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Pedants' corner
Original poster

Ooh. I've had a pedant moment.

29 replies

Habbibu · 14/03/2009 14:37

But it was mild - DH listening to football commentary - one man says "he's having a very average game. It's not like him". But if it's average, it probably is like he is most of the time. Or at least 50%.

Should I write in, do you think? And complain about the "very" while I'm at it.

OP posts:
cornsilk · 14/03/2009 14:39

No I disagree. Perhaps the player has above average abilities. (I agree about the 'very' though)

Original poster
Habbibu · 14/03/2009 14:40

Ah, but was it average for him? That was my take.

OP posts:
treedelivery · 14/03/2009 14:40

Ah, but the 'average' would apply to how the game is played in general by others, so he would have been expected to out perform this. No?

Oh God must get out.

Original poster
Habbibu · 14/03/2009 14:41
OP posts:
RustyBear · 14/03/2009 14:41

Depends whether he means 'average for him' or 'average for all players'

RustyBear · 14/03/2009 14:42

I agree about the 'very' though...

Original poster
Habbibu · 14/03/2009 14:43

It was Football Commentary. can we not just all assume They Were Wrong and I Was Right?

this'll learn me to be the anti-pedant.

OP posts:
Tinker · 14/03/2009 14:44

But if the game was average and he usually plays then is he not a contributor to the averageness? Really, the player was having a poor game since his skill must prevent most games from being poor.

cornsilk · 14/03/2009 14:44

LOL habbibu.

treedelivery · 14/03/2009 14:44

Can't believe I dared to post here.

Tinker · 14/03/2009 14:45

Keep writing and deleting on this one. It was Alan Green wasn't it?

thumbwitch · 14/03/2009 14:45

Don't they (football pundits) use "average" as a PC word for "crap"? In which case, very would be perfectly appropriate, as would the rest of the sentence!

Original poster
Habbibu · 14/03/2009 14:46

Well, I think they were confusing, and should simply have said that Player X had regressed to the mean.

OP posts:
RustyBear · 14/03/2009 14:46

I'd be happy to assume you're right on those grounds Habbibu - if only because of radio football pundits use of the phrase 'ahead of' instaed of before, which has irritated me for years.

Also if it was Alan Green, he is wrong and you are right by default.

Original poster
Habbibu · 14/03/2009 14:47

It was the man with Alan Green, Tinker. I did not take in his name. I was only in the kitchen long enough to get coffee and Run away.

Cannot believe you're all defending football commentators. Call yourselves true pendants?

OP posts:
Tinker · 14/03/2009 14:48
thumbwitch · 14/03/2009 14:48
Original poster
Habbibu · 14/03/2009 14:50
OP posts:
treedelivery · 14/03/2009 14:52

Thumbwitch!! See me here

JazzHands · 14/03/2009 15:07

I'm not sure how you could measure the average in something like a sporting activity. You could have the average number of goals or the average time the first goal was scored or the average number of attacking moves (or something - not a football fan).

But to describe a whole game as average or otherwise doesn't make sense. There are far too many variables.

They should stick to saying a good game or a bad game etc ie use subjective language for what is a subjective judgement.

Tinker · 14/03/2009 15:16

But, it wasn't Alan Green that said it; we all know what was meant and Liverpool won

thumbwitch · 14/03/2009 18:50
UnquietDad · 16/03/2009 16:14

I have problems with "average".

It's a term Ofsted use as pejorative, and yet if you are measuring all schools by the same criteria then approximately half of them will be below "average".

It's like measuring all children, determining that the average height for a primary school child is 4'5" and then berating the school for having hundreds of "below average height" children.

Original poster
Habbibu · 17/03/2009 11:40

Yes, exactly, UQD!

OP posts:
ZoeWilliamsSecondChild · 17/03/2009 11:47

What if that played played with stunning brillance in 99% of matches but his average performance was brought dramatically down by the one occasion when he got the goals muddled up and scored 5 for the other team, as well as getting sent off 6 times for racket abuse?

In that case, having a game that was average-for-him would be unexpected and shocking because it had never happened before.

I don't know the name of any football commentators, but hasn't that one that was in the Morrison's ad gor lovely eyes.