This week’s posts selected by Chris Rowland and Daniel Rhodes.

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1 – Stevenson1988 on the derby Post-Match Analysis thread:

I have to hold my hands up and confess that this was all my fault. A couple of weeks ago we went to watch John Bishop at the Manchester Arena. On that day we went 1-0 up against Chelsea and they equalised with a scabby goal. Yesterday we went to watch Mariah Carey and, guess what, we go 1-0 up and they equalise with a scabby goal. The good news is our next concert isn’t until next June – which might bugger up England’s chances but not ours. Seriously though, yesterday’s result really was as random as that. You don’t need to read the stats to know that we absolutely battered them and couldn’t put the ball in the net. I wouldn’t blame Lovren, it was clever play by their striker and in my humble opinion he conned the ref, but these things happen. It’s a point gained on Chelsea and Utd and same result as Arsenal, so not all bad.

The crucial question to ask ourselves though, is this: despite all their crowing at their smash and grab point, who would you rather support this morning? Liverpool under Klopp who are one of the most dynamic teams in Europe, sitting 4th in the PL and into the last 16 of the CL; or probably the worst Everton team in living memory? School of science? Don’t make be laugh, under fat Sam the likes of Alex Young wouldn’t get anywhere near the team. So, yes, it’s disappointing – particularly because it was Everton. But let’s get this in perspective. For all the money they spent in the summer (are you listening Richard Keys), these are two football clubs heading in opposite directions. The sky’s the limit for the Reds, bargain basement for the Blues.

2 -Hesbighesred on the Poor Media thread, shredding Shearer and Murphy on MOTD2:

Christ. I just watched the MOTD post-match – not to the end, mind, because I couldn’t cope with their quivering bellendery. No wonder Shearer was a shite manager. ‘Blame yourself for your team selection, blame Mane for not doing his job properly’. Yup, that’s how you build team spirit. ‘As a striker you can’t wait to get out onto the pitch when you’re scoring goals’. Well, fucking DUH. Of course not. That doesn’t mean you’re magically fit to do so. I broke my leg at the end of a quality match. Surprisingly, merely being desperate to play next week did not fucking make it happen. And then Murphy on the Mane chance. ‘Some strikers, like yourself, like Michael Owen, like Fowler, were selfish, but they always put the ball in the back of the net.’ Sure they did. Quite apart from the fact that I don’t actually remember any of them being particularly selfish (not more so than any other striker) they very obviously did not always ‘put it in the back of the net’. Especially not on their wrong foot (well, maybe Fowler did! 😉 ).

The two of them lather each other up in a fury of baseless indignation then spurt their pointless nonsense on the screen, getting paid hundreds of thousands of pounds per week to insult our intelligence. And then Shearer has the absolute sheer fucking gall to say ‘fans listen to the manager’, as if fans don’t listen to him, or as if he has never criticised a ref on MOTD or elsewhere, or as if Klopp – one of the most honest, straight up men in this actually very snidey, shallow and corrupt game – doesn’t have a right to voice his opinion.

I don’t usually get wound up by their shite any more but it fucking angers me that these people are disgustingly well paid for their malicious stupidity. Fuck off, and stop sponging off hard working people’s telly tax. Learn how to write and spew your wankery in a paper, if you must, but please, for fuck’s sake, when it’s public money being used can’t we at least hire people with some actual talent for their job they’re paid to do?

3 – ChrisK79 getting wound up by football media on the Derby Draw: Lucky Everton the Worst Side To Visit Anfield in 25 Years thread:

I finally watched “Klopp’s breakdown” or whatever they’re calling it. It was a bit underwhelming if anything. He reacted in exactly the same way I would if I had to deal with whichever talking pile of carpet samples Sky had sent to ask me stupid questions. I am so bored of this cynical generation of controversy that Sky deal in. As for the wider media, I don’t care what any of them think – Murphy, Shearer, Thompson, Aldridge, etc. etc. etc. not one of them has ever said anything remotely interesting or valid. They just peddle the same lukewarm, xenophobic diarrhoea to be gleefully lapped up and regurgitated by Johnny Fuckclump down the pub. They might as well have them as judges on Masterchef or Strictly for all the expertise they bring to the debate. Imagine being paid to have an opinion and then not really having one.

4 – Red Mick about Chelsea fans at Huddersfield on Tuesday night on the General Football thread:

Chelsea “fans” chanting at Huddersfield: Champions of England, you’ll never sing that.”

Huddersfield are three times champions of England and were led by Herbert Chapman, a greater manager than  Chelsea have ever had and a figure of monumental importance for the development of the modern game. Just shows the level of ignorance about the history of the game in these islands and around the world. I despair. I’m tempted to say you should have to take an intelligence test before qualifying for a ticket but that would probably mean half empty grounds and lead me on to a discussion about voting rights. Best not go there, as they say these days.

5. George takes an in-depth look at some of the decisions by officials for Liverpool this season:

The EPL parallel universe of correct decisions:

I think it’s worth summarising the key decisions that have gone for and against us so far this season to try and analyse as objectively as possible what difference it would have made if the decisions had gone the other way bearing in mind the stage and status of the game at the time of the incident:

Watford away; last minute equaliser. Foul on Mignolet and offside; 100% incorrect: + 2 points

Burnley at home: foul on Salah in the last few minutes. Penalty not given: 70% incorrect + 2 points ( assuming conversion)

Leicester away; clear foul on Mignolet to make it 1:2. 100% wrong, Can handball not given: 50% : +/- 0 points ( as we won anyway and the Can 50% handball is cancelled out by the 100% foul on Mignolet)

Man City away; red card for dangerous play; 50% wrong (divided opinion). Losing 1:0 at the time so impossible to assess if it would have made a difference if he stayed on the pitch. For the sake of objectivity let’s assume we still would have lost if he had stayed on the pitch: + 0 points

United at home; trip on Coutinho by Herrera inside the box. Penalty: 50%: + 2 points ( if converted)

Stoke away: Mignolet foul: red card. 100% incorrect. Winning 1:0 at the time. Impossible to assess if it would have made a difference if he had been sent off, good chance we would have held on with 10 men as Stoke were very poor: – 0 points

Brighton away: foul by Henderson. Penalty. 100% incorrect. – 0 points ( won 4:1).

Everton at home; CL penalty, foul by Lovren: 50% incorrect.  + 2 points

WBA at home: Solanke disallowed goal. Based on a strict interpretation of the rules 90% incorrect ( assuming there was a small chance it was deliberate) + 2 points

Assuming all marginal decisions went in our favour as well as all incorrect decisions with a plus 70% rating : plus 10 points

Assuming half of the marginal decisions went in our favour ( 2 points) as well as all the incorrect decisions  ( 6 points) with a plus 70% rating: + 8 points

Assuming only the  decisions with a plus 70% rating went in our favour : + 6 points

Based on the above if we had the benefit of fairer/better officiating our true position in the table is at worst 3rd and at best 2nd ( but only a few points behind City)

6. Leifur Geir on the Availability Heuristic:

The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person’s mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision. The availability heuristic operates on the notion that if something can be recalled, it must be important, or at least more important than alternative solutions which are not as readily recalled.[1] Subsequently, under the availability heuristic, people tend to heavily weigh their judgments toward more recent information, making new opinions biased toward that latest news.[2][3]

The availability of consequences associated with an action is positively related to perceptions of the magnitude of the consequences of that action. In other words, the easier it is to recall the consequences of something the greater those consequences are often perceived to be. Most notably, people often rely on the content of their recall if its implications are not called into question by the difficulty that they experience in bringing the relevant material to mind.[4]

So let’s quickly consider what examples are available to us at this point in time. Is it those decisions that went against us, cost us points, were discussed to death here at TTT and caused strong emotional responses , or those that went for us and didn’t upset us at all?

Yes you’re right. We remember the bad decisions much more readily and tend to forget the others. Therefore, all samples based on free recall (availability) for an analysis such as this one is highly likely to be strongly biased and in support of the expected conclusion (referees are against us).

What did you think about the penalty Salah got in the Spartak game? I thought that was extremely soft and would have been very upset if that went against us, just like I was when Everton got theirs. I haven’t seen much on that around here.

I’m with Red Ed on this one. The referees are not against us. People are generally not against us. Pundits are paid to be idiots (but that doesn’t mean they’re against us). Luck is only temporarily (and coincidentally) against us. It will turn. We’re not victims. We’re one of the best and most exciting teams in the league and in Europe. We’re fun to watch. We’re doing well and the LFC life is fun.

PS. I actually thought WBA played decent yesterday. Exceeded my expectations. At least ten times better and braver than Everton. And we were not nearly as sharp – so disappointing yes, but nothing close to the Everton game.

Articles published on The Tomkins Times this week:

Monday December 11th:

Big Changes At The Tomkins Times and Derby Draw: Lucky Everton the Worst Side To Visit Anfield in 25 Years, both by Paul Tomkins.

My Day at the Match – Everton (H), Dec. 10th 2018, by Chris Rowland.

Tuesday December 12th:

17/18 Premier League Preview | Matchweek 17 | W.B.A. (H), by Gary Fulcher.

A Banquet Without Wine, Chapter 17 – The End of the Storm?, by Anthony Stanley.

Wednesday December 13th:

Post-Match Analysis: Liverpool 3 Everton 2, FA Cup Final, 1989, by Andrew Beasley.

Thursday December 14th:

Tactical Twists and Turns: Liverpool’s Counterattacks in the 2017/18 by Daniel Rhodes

Friday December 15th:

My Day At The Match: West Brom by Nari Singh