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BORO FANS DO NOT BELIEVE LOTTERY LUCK IS ON THEIR SIDE 17-9-07
Boro fans consider themselves to be among the unluckiest fans in the UK according to new research revealed today by The National Lottery.
The study is the largest piece of research into luck and football in Britain, capturing over 2,000 football fans' attitudes to luck and the beautiful game. Of those surveyed, 55% of Middlesbrough fans considered their team to have been unlucky or even 'cursed' last season, putting the club in the bottom 10 when it comes to footballing luck across Britain. The research findings are unsurprising given their 4-0 defeat against Seville in the 2006 UEFA Cup Final in Eindhoven, losing Steve McClaren to England in May 2006 and finishing in 12th place at the end of the 2006-2007 season.
In particular, fans feel aggrieved with referees, with three quarters (75%) thinking decisions went against them last season. Penalty decisions did not fare much better, with 60% claiming luck was not on their side here either.
Other key findings for Boro fans include:
More than a third (35%) of fans consider themselves to be superstitious
An overwhelming 90% of fans believe that luck plays an important role in the outcome of a game
Certain 'omens' and 'signs' are seen to affect team luck - one in five (20%) avoid betting on their team, while 15% believe that certain referees can spell doom
One fan elaborated on his pre-match ritual by saying that he always looks at the same spot in the Riverside Stadium and counts for 20 seconds. Once that time is up, he looks at the first Boro player, who he believes will then score.
Psychologist and author, Dr Linda Papadopoulos, who worked together with The National Lottery on the research, said: "In order to deal with chance and fate, many people develop a philosophy based on their previous experience - in the case of football fans, they adopt certain rituals and external signs such as the weather or a certain referee become good or bad 'omens'.
"If they are unable to follow this ritual or change their routine and they experience bad luck, this cements their philosophy even further and convinces them that their actions directly impact the result."
The research also found that fans can feel the impact of their team's luck away from the football ground. An overwhelming 80% of respondents say they feel personally luckier when their club performs well.
Dr Linda Papadopoulos comments: "The link between team performance and personal luck is often down to the importance of football to an individual and how much they've invested emotionally in their team.
"Feeling lucky is strongly linked to your frame of mind. If something we invest in, e.g. a football team and it does well, then we feel positive as a result. So if your team is performing well, this puts you in a positive frame of mind, which in turn makes you feel luckier in your own life."
The attitude of Boro fans towards other British clubs was also explored. Like most fans across the UK, three quarters (75%) of Middlesbrough respondents feel that Manchester United is the luckiest club in the country, while a quarter (25%) think recently-relegated Leeds United is the unluckiest team in the football community. Fans also believe some managers blame negative match results on bad luck too often, with almost a third (31%) naming Sir Alex Ferguson as the worst whinger.
The research was conducted online by Football Fans Census among 2013 fans of English and Scottish League Football Clubs between 3 August and 8 August 2007.
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