Sport Today

>> What I'm thinking is maybe the Premier League puts some sort of rules
>> in the program that generates the fixture list to ensure that matches
>> between the top 4 are spread out throughout the season for T.V
>> purposes.

> I doubt it, given the higher-than-the-odds frequency that every one of
> the big clubs play each other on the same day.

> I thought the fixtures were randomly generated?

>> On the 15th December 2007 Arsenal will play Chelsea at the Emirates in
>> the EPL. In the previous 3 seasons, Arsenal played Chelsea on December
>> 10th 2006 (Stamford Bridge), December18th 2005 ( Highbury), and
>> December 12th 2004 (Highbury). So including this forthcoming season,
>> the teams will have played each other 4 seasons in a row at roughly
>> the same time in the same month, with 3 of the 4 occasions being at
>> Arsenal's ground.

> And what are the odds of the FA 'puta throwing up Chelsea home to the
> Mancs, the (let's face it) two most likely title challengers, in April
> for the third season in a row?

> >> On the 15th December 2007 Arsenal will play Chelsea at the Emirates in
> >> the EPL. In the previous 3 seasons, Arsenal played Chelsea on December
> >> 10th 2006 (Stamford Bridge), December18th 2005 ( Highbury), and
> >> December 12th 2004 (Highbury). So including this forthcoming season,
> >> the teams will have played each other 4 seasons in a row at roughly
> >> the same time in the same month, with 3 of the 4 occasions being at
> >> Arsenal's ground.

> > And what are the odds of the FA 'puta throwing up Chelsea home to the
> > Mancs, the (let's face it) two most likely title challengers, in April
> > for the third season in a row?

> As I predicted last week.

> A. Dieu.

> Are you sure that the fixtures are randomly generated? I know that in Serie
> A they are not: usually the big teams are kept apart in the first few and
> the last few games of the season, derbies are also restricted to the middle
> of the schedule, and international and European Cup fixtures are also taken
> into account.

>>Are you sure that the fixtures are randomly generated?

>Well, I assumed they are but a number of strange patterns make me
>think otherwise e.g. Arsenal playing Chelsea in mid-December for the
>4th year running and Man U vs Chelsea in April for the 3rd consecutive
>year. It's also possible that other fixtures keep occurring at the
>same time every season but we just don't notice if they don't involve
>big teams. There were rumours that the Man U vs Arsenal match in the
>2004/2005 season was fixed to coincide with what would've been - had
>they won the match - Arsenal's 50th league game unbeaten. I think the
>fixtures are on the whole randomly generated with some "fixing" to the
>matches involving the big 4 to ensure they're distributed evenly
>throughout the season e.g. some in August, then December/Jan and then
>April (to ensure the top sides clash in a match they could decide the
>title if it's a close race at that stage).

> I thought the fixtures were randomly generated? This seems to bucking
> the odds a bit for this to keep happening. Any maths experts out there
> able to calculate the probability of 2 teams playing each other 4
> years in a row at the same time, assuming the fixture list is
> generated at random?

> What I'm thinking is maybe the Premier League puts some sort of rules
> in the program that generates the fixture list to ensure that matches
> between the top 4 are spread out throughout the season for T.V
> purposes.

> I thought the fixtures were randomly generated? This seems to bucking
> the odds a bit for this to keep happening. Any maths experts out there
> able to calculate the probability of 2 teams playing each other 4
> years in a row at the same time, assuming the fixture list is
> generated at random?

> What I'm thinking is maybe the Premier League puts some sort of rules
> in the program that generates the fixture list to ensure that matches
> between the top 4 are spread out throughout the season for T.V
> purposes.

>> >> On the 15th December 2007 Arsenal will play Chelsea at the Emirates in
>> >> the EPL. In the previous 3 seasons, Arsenal played Chelsea on December
>> >> 10th 2006 (Stamford Bridge), December18th 2005 ( Highbury), and
>> >> December 12th 2004 (Highbury). So including this forthcoming season,
>> >> the teams will have played each other 4 seasons in a row at roughly
>> >> the same time in the same month, with 3 of the 4 occasions being at
>> >> Arsenal's ground.

>> > And what are the odds of the FA 'puta throwing up Chelsea home to the
>> > Mancs, the (let's face it) two most likely title challengers, in April
>> > for the third season in a row?

>> As I predicted last week.

>> A. Dieu.

> ***ing Mystic Meg here.  Can you predict if we'll have a White Xmas?

> >> >> On the 15th December 2007 Arsenal will play Chelsea at the Emirates in
> >> >> the EPL. In the previous 3 seasons, Arsenal played Chelsea on December
> >> >> 10th 2006 (Stamford Bridge), December18th 2005 ( Highbury), and
> >> >> December 12th 2004 (Highbury). So including this forthcoming season,
> >> >> the teams will have played each other 4 seasons in a row at roughly
> >> >> the same time in the same month, with 3 of the 4 occasions being at
> >> >> Arsenal's ground.

> >> > And what are the odds of the FA 'puta throwing up Chelsea home to the
> >> > Mancs, the (let's face it) two most likely title challengers, in April
> >> > for the third season in a row?

> >> As I predicted last week.

> >> A. Dieu.

> > ***ing Mystic Meg here.  Can you predict if we'll have a White Xmas?

> No we won't.

> A. Dieu.

> I thought the fixtures were randomly generated? This seems to bucking
> the odds a bit for this to keep happening. Any maths experts out there
> able to calculate the probability of 2 teams playing each other 4
> years in a row at the same time, assuming the fixture list is
> generated at random?

> What I'm thinking is maybe the Premier League puts some sort of rules
> in the program that generates the fixture list to ensure that matches
> between the top 4 are spread out throughout the season for T.V
> purposes.