Sign in

Bob Hayes

@bobhayes.bsky.social
2K followers 200 following 633 posts

Yank in London who trained myself to say "football." Analytics professional and hobbyist. Used to write things, many of which are still relevant, here: fromthebyline.substack.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
So the call was a combination of: 1. Tough angle to properly see the player proximity 2. Dorgu leg more outstretched than many of us processed initially 3. Enzo Fernandez not sufficiently active to be called offside himself First two combine to be objective; third is subjective (and wrong IMO)
171
Reposted by Bob Hayes
Matt Browner Hamlin @mattbh.com · 06/09/2026
The whole “arsenal must buy a striker” narrative was built around pretending Kai wasn’t out injured for a long time but in fact available and contributing nothing at all. It’s the only way the urgency ever made sense.
261
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The four title contenders, like we all expected
171
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Vibe is off on every Puma kit (African NTs excluded)
120
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
What galaxy brain logic led Maresca to playing Guehi in midfield? So odd. Even given this XI, this is like the 7th most likely distribution of those players.
050
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Close one
030
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The best midfielder on the pitch has pretty clearly been Sangaré
010
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
100
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Odd/surprising that Zubimendi has not seen the pitch
030
Reposted by Bob Hayes
Tariq Panja @tariqpanja.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Trump called Infantino on Wednesday to get Balogun's red card lifted. Nice to ride alon with Tyler Pager on what will be seen (and is) in many parts as one of the biggest scandals in World Cup history. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/05/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Asked FIFA to Review Balogun’s Suspension. He Is Now Eligible to Play.
101781341
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
BBC going with the studio show for the entire halftime break is extremely refreshing. Actual discussion and analysis during a game! Clips of more than just goals!
120
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
It has somehow been memory-holed that Harry Kane was terrible at Euro 2024 and it was fair to wonder if, like, Ollie Watkins would be the starter in this World Cup
030
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Olise has been unreal over the last 15 minutes Mbappé is the best attacker in the world and I’m not sure he is the best attacker on France
062
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
The best attacker on the pitch, Nicolas Jackson
020
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
This is both an underwhelming performance from Spain and one where they win this, what, 8 times out of 10 Celebrate Cape Verde hanging in there, figure out some personnel stuff with Spain rolling out an “oops, all midfielders!” lineup, and I think that’s all we need from this one
040
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
48-team World Cup is a joke but seeing fans from places like Cape Verde going nuts over winning a corner is genuinely awesome
070
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
I’m in a pub in London and there’s a kid wearing a Doué shirt here
100
Reposted by Bob Hayes
Mike Goodman @themlg.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
I think all complaints about the lack of an aesthetically pleasing champions league final should be directed to PSG’s attackers and filed under S for “skill issue.” Which given who PSG’s attackers are is a damn fine accomplishment out of Arsenal.
58510
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
UEFA VAR roulette, just what we like to see
020
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Elite football rapidly converging to late-stage EAFC
050
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Gyökeres on for Havertz has reduced Arsenal’s performance from “doing some things but not quite getting the shots off” to “not doing anything”
150
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
There’s the season. See you all in August.
020
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Earlier in the season, I kept thinking “wow, Arsenal are not even missing Ødegaard that much!” That is definitely not true anymore. His absence has really been hurting. Just cannot get things going in possession.
082
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
There’s a vibe I’m hearing around “where’s the proper #9 to finish the move!” as a slight at Havertz… ignoring that Havertz was a key going in the buildup to create the chance
010
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Having Calafiori and Havertz in there really improves the flow of the attack (as I have been crying for for a while). Still need just a bit more to get something over the line.
130
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
“The injured guy is the answer” is a dumb trope, but you can get far in a diagnosis of Arsenal’s attacking struggles (and why they’re boring) with 1. Ø is really important to things functioning 2. Kai/Calafiori out simultaneously adds to it 3. Eze/Gyök are not good, esp in controlled possession
250
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Yeah, they actually slightly edged the xG so “smashed” probably isn’t accurate, and as mentioned in my next post, they’ve been good in other recent games. It’s just a pretty big points gap to make up still.
010
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
West Ham could/should have gotten 6 points out of MU and Bournemouth but got 2. If they had gotten those points, this would look completely different.
030
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Tottenham are terrible but I don’t think the juice is there in the chasing pack. This weekend is a microcosm, where one of their competitors got smashed by Liverpool and the other is losing to a Brighton team in woeful form.
230
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
It’s worth having a stare down Arsenal’s PL-only match log. In 2025, the team was rolling, and all bad results were some combination of finite, explainable, and inevitable. In 2026, they just haven’t really been at it. Even those big wins were flattering scorelines (and against far weaker teams).
150
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Days since Eze last executed an action of value for Arsenal Football Club: [googles date of Arsenal-Spurs] [calculates how many days it has been since then]
031
Reposted by Bob Hayes
Michael Caley @michaelcaley.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
there is some kind of mass psychosis going on in Arsenal fandom about Martin Odegaard he's an obviously highly productive football player who also works hard and also does beautiful things with the ball and people afaict disproportionately *within the fandom* have decided they think he sucks now
12656
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Drives me crazy, especially for the simpler ones. The commentators don’t even bother. For example, Eze’s done that video and introduced himself in other contexts for years, and his name is pronounced “ehzuh” but for some reason people decided it’s “ehzay” and there’s no going back.
010
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
The truly amazing part? He is the only one pronouncing it (essentially) correctly youtu.be/ScNovNeQUU4?...
youtu.be
How to pronounce EVERY 2025/26 Premier League player and manager's name
YouTube video by Sky Sports Premier League
120
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Sorry to head you’ve had some tough times, Adam. I hope all is well. Don’t let the annoying internet people get to you, which I know can be a challenge.
100
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Arsenal conceding 3 is going to be a red herring in the reaction to this; the problem is more in the inability to create when needing to, plus some poor sloppiness in minutes ~30-50.
0101
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
I thought he was a questionable buy when we bought him (and of course everyone was ecstatic) and I’ve still been disappointed. Beyond the few moments we all remember — which have been valuable! — he’s offering nothing.
140
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Taking Ødegaard off was the mistake. There’s no passing in midfield. There’s no reason to take Ødegaard off when chasing a goal unless he’s dead or playing terribly, neither of which were the case.
250
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
I was hoping this was a good opportunity for Eze to do the thing where he does something (for the first time since November) but nope, more of the same
140
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
The frequency at which I oscillate between “Arsenal are the best team in Europe and are on their way to a historically special season” and “Arsenal aren’t very good” is troubling
170
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Can’t wait for this lad to score the winner
010
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
That’s the fewest possible games for Manchester United in a season, confirmed No UEFA + elimination in their first game in both domestic cups
0131
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Quietly, not only are all 3 relegation spots quite possibly already locked in, we might already have our final top 5. I’ll consult the models tomorrow but think the current bottom 3 may now have joint probability >50% to go down. I doubt we are there with the top 5 but don’t think it’s far off.
010
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Rotated every player they reasonably could, put up 3.3 xG / 3.1 xGOT, conceded on the only shot on target. I’m fine with either result here and the performance was good. However this falls, there’s very little to be upset about.
060
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Martinelli is absolutely cooking. Arsenal up to 1.5 xG, need to get one in the net.
130
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
The NFL quietly gradually moving toward the large majority of teams having domes -- including in geographies that do not remotely need them -- is a bummer. Too much obsession by the suits with year-round use and getting big events. Too much obsession by the coaches with controllable conditions.
030
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
The comparative npxG in Forest-Spurs and Palace-City are basically identical, and both games are 3-0 in opposite directions
030
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
5 total shots in over an hour in Sunderland
010
Bob Hayes @bobhayes.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Trossard increasingly looks like the modal pick for starting LW, which is quite funny considering all the movements this summer (and not the greatest situation for the club long term)
130