Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

http://www.premierleague.com/page/TeamOfTheSeason/0,,12306,00.html


I'd go with a slightly different team, putting players in more apt positions. EDIT : that is to say take the two highest ranked CBs, CBs, CMs, WGs and CFs rather than first four defenders, midfielders and first two forwards like Act-dim did

----------------------------------- Reina (LIV) -----------------------------------

Arbeloa (LIV) -- Carragher (LIV) -- Vidic (MNU) -- Lescott (EVE)

Kuyt (LIV) -- Gerrard (LIV) -- Lampard (CHE) -- Ronaldo (MNU)

-------------------- Anelka (CHE) -- Berbatov (MNU) --------------------

Since Kuyt played on the right and Vidic did not play RB. I suppose you could put Carra at RB, but surely it should be the position they played this season.


(Actim Index) Team of the season commentary

Jose Reina (Liverpool) - His commanding displays have provided a firm base for Liverpool's title challenge

Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd) - A powerful presence at both ends of the field and a dependable rock for united

Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) - The versatile defender is a formidable character in the Liverpool back line and is proving tough to beat

John Terry (Chelsea) - The commanding centre-back is hard to handle at both ends of the field

Joleon Lescott (Everton) - Strong and verstile defender who has also shown his attacking capabilities and an eye for goal.

Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - Enjoying a typically dynamic Barclays Premier League campaign - always a goal threat and a major creative outlet

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) - In a rich vein of form and proving a driving force and a useful source of goals in the Liverpool midfield

Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) - A real inspiration and powerhouse for Aston Villa in their bid for a Champions League place

Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd) - Now hitting top form. A major menace with his free-kicks, lethal finishing and his trickery on the ball

Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) - Proving a real livewire in attack and has rediscovered his goalscoring touch this season

Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool) - A creative outlet on the right, he also pops up with vital goals

Kuyt outscored all midfielders - priceless! Torres came 10th in the strikers index, 54th overall.

[heimdall]

Berbatov wtf??? Did he get any goals? How can he be top striker?

[aCe']

Id have Ashley Young, Torres and Jagielka in for Barry, Kuyt and Terry in that second squad from Owzat.... Arby and Berbatov shouldnt even be considered and Kuyt for all his goals is nowhere near the best in any position he plays...

[DrPepe]

Id have Ashley Young, Torres and Jagielka in for Barry, Kuyt and Terry in that second squad from Owzat.... Arby and Berbatov shouldnt even be considered and Kuyt for all his goals is nowhere near the best in any position he plays...

define: "best" 

[Owzat]

Sorry folks but Actim index is a damned sight more scientific than most people on here. Those are based on a points scoring system, not on "I reckon player X was better" or "wtf, did he score any goals?". I merely included players in their position instead of out of position. ie no Carra or Vidic at RB, picked the RB with the most points instead. You could argue Lescott out of LB and put Cashley there instead. Kuyt would have been in the midfield had he been categorised thus so I've merely put him in the midfielder category where he would have been top (or "best" if you like! )

I guessed some reactions would follow regards Kuyt's inclusion, I wonder what peewee will do to his pc when he reads that................

[DrPepe]

Sorry folks but Actim index is a damned sight more scientific than most people on here. Those are based on a points scoring system, not on "I reckon player X was better" or "wtf, did he score any goals?". I merely included players in their position instead of out of position. ie no Carra or Vidic at RB, picked the RB with the most points instead. You could argue Lescott out of LB and put Cashley there instead. Kuyt would have been in the midfield had he been categorised thus so I've merely put him in the midfielder category where he would have been top (or "best" if you like! )

I guessed some reactions would follow regards Kuyt's inclusion, I wonder what peewee will do to his pc when he reads that................

 

[account deleted by request]

As said, Barry is a lot better than some on here think. While these stats are just for a laugh really, they do indicate whether someone has had a decent season or not. Alonso is obviously not in the top 10 midfielders because they must have a seperate category for deep lying playmakers 

I am pleased to see Kuyt getting some sort of recognition for his much improved play in the second half of the season.

[aCe']

hehe.. as in the best performer this season in the position... if he was considered a forward then the likes of Anelka, RVP, and Torres amongst others would be better calls... wingers i'd go for Ronaldo, Rooney, Young and maybe even Lennon before kuyt...

[DrPepe]

As said, Barry is a lot better than some on here think. While these stats are just for a laugh really, they do indicate whether someone has had a decent season or not. Alonso is obviously not in the top 10 midfielders because they must have a seperate category for deep lying playmakers 

I am pleased to see Kuyt getting some sort of recognition for his much improved play in the second half of the season.

Ironically, this index doesn't provide "recognition" for the players' achievements, it just shows who is best according to the relative footballing attributes as specified by Actim.

A worrying thing about this (from Wiki):

The data is collected by a representative from the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), usually an ex-player , at every Premiership and Championship league match. Video footage is then used to verify the information before the Index is generated and published.

[Fauxy]

No Torres? 

[GYBS]

hehe.. as in the best performer this season in the position... if he was considered a forward then the likes of Anelka, RVP, and Torres amongst others would be better calls... wingers i'd go for Ronaldo, Rooney, Young and maybe even Lennon before kuyt...

Yet the stats from this season show he has outperformed most people this season bar ronaldon he has stat wise (which is what this is all about ) outperformed rooney,young,lennon playing out  wide right . The stats dont lie im afriad 

[Owzat]

How are Actim Stats collected?

PA Sport gathers match data for every Barclays Premier League and Coca-Cola Championship match. The data is gathered by two methods - real-time match analysis and the study of video footage. The real-time analysis is conducted by ex-professional footballers who report on action at the grounds, as it happens. Further, more detailed analysis is obtained by studying videos of the matches and collecting more intense data.

What is the Actim Index?

The Actim Index is the official player rating system of the Barclays Premier League and Coca-Cola Championship. It was introduced for the 2004/05 season and was devised by statisticians at the University of Salford in partnership with PA Sport & Football DataCo. The 2006/07 season saw the Actim Index enhanced by the addition of assists and clean sheets to the other playing factors that are taken into account when calculating the Actim Index.

What is the purpose of the Actim Index?



It identifies the players who make key contributions to each match

It allows players to be ranked against each other at random or using such criteria as playing position, nationality, age, or geographical location of their team

It highlights the key players in a league or team

It shows the form of a player & team

Individual player/team performances can be scientifically analysed over a season or any period of time within a season

It provides fans with the knowledge of who is the best

How accurate is the Actim Index?

The calculations are based on the six key factors that contribute to a player's effectiveness and his ability to help his team win matches. The formulae were devised through analysis of hundreds of matches since the start of the English Premier League in 1992 and have been statistically proven to measure a player's effectiveness in winning matches.

How is the Actim Index calculated?

Complex mathematical formulae were devised to calculate the value of each player's contribution, match by match. In simple terms, the Actim Index comprises six calculations:


Calculation 1 - Assesses a player's contribution to a winning team, based on points won by the team when he appeared

Calculation 2 - Assesses a player's performance in each game, by allocating points for actions that positively contribute to a winning performance such as shots, tackles, clearances and saves. It also takes points away from players for negative actions such as yellow/red cards and shots off target

Calculation 3 - Allocates points based on time on the pitch

Calculation 4 - Allocates points for goal scorers

Calculation 5 - Allocates points for assists

Calculation 6 - Allocates points for clean sheets

Did you test the Actim Index system before its introduction in 2004/2005? Who came top?

Yes we did and the Actim Index clearly identified Thierry Henry as the most effective player in the Premier League in 2003/2004. The former Arsenal striker scored 30 league goals that season - eight more than Alan Shearer and 10 more than Ruud van Nistelrooy. Henry also performed well in terms of all-round play and total appearances - factors that recognise the important contributions of players who rarely find the back of the net. Henry picked up Index points for the quality of his crosses and passing as well as his appearance in 37 out of 38 Arsenal league matches. This, together with his remarkable scoring record explained his lead at the top of the Actim Index in 2003/2004.

Is there a subjective element to the Actim Index? Do you award points for entertainment value?

The Actim Index only includes actions that can be measured objectively. Skill, passion and flair are subjective factors so they are not included in the rating system.

Where does Actim Stats and Actim Index appear?

National and regional newspapers, magazines, websites, mobile phones, SMS alerts, TV and Radio both in the UK and abroad.

Isn't the Actim Index biased towards players who play for the top clubs? What about players who play well for less successful teams?

The Actim Index aims to identify successful players who contribute to winning performances. However, rewards for team success are only part of the final rating. Players on losing teams can still score points in other areas. The view is that players deserve recognition for contributing to team success, but should still be able to score points if their team draws or loses.

Is it only players that score goals that do well on the Actim Index?

Goals do improve a player's score but the 2005/06 index for the Barclays Premiership proved that you don't need to be a hot-shot to make an impact. Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand finished 5th in the player index with 624 while netting three goals, and John Terry finished 8th after netting four times during Chelsea's championship winning campaign. Indeed, Steve Finnan of Liverpool finished 12th with a score of 559 scoring no goals from 33 appearances. Jimmy Bullard finished the 2005/06 season in 13th spot (551 points) after a tremendous campaign with un-fancied Wigan. The midfielder scored just four Barclays Premiership goals in his 3,288 minutes on the pitch - compared to the 16 netted by Manchester United star Wayne Rooney (561 points), who ended the season in 11th place while playing just 62 minutes less.

While I'm sure the biased and subjective opinions that appear on forums are second to none, I think having applied some sort of objectivity to the process and basing it on all games and not just what someone happens to have seen, read or thinks about a player - or indeed whether someone likes the player or not. I would think Kuyt scored a lot of points for goals, assists, time on the pitch, on-target shots, tackles and clearances, and good discipline.

I'm not so sure points should be awarded for the result, as much as it isn't a given the MOTM will be on the winning side, nor is it a given that a player on the winning side will have played well so may get points merely for his team-mates carrying him.

I think S@int is incorrect in saying "these stats are just for a laugh really", noone takes the time and makes that much effort "for a laugh really".


I'm sure, as with any statistics or methods fans don't like, they'll find some way to undermine them with some immeasurable factor that makes the player they like superior to those the statistics find to be the best - or basically replace the objectivity attempted by Actim with subjectivity of named fan.

[account deleted by request]

I was  wrong to say they are just for a laugh Owzat. Maybe I should have said, as with all stats they can be misconstrued as being definitive proof, rather than as a good indicator.  (As they agree with most of what I have been saying, I am hardly going to disparage them mate )

[Owzat]

I was  wrong to say they are just for a laugh Owzat. Maybe I should have said, as with all stats they can be misconstrued as being definitive proof, rather than as a good indicator.  (As they agree with most of what I have been saying, I am hardly going to disparage them mate )

Fair enough, I don't disagree they're not perfect but they try to be objective and use all data for all players so they're about the best measure around. EDIT : I re-read what I posted, I didn't mean it to read as if you were knocking the system, I was thinking more generally on that.

One thing does worry me is use of minutes played, as there are only three subs allowed then how can minutes played be a measure of how well someone is playing?!? It would help explain why the top five keepers are all in the overall top 20. I'm sure minutes could be used as a measure, perhaps an adjustment factor for not playing the full 90 mins.

Of course these total must surely be cumulative over the season, so it is merely how many points they have acquired. But if a player came in from abroad in January, had a blinding season and was the best player in the second half of the season, he couldn't make up for lost time as it were. Maybe an average rating would be better, X points per appearance - perhaps with a bonus point for every 60+ mins played so that one player having an excellent handful of games doesn't outscore someone playing consistently at a high level just below but over the course of 38 games.

[Bad Bob]

As said, Barry is a lot better than some on here think. While these stats are just for a laugh really, they do indicate whether someone has had a decent season or not. Alonso is obviously not in the top 10 midfielders because they must have a seperate category for deep lying playmakers 

I am pleased to see Kuyt getting some sort of recognition for his much improved play in the second half of the season.

Yup, Barry's so good he's ranked higher than Gerrard. 

For something that's supposed to be 'objective' and 'scientific' I find it curious that it speaks about the "10 top midfielders" without acknowledging that wingers, attacking midfielders and deep-lying playmakers perform different functions.  Are they all midfielders?  Perhaps, but are we comparing like for like here?