The Shadow Self...

[Jampie]

I don't think this is off-topic at all. It's meta but very on-topic IMO.

When your team loses it's understandable to be frustrated, but just as it's inappropriate to scream at people in the real world, it's not appropriate, in my opinion, to lash out online. Fair play to criticise a behaviour, but name-calling and casting aspersions on peoples' professionalism is too much.

I also think we tend to vastly underestimate how complicated things are when we post. Most of what happens on a football pitch is down to physical ability of individual organic beings (which is prone to fluctuate quite a bit), psychological factors (most of which are entirely subconscious) and a fair whack of randomness. But criticisms often boil down to ludicrous statements like "we lost because X didn't do Y". If we'd won because of some other random chance, you wouldn't have even noticed X not doing Y a lot of the time.

I sincerely hope the players and Ian do NOT read what's posted online. I gave up reading criticism of my work by the general public a long time ago because it's just an avalanche of poorly thought out and ignorant negativity. You just can't get through a day with your motivation intact if you spend any amount of time wading through... that.

[SwalePie]

I don't think this is off-topic at all. It's meta but very on-topic IMO.

When your team loses it's understandable to be frustrated, but just as it's inappropriate to scream at people in the real world, it's not appropriate, in my opinion, to lash out online. Fair play to criticise a behaviour, but name-calling and casting aspersions on peoples' professionalism is too much.

I also think we tend to vastly underestimate how complicated things are when we post. Most of what happens on a football pitch is down to physical ability of individual organic beings (which is prone to fluctuate quite a bit), psychological factors (most of which are entirely subconscious) and a fair whack of randomness. But criticisms often boil down to ludicrous statements like "we lost because X didn't do Y". If we'd won because of some other random chance, you wouldn't have even noticed X not doing Y a lot of the time.

I sincerely hope the players and Ian do NOT read what's posted online. I gave up reading criticism of my work by the general public a long time ago because it's just an avalanche of poorly thought out and ignorant negativity. You just can't get through a day with your motivation intact if you spend any amount of time wading through... that.

Your third paragraph is an excellent explanation. Love that.

[Elite_Pie]

Your third paragraph is an excellent explanation. Love that.

The last paragraph makes me think that he's not very good at his job!

Or does that constitute online abuse?

[Jampie]

The last paragraph makes me think that he's not very good at his job!

Or does that constitute online abuse?

I don't think it's online abuse, but it's a perfect example of the kind of ignorant statement I'm referring to, so thanks for that. You've no idea WHAT I do but you think I'm bad at it based on a post I made on a football forum. Classic!

[Elite_Pie]

I don't think it's online abuse, but it's a perfect example of the kind of ignorant statement I'm referring to, so thanks for that. You've no idea WHAT I do but you think I'm bad at it based on a post I made on a football forum. Classic!

You have my best wishes on a speedy recovery from your sense of humour bypass operation.

ps just like my earlier post this is a jokey statement, nothing more. Sincere apologies to anyone who reads it as an ignorant statement.

[Elite_Pie]

I've probably made the odd post on here that I've regretted on occasions over the years, but I can't remember saying anything online that I wouldn't be prepared to repeat face to face. I don't do any social media because I am aware that it can get very extreme and toxic, and whatever people think of me on NCM that's not something I want to be involved in.

[upthemaggies]

Angry fan reaction, potentially read by players, didn't begin with online social media. People used to write letters to the Football Post. I stumbled over some the other day from 1968 after a 0-3 home to defeat to Hartlepool in which we also missed a penalty, one letter described the team as a disgrace and another that it was the worst performance he'd ever seen.

I'm also reminded of an interview Beatle John Lennon gave to Rolling Stone magazine in 1970. It read like an absolute tirade of hate. A lot of people were upset by it at the time, including people who worked for the band and it was quoted for years as evidence of how angry and bitter Lennon was. About 20 years after he was murdered, an audio tape of the entire interview surfaced and revealed him to be quite relaxed and measured and he was just saying whatever came into his head, as you do, in a normal conversation with a journalist with whom he'd become quite close to and hung out with. Words are not reality.