3 ms·

However the mighty Wimbledon, (now AFC Wimbledon) play a passing game of football now, time moves on.

Someone 10y ago
On the other hand, Leicester, last year, played to get the ball towards the opponent's goal ASAP, not for possession (http://www.bodhiresourcing.com/rise-data-analytics-football-rise-rise-leicester-city/ http://www.bodhiresourcing.com/rise-data-analytics-football-..., http://www.skysports.com/football/news/30385/10267972/leicester-win-premier-league-how-they-did-it-differently http://www.skysports.com/football/news/30385/10267972/leices...) That didn't end up badly for them.
- dangravell 10y ago
  If you think Leicester played anything like the Sheffield united, Wimbledon, PNE et al of old you need to check your history! The main issue I have with Reep's analysis is he seems to ignore the defensive benefits of possession.
  - Someone 10y ago
    I not think that, but they did show that "Not more than three passes" doesn't imply kick-and-rush. My comment was triggered by your statement "time moves on". So, the math still may be right. For an extreme example, scoring without possession is as good as impossible. That could lead to a rule "keep the ball" However, that doesn't imply one should optimize for possession alone, as the way to maximize possession is to play backwards when even pressed a tiny bit, scoring own goals if needed to keep possession. Also, I don't see huge defensive benefits of possession if you want to win. In the end, it is about two teams both getting equal number of possessions (+/- 1), so to score (which is needed to win), teams will want to maximize their chance of scoring on possession and to minimize that of their opponent. Only if your chance of scoring is lower than that of your opponent or if you are ahead 'enough' (where 'enough' depends on time to play and speed of you opponent), you will want to minimize the number of opportunities both teams get, even if it means your probability of scoring on possession goes down.
lordnacho 10y ago
The Wimbledon that won the FA Cup moved to Milton Keynes. Their fans stayed in South London and turned into fans of AFCW. Very unusual in European soccer for a club to move towns. US sports franchises do it more often.

On the other hand, Leicester, last year, played to get the ball towards the opponent's goal ASAP, not for possession (http://www.bodhiresourcing.com/rise-data-analytics-football-rise-rise-leicester-city/ http://www.bodhiresourcing.com/rise-data-analytics-football-..., http://www.skysports.com/football/news/30385/10267972/leicester-win-premier-league-how-they-did-it-differently http://www.skysports.com/football/news/30385/10267972/leices...) That didn't end up badly for them.

dangravell 10y ago
If you think Leicester played anything like the Sheffield united, Wimbledon, PNE et al of old you need to check your history! The main issue I have with Reep's analysis is he seems to ignore the defensive benefits of possession.
- Someone 10y ago
  I not think that, but they did show that "Not more than three passes" doesn't imply kick-and-rush. My comment was triggered by your statement "time moves on". So, the math still may be right. For an extreme example, scoring without possession is as good as impossible. That could lead to a rule "keep the ball" However, that doesn't imply one should optimize for possession alone, as the way to maximize possession is to play backwards when even pressed a tiny bit, scoring own goals if needed to keep possession. Also, I don't see huge defensive benefits of possession if you want to win. In the end, it is about two teams both getting equal number of possessions (+/- 1), so to score (which is needed to win), teams will want to maximize their chance of scoring on possession and to minimize that of their opponent. Only if your chance of scoring is lower than that of your opponent or if you are ahead 'enough' (where 'enough' depends on time to play and speed of you opponent), you will want to minimize the number of opportunities both teams get, even if it means your probability of scoring on possession goes down.

lordnacho 10y ago

The Wimbledon that won the FA Cup moved to Milton Keynes. Their fans stayed in South London and turned into fans of AFCW. Very unusual in European soccer for a club to move towns. US sports franchises do it more often.