Open goals - do you regularly miss them?

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In both a literal and metaphorical sense, do you muscle your way through the defence, past the keeper, then wallop the ball into row AA?

Or for those not footie minded, do you often find yourself presented with golden opportunities, miss them, then end up ruing them for the next week or so?

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:05 (twenty years ago)

I only ask cos in the last week or so I've screwed up both personal and work related golden opportunities, and I noticed that there's a pattern emerging where I don't take half of what's offered to me. Is it a self-destruct mechanism borne from self-loathing, or just stupidity in not knowing where the goal is until it's too late? Or none of the above? Does anybody else get this?

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:07 (twenty years ago)

OH man, do I ever. I spent the last several years in my last job muttering to myself "I really need to get a better job, I'm bored here, I want to be a writer and have some time off dammit! Woe, etc".

So then our team got made redundant and I got a HUGE redudancy payout. Enough that I could live off it at least 3 months weithout having to worry about jobhunting, dole etc. Aha! This is my golden special opportunity, thought I. I can rest and write and it will be grate!

... and then I spent 3 months sitting on my arse and drinking, and ended up in a shitty helpdesk job out of "shit I'm out of money" desperation. Hmf.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:10 (twenty years ago)

I am too confounded by the football analogy to actually think about this situation and whether I do it or not.

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:12 (twenty years ago)

Everybody makes the odd screw up, but some people seem to be able to do it CONSTANTLY. Is it simply laziness+stupidity?

xpost

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:13 (twenty years ago)

Laziness/reticence/fear of change+failure, in my case. I think.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:14 (twenty years ago)

I think - if I understand this correctly (sorry, football analogies mess with my brain and I'm never sure I have it right or if I'm thinking of an "own goal") - that often it's insecurities, in not really understanding or believing that the goal is actually accessible. Or even that self doubt of "nah, can't really be. I'm sure that something will swoop out of left field and take it away from me, and I'm misunderstood something fundamental which will ruin what I *do* have if I try for something else."

Perhaps?

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:18 (twenty years ago)

often it's insecurities, in not really understanding or believing that the goal is actually accessible.

Well that's the interesting thing. Whether it's a girl playing with her hair well regularly and you just missing it, or having the chance to get a better job and not, or whatever, there's some people that spot the chances and take it, and some people that don't, and I'm just interested in why, that's all. And I think you might be right, that it IS just down to being insecure. Certainly makes sense, unless anyone can come up with a better idea.

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:24 (twenty years ago)

Consider me Kanu in the 90th minute against Middlesbrough.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:32 (twenty years ago)

Yes . . . but WHY?

Or is it just that some people are naturally Kanu-esque ie shit?

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:34 (twenty years ago)

ILX is full of indie boys (and girl) being all Emo today. What's up with that? Is it the weather?

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)

End of summer.

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)

Autumn and the cold weather gives me The Horn. Not the regret. I get frisky, start thinking about mating. Mmmmmmm, mating.

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

my life seems to mirror dioufys. great from spring onwards, but hasnt really got off the mark this season yet

― エル・ハジ・ディウフ, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)

OK, I just give up. Have a nice thread.

― I Dream Of Sleep (kate), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:45 (twenty years ago)

I think my only missed opportunities are work related, i prefer to stay lower to the ground level and I've had plenty of chances to move further up the ladder in my line of work over the past 5 years.

On the other side of the coin given the chance of scoring a goal from 6 yards out and with the goalkeeper nowhere to be seen? Yes i would miss, spectacularly.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

Most of the time I just hoof it from the half way line and hope for the best.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:58 (twenty years ago)

only to see the roy carroll of whitechapel scoop it out of the net, once again

― エル・ハジ・ディウフ, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:59 (twenty years ago)

why is your screen name just a row of squares?

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 12:03 (twenty years ago)

If you're trying to alienate Kate, it's working.

This is all true, some people DO tend to sky it more than others. But what character traits lead to this? In my case I think it's just not twigging that there's a goal there at all - is this true for everyone?

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 12:04 (twenty years ago)

alienate?

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 12:12 (twenty years ago)

Being a girl, she doesn't understand football.

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 12:13 (twenty years ago)

I get this... ooh yeah. I get it every week when I play 5-a-side. It'll be like: I've come down the left, run past a defender, somehow dribbled around the keeper - all I've got to do is tap the ball in - so I take a swing at air and fall over instead. Every game: comedy moment.

I regret my missed chances - some of them come back to haunt me - but that's why I try to improve my game, even if I do keep making the same mistakes. Self confidence and awareness are important to playing well, yes. It's no good if you don't see the goal in time...

― angle of dateh, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 22:39 (twenty years ago)

i have a pretty good wrist shot, so no. on the other hand, i can't skate for shit, so open goals don't often present themselves.

oddly, this also counts for the analogy.

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

yeah with basketball - the last one was when I had a great game, hitting from everywhere, and on the last shot that could have won it, I airballed a three. My teammate got the re and put it back to win so it was all good but that shot is all that you rewind in your head after the game. That's good in a way, it's that haughty, stubborn pursuit of perfection what drives you past complacency in a lot of instances.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

I had this deal earlier in the month where I remember thinking to myself that it was basically the equivalent of having to take a penalty at an open goal, but having to stand there thinking about it for three days, which allows enough time to envisage every possible freakish ricochet/slip that could possibly contribute to fucking it up. In the end I like, metaphorically tore my quad right off the bone during the run-up.

I am very good at Pro Evolution Soccer, at least. I missed a penalty on that last night, but I still won the league. Ahh.

― F (Ferg), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 23:05 (twenty years ago)

I think most of the time I just sort of ignore open goals, or like toe-poke at them half-heartedly like the frail kid in secondary school PE who used to stand around doing nothing and occasionally just sort of sarcastically swinging his foot in the vague direction of the ball.

― F (Ferg), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 23:11 (twenty years ago)

I miss one-one-ones all the time, but I am a winger I guess. Also open goals on left foot = site of shame.

I think I sometimes do this datingwise but not so much in other lifestuff.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 23:26 (twenty years ago)

it's that haughty, stubborn pursuit of perfection what drives you past complacency

That's it... although you've got to be careful not to beat yourself up about your missed chances too much. You'll probaby miss the next one as well if you do... plus you're ignoring the other factors that made you miss in the first place which probably weren't your fault, even if they are your responsibility.

― angle of dateh, Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:35 (twenty years ago)

i miss them on purpose. hitting the back of the net in an open goal situation carries a feeling of satisfaction only for so long.

after that you try and hit the fuckwit in the third row.

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:38 (twenty years ago)

See this is why AFL is better - if you miss, you still get a point =)

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:41 (twenty years ago)

(what that says about me, or Australians in general, I errm, I'm not sure)

― Trayce (trayce), Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:41 (twenty years ago)

i've missed a few due to being completely unprepared when they were presented. in some ways i'm much better off, but still..

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:42 (twenty years ago)

unprepared = drunk?

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:46 (twenty years ago)

haha probably. no more like missing out on opportunities because we took four years to make another record.

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:47 (twenty years ago)

well you like the new record yeah?

― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Thursday, 25 August 2005 06:53 (twenty years ago)

of course!

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Thursday, 25 August 2005 07:42 (twenty years ago)

i do. goalkeepers rush out of their goals so much less often these days.

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 25 August 2005 09:56 (twenty years ago)

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