Assists that didn't really assist

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I spotted that Andy Robertson has been credited with an assist for Mo Salah's first goal against Atletico on Tuesday. If you've not seen the goal, what happened was, broadly, this. Robertson swings a cross over, that was about 15 feet up in the air as it sailed over the six yard box. Mo Salah hares after it, and prevents it going out for a throw in. Salah then sets off on a run back towards the D, cutting around a couple of defenders, before lashing a shot goalwards that flicks off Milner's heel on its way into the net; the goal was awarded to Salah.

Other than in the strictest definition of "being the team-mate who passed to the goalscorer", it's a bit of a stretch to claim Robertson 'assisted' that goal, isn't it?

[Snake Plissken]

They don’t ask how, they just ask how many.

[Eggchaser]

I assume the appearance of assists on the scoresheet (e.g BBC) is to do with Fantasy Football and gambling.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I spotted that Andy Robertson has been credited with an assist for Mo Salah's first goal against Atletico on Tuesday. If you've not seen the goal, what happened was, broadly, this. Robertson swings a cross over, that was about 15 feet up in the air as it sailed over the six yard box. Mo Salah hares after it, and prevents it going out for a throw in. Salah then sets off on a run back towards the D, cutting around a couple of defenders, before lashing a shot goalwards that flicks off Milner's heel on its way into the net; the goal was awarded to Salah.

Other than in the strictest definition of "being the team-mate who passed to the goalscorer", it's a bit of a stretch to claim Robertson 'assisted' that goal, isn't it?

Especially since it's Milner's goal

[Tratorello]

Quite often the assist to the assist is the most crucial pass in a goal and goes entirely uncredited. Likewise someone dummying the ball to set up an easy goal.

Life is really unfair.

[Tratorello]

Especially since it's Milner's goal

I thought it had been decided it actually came off the defender marking Milner?

[torres]

The goal was credited to Salah eventually.

[San Bernardhinault]

The sooner that the term "assist" is removed from the football lexicon and locked in a box and buried deep in the ocean the better. The whole point about a team sport is that the whole team is assisting. The winger making the dummy run that creates space. The lumbering center half deep in their own half drifting off into a daydream luring the opposing number 9 to think about the counter-attack rather than helping cover at the back. The idea that a goal is assisted by one individual is reductively stupid in a team sport and is clearly just a ploy by the betting companies and we should not humour them by adopting it.

I mean, I generally don't much care who the actual goalscorer is in a game. It doesn't really matter who even got the last toe on the end of the cross/shot that was already going in, either - the final score at the end of the match and the points tallies at the end of the season - the things that matter - don't care which individual scored. But "assist" is extending this useless information further, and formalising the idea of the assist is horrible and must be resisted.

[Janik]

The goal was credited to Salah eventually.

Because the deflection was off the defender, not Milner. And Salah’s shot was on target before that.

But that is an aside from the original point, which is Robertson had next to nothing to do with the goal being scored - it was all Salah’s own work. Similarly, whoever it was who passed to Maradona whilst in his own half against England in 1986 had very little to do with the ball ending up in the net 10 seconds later.

[ale]

Because the deflection was off the defender, not Milner. And Salah’s shot was on target before that.

But that is an aside from the original point, which is Robertson had next to nothing to do with the goal being scored - it was all Salah’s own work. Similarly, whoever it was who passed to Maradona whilst in his own half against England in 1986 had very little to do with the ball ending up in the net 10 seconds later.

Bogdan Dochev surely gets an assist for the first Maradonna goal in that match though.

[Capybara]

The sooner that the term "assist" is removed from the football lexicon and locked in a box and buried deep in the ocean the better. The whole point about a team sport is that the whole team is assisting. The winger making the dummy run that creates space. The lumbering center half deep in their own half drifting off into a daydream luring the opposing number 9 to think about the counter-attack rather than helping cover at the back. The idea that a goal is assisted by one individual is reductively stupid in a team sport and is clearly just a ploy by the betting companies and we should not humour them by adopting it.

I mean, I generally don't much care who the actual goalscorer is in a game. It doesn't really matter who even got the last toe on the end of the cross/shot that was already going in, either - the final score at the end of the match and the points tallies at the end of the season - the things that matter - don't care which individual scored. But "assist" is extending this useless information further, and formalising the idea of the assist is horrible and must be resisted.

I agree with all of this, though as someone who has done proper fantasy league since the early 90s I guess I'm guilty of helping to perpetuate the term. And the idea that a goal is awarded to a player whose shot was on target before it was deflected is a nonsense really.

[DCI Harry Batt]

The sooner that the term "assist" is removed from the football lexicon and locked in a box and buried deep in the ocean the better. The whole point about a team sport is that the whole team is assisting. The winger making the dummy run that creates space. The lumbering centre-half deep in their own half drifting off into a daydream luring the opposing number 9 to think about the counter-attack rather than helping cover at the back. The idea that a goal is assisted by one individual is reductively ludicrous in a team sport and is clearly just a ploy by the betting companies and we should not humour them by adopting it.

I mean, I generally don't much care who the actual goalscorer is in a game. It doesn't really matter who even got the last toe on the end of the cross/shot that was already going in, either - the final score at the end of the match and the points tallies at the end of the season - the things that matter - don't care which individual scored. But "assist" is extending this useless information further, and formalising the idea of the assist is horrible and must be resisted.

Oh absolutely, it's a horrible pile of old bollocks. But it's here to stay. They're doing "pre-assists" now, aren't they? Horrible people.

[Satchmo Distel]

It's the tail (Fantasy League) wagging the dog (football stats) but also dedicated football media needing extra content, in this case of dubious validity.

[Jah Womble]

How about Toby Alderweireld’s pass to Son Heung-Min before the latter sprinted the entire length of the pitch and beat several Burnley players before scoring?

[Sam]

Because the deflection was off the defender, not Milner. And Salah’s shot was on target before that.

But that is an aside from the original point, which is Robertson had next to nothing to do with the goal being scored - it was all Salah’s own work. Similarly, whoever it was who passed to Maradona whilst in his own half against England in 1986 had very little to do with the ball ending up in the net 10 seconds later.

Héctor Enrique. He's been asked about it in interviews, obviously, and likes to reply 'with a pass like that, how could he miss?'

[Sporting]

See also: Xavi to Messi vs Getafe.

[tee rex]

A famous goal, but who gets the assist? Lukaku should.

[Sam]

See also: Xavi to Messi vs Getafe.

Indeed. Or whichever player it was (Piqué? Busquets?) who took a pass from Messi and just stopped the ball dead and moved out the way as he ran on to it before haring round about five Madrid players to score a few years ago.

[Janik]

It's the tail (Fantasy League) wagging the dog (football stats) but also dedicated football media needing extra content, in this case of dubious validity.

At its root it’s Ice Hockey’s fault. As noted, it comes from Fantasy League, which is a North American import. On the North American sports scene the one most structurally similar to Football is Ice Hockey. And assists are a long standing part of Ice Hockey stats. Even the recent innovation that TonTon decries of assist for the assist has been standard Ice Hockey fare for decades. We are yet to get points (which bundle goals and assists together) or plus-minus, which counts goals scored against goals conceded for every player whilst they are on the ice to assess their impact. The latter may be yet to transfer in part because it is more relevant in a sport with rolling subs and only a quarter of the squad involved in play at any point, but those may only be a matter of time... especially given the online Football game that some of us play does do points already (maybe no surprise as that game hails from Sweden where Ice Hockey is big).

[tee rex]

When was the first ever mention of an "assist" in football commentary? If asked to guess I would have said 1990s, certainly not as long ago as the 1970s, when I lived football all day long and don't recall ever hearing or using it.

But here it is in 1968! Barry Davies, then at Granada (ITV), uses it 16 minutes in. He then adds "in ice hockey terminology", to confirm Janik's point above.

So there we are. A drab November day in Preston, and the world changed. Because everything happened in 1968.

[Jobi1]

Per another recent thread, strains of You'll Never Walk Alone incongruously breaking out a minute later too.

[elguapo4]

Packie Bonner would have claimed an assist for both of Ireland's goals at Italia 90.

[EIM]

Repeat after me: Assists are not a thing.

A stat entirely created for Fantasy Football.

[EIM]

Oh absolutely, it's a horrible pile of old bollocks. But it's here to stay. They're doing "pre-assists" now, aren't they? Horrible people.

xA.

[Janik]

Repeat after me: Assists are not a thing.

A stat entirely created for Fantasy Football.

Would help if that was true. But it isn't.

Fantasy Football didn't create the idea of assists - they simply stole an established concept from another sport. And as noted up thread, others in Football had already done the same borrowing decades before Fantasy Football was dreamed up.

This is a good example of the insularity of Football followers, isn't it? They come across something new in their sport and because it's new to them assume it is brand new as a concept. Very often it is anything but. Assists are a perfect illustration of that.

Another example: Fantasy Leagues are a Baseball idea.