Manchester United, Aston Villa and the unseriousness of a 4-4 draw

Precisely 13,266 games have been played since the inception of the Premier League, and 19 of those matches have finished 4-4 (0.1%), a rarity in a division dominated by the mighty 1-0 (17.6%). It was about time we got one, though. The months of August and September, when teams are still fighting to define their top-flight seasons and fitness and motivation tend to be at their peak, have never seen a single 4-4 draw. As motivation decreases the chances of stupid scorelines increase, and that’s where the 4-4 creeps in. There’s a certain on-the-beachness inherent in the score, and it is no coincidence that it has occurred more in the second half of April, as thoughts drift to the close season and the ineffable pointlessness of a lot of late-campaign football becomes unavoidable, than in the entirety of any other month.Students, teachers and visitors at the University of Queensland can view the world’s longest-running experiment. The flamin’ pitch drop experiment began in 1930 and is designed to demonstrate how an apparent solid (pitch) behaves like an extremely viscous liquid. Nearly 100 years ago pitch was placed in a funnel and kept at room temperature. It moves incredibly slowly at a rate of approximately one atom per second (slower than the continental drift), and only nine drips have ever been recorded, though never witnessed. Without the need for intercontinental travel, perhaps other readers can now appreciate what it’s like to watch Arsenal win 1-0” – John Holtom. Continue reading...