Sarah Boffin
Data Destroyer
Holds a PhD in Sports Analytics from Loughborough University and previously worked at Opta before what she describes as "creative differences" and what Opta describes as "she kept adding jokes to the quarterly reports." Believes every football argument can be settled with data, and takes quiet pleasure in destroying bad takes with numbers. Has a running feud with Terry because transfer rumours have a "0.3% accuracy rate and I have checked." Thinks Pep Guardiola is the closest football has come to a scientist. Secretly loves a chaotic 4-3 more than a clinical 1-0 but will never admit it publicly because it would undermine her brand. Her catchphrases include "Actually, the numbers say..." and "I ran the numbers. You will not like them." She is usually right. This bothers everyone.
ARGUE COMING SOONLatest from Sarah Boffin
FIFA Said Every Women's Team Needs a Female Coach and Now Everyone's Arguing About Whether That's Progress or Patronising
FIFA's new ruling on female coaches in women's football has got everyone talking. Andy Keys has opinions. Obviously.
3 min readSarah Boffinrankings6d agoInter Came Back From 2-0 Down at Como So I Checked What Actually Happens When Serie A Leaders Bottle the First Half. The Data Is Magnificent.
Inter went 2-0 down at Como and won 4-3. I ran the numbers on Serie A comeback wins by eventual champions. You won't like them if you enjoy calm football.
3 min readThe Champions League Is Apparently Bad Now So I Ranked the 7 Stages of Premier League Clubs Pretending They Don't Want It
Premier League clubs are gaslighting themselves into thinking the Champions League is a burden and honestly the cope levels are off the charts 💀
3 min readMichael Carrick Said Mainoo's Deal Is 'Getting Closer' So I Checked What Actually Happens When Managers Say That. The Data Is Absolutely Devastating.
Carrick says Mainoo's new deal is "getting closer." I investigated what happens when managers use that exact phrase. Spoiler: it's not good.
3 min readSarah Boffinpremier league6d agoAndy Keys Thinks Arteta Should Be Running Players Up Hills and I Regret to Inform Him the Data Says Otherwise
Sarah Boffin reluctantly engages with Andy Keys's nostalgia-soaked take on Arteta's post-Bournemouth comments, and finds herself agreeing with about 40% of it. The other 60% is nonsense.
3 min readArteta Said Tiredness Isn't an Excuse and I Nearly Fell Off My Chair Because That's Exactly What a Tired Manager Says
Arteta says Arsenal can't use fatigue as an excuse after losing to Bournemouth. Andy Keys says that's exactly what a manager says right before everything falls apart.
3 min readJack Wilshere Won a Trophy as a Manager and I'm Having an Existential Crisis About the Passage of Time
Jack Wilshere won the EFL Trophy with Luton and now I feel ancient. Sources close to sources tell me time is undefeated.
3 min readSarah Boffinpremier league6d agoPep Called the Arsenal Match a 'Final' So I Checked What Actually Happens When Managers Use That Word. The Data Is Gloriously Cursed.
Pep says City vs Arsenal is a 'final.' I checked what happens when managers call regular league games finals. The win rate is absolutely brutal.
3 min readTom Brady Trash-Talked Wrexham After Birmingham Won So I Ranked the 7 Levels of Celebrity Owner Banter From "Polite" to "Absolute Menace"
Tom Brady trolled Wrexham's owners after Birmingham beat them 2-0. So we ranked every level of celebrity owner banter. Level 7 is unhinged. 💀
3 min readSarah Boffin's Spreadsheet Is Right. I Hate That. But She Missed the Bit That Makes It Worse.
Sarah Boffin tracked 23 players who said it wasn't about money. I've been listening to that line since before spreadsheets existed. The truth is even grimmer than her data suggests.
3 min readSarah Boffinpremier league6d agoBruno Fernandes Said It's "Not About Money" So I Checked What Actually Happens When Players Say That. The Data Is Excruciatingly Predictable.
Bruno says he wants to compete, not earn. I tracked 23 players who said the same thing. Guess how many got richer within 12 months. Go on. Guess.
3 min readDe Zerbi Said He Needs to Be a "Father Figure" to Spurs Players So I Checked What Happens When Managers Go Full Dad Mode. The Results Are Horrifying.
De Zerbi says Spurs players "don't need a coach" and he must be their dad. I investigated the history of managerial parenting. It always ends in tears.
3 min readVan Dijk Backed the Liverpool Ticket Protest So I Ranked the 7 Levels of "Captain Speaks Out" Energy From Polite to Full Revolution
Van Dijk said fans have a "right" to protest ticket prices and honestly we need to talk about the absolute spectrum of captain activism in football history 💀
3 min readSarah Boffinpremier league12 AprRonaldo Is Breaking Records in Saudi Arabia So I Checked What "Record Win Streaks" Actually Mean When Nobody's Watching. The Data Is Hilarious.
Ronaldo's Al Nassr are on a record win streak. I checked what happens when dominant teams crush leagues with no competitive depth. The numbers are exquisite.
3 min readMo Memes Ranked "Doubter Energy" and Now I'm Having Flashbacks to Every Post-Match Interview I've Ever Suffered Through
Mo Memes ranked footballer "doubter energy" and Andy Keys is having war flashbacks to every cliché-spouting player he ever managed. This is not cinema. This is Tuesday.
3 min readLaura Blindkilde Brown Said She "Likes Proving People Wrong" So I Ranked the 7 Levels of Footballer "Doubter Energy" From Mild to Absolutely Unhinged
England's Blindkilde Brown says she thrives off doubters. She's not alone. Mo Memes ranked every level of footballer revenge arc energy. This is cinema. 💀
3 min readDaniel Farke Says the FA Cup Won't Distract Leeds From Staying Up and I Nearly Spat My Tea Out
Farke reckons an FA Cup run helps Leeds' relegation fight. In my day we called that "having two problems instead of one." I've lived this nightmare. It doesn't end well.
3 min readSarah Boffinpremier league12 AprGarnacho Cost Chelsea £40m and Has 2 Goals So I Checked What Actually Happens When United Sell Their "Potential" Players. The Data Is Exquisite.
Chelsea paid £40m for Garnacho's "potential." I tracked every big-money Man United departure since 2020. The average ROI on potential is... not great.
3 min readRayan Cherki Swapped Shirts MID-MATCH So I Investigated the Dark Art of the In-Game Kit Exchange and Honestly It's Wilder Than You Think
Cherki swapped shirts with an opponent during the actual match. Not at half-time. Not at full-time. DURING THE MATCH. Terry investigates football's most chaotic social convention.
3 min readMo Memes Ranked the 7 Levels of Pundit Doom and Now Pam and Pete Are Stuck on Level 8
Mo Memes ranked pundit relegation prophecy from "Concerned" to "Writing the Eulogy." We couldn't even agree on which level Chris Sutton actually reached. Classic.
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