The standard defence of those who would prefer that all technological aids are kept away from the football field is the one that goes something like "it all evens out in the long run", or some other such fatalistic wishy-washiness.
With regard, respect even, to the English Premiership, does the 'bad luck' level out with the passage of time, or are certain teams, certain regions, certain groupings of teams receiving proprietary handicapping?
Recent posts in recent years have tended to focus on the negative impacts of officialdom on Arsenal, #################################################
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The Real 2008/09 Premiership table is an interesting construct.
Some things don't change - Chelsea are top and West Bromwich Albion are bottom.
But there are some serious positional and points differentials to be explained away here.
* 11 teams are four or more positions away from their Real position. Manchester City are eight places lower than they should be.
* 11 teams are four or more points away from their Real totalisation. Manchester City have had ten points shaved from their total.
* Is there a grudge against Manchester and Lancashire? The five teams in these regions have had a cumulative total of 22 points taken from them to date this season.
* Intriguingly, the most favoured 'grouping' are the three promoted sides, who have on average received a 6 point handicap each, in a desperate attempt to avoid another Derby County, apparently.
* West Ham United would have only picked up one point in the last seven games; Fulham and Hull City would be 7 places lower; Newcastle would be 7 places higher; instead of Wigan and Blackburn in the bottom three would be Stoke City and West Ham United.
* Liverpool are not 10 points better than Arsenal. They are behind them on goal difference, not even in the Top 4. Consider the press treatment of Benitez and Keane if this were the Reality. No more Hicks and Gillett hiding away...
* West Brom would already be 6 points adrift of safety and the fake squashing up of the Premiership does not exist in the Real table. This uniform compression of the league is observationally indicative of a handicap being spread across the field, in much the same way that occurs in horseracing, where the aim of the bookmaking industry is to equalise the abilities of the participants.
We told you it was no different from horseracing...
1. Chelsea 14-35
2. Man Utd 13-29
3. Man City 14-27
4. Arsenal 14-26
5. Liverpool 14-26
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10. Newcastle 14-18
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13. Hull City 14-17
14. Wigan Athletic 13-15
15. Blackburn Rovers 14-14
16. Fulham 13-13
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18. West Ham Utd 14-12
19. Stoke City 14-9
20. West Brom 14-6
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