Matchday 16: You can't win if you're chasing the wrong problem

An appropriate quotation with which to start off this week's post, I feel. We are ~40% of the way through the season, and I think it's fair to say that very few clubs feel satisfied. WBA, Everton & Swansea are probably content with league position and are hoping to maintain form into 2013.West Ham too, at a push. But I'd argue that's it.

Fans of Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool appear to be in perpetual turmoil (some to greater degrees than others) - either because they feel they should be doing better because of the state of their rivals, or because of issues with the players, managers, boards and anyone else who can be scapegoated. Stoke and Fulham are probably par for the course and everyone else is either underperforming relative to expectations, or is in the worrisome position they expected to be in.

All of that leads to a feeling of dissatisfaction with Premier League football at the minute - last season was a classic, with some amazing matches, fantastic sub plots and drama until (literally) the last kick. Maybe it's just me, but it all seems a bit flat so far - we're still waiting for that spark to ignite.

I read something this week (context being has Wenger lost his powers) and I think it's relevant to the whole league. The last 15 years have seen sports science and the development of the professional game take a hold, to the extent that there really are 'no easy games' anymore. Teams are much fitter, and much more disciplined. This has probably raised the average quality of the league, but makes for a less thrilling spectacle, as contests now become a lot more tactical, or decided by individual errors - part and parcel of the game, but less visceral. In due course, sporting evolution will occur - it always does - and whoever makes that first leap will have a competitive advantage, but I just wonder if for now, all the team are too close in ability to generate sustained excitement.

Irrelevant really - come 3pm on Saturday, any philosophising will be over as the nerves and the emotion take over. For that's what it's all about, those 90 minutes, and the rest of all this is just finding a way to bide the time.

*UPDATE* Just seen the UEFA announcement re EURO2020 being held across Europe. That's just bloody stupid. Logistical nightmare for the fans, and how are they going to a) create a sense of occasion and b) decide who gets the important games? As I asked on twitter, is a lobotomy a prerequisite to work for UEFA?

Metaphorical slap across the jowls, let's get statty.

This week, 17 people played.

Most popular predicted result: Arsenal WIN (17/17)

Most disputed result: QPR vs Aston Villa (5-8-4 split)

Longest odds: Josh Daniels 5794/1

Shortest odds: Me 937/1

Average odds: 2893/1

Best predictor: Yanik Joshi (7/10)

Worst predictor: Jonathan Chernick (2/10)

Average score: 4/10

Best predicted result: Man Utd WIN (16/17)

Worst predicted results:  West Ham & Swansea WINS (0/16)

Villain of the week: No scores high enough to count unfortunately. Ideas on how to change criterion gratefully accepted.

Everyone's results:

To the leaderboard (which I have yet to receive any offers of sponsorship for...great opportunities for businesses, birthday presents etc...). The >2/3 of games rule means to qualify, you have to have played 11/15 weeks.

Statman's fall from grace continues as 2 of the 3 "professional" models now make up the top of the table. Yanik & I the big winners, with 3 strata beginning to form. Still plenty of weeks to change that, although I feel it unlikely that I'll finish above Lawro this season. A chilling thought.

My predictions for this week as as follows:

Arsenal vs WBA - ARSENAL

Aston Villa vs Stoke - ASTON VILLA

Southampton vs Reading - SOUTHAMPTON

Sunderland vs Chelsea - CHELSEA

Swansea vs Norwich - SWANSEA

Wigan vs QPR - QPR

Man City vs Man Utd - MAN UTD

Everton vs Spurs - DRAW

West Ham vs Liverpool - DRAW

Fulham vs Newcastle - NEWCASTLE

Total odds: 8901/1 (PaddyPower)

Good luck guys, see you next week with some results