Look, my brother-in-law wouldn’t stop yapping about this weekend’s PNJ versus LCA game, betting money on LCA just ’cause they got a fancy new kit or somethin’. Figured I’d shut him up with some cold hard stats instead of vibes.
Step 1: Finding the Damn Stats
Started by digging around fan forums – official sites were buried under flashy ads ‘n ticket promos. Took longer than expected. Ended up scraping messy PDF game sheets from last season folks uploaded.
Step 2: My Bright Idea & Dumb Mistakes
Thought I was clever focusing on three things:
- Points per game for their top 3 scorers.
- Shots blocked average per player.
- How many times their main keeper messed up saves leading to goals recently.
Sounded simple. Made a spreadsheet. Got my coffee ready. Felt smug.
First problem? PNJ swapped two players halfway last season – my averages were garbage cause I lumped new guys with old. Had to redo it twice.
Step 3: Trying to Make Sense of This Mess
Stared at the numbers like they owed me money.
- PNJ’s scorers looked solid on paper, but then I saw LCA’s defenders blocked way more shots than anyone else lately. Confusing.
- LCA’s keeper had that one terrible game messing up saves – made him look awful even though he was decent in others. Cherry pickin’ stats bites back.
Brother-in-law texted me “Got the magic numbers yet?” Pfft.
Step 4: My Big Prediction (& Why It Flopped)
Finally said LCA edged it based on their defenders blocking PNJ’s shots more. Boldly predicted a 2-1 win, mostly to shut up the brother-in-law.
What Actually Happened?
PNJ crushed it 4-0. Ouch. Why? Turned out their main striker recovered from a minor injury just before the game – fired on all cylinders. My stats sheet didn’t know that. Their keeper? Had a migraine apparently, kept fumbling – bad luck you can’t predict.
So yeah. Stats are neat, til real life kicks the door down carrying a player who forgot how to play. Figures.
