We played Queensland Roar on the opening day of the A-League season, coming off 3 matches where we won 2 and drew 1 (Penalty shoot-out against Melbourne excluded).  When we were heading into our recent fixture against the Roar on the same terms, it got me thinking about superstition in football.

Whether it’s the power of prayer, getting your shirt off with 10 minutes to go, or giving your teammate a kiss on the chrome dome, there are a lot of myths and heresay around football superstitions.

I came across this book recently called “Myths and Facts about Football“, which breaks down a heap of myths and facts with some scientific analysis. It tackles issues such as being more likely to concede a goal after you have just scored one, and that a ‘keeper is more likely to save a penalty by standing still rather than diving’.

Professor Peter Ayton, a psychologist at London’s City University and one of the book’s contributors, reckons that the book could prove a useful tool for players and fans alike.

He told BBC Sport: “I’m not saying we’ve got all the answers but this is the way to find out what the real truth is. Pundits and commentators all have opinions but if you can back something up with data, then why not use it?”

Footballers and their fans are a funny lot when it comes to some of these things, which makes it all the more interesting to have some of these myths debunked.

Personally, I have a couple of superstitions when it comes to playing - I always put my left boot on first, and I always tie my right lace first. It doesn’t really help my game, but it’s something I generally stick to.

What other superstitions are out there? Feel free to drop a few comments in with anything you’ve heard, or something you do yourself.

Adam Brown is one of the founders of Yellow Fever – the Wellington Phoenix supporters group. As a freelance writer, he covers football for Sportal in both New Zealand and Australia as well as writing for several local publications. He is a keen footballer himself, but has never managed to excel beyond plodding through the local divisions in Wellington.

This article originally at The Hand of God, under the title Superstition and football - the perils and pitfalls.

Photo credits: tsetribe on Flickr via the84thminute photo pool.

Throughout the entire competition, no side showed any sort of polish or class, with a string of five passes being an absolute rarity! Every team looked nervous and cagey, which was a far cry from the expansive football of last year’s competition – including the Grand Final which are usually notoriously dry affairs.

The most disappointing would have to be the Sydney and Melbourne clash. The two traditional heavyweights of the competition usually provide enthralling and entertaining matches, but this particular clash had about as much excitement as watching the New Zealand Knights play in days gone by. Both sides were negative and kept men behind the ball. They also played through the middle of the park, and never gave any license for their wide players to get forward.

On paper, Sydney has recruited strongly throughout the off-season so were perhaps more disappointing than most, when you look at the quality of players they possess across the park – which is especially scary for any non-Sydney fans considering their lengthy injury list. Simon Colosimo looked out of sorts, and will take some time to settle into the role. Whilst he was a commanding presence at Perth last year, he is no longer the talisman of his side, and may need some adjustment to adapt to life as one of the also-rans of a star-studded side. It appears that the slow creak of father time has begun to invade Steve Corica’s legs, but he is not alone in the competition when it comes to that.

Melbourne’s much-hyped recruits produced little, and Merrick’s normally astute judgment must start to come under scrutiny should Fabiano et al not start to produce the goods. The Victory looked sound defensively with the ever-reliable Muscat marshalling the troops, but they looked a bit light in the final third.

I think it would be fair to say that Central Coast will struggle to reach the lofty heights of minor premiers again this year, as they spent a second half under huge amounts of Newcastle pressure. Petrovski is looking to be suffering from the same effects as his former Sydney team mate Corica, whilst Elrich appears to have merely picked up where he left off from his time at the Wellington Phoenix.

Newcastle surprised me a little, as I felt they would be weak considering that they had lost so many of their stars from last season’s victorious campaign. They were the pick of all the sides for me, and they will no doubt feel robbed at having not come away from the match with all three points. Zura looks like he will take some time to settle into Australian football, but showed a few glimpses of what he is capable of – albeit fleeting ones.

Adelaide and Perth appeared to go through the motions at Hindmarsh, with a single piece of poor goalkeeping separating the sides. Perth was the other side that I picked to do poorly this term (along with Newcastle, who proved me wrong on the weekend), but like Newcastle, they will feely harshly done-by to not grab a point. Travis Dodd showed some nice touches and Ognenovski looks like he was a quality acquisition for the club. Vidmar no doubt had half an eye on the upcoming Asian Champions League fixture, so it is perhaps fair to cut them some slack.

Queensland and Wellington was much of the same, with the sides battling to a rather dour and uninspired 1-1 draw in the New Zealand capital. Neither side showed any real adventure, and both appeared content to sit deep and earn a point rather than chase the match to grab all three.

Maybe I’m a being a little harsh given that it was the opening weekend of the competition, but when I think back to the same round last year, I distinctly remember a thriller between Syndey and Central Coast, and a similar nail-biter between the Phoenix and Melbourne.

What do you think? Drop me a comment and let me know.

Adam Brown is one of the founders of Yellow Fever – the Wellington Phoenix supporters group. As a freelance writer, he covers football for Sportal in both New Zealand and Australia as well as writing for several local publications. He is a keen footballer himself, but has never managed to excel beyond plodding through the local divisions in Wellington.

Photo credit: Victory In Melbourne on Flickr via the84thminute photo pool.

I think Herbert will opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, which is essentially what they put out in the Pre-Season Cup Final against the Melbourne Victory last week. This gives a solid platform at the back and some stability in the center of midfield, as well as giving some of the more adventurous midfielders and wingers the chance to have a free role behind a target man in the middle up front.

You’d have to start with Moss between the sticks. He was one of the standouts of the previous campaign, and has done nothing since to suggest he is anything but Herbert’s first choice.

I think that the two central defenders select themselves. John McKain has produced some outstanding performances in pre-season and the ever reliable Andrew Durrante will partner him and skipper the side. I am going to go out on a bit of a limb and say that Herbert will take a gamble and start David Mulligan at right back. Whilst the former Barnsley man is lacking some match fitness, his experience and ability at set pieces will be a welcome addition to the side. I also think that Ricki Herbert will start with Tony Lochhead on the left. The pacy wing back recently missed out on a contract at Middlesborough, but will no doubt be keen to show them what they have missed out on.

New signing Manny Muscat can probably consider himself a little unlucky not to have a starting berth (assuming my prediction is correct), but I think Herbert will look to put his best foot forward and Mulligan and Lochhead provide the adventure and impetus to push forward and create chances more than the defensively minded Muscat. However, with Vince Lia being out of the side due to injury, Muscat will provide some much needed cover and versatility for the squad.

The midfield is arguably where the Phoenix have the most competition for places. The two holding midfielders in front of the back four are the two most difficult to place. Richard Johnson, Karl Dodd, Michael Ferrante and Tim Brown are all vying for sports, and with Tim Brown only just starting to play again following a long injury layoff, I think it is safe to rule him out for the weekend’s match.

I’m going to go out on a limb to an extent, and go with Ferrante and Dodd. Ferrante’s distribution is superb, and the former West Ham and Melbourne Victory man has made himself the first choice for the center of midfield. His ability to get forward and assist the front players, as well as his movement around the park on defence makes him the first choice for me. Johnson played well against the Victory in the Pre Season Cup final, but did look a little leaden-footed towards the end of the match and I’m not convinced that he is able to graft in that holding role for 90 minutes. Herbert seems keen to run Dodd in that role, and whilst a few of my fellow supporters may disagree, I think that he has performed well there from what I have seen. Whilst his decision making seems a little hesitant at times, his distribution is excellent which more than makes up for it.

The three midfielders is also a difficult proposition, as there are four quality players that will continually compete for places. Leo Bertos, Lei Lei Gao, Daniel and Adam Kwasnik are the front runners for spots, which gives Herbert a wealth of options. Gao’s fitness is questionable following a hamstring strain that he picked up at training this week, so on that assumption my job becomes a little easier! My pick is Bertos, Daniel and Kwasnik, and I would expect to see them all roaming around the pitch rather than fixing themselves in specific roles.

Obviously, Smeltz is the main man up front, and us Wellingtonians are hoping to see a similar return on goals to what we saw last year.

Coming off the bench, expect to see strong performances from Troy Hearfield and Costa Barbarouses. Both players are young and fearless, and will snatch any opportunity they are given.

Adam Brown is one of the founders of Yellow Fever – the Wellington Phoenix supporters group. As a freelance writer, he covers football for Sportal in both New Zealand and Australia as well as writing for several local publications. He is a keen footballer himself, but has never managed to excel beyond plodding through the local divisions in Wellington.

Photo credit: Adam Brown