results) and I don't think it needs any more importance. A win is a win.
cha! i know right! haha
my b about the 4-3, i was getting rather heated..
The stevie-g comment is also well received - you would hate to see that very much. or the WBA phenomenon...t'would be a travesty.
thanks for reading :)
Post a Comment