The facts about free kicks

[connolly]

Year........................FK Differential............................... Ranking

2005................................-97...........................................16th
2006................................-87...........................................16th
2007................................-104 (Next team -57...................16th
2008................................-37...........................................12th
2009................................-16...........................................14th

Damning stats. Damning of "policy"umpiring. Umpiring interpretation is being used as a policy tool (by tools i might add) to enforce a particular style of football. This has never happened before in the history of the game. The inevitable is already occurring - disenchantment by the sporting public with a game that is being run by a bunch of arrogant Melbournecentric wide boys.

[Mr Magoo]

Damning stats. Damning of "policy"umpiring. Umpiring interpretation is being used as a policy tool (by tools i might add) to enforce a particular style of football. This has never happened before in the history of the game. The inevitable is already occurring - disenchantment by the sporting public with a game that is being run by a bunch of arrogant Melbournecentric wide boys.

What I dont understand is that a lot of these guys are form an era that had far more infringing and far more violence than today yet they keep putting more and more rules in place. Is this the situation of the kid who always got picked on in the playground getting their revenge?

Who are these people canvassing when they make rule changes for the "good of the game" - as they constantly seek to hide behind. I can tell them right now that there chances of connecting with the western sydney market are zero and so out of touch its incredible. I cant believe even the die hards in melbourne pine for a game that has no toughness about it , multiple "tiggy touchwood" rules that leave you cringing, zone based defences etc etc. People are kidding themselves if they think this is the way forward.

Looks like from the figure that we are heading towards a 2007 type differential based on already being half way to the 2008 differential after round six.

[Puppy Eyes]

Interesting that Barry Hall was out for much of last year. I wonder how the free kick differential applies to him?

[reigning premier]

Excellent... Those stats PROVE the more we're penalised, the more successful we are....

[desredandwhite]

Those numbers don't prove anything apart from:

FACT: We give away more free kicks than we receive.

Why is this so? Possible reasons:

1. We are a dirty team
2. We play a style of football that tends to give away more free kicks
3. We are not as good a team, therefore more likely to be chasing other teams' players with the ball and therefore more likely to infringe
4. The umpires are biased
5. We have struggled to keep ahead of rule changes
6. We don't act for frees
7. Pure luck

True answer? Probably a combination of all factors above.

[reigning premier]

Those numbers don't prove anything apart from:

FACT: We give away more free kicks than we receive.

Why is this so? Possible reasons:

1. We are a dirty team
2. We play a style of football that tends to give away more free kicks
3. We are not as good a team, therefore more likely to be chasing other teams' players with the ball and therefore more likely to infringe
4. The umpires are biased
5. We have struggled to keep ahead of rule changes
6. We don't act for frees
7. Pure luck

True answer? Probably a combination of all factors above.

Really??? Truly???? It's not just because everyone hates us and their jealous of our spiffy red and white uniform????

[johnno]

Those numbers don't prove anything apart from:

FACT: We give away more free kicks than we receive.

Why is this so? Possible reasons:

1. We are a dirty team
2. We play a style of football that tends to give away more free kicks
3. We are not as good a team, therefore more likely to be chasing other teams' players with the ball and therefore more likely to infringe
4. The umpires are biased
5. We have struggled to keep ahead of rule changes
6. We don't act for frees
7. Pure luck

True answer? Probably a combination of all factors above.

All of them except reasons numbered 1 and 3. I think.

[Donners]

We were in the black in 1987 and 1988. We need to bring back David Murphy and Barry Mitchell, who lead the way in the positive free kick count.

[ROK Lobster]

Really??? Truly???? It's not just because everyone hates us and their jealous of our spiffy red and white uniform????

Is there a correlation between free kicks against and the hooped socks?

[satchmopugdog]

Is there a correlation between free kicks against and the hooped socks?

The wide boys in Melbourne are getting their revenge on hoops..they make them look fatter than they really are.

[reigning premier]

Is there a correlation between free kicks against and the hooped socks?

Moreover, does anyone have the free kick count when we played in our centenary jumper against Carlton??? Perhaps it has something to do with amount of Red Vs White that we wear on any particular day??? The more white, the less free kicks????

[johnno]

Moreover, does anyone have the free kick count when we played in our centenary jumper against Carlton??? Perhaps it has something to do with amount of Red Vs White that we wear on any particular day??? The more white, the less free kicks????

Yep, Carlton 25-Swans 18.