I’ve had one of those days, so this post is late and it’s going to be quick. And it’s going to focus on two things. One you are expecting.
The match tonight is big and if we were to win, that would be nine points from the first three. It would put us in a very good position. And Bologna, some might say, are there for the taking and we should be very optimistic for tonight.
Did you never watch Indiana Jones?
They may be twelfth in Serie A having only won one in the last five, but this is still a Champions League side. This might look like one of the easier matches but this match has to be approached like we’re walking through a snake pit.
At any second they could strike. And the best form of defence is to attack. Tonight is going to be one of those matches. I’ve got a good feeling about the football tonight. I’m hopeful for the right result. And I believe that we are capable.
I’ll be back in a couple of hours or so.
And that’s the reason of the post. The other thing I want to bring up is something Gary O’Neil, the Wolves manager said at the weekend. He has said there was a subconscious bias toward bigger clubs and I get the feeling from what I’ve heard or read very quickly that the Premier League and FA think he’s mad.
He’s not mad, but it he right with his terminology?
Unconscious bias (something we hear a lot these days in big organisations) refers to automatic, unintentional judgments formed without awareness, while subconscious bias involves deeper, partially hidden biases that can influence behaviour without conscious recognition.
Both affect decisions and actions, but unconscious bias operates quicker and on a more surface level compared to the deeper-rooted subconscious bias. I think it could be either, but I suspect this will be cleared up over time.
But again, he’s not mad.
As it was Monday, I was in the pub last night with the intention of IFK Norrköping versus Brommapojkarna and it turned out to be quite a dull match, but an interesting evening. The topic came up about how players in Sweden that have played overseas and come back seem to get more decisions given to them, because they’re considered better players because they were able to play in Europe.
It’s just something that’s accepted. Is that unconscious or subconscious bias. That’s the question. What isn’t in doubt in Sweden is that it exists. What’s not in doubt in many many organisations is that it exists also. It exists in society too. Why not in football?
And you mark my words on this, we’re going to start to see more decisions go against the big sides now, because that will be the implied instruction given to the referees. Trust me, more decisions will now start to go against the big clubs.
What they’re going to miss is, it’s not just the decisions, it’s the big decisions.
Gary O’Neil is spot on. The FA and or the Premier League need to accept this and figure out how to fix it. First for me would be that if the linesman puts up his flag, the linesman is right. You don’t undermine the people on the pitch unless it is so very clear and obviously wrong and if the linesman is putting up his flag, it’s clear and obvious to him. There can be no doubt.
VAR is ruining this game, much like all the international breaks were ruining supporting England and the nail on the coffin was to put a non English person in charge. But the regular game is getting worse. This VAR fiasco, the bias question and the stupid number of games getting players are just steps towards ruining the top tier of football.
Pretending it isn’t happening it just hiding from the problem. Right, I’ll be back tonight. Need to get some work done.
