Tired of being told that United were a “one-man team”? Eager to see how damaging late goals are to a stuttering campaign? Interested to see just how integral the presence of your favourite player is to the cause? Then sharpen that mouse-clicking finger and point it at http://www.leagueofyourown.eu
League of Your Own collects data from the current Premier League season and allows you to extract different variables like goals scored, add a handicap or a headstart and remove all stoppage time goals to make a completely different league table. Selections are easy enough and the number of options available should satisfy stat-heads and curious onlookers alike.
From a United perspective, it can create some pretty incredible reading given the season that we’re experiencing. Taking away Luis Suarez, Olivier Giroud, Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney’s goals as their club’s top marksmen rockets the scousers to the top of the table, with United up to a strangely heartening third. If all games this season had ended at the 80 minute mark, then they’d sit fourth, having beaten the likes of Southampton and Cardiff whilst saving a point against Everton in midweek. Ho-hum. Doing the same to last season’s league data actually keeps United top of the league, however, even with all of those late comebacks.
Getting slightly more specific makes things that little bit bleaker or more exciting, depending on where you choose to focus. For example, Rooney might’ve enraged a large section of United fans with his undignified angling for a move away from Old Trafford this summer, but extracting his goals and assists from the equation actually drops the club down to a rather uncomfortable 15th. Of course, if you’re the sadistic type, then you can see how rosy life would also be without both of United’s leading scorers and take Robin Van Persie out of the equation, too (a very cosy 18th, fyi).
League of Your Own is a great site, capable of fuelling any number of speculative discussions at the ground, in the pub or at home. Head on over if you feel like you’ve got a point or two to prove about this league season.
