Anybody else notice its absence?

It looks like they've finally realised that it was what the kids these days would call an 'epic fail'.

I must have the brain of a computer.
I can also correctly predict one team to win by 6 points when the score is 24-18 with three minutes left.

I don't like the margin metre, and I don't like how obsessed with stats Phil Clarke has become of the last few years.

I think he tries to give us a lecture in sports science, unfortunately we only want to watch and enjoy a good game without all the analysis!

Never one of Sky's best gimmicks was it.

I like it, on Twitter anyway.

never noticed it was gone. really hope it dosnt return

Noticed its absence too. In theory it was a good idea but wasn't the greatest execution

Amazed it lasted so long. Still, it's amusing how Sky have just dropped it with no mention of its demise.

Was not the best of ideas, however I like Clarkies stats.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Stevo next please.

We should all email Sky to ask why.

It really never had the bookmakers quaking in their boots and it was about as much use as a one legged man at a bum kicking competition.

Any chance they could now drop Jon Wells? Preferably on his head.

Did you hear the handover from Waldorf & Statler to him on Friday?

Hemmings: "and now over to Jon for pre-match on Hull v Hull KR. I think it's fair to say this is a city divided Jon?"

Wells: "Not only divided Eddie, it's split right down the middle"

Then at his summing up, he suggested Craig Sandercock would be asking questions about the decision to award Jordan Turner's first try, claiming that there was a Rovers' hand between the ball and the ground. If so, McDonnell must have hands like pan-shovels

If they'd had the margin meter at Headingley today it would have predicted a London win by 15 zillion points after 13 minutes. That's an error margin of 15 zillion and 42 points.

Agreed, I find some of the stats really interesting.

Well is clueless, utterly clueless.

I don't like the way he feels as though he has to make himself heard in every living room in the UK using only his voice.

You have a mic, Jon, there's really no need to shout.

As previously mentioned, the margin metre, used properly is a great tool for summing up how the game has gone so far.

BUT...it should only be used at half and full time, to say something like "well the stats indicated that team x should be winning this game comfortably, however team y have had a few moments of magic - which we can show now"

to use it mid game is churlish,

However I am a statistician so there may be some bias in there

Good idea. I seem to recall Clarkey saying it was going to analyse stats from the season to calculate the margins (such as tries scored when the set of 6 starts in a certain place) but it started with no information on which to base the predictions, which is why (imho) it looked ridiculous.

Personally i find Clarkey a bit of a tool and hate him droning on about stats etc. Like the time when he tried to merge stats etc into a solar system talk, he rambled on about the defence being the sun going around the earth which was the attacker! He looked like he'd lost the plot totally and i lost all respect for him as a summariser and nearly the will to live! I hate gimmicks they make the game look cheap and tacky, the game does not need it. It sells itself fine as it is without all the razzamataz and in depth nonsense and how can you predict a missed tackle or a moment of brilliance on the pitch? you can't, so things like the margin meter etc really mean nothing.

I find it hard to believe they would have started it with no information - as I don't think it would be able to work that way

The way I imagine it working (please bare in mind that I haven't read up on this) is that they will have a database which includes all of the stats from previous seasons and how many tries were scored.

A model will then be created which basically works out as (greatly simplified),

territory + meters gained + tackles completed = 7 tries

This will be done for each team (and possibly extrapolated to 80 minutes - another reason why it should only be used at half and full time)

so we would have,

Team A's stats = 6 tries
Team B's stats = 4 tries

Margin Metre = 12 points to Team A

Think that's what was meant. When I said no information I meant they had little info and would build it up during the season