It is sad to see the venerable TTN is turning into a yellow paper. We hope we don't hear them getting caught of wiretapping the celebrities' phones and breaking into their voicemails as a standard practise.
--- end of the rhetorical part ---
Whatever TTN says, the AKM will stand for quality journalism backed by the most reliable data given and analyzed by the most cabable journalists in the bussiness. Our individual journalists may have some personal favourites of their own, like we think every enthusiastic football commentator will unavoidably have - a thing which even the TTN seems to acknowledge well themselves. But there is a great difference in liking certain playing-styles, teams, races or individual players and letting those affiliations to affect one's journalism.
The case - and the accusation - TTN brings forth, looks to the AKM both ridiculous and insulting. Here's what we are referring to.
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Originally Posted by TTN
They [The AKM] so desperately want Westernesse to win this year, they are starting to arbitrarily twist stats. Accuse me of ignoring stats, like Huor's save percentage? Ok, fair enough, but I was trying to weigh in the chances of Huor having a monster play off performance as he consistenly showed in the past. But the AKM is doing something far more dangerous by manipulating stats.
The stats tell the story and to try to factor in who's had the tougher competition to either downplay or boost a team's stats is just impossible. Has TIG played as tough of an opponent as Anfauglith yet? No. But you play the games you're given and all you can do is win them. TIG has been sharp and effective in all their games. While Westernesse has shown vulnerability, especially at the back.
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Let us make a few questions to the editor of the TTN.
How does TTN think that "us wishing for the Westernesse to win" would be in anyway advanced with us saying they could win the game against T-I-G? Does the TTN believe in some kind of incantational magic where if the AKM spells out a prediction it does happen in the real world (how else to interpret the line saying we're doing something "far more dangerous"?): and seemingly from their POV the wrong way as they wish for the T-I-G to win - thus doing just the thing they criticise us of doing aka. taking sides?
And to be true, the AKM does not wish anyone in particular to win or lose. The AKM is no individual blogger fighting his heart out to support a team or another but a respectable news organisation in the service of the public for enlightenment and entertainment.
Secondly, how does TTN think the AKM has "
arbitrarily twisted the stats". The stats and their analysis are there in the open for anyone to consider (and in TTN's case, to re-consider) in the AKM article. All the points made by the AKM are fair and balanced. Cutting the main points into a few basic notions, what the AKM said was:
1)
Both teams are very much even statswise, but two differences.
a)
The number of the overall shots allowed (not those allowed on target) slightly favours T-I-G. The AKM reminded the readers that those stats between the two teams were more or less even before the first knock-out round where Westernesse faced the offensive powerhouse Anfaughlith and T-I-G faced the fiasco called Barad Dūr. Unlike TTN says, it is not impossible "to factor in who's had the tougher competition". Or does someone think the number of shots against you would be the same facing Anfaughlith or Barad Dūr?
b)
There is a slight difference in overall shooting (not in the shooting on target though) in favour of T-I-G. The AKM reminded the readers that overall in the group-phase the shots allowed were very different: in group E (T-I-G) the other teams allowed about 41 shots against them whereas on group F (Westernesse) only one team (Mithrim) let the others shot that much, while the two others (Tol Eressėa and Nśmenor) only allowed 28-30 shots - like 1/4 less. So that is a fac t to be considered. And that is what the AKM said. Nothing more.
2)
We notified the fact that even if Westernesse has conceded two goals while T-I-G has conceded only one, then they gave those two goals to Anfaughlith who has one of the most effective attack this tournament knows of (and here we think TTN can not but agree). Before that game Westernesse had allowed no goals at all and Tar Atanamir's saving percentage was pure 100%. So the comparison between the two goalies should take that into account as Shastawolf has not been tested by a team like Anfaughlith unlike Tar Atanamir has. From that perspective we find little evidence for TTN's claim that Westernesse "has shown vulnerability, especially at the back" - and that was what we wanted to remind our readers about.
3)
From 1a&b the AKM concluded that the stats were more or less equal (and they are equal on all the major parts of the game: the total shots allowed and total shots taken aren't the most important stats), and things being more or less equal statswise, the fact that Westernesse has faced a lot tougher opposition (Anfaughlith, Tol Eressėa) makes them the favourites for the game in the eyes of the AKM.
Let us conclude with a re-quote from TTN:
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Originally Posted by TTN
Has TIG played as tough of an opponent as Anfauglith yet? No. But you play the games you're given and all you can do is win them.
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Exactly. But if two teams end up with similar stats when one plays some weaker opponents and another tougher ones, then it would be smart to infer there is a difference between the teams favouring the latter. Right? If T-I-G would be the better team they would outshine Westernesse in the stats now, but they don't.
And that's why the AKM believes Westernesse will win. But even there we are cautious, making it this way:
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Originally Posted by The AKM
It will be a tough game, but still. The final factor in here is that T-I-G hasn’t faced any real tough teams thus far while Westernesse has – and still the stats look pretty much equal.
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No prejudice, no favouritism, no sympathetic magic - just rational inference based on the statistics.
We'd love to see the same attitude from the TTN.