Own Goals

Can anyone explain why scoring an own goal in a match seemingly has no effect on a player's rating, but a mistake that leads to a goal has a catastrophic effect? Surely putting the ball into your own net would be a massive confidence blow to most players? And if a player can go from say 6.8 to 5.4 just for missing a header that leads to a goal, then shouldn't the same happen if a player heads into their own net?

While I'm on the subject, do you think the dreaded 'mistake led to goal' is a bit heavy handed? I can see why some players would collapse mentally after an error, but it seems to affect players with good mental stats as well.

Rant over - spot the person who's just had an error-strewn match and is a bit cheesed off by it...

1) Don't confuse confidence with quality of play. The numerical rating is a rating of how well the player is doing; the confidence with which he is playing is found on a different screen (the Morale menu choice).

2) Own goals are often not the result of poor play by the scorer of the own goal. If the ball rebounds off the woodwork, hits the player, and rebounds into the net, that's not bad play by the defender. The fullback who sticks out a leg to block a shot, and ends up wrong-footing the 'keeper, who then gets to watch the ball flash by into the net, has not committed an error, he's just been unlucky. Contrast the own goal caused by, for example, attempting to head the ball wide and having it go into the upper-90 instead from poor technique. That type of own goal is poor play, and will result in a reduction in the rating of the player's play.

3) Confidence is a funny thing. Some people are unfazed by errors. Some people are fazed temporarily by them, but then recover and get about their business. And some people simply fall to pieces when they screw up. Those in that last category are not what you want sitting in the central back positions.