So a member of the Dublin management team has allegedly head-butted Monaghan forward Tommy Freeman in the tunnel, after Sunday’s high intensity Parnell Park draw. And this, after a number of incidents in last years competition, that drew attention to Dublin’s ‘physicality’. Both on and off the field, Dublin want it to be known, that they are not a side to be messed with. They go into this years football competition looking to better the 2007 semi-final defeat to Kerry. And they have every chance of at least matching that achievement. But can they go one better? Their power and […]
Read More...Sports Psychology Blog
Welcome to the Sports Psychology blog. Here you will find insights on current sporting events, from the perspective of a sports psychologist.
The purpose of this blog, is to get inside the sporting drama…why the player or team do what they they do…their thinking…mindsets…attitudes…their fluctuating state of confidence…and all the other mental and emotional pieces that create the psychology of sports.
The most recent articles are at the top of the List Of Sports Psychology Blogs Index.
Football Psychology: Hull City – Momentum!
It’s perfect timing. With six games to go, Hull City have come on the rails. Three points behind the Championship leaders. Bang in form. And, they have momentum. Up till now, expectations will have been fairly easy to manage for Tigers boss Phil Brown. But from this point on, everything changes. Suddenly the focus will be on Hull City. Can they do it? Are they ready for the Premier League? What will promotion mean to the city? Now, they are no longer just another team vying for a play-off spot. The media spotlight will be on them. So how does […]
Read More...Cricket: Andrew Strauss – Confidence!
It’s been a disappointing return to the England fold for Andrew Strauss this winter. Today’s six-ball duck, a sign of a man struggling for confidence. Some players can rediscover their lost form in the test arena. But it is a high-risk strategy. The intensity of test competition, can also leave your confidence at rock bottom. Top bowlers will prey endlessly on your perceived weakness. Reminding you verbally as well as physically of your vulnerability. There is no hiding place for the batsman struggling for his touch. Maybe it would be best for Andrew Strauss to return to county cricket. Build […]
Read More...Rugby: Eddie O’Sullivan – What Might Have Been
So Eddie O’Sullivan steps down as Ireland coach. First a disappointing World Cup campaign. Then a series of poor performances in the Six Nations. Somewhere along the way, the Irish team had stopped performing for their leader. Whilst O’Sullivan can look back on many successful sorties, his record will be blighted by a sense of what might have been. Talent, not matched by achievement on the world stage. Somehow, there was the sense with Eddie O’Sullivan, that he wasn’t able to step back and see the bigger picture. That is, better understand the dynamics that were causing his team to […]
Read More...Football: Keigan Parker – Wife & Kids!
It is one of the best goals scored at the New Wembley. Blackpool’s Keigan Parker chipping Yeovil keeper Steve Mildenhall, from the edge of the box to put Blackpool into the Championship. It was widely thought that this would be Parker’s season. Blessed with pace to burn; an ability to turn a man; and an eye for goal. Surely he would be able to make the step up into the Championship. Yet with seven games to go, Keigan Parker has scored precisely no Championship goals. And in the transfer window he turned down a move to Barnsley! On the grounds […]
Read More...Football: Plymouth Argyle – The Mental Approach
“It’s a crazy, crazy thing. We’ve got the same players here. Definitely it’s the mental approach that’s the problem.” The words of Plymouth Argyle manager, Paul Sturrock after an unexpected 1-0 reverse at Scunthorpe. No wonder Sturrock is perplexed. A few games ago his team were the division’s form team. Not anymore. Three defeats in four have cast doubts on the Pilgrim’s ability to make the play-offs. So what’s gone wrong? It is not an uncommon occurrence for a team to hit a reversal of form when they are in sight of a goal or target. In the Pilgrim’s case, a coveted […]
Read More...Rugby: Johnny Wilkinson – Take A Break
So Johnny Wilkinson is dropped for only the second time in his career. This after being substituted during Saturday’s Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield. Four years ago, Wilkinson carried the England team to World Cup glory. He was at the top of his game. The world’s best. But there was a price to pay for his herculean efforts. Injury followed injury. As if carrying the weight of England on his shoulders, was more than his body could tolerate. The same happened to Andrew Flintoff. When England broke a stop situation and reclaimed The Ashes in 2005, Flintoff was the spiritual […]
Read More...Football: Sir Alex Ferguson – Referee!
”Managers get sacked because of things like that and he’s going to referee a game next week.” Sir Alex Ferguson, bemoaning the fact that Martin Atkinson failed to award United a penalty after Ronaldo was challenged by Distin. For many seasons, visiting teams to Old Trafford, rarely received the benefit of a penalty award. Whilst, United, on the other hand, have usually been generously served by the officials. So for Martin Atkinson to turn down a United penalty claim, takes courage. It means that he wasn’t swayed by the crowd; the United players; or by the United manager. He made his mind […]
Read More...Football: Gary Peters – The Play Off Comedown
So Gary Peters is sacked as manager of Shrewsbury Town. After a season that began so optimistically. Fresh from a Wembley play-off appearance. Beginning life in a brand new stadium. Everything augured well for another crack at promotion. So what went wrong? Shrewsbury Town would not be the first team to suffer a comedown after a play-off final defeat. In fact, few teams are able to rally themselves for another assault on the summit, after tasting defeat at Wembley or the Millenium Stadium. But why is this? With the play-offs coming at the end of the season, players have to dig […]
Read More...Football: Michael Owen – Stare Down The Beast
‘The game against Blackburn this Saturday, is one you look at and think Newcastle at home should be getting something out of it. If we can do that, we can get a bit of confidence. We then play Liverpool, and after that we have got a few games that are winnable’. The words of Newcastle United striker Michael Owen. Owen’s thoughts reveal the lack of confidence that is undermining Newcastle’s season. Like a gambler on a losing run, the belief is ‘one-win and all will be well’. It’s a mind-set of hope. But hope is not enough. Hope lacks the […]
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