Interesting article on the BBC today about 'Fergie Time'. Quite poor reporting from the BBC really, it shows that United on average have more time added on when they're losing than any other of the big teams. However, that statistic is only for THIS season and doesn't include the other 14 teams in the Premier League or the other 26 matches to be played. It then goes on to say that over the course of the Premier League's 20 year history that United do not finish top every season but no actual facts are provided. It is quite poignant that it only focuses on the statistics that make United look bad but maybe that is the point of the article. After all, when it comes to football there is no such thing as a neutral.
Another statistic that is quite intriguing that it is actually Arsenal and Chelsea that have scored more 90th minute goals than anyone else, 84 apiece compared with 77 with that of United.
| Team | Premier League goals | 90th minute goals | % |
|---|---|---|---|
SOURCE: OPTA SPORTS (PREMIER LEAGUE STARTED IN 1992)
| |||
Chelsea
|
1,306
|
84
|
6.43%
|
Arsenal
|
1,368
|
84
|
6.14%
|
Manchester City
|
796
|
41
|
5.15%
|
Tottenham Hotspur
|
1,092
|
56
|
5.13%
|
Liverpool
|
1,253
|
62
|
4.95%
|
Manchester United
|
1,570
|
77
|
4.90%
|
The most disappointing thing about the article is poor analysis of the issue. Statistics are meaningless without content, a broken clock is correct twice a day, it doesn't mean it is working correctly. The article doesn't dig deeper into why the bigger teams have more time added on when they're losing than when they're winning. I have seen many times at Old Trafford, teams from the bottom half leading going into the dying embers of a match. They often employ 'time-wasting' tactics such as taking 4 minutes to take a goal kick, making unnecessary substitutions to interrupt the flow of the game or players feigning injury. They wouldn't be doing any of this when they were losing so it is no surprise that more time is added for big teams when they're losing. Obviously this is not always the case, big teams employ these tactics too but the article barely scratched the surface as to why we have 'Fergie Time' and painted a very different picture.
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