So yesterday I decided to dig into this Bournemouth vs Chelsea matchup because honestly, these Prem League stats always make my head spin. Grabbed my laptop around 7 PM with cold pizza next to me – typical research setup, right?
The Stat Hunting Begins
First thing? Wasted a whole hour just figuring out WHERE to even find decent head-to-head records. Three different footy sites later, my eyes were glazing over. Finally settled on Premier League’s own archives. Pro tip: coffee is non-negotiable here.
The Ugly Spreadsheet Phase
Started copying numbers like a madman into Excel tabs:
- Last five seasons only – ain’t nobody got time for ancient history
- Shoved in goals scored each match, red cards, possession stats
- Separated home/away columns – got mixed up twice copying wrong numbers
Pretty sure I cursed loud enough to startle my cat somewhere during this mess.
The “Why Is This Taking So Long?” Part
My laptop froze twice exporting charts. Ended up sketching graphs by hand first like some caveman – pens everywhere, scribbled arrows pointing to surprise Bournemouth wins. Chelsea fans would cry seeing this paper.
The Pattern Lightbulb Moment
Around the third coffee refill, it slapped me in the face:
- Bournemouth ALWAYS gets weirdly physical against Chelsea (like triple yellows)
- But Chelsea still dominates possession even when losing (what???)
- Drew little angry circles around seasons Bournemouth snatched points
Making It Readable For Normal Humans
Trashed my first draft because it looked like robot vomit. Rewrote it pretending I’m explaining to my mate at the pub:
- Highlighted Bournemouth’s underdog chaos energy
- Called out seasons where Chelsea choked big time
- Threw in “possession means squat if you can’t score” with evidence
Hit publish at midnight feeling like a war survivor. My takeaways? One: math hurts my brain. Two: Bournemouth plays Chelsea like it’s personal. Three: my cold pizza deserved better.