Top fives: the best and the worst players in the Premiership by position
Daniel Finkelstein offers a mathematical conclusion to the top flight talent contest
The nation's top ten - no arguments

From one to 403 - the full listings

Five of the best

Goalkeepers

4 Petr Cech 50.15% 14.41 Chelsea

5 Jens Lehmann 97.30% 13.94 Arsenal

7 Tim Howard 94.59% 12.96 Everton

14 Brad Friedel 98.61% 9.06 Blackburn

17 José Manuel Reina 94.56% 8.47 Liverpool



Defenders

8 Nemanja Vidic 66.11% 10.48 Man United

11 Rio Ferdinand, above, 90.28% 9.37 Man United

15 Ricardo Carvalho 81.45% 8.52 Chelsea

20 Linvoy Primus 91.74% 8.08 Portsmouth

21 Sylvain Distin 97.27% 8.03 Man City

Midfield players

1 Cristiano Ronaldo 85.12% 19.12 Man United

2 Frank Lampard 97.31% 16.24 Chelsea

3 Gilberto Silva 88.14% 16.01 Arsenal

6 Paul Scholes 79.10% 13.50 Man United

10 Alexander Hleb 68.14% 9.87 Arsenal

Forwards

9 Benni McCarthy 88.98% 9.91 Blackburn

12 Wayne Rooney 87.13% 9.20 Man United

18 Robbie Keane 47.53% 8.19 Tottenham

19 Didier Drogba 88.09% 8.14 Chelsea

22 Dimitar Berbatov 78.27% 7.97 Tottenham

Five of the worst



Goalkeepers

344 Antti Niemi 80.21% -4.42 Fulham 381 Paddy Kenny 88.35% -7.16 Sheff Utd

383 Jussi Jaaskelainen 100.00% -7.44 Bolton

391 Ben Foster 74.32% -9.77 Watford

402 Paul Robinson, 100.00% -12.03 Tottenham

Defenders

390 Graeme Murty 59.58% -9.68 Reading

393 Leighton Baines 90.87% -9.85 Wigan

396 Nicky Shorey 97.30% -11.14 Reading

397 Phil Neville 90.78% -11.15 Everton

398 Nicky Hunt 78.98% -11.29 Bolton

Midfield players

377 Gary O'Neil 90.60% -6.61 Portsmouth

378 Kevin Kilbane 70.84% -6.67 Wigan

380 Keith Gillespie 68.83% -6.69 Sheff Utd

389 Matthew Etherington 60.81% -8.64 West Ham

395 Gavin Mahon 88.23% -10.58 Watford

Forwards

394 Darius Henderson 64.89% -9.87 Watford

399 El-Hadji Diouf 80.72% -11.59 Bolton

400 Tommy Smith 75.68% -11.77 Watford

401 David Bentley 89.35% -11.82 Blackburn

403 Kevin Davies 73.24% -14.08 Bolton

This is why this way of rating players is wrong.

So Rooney > Drogba this season and Lampard > Scholes?

Both ridiculous.

Parks lives wrote:This is why this way of rating players is wrong.

So Rooney > Drogba this season and Lampard > Scholes?

Both ridiculous.

i just love the way bentley is one of the worst forwards ie a midfielder who has just had a great season

I didn't even see Bentley.

I like the fact Baines is at the bottom eveb though everyone says he's so good.........I also like the fact that Hleb is in the top 10 players.

I also like Diouf's name in the worst list, amusing since he is the only one providing the creative sparks for Bolton to feed off.

ads_afc wrote:I also like the fact that Hleb is in the top 10 players.

How do they judge the players?

Parks lives wrote:

ads_afc wrote:I also like the fact that Hleb is in the top 10 players.

How do they judge the players?

They used a multivariate Poisson log-normal model apparently!

http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/fink_tank/article1851667.ece

The most interesting thing from all this is seeing how much time players missed in a season. So many of our players barely reached half a season of games.

How the hell did we finish seventh, with 4 first teamers in the worst premiership players?

Nicky Hunt does deserve to be the worst defender though.

I was just think that flyingfrenchman.

Bolton have Campo at 348, Gardner at 355, Ben Haim at 366, Nolan at 375, Jaaskelainen at 383, Hunt at 398, Diouf at 399 and Davies bottom of the table at 403!

I read this yesterday, I was going to make a thread onit but I came in late and tired to bother.

The Top 10

1.
Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Club: Man Utd
Position: Midfield
Pitch Time: 85.12%
Adj Points: 19.12

2.
Player: Frank Lampard
Club: Chelsea
Position: Midfield
Pitch Time: 97.31%
Adj Points: 16.24

3.
Player: Gilberto Silva
Club: Arsenal
Position: Midfield
Pitch Time: 88.14%
Adj Points: 16.01

4.
Player: Petr Cech
Club: Chelsea
Position: Goalkeeper
Pitch Time: 50.25%
Adj Points: 14.41

5.
Player: Jens Lehmann
Club: Arsenal
Position: Goalkeeper
Pitch Time: 97.30%
Adj Points: 13.94

6.
Player: Paul Scholes
Club: Man Utd
Position: Midfield
Pitch Time: 79.10%
Adj Points: 13.50

7.
Player: Tim Howard
Club: Everton
Position: Goalkeeper
Pitch Time: 94.59%
Adj Points: 12.96

8.
Player: Nemanja Vidic
Club: Man Utd
Position: Defender
Pitch Time: 66.11%
Adj Points: 10.48

9.
Player: Benni McCarthy
Club: Blackburn Rovers
Position: Striker
Pitch Time: 88.98%
Adj Points: 9.91

10.
Player: Alexander Hleb
Club: Arsenal
Position: Midfield
Pitch Time: 68.14%
Adj Points: 9.87

Where the others ranked:

12. Wayne Rooney
13. Cesc Fabregas
39. Thierry Henry
22. Dimitar Berbatov
84. Steve Sidwell

So Nicky Shorey is one of the worst defenders in the league

Uteer garbage...

Tim Howard one of the best keepers and Jussi one of the very worst?!

And I thought Hleb slowed Arsenal down and couldn't score in a brothel?!

Sheffield Gunner wrote:Bolton have Campo at 348, Gardner at 355, Ben Haim at 366, Nolan at 375, Jaaskelainen at 383, Hunt at 398, Diouf at 399 and Davies bottom of the table at 403!

So... 8 players in the very worst category yet reaching 7th place. Big Sam must be a genius.

Lehmann behind Cech

RIDICULOUS

Rooney not even in the top 4 at his own club : no surprise there

Flumps top 3

otto hat Euch alle lieb wrote:Lehmann behind Cech

RIDICULOUS

Rooney not even in the top 4 at his own club : no surprise there

Flumps top 3

This just shows your input here is useless...

Get back to Bundesbollocks thread.

otto hat Euch alle lieb wrote:
Rooney not even in the top 4 at his own club : no surprise there

I think most would accept that anyway Otto.

DD wrote:
And I thought Hleb slowed Arsenal down and couldn't score in a brothel?!

Hleb's shooting is shocking but people dont notice all the little passes he makes which are key to arsenal scoring. eg: RVP vs. charlton - he starts it all off with a really good ball to eboué.

Just goes to prove that statistics and football don't mix.

2 american goalkeepers rated in top 5

Shorey, Bentley and Jaskelainen are three of the best players outside the top 4.

ads_afc wrote:Hleb's shooting is shocking but people dont notice all the little passes he makes which are key to arsenal scoring. eg: RVP vs. charlton - he starts it all off with a really good ball to eboué.

Just imagine what he would be like if his end product infront of goal improved.

Rasiak-9 wrote:Shorey, Bentley and Jaskelainen are three of the best players outside the top 4.

Mikel Arteta and Jolen lescott

Luis wrote:

Rasiak-9 wrote:Shorey, Bentley and Jaskelainen are three of the best players outside the top 4.

Mikel Arteta and Jolen lescott

good man luis

COTR wrote:

Luis wrote:

Rasiak-9 wrote:Shorey, Bentley and Jaskelainen are three of the best players outside the top 4.

Mikel Arteta and Jolen lescott

good man luis

What's funny? these guys are two class players who could get into a top 4 side definately

Mexicanbecks wrote:2 american goalkeepers rated in top 5

Friedel...perhaps based on this year and only in fifth place.
Tim Howard no. He's not the worst or the best. Just dead square in the middle.

Cesc wrote:



2.
Player: Frank Lampard



10.
Player: Alexander Hleb


391 Ben Foster

ads_afc wrote:

DD wrote:
And I thought Hleb slowed Arsenal down and couldn't score in a brothel?!

Hleb's shooting is shocking but people dont notice all the little passes he makes which are key to arsenal scoring. eg: RVP vs. charlton - he starts it all off with a really good ball to eboué.

Hleb is integral to the way this new arsenal plays. we are now more of a possession based team and our game is very slow compared to wenger's earlier teams. And hleb fits those characteristics well.

Rasiak-9 wrote:Shorey, Bentley and Jaskelainen are three of the best players outside the top 4.

Diouf as well.