manchesterpaul 447 Posted June 15, 2011 After glancing at the 'MiniMax' National League table which portrays the key stats in a clearly defined manner there are some interesting observations to be had now that a lot more fixtures have been raced seeing it is mid June. Dudley, too be honest, are showing signs they are THE team right now. The false table toppers of the 'couldn't be separated at birth' duo of Scunthorpe and Sheffield are actually in a battle, not only with Dudley, but also Stoke and to a lesser extent Belle Vue, Mildenhall...ok and lesser still...Hackney for places in the standings. It's still early days in the National League with regards to fixtures completed but certainly Dudley and also Stoke have acheived a good tally of available away points. Away from home apalling average scores by Isle Of Wight (35-56) and Newport (32-61) hardly make them prime box office material for the clubs hosting matches against them. But so long as everyone appreciates the National League is/should mainly be about giving riders racing experience and any challenge for a league triumph is a bonus, then all IS good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Islander15 1,065 Posted June 16, 2011 Away from home apalling average scores by Isle Of Wight (35-56) and Newport (32-61) hardly make them prime box office material for the clubs hosting matches against them. The Islanders have only ridden away twice (belle Vue & Mildenhall) of which one of those included John Resch's heat 2 clash so we had to give young Niall Strudwick 7 rides, who to my knowledge has never been officially higher in a team than number 8. And Newport have only ridden the once. A bit unfair Paul to pick that out without giving all the facts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manchesterpaul 447 Posted June 16, 2011 The Islanders have only ridden away twice (belle Vue & Mildenhall) of which one of those included John Resch's heat 2 clash so we had to give young Niall Strudwick 7 rides, who to my knowledge has never been officially higher in a team than number 8. And Newport have only ridden the once. A bit unfair Paul to pick that out without giving all the facts I did make the point that the National League has only had a few fixtures. Unlike the other two leagues there won't be a great deal of data to make firm assessments for quite a while yet. Obviously when the Islanders (note i didn't say 'if' lol) start picking up away points it will instantly be reflected in the relevant stats. The actual main feature of the MiniMax tables is the way it presents the traditional table with key facts within your instant line of sight and info such as race points in an easy to comprehend format. Didn't remotely intend to atack your club as such in using the word 'apalling', but it does fit the scores. It was a slight oversight on my behalf that i didn't have time to see who they had ridden bearing in mind they've only had two matches away. I don't even criticize the imbalance of fixtures in the league as it's a wonderful league to have in the sport. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heathen79 6 Posted June 18, 2011 manchesterpaul: I, for one, think you're a genius! I love the tables and have glanced at them already so far. However, as you rightly say the National League is difficult to be accurate about with it being a slow-starting fixture list and a small league overall. I reckon the next challenge for you is to somehow take into account the quality of opposition that clubs have raced. If a club has been unlucky enough to have their first couple of fixtures against teams who the league table suggests are the best in the league, then it seems unfair to compare their results with a team who has ridden against opposition who could be perceived as being relatively weaker. Room for some extra columns in the tables? ;-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manchesterpaul 447 Posted June 18, 2011 (edited) manchesterpaul: I, for one, think you're a genius! I love the tables and have glanced at them already so far. However, as you rightly say the National League is difficult to be accurate about with it being a slow-starting fixture list and a small league overall. I reckon the next challenge for you is to somehow take into account the quality of opposition that clubs have raced. If a club has been unlucky enough to have their first couple of fixtures against teams who the league table suggests are the best in the league, then it seems unfair to compare their results with a team who has ridden against opposition who could be perceived as being relatively weaker. Room for some extra columns in the tables? ;-) Many thanks and glad you take a glance or two at them. I know from the page hits on the server they are indeed very popular. As i mentioned on the actual webpage, i don't normally introduce them until the season is a fair way in. The reason for that is it would be like doing a football Premier League 'extrapolation' (so hate using that word sounds very technical lol) after say four matches and a newly promoted or weaker team has played Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and another top team. Once a season is a third of the way in for example the fixture quality evens out. Unfortunately, the National League is unlikely to ever be as streamlined and organized as a top sport's fixtures with regards regularity. That's all fine as i'm sure we're all grateful just for young riders to get a chance to ride competitively. But, i've got to admit, it was the reason why i strongly considered (and am reconsidering) using the Projected Points column on the National League table. Although i've used them privately for years, i never used them on, as you rightly point out, such a small league with slow-starting unequal fixtures. The main difference and pulling power of the MiniMax tables is their unique layout and formatting. The 'Projected Points' just being an additional, and with a usable number of matches having been ridden, valuable guide as to the true state of the current standings. However, the way the season is shaping up it looks like the NL will be exceptionally out of sync until the closing stages. Even if i do withdraw the projected points from the National League table the MiniMax tables will still be a far superior table as one can take in key info at a glance due to it's layout and presentation of stats such as home and away percentage of available points gained and average match scores etc. No way would i ever factor in anything that would involve a personal judgement of the quality of the opposition. It would be to (rightly) contentious and of no interest to others, or me lol. To add a mathematical strength of opposition judgement wouldn't work for many reasons. The NFL in America use a very compicated formula, however, they can only apply it at the end of the season. Edited June 18, 2011 by manchesterpaul Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
