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Sevco’s Penalty Count Begs The Question: Is This Another Year Of Honest Mistakes?

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Today I was sent some stats which were a real eye opener.

They were on the number of penalty kicks awarded to Sevco this season, in comparison to other clubs. 

Before I get started, I want to say that this constant stuff about decisions “evening themselves out” has been proven to be cobblers time and time again in Scotland.

Clubs might get the odd bad decision given for, or against, them but the idea that this achieves some kind of equilibrium is just nonsense, and most people realise this.

Some clubs get more decisions than others; it’s a universal fact of football and everyone knows it.

Here in Scotland, we know who gets the most and it always seems to happen at the toughest moment of pressure, and the greatest time of need.

Who can forget the nine in a row year, where the Honest Mistakes quota went through the roof?

Who doesn’t remember the just-as-notorious Year of The Honest Mistakes, when everything that could fall to Rangers did, including the incredible spectacle of Paul Lambert conceding a penalty, taken as he was still lying on a stretcher, at Ibrox, for the “crime” of using his jaw to break a Rangers player’s knee?

When the club was not automatically promoted last year a lot of us feared we would see rash of baffling decisions go their way and the more you watch them this season the clearer it becomes that we were on to something, that we were right.

Sevco has been awarded 12 penalty kicks on league duty this season already, and more in the cups, including the other night at Kilmarnock. That number is especially troubling when you consider that, in the Championship, this is more than the next four teamss combined.

It’s more spot kicks, by far, than any other club in the country.

The SPL penalty league is topped by Hearts, with seven.

Celtic have been awarded five.

The two combined equals that which Sevco has had.

People will say that it’s because they are an attacking team and spend more time in the penalty area than other sides. Hibs, who are some people’s tip for team of the year and who’s manager is on everyone’s manager of the year shortlist, have had three penalties … nine behind the club from Ibrox.

Do they not attack? Don’t Celtic?

These numbers are damning. What’s being done to make sure this is all legit? 

Their ref against Kilmarnock on Wednesday was “Brother” Bobby Madden, rumoured to have a season ticket at Ibrox. Does he really? Who knows, but why in Hell didn’t we, years ago, adopt the measures from England wherein all refs had to declare an “allegiance” before the season starts? 

Several bosses have complained about inexplicable decisions going against them whilst playing Sevco, but it all gets lost over the weeks and the hacks can point to the occasional bad one against them as proof it this “evening out” crap.

But it doesn’t stack up. 

I said here, in the context of the Deila argument, that stats can be made to prove anything and I stand by that and tend to distrust them, but these are pretty much unspinnable and difficult to question.

Something is clearly not right with these numbers, and with Sevco’s need as great as it ever was that suggests more than just a minor statistical blip.

This is something people were expecting.

I am going to keep a very close eye on this from now until season’s end.

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