The Butterfly Effect

[LeeS]

Does this annoy anyone else?

A colleague of mine is a Saints fan and is, understandably, upset about Sunday's result and he keeps banging on about the offside goal. In his mind the score is 3-3 and Gabbiadini has been denied a hat-trick.

No matter how hard I try I cant explain to him about the butterfly effect. If the offside goal is not disallowed then the entire game from that moment on plays out differently. Maybe it leads to a different result maybe it doesn't. Maybe it leads to Gabbiadini scoring a hat-trick maybe it doesn't. But you can say with almost 100% certainty that nothing that followed that moment would happen exactly the same as it did. He disagrees and believes the same moves and the same chances and the same goals would have all followed.

It brought to mind all of those times a commentator says, "Villa should have had 3 or 4 goals already", or, "Gabby could have had a hat-trick tonight". I always end up tutting at the telly. Anyone else?

[amfy]

The same as. - 'If we'd gone through we'd have drawn x team'

[MoetVillan]

If Dowd had sent off Vidic like he should have done, we would have won more silverware and not be in the position we are now

[cdward]

Liverpool will still buy Gabbiadini

[DeKuip]

LeeS - it annoys me as well, and have had many frustrating discussions over it, it's like banging your head against brick wall isn't it.
In Sunday's case had the goal been given the game would have restarted from a kick-off instead of on the edge of the six-yard box. Everything from that point on would have played out differently - not just at Wembley, but across the whole world. For instance, I might have carried on watching instead of going for a walk like I did when United went one up. On my walk I stopped and had a moan about the Villa with a Wolves fan I know, so his life has now also taken a different path to what it would have done too, etc etc.

As for Vidic being sent off, Milner might not have scored the penalty if Vidic had gone as it would have been taken at a different moment in time.

[mattjpa]

Barry should have taken the penalty. We may well be premier league champions by now

[Richard]

It totally annoys me as well and worst of all is used by so called commentators too (Martin Tyler on Sunday for example).

[amfy]

.......and to top it off, even if it had played out exactly the same, Saints were clearly tiring at the end and would probably have lost in extra time anyway!

[JUAN PABLO]

I still cant believe how well saints played and Black is the coach there.

[Ads]

If Dowd had sent off Vidic like he should have done, we would have won more silverware and not be in the position we are now

Preach it.

Owen almost certainly would not have been brought on when he was with a defender requiring replacing.

[PeterWithesShin]

Owen started.

[Richard E]

Owen started.

Yes, it was Shrek who came on.

[Ads]

Owen started.

That's right. He went off early, but not until he'd scored.

I recall now, is that I believe Fergie would have taken him off for a centre, as he wasn't fit.

Cheating fucker that Staffs Red, Dowd.

[Bully2345]

The same as. - 'If we'd gone through we'd have drawn x team'

Forgive my geekiness but in the FA Cup, this can be true as the number that you are assigned in the draw relates to the order that the previous draw was made.

For example, if Villa are drawn out of the hat in the first tie of the 3rd round , ourselves or the opponents would be ball 1 in the 4th round draw

[Meanwood Villa]

When England had that goal disallowed against Germany in the 2010 World Cup the standard line was that it wouldn't have mattered because we ended up being battered 4-1. Again, total bollocks. England might have still got turned over by a superior German team but it doesn't mean that it wasn't a horrifically bad call which cost England a legitimate goal. No-one seems to mention it either, unlike the Hand of God. Then again, we'd have drawn that 1-1 of course.