SERENDIPITY …..Don McMahon
Some fans have claimed that luck doesn’t exist in football and that all is ordained and organized so that the best win out but…..there is a more accurate word to describe unforeseen events that positively interfere with an expected outcome….it is called serendipity and it means: ¨fortuitous happenstance” or “pleasant surprise”.
Take for example the Dutch Cup that Walter mentioned recently, when a relatively unknown team won over Ajax. When Zwolle won the cup 5-1, their fans could never have predicted such a decisive win and thus the result was pleasant and surprising to say the least.
In psychology, it also refers to making unforeseen discoveries by chance, which in the course of the research, impact said research significantly. There is no understanding or insight into how these things occur and psychologists cannot agree on even the basics of this phenomena, but they do agree that it does happen and it has been scientifically and mathematically demonstrated that it does occur fairly regularly.
I would class AFC’s season so far as full of serendipity…..the unpredictable but exciting happenings, the unexpected yet welcome bonuses popping up and the unappreciated ironies rearing their mocking heads. Here are a few curious events that have enriched our season so far:
a) Oliver Giroud is only 1 goal behind Aguero of City, yet far too many moaners whine on about how he isn’t AFC material……and he is matching Henry in his second season. While he is never going to be a TH, he has done the job for AFC this year, under difficult circumstances. That is a surprise in itself and a pleasant revelation to most fair-minded Gooners.
b) He who is unworthy to wear the shirt has shamed his critics and enthralled his fanbase with stellar performances, until his injury in December. Who could have predicted that Ramsey would flourish so brilliantly this season? To come from the deepest depths of despair and a near career-ending injury from not that kind of player, to the soul of our team in the short span of one season is serendipity itself!
c) Mr.Fabianski unpredictably has shown true class and talent, after being derided as ¨Flaphandski¨ and being unfit to substitute for Szcesny. We now face the dilemma of keeping this true Gunner in the team for another season. Pure serendipity would be for him to leave us, join an other EPL squad and win the title…….all the while laughing at the AAA winers and his critics.
d) Leading the injury league for the 100th consecutive season (I know I exaggerate) and yet STILL in to win the FA Cup and a CL place is fascinating indeed. How to explain the unexplainable. Our title hopes were derailed with the loss of 7 first team starters in a period of 2 months, but suddenly we have them returning and we are winning again. We have discovered, against our will, that we have the courage, , confidence, strength and willpower to achieve something this season regardless.
e) Despite all the dire warnings, predictions of doom and disaster, recriminations and finger-pointing of the unfaithful AAA mob and their media circus ringmasters against Wenger, he, as usual, has remained a solid rock of indifference to their infantile moaning. Who could have predicted his protracted decision to negotiate renew his contract at a snail’s pace and the worried reactions of the AFC faithful to his procrastinating. This is pure serendipity because we have no idea what is going to happen.
If luck doesn’t exist in Football then the machinations of the FA and the PGMOL, as well as fick FUFA and EUFA are even more sinister and machiavellian and we are clearly at their mercy. Long may the Zwolle’s of this world cause consternation in the ranks of the stuffed suits and world Football.
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- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal
Don,
You really nailed that on the moron’s head this time… Unbelievable…
Don,
One of your more memorable posts!
I searched diligently your (a) to (e) and couldn’t find a single fault with your reasoning…..most unusual!
Keep this up and you will soon be regarded as something of a pundit.
(Tony, watch out!)
Forget though, that LUCK can be also forced to happen.
Imagine taking a shot from outside the box, it hits a defender and is deflected into goal.
Now lucky was the shooter, BUT if he had not taken the shot, we could not call him unlucky.
So we HAVE to create moments where LUCK can do it’s thing, bad or good, for luck will usually not intervene on non involvement.
Does this make sense?
Great work Don. I particularly love your Giroud bit. That guy is the most unfairly criticised player of the season. He is in the top 3 of our best and most consistent performers of this season but if you read the bile that is spout about him you’d think that he is legacy player for the club and his dad would sack the manager if he wouldn’t play him. In other word, he plays virtually all our games despite being ‘crap’ and “not good enough for championship chasing team”.
The ‘ex-footballer’ that I paraphrased above had forgotten that Ollie joined Arsenal as French league winner and highest goal scorer who also happens to be a regular French international.
Great one there Don. Serenpidity abound this season.
Everton last 2 defeats highlight others like that across the league this season.
The rate/speed at which Sir Rednose’s records at manure were trashed by his protogee DM was interesting.
Teams wearing striped red and white at stamford bridge are pissing on maureen’s tactics and records.
The white chikens are still in our shadows for the 19th season despite spending £100million on poultry feeds this season.
AW will still be here for another contract. The ‘wenger out’ mob should try harder next time. 😀
COYG
Great read, some quality articles…as ever…to be read today.
Yes we have had a few pleasant surprises in all the supposed gloom this season. Ramsey being at the forefront, as well as the points you mentioned, and the season is not over yet! Think podolski has been another real plus, hope he has cemented his position and reports of him being let go are false.
Can only echo the points on Giroud…..up there with and even ahead of some very big expensive names. Over twenty goals this season…..cannot fault that, and he can get better, especially with theo Rambo and ozil in the team. May not be the general consensus, but giroud deserves a mention at least in our player of the year, even if ultimately others would start as favorites
Luck…..it happens, a famous golfer said the more he practised, the luckier he got. I would add that the more you buy media support, the more you deal with dodgy agents and bookmakers/ match fixers, the more dirty money you spend, the more you carry favour with the pgmol …such as paying for refs holidays, the more you get backing from states and their banks and God knows whatever other shady groups you can bring into your influence, the luckier you get. Just life as it is. But great to see some going a different way with some success.
Para: I understand your post perfectly, got to be in it to win it.
Luck can come from trying something and either good or bad luck might rear its head, but don’t take the shot and luck can’t intervene and has to find somewhere else to show up.
Serendipity? Luck? the unexplained phenomenon. Isn`t nice to have an `x` factor in life that modern technology can`t control? Some woud say it rides on the `ether` or is a spiritual intervention from up above. Myself I prefer luck (serendipity) to wealth any day.
Nice ,Don , again hits all the real sweet spots .Thanks . Serene I be , AND the AAAA I’d pity !
Comparing Kun and Oliver seriously, in a site that usualy comes out with stats, this is a bit of a downer.
Sergio’s stats
Played 21 Goals: 16 Assists:6, ratio: .76 goals per game
OG’s Played:34 Goals:15 Assists:7 ratio: .44 goals per game.
Yes, I know they do different jobs for the team, which actualy made me question the comparison in the first place. I think OG is ver good at what he does, defensively and link up play but he is NO kun kun.
It will be like saying koscielny is only 1 red card away from being as bad as Kaboul, but their stats say
Kaboul: 12 matches 1 yellow 1 red ratio: .16 cards per game
Our superman Kos: 30 matches 1 second yellow and 1 yellow ratio: .06 cards per game
No way they are even comparable , simple based on the number of matches they’ve played.
r.iris……I NEVER compared OG to Aguero, and agree that KA is the ultimate striker. Do me the pleasure of re-reading that and other points and you’ll eventually realise that the essence of this post is to shame those so-called fanboys who specialize in demeaning and denigrating any Gunner they don’t like. If Aguero played for us, he’d be criticized as well by this lot of losers….regardless of his achievements, which is my point basically.
Intense research has proved emphatically that, whatever the sport, when competitors are basically equal on ability (most of the PL) then the deciding factor which determines the result is LUCK.
Should this not be the case how would you explain the chelski victory over pool, maybe super stevie slipped on purpose.
In fact chelski seem to have had the lion’s share of luck over the past few seasons, they certainly got Arsenal’s share.