The Confidence Coach's Sports Psychology Articles
On The Couch With Dr. Martin -442's Resident Sports Psychology Expert
The Confidence Coach's monthly Sports Psychology Article in 442 magazine. This article was written after Alan Pardew's Charlton conceded a last minute goal to Fulham. It examines the psychology of a team that habitually concedes late goals.
The Last Minute Winner
It's Alan Pardew's first game in charge at The Valley and Charlton Athletic are fretfully defending a one goal advantage against Fulham. A dubious free-kick to the visitors leads to a frantic scramble in the Charlton box and a last gasp Queudrue equaliser. Pardew looks bereft. But he shouldn't be surprised.
Statistics tell us that it's the teams who are struggling who concede most late goals. Conversely, the teams at the top score more late goals. So what is the phenomenon of the last minute goal? Why is it that so many sides preoccupied with survival concede late on?
The pressure begins to build when the fourth official is poised pitch side. His board, revealing added time, shines through the gloom, but rarely lights up the night. Whatever the circumstances, fans always respond as if the event itself catches them by surprise, thus adding to the general tension.
From the demeanour of a side defending a perilous lead you can recognize the fear. The fear of added time has seized them. Time added seems more potent than normal time, which is predetermined. It becomes charged time, time lost or gained. It seems to have a life of its own, but note how managers, flourishing their own watches, want to impose their own 'time'. So, in these condensed moments, the players' fears become magnified.
They are afraid of making the mistake that will cost them the game. They fear the late goal. Fear eats the soul
Players become desperate to not err. To not be the one responsible for dropping crucial points. But then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. And the more the players fear making a mistake, the greater the chance of doing so. The players draw negative energy from the crowd's anxiety. Tension leads to the kind of pressure which causes loss of concentration. The players are no longer in the moment where focus is sharp and concentration is keen, mentally, they have reached the final whistle and attained the sanctuary of the dressing room. Sharp opponents will sense this and press forward.
Once a side starts conceding late goals it can become a habit, a norm. So much so that they expect it, almost anticipate it, in a perverse kind of way. Added time means screw up time. It confirms their low self image. The late goal virus has set in. This virus contaminates the minds of the players.
The stoppage time goal reinforces the teams belief that they are unlucky. It engenders an excuse environment, where failure is always someone else's fault. It creates another hard luck story. They console themselves that everything is against them, including time. This victim mind-set enables the team to feel sorry for itself and wallow in destructive self-pity. The self-pity contrives to disguise the real issues that lead to failure. Self-pity creates cliques and absolves players of personal responsibility.
The Sports Psychology Summary...
The challenge for the manager is to change the thinking around 'the added time syndrome'. To engender a different spirit. To take the pressure off the players. Having developed the theme in training he might set them the task to score in the final minutes. The strong players will thrive on this. Instead of trying to keep the opposition out they, recognising that the opponent is wary and weary, actively seek out scoring opportunities. Added time then becomes the time to press home the advantage, not to sit back and nervously hold what you've got.
It's the anxiety which cripples; which inhibits teams; which leads to vulnerability; which leads to mistakes. Which, inevitably, costs games. Fear of failure is fear of losing. Remove the fear, dare to lose. Kick the habit.
Martin Perry: Confidence Coaching & Sports Psychology - 0044(0) 77897 56425