Richard Whittall - stupider than I thought
2009-09-22 23:58:00
Maybe it *is* the socialist fluoride up in the Canadian water system that does this to their writers up there - I don't know. Richard Whittall, the chap from the Pitch Invasion cartel who linked up a few readers to the salary cap debate (respect, etc.) apparently lives in Toronto and has his own blog. In his words, he "was the Runner-up in the 2008 Guardian Big Blogger Competition, and was nominated for Best Premier League blog by EPL Talk, so he's kind of a big deal."
Yeah, I'd ixnay the EPL Talk thing.
Anyway, I haven't read through all of Mr. Big Deal's archives, but yesterday he posted a strange piece speculating if TFC was a real club due to their awful road record:
It's the road that's the problem.
Oh, they don't always play terribly on the road necessarily. It's just they can't win. Or draw even. A punishing mid-summer North American travel tour gets blamed. The lack of away fans in MLS (although Toronto always manages to produce a few at every game) is a concern. Some point to poor finishing from an admittedly mediocre collection of strikers. The team tries everything, but the problem persists.
For three years.
Well, I'd just like to point out that they don't set the world on fire at home, either. This year TFC ranks a middling tied for 6th in points won at home, but just 9th in home goal differential and is tied for 10th on goals scored. Put another way, visiting teams are taking points at BMO at three times the rate they are at Crew Stadium. And the higher ranking in points won is explained by having one of the worst teams in MLS history on the docket twice this summer, and 5 other teams having played fewer games at home thus far.
As for the road, if you look at the standings, Toronto's bad but still tied for 8th in losses and points on the road, and tied for 9th in goal differential. Which is actually better than where they stand in the playoff hunt today.
So, honestly? TFC just isn't that good home or away.
But Whittall really takes the stupid-drive into hyperspace with his exploration into the psyche of MLS players:
Most MLS clubs play to half empty stadiums filled with indifferent soccer moms. Some teams that don't even have that win MLS Cups. It might be annoying as hell to the Toronto or Seattle fan that the Columbus Crew are champions with their pitiful attendance records, but playing to an indifferent fan base in a quarter-full ground will do wonders in helping players learn to rely on themselves for confidence on the pitch. It forces you to turn away from the hype of home advantage and the hope, as Danny Dichio so often said, that the crowd will "suck the ball in the net."
Starting with the attendance/game day experience smack - dude, you've been reading too much Duane. Have you heard of the Nordecke? Are you aware that the Crew will probably out-draw Chicago this year?
As for the TFC players learning to rely on themselves, what? They really expect the crowd that doesn't care about soccer to win them games? And indifferent fans will free them of dependance on the sloth-like collective?
If that's really the case, TFC should just withdraw its application for the playoffs right now. And we can all put a little blue dot next to the club like they do in Trophy Manager.
Even allowing partial credit for realizing that everyone up there is blinded by the attendance hype machine, in Whittall's post we have a dumb question followed by an incorrect premise, followed by a fantasyland conclusion supported by wildly innaccurate message board smack. Even if his disclaimer at the beginning is true:
A warning to the pedant; this is about as unscientific as football analysis gets.
Soccer analysis also doesn't get much stupider.
Fake Sigi out.
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