ANGER MANAGEMENT ARSENAL – Don McMahon
One of the most ubquitous characteristics of the aaa and their media masters is a level of anger that does not correspond with any reality or actual circumstances at AFC. The black scarf movement, the Wenger out brigade, the vitrolic aaa and the media taking umbrage at the slightest whiff of Arsenal uncertainty or rumours therein all represent an exaggerated and irrational excess of anger and frustration.
I recently read an excellent article on the net in an online journal I follow. This struck a cord and helped me understand the depth and degree of anger that the above miscreants display.
Angry people tend to rely on cognitive shortcuts — easy rules of thumb — rather than on more systematic reasoning. They’re also quick to blame individuals, rather than aspects of a situation, for problems. — Harvard Business Review
What this is saying is as follows :
- Angry people suspend their complex, balanced and rational thinking and use convenient stereotypical thinking. Thus, an aaa will come on UA and make a generic statement that he may have heard repeated in the media (ie : Wenger has lost the plot) and repeat it ceaselessly, regardless of it being complete rubbish or any efforts to enlighten him.
- An angry aaa fanboy will blame Wenger or Kroenke, the physio or one player for everything, not crediting our injury problems, referee bias or other proven facts that must be taken into account.
The second part of the article talks about some common psychological consequences of ongoing anger :
Even when the object of subsequent judgements bears no relation to the source of one’s anger, anger increases:
(1) a desire to blame individuals,rather than circumstances,thus : Ozil is lazy, unmotivated or a primadonna and its his fault that Arsenal are so bad.
(2) tendencies to overlook mitigating details before attributing blame, therefore : Walter’s referee reviews are meaningless, our injuries are no worse than other teams, etc.
(3) tendencies to perceive ambiguous behaviour as hostile, thus : anyone who proposes a counter-argument, supports the club or offers insight into the actual situation Arsenal live with is an enemy who must be destroyed.
(4) tendencies to discount the role of uncontrollable factors when attributing causality, thus our poor performances are all due to poor tactics, bad transfers, over-reliance on youth, failure to buy superstars, etc.
(5) punitiveness in response to witnessing mistakes made by others thus : aaa criticism of true UA supporters is almost always based on errors committed long ago by the Club, or minor spelling or mathematical miscalculations, or whatever unrelated and unimportant ancillary facts the critic can scrape together.
— European Journal of Social Psychology
Basically what this is saying is that anger can drive one to be mean and over-sensitive.
Therefore, we at UA strongly suggest that those suffering from anger management issues refrain from commenting on UA until they have taken a lot of deep breaths, oxygenated the blood supply, and resumed a normal level of equilibrium and a more positive point of view.
While I’m sure the conclusions you quote are right, Don, the ease of access to Untold simply encourages the written opinion, which in turn spawns controversy, irritation and anger.
For instance,being human, we are all football experts. We see where Arsene Wenger is making grievous mistakes. He doesn’t read the obvious solutions we all publish on this site and it makes us, as individuals, ….er, full of ANGER. We will never learn. 😉
most of us won’t nicky
What really angers me Nicky is that he NEVER calls me back after I write an article about him!!! He just doesn’t know what wisdom and insight he is depriving himself of.
Come on, who does not like to measure themselves against a great manager, to see if any of us have that spark that makes a great manager (in reality though none of us wanting to beat him at all), it’s just, a sign of respect, for if he was rubbish, no one would really bother. 🙂
Another boring wait til Monday. Argh.
Not one match worth watching, maybe AV to check out their form.
As an armchair manager so i can post my suggestions to AW.
Off topic, but just read van gaal had this to say about his side’s race for fourth with Liverpool;“The Champions League, it’s a prize in itself and a club like Manchester United needs that to play at the highest point.”
And I thought there was nothing to celebrate for finishing fourth….
@omgarsenal,
I know what you mean. I don’t mind him not replying, but he doesn’t even make the changes I ask for.
Al @ 8:11 am
Reading your comment I thought I’d trawl the papers on line, you know, to see all the hilarity and ridicule heading Van Gaals way.
TalkSport would be going into overdrive.
Surprise surprise. It’s skipped over as a mere irrelevance.
Can you just imagine the reaction had Wenger uttered such a thing.
Oh, he did (or something similar) and as we all know, he got/gets slaughtered, even by our own, and I say this with great reservations, fans.
I believe this years scramble for 4th spot and CL qualification, and the interest it has stirred, the comments it has invoked, has shown once and for all just HOW important managers at least, see CL qualification.
As has been said on here many a time, it’s importance far out ways that of winning an FA Cup. As much as some don’t like it, that is the way of modern football.
If anyone does hear/sea Van Gaal getting similar stick along the lines of what Wenger would of got I’d be interested to see it.
A uncontrollable anger leads to chaos but a controllable anger leads to intensity. Intensity prompts the body and mind to focus and undeterred. The Hulk in Avengers mentioned, “That’s my secret, Captain. I’m always angry”. It’s very true. If anger is like a poison, inject it into self consistently so our body and mind is well-prepared and well-equipped for the sudden rush anytime, anywhere regardless with anyone. This needs great sacrifice and discipline though.
Of kindness –
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/thailand-does-it-again-brutal-and-beautiful-ad-about-kindness-164628
Of faith-
http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/projectconversion/2011/09/my-last-day-as-a-sikh.html#
Or moving forwards –
“Forget about the past. It does not exist, except in your memory. Drop it. And stop worrying about how you’re going to get through tomorrow. Life is going on right here, right now — pay attention to that and all will be well.”
— Neale Donald Walsch