Are Premiership Fans Just Too Partisan?
ISpy
I’m confused.
No sniggering at the back there! Really, recent events have left me dazed and confused.
Louis Saha scored against Sunderland and Chelsea and was immediately rebranded as United’s most effective striker and the man Sir Alex couldn’t do without if he really wanted to end the season with silverware.
Then, amid the stretching and the rubbing oil of the prelude to the match against Wigan, Saha was injured during the warm-up and is back in rehab. From French perfume to stinking worse than last month’s fish in a matter of weeks!
Travelling the same road but in the opposite direction is the Brazilian Anderson. When United lost against Coventry, observers were quick to point the finger at the famed swordsman. The Guardian gave him two blasts with a loaded shotgun.
“Anderson, Manchester United’s £17m summer recruit, may come with a big reputation and an even bigger price tag, but the Brazilian is facing a prolonged spell in the reserves after an unflattering start to life with his new club,” the newspaper claimed.
“Sir Alex Ferguson had angry words with the entire team after Wednesday’s Carling Cup defeat at home to Coventry City, but he was particularly aggrieved about Anderson’s ineffectual display and is concerned at how the new arrival is struggling to make a favourable impression.”
This was followed by allegedly pious warnings from United liggers that the youngster should stay in a lot more as his socialising was damaging his United career. There was even one tale that claimed Anderson was so poor he would be loaned back to Porto.
The Brazilian may well have used the corruscating criticism and snipes at his lifestyle as a replacement for a motivational tape because he played the best 45 minutes of his United career against Wigan earlier this month and earned glowing reviews.
Wayne Rooney will know all about the twist and turns of fate. Last Friday he was a fading England star who had’t scored for two years. Even his manager was growing less impressed, describing England’s most feared striker as only “potentially” world class.
Was Rooney the new Michael Ricketts? The nation settled in front of its television to ponder that very question and watched as Rooney broke his Three Lions duck against Estonia. Dullard Alan Shearer predicted that Wazza would go on a run and must have felt like the sage of the Toon when Rooney thumped in a marvellous opener during England’s ill-fated match against Russia.
The point of these case studies is to prove that the moronocracy has taken over football. Phone-ins, newspaper instant polls and gibberish masquerading as opinion in the blogosphere has lent authority to those who peddle instant and reversible opinions and immediate judgements based on what someone told them in the pub the night before.
Is this the Sky-Sententa dividedend of wall-to-wall television coverage of the sport or are fickle fans as old as the game itself? Was football always the plaything of the partisan nutter, defending his team and its players in the face of irrefutable evidence that both are inadequate?
Absolutists will know that I’ve been involved in a spat of late with Eros from Arsenal Analysis over our respective ratings of the players representing United and Arsenal. I think Eros is a good lad with intelligent opinions some of which I think are wrong but sincerely held.
Eros and I have been going at it like two cartoon characters in our bid to convert one another. When I widenend the discussion to include other fans, surprise, surprise - no opposing fan was willing to accept without reservation that United players are by and large better than their heroes.
Liverpool loyalists plead the case of Agger and Carragher over Rio and Vidic. City diehards think United got the wrong Brazilian and delight in running the Elano showreel of goals and tricks again and again.
I could go on but should I really stop once you are informed of the quality of Ged’s tale. He thinks Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing is a better proposition than Nani or Giggs. Ged, are you allowed out unaccompanied?
Yes, in the Premiership, absurdity reigns.
By contrast, at international level, there is little debate over which players form the nucleus of the England team. Rocky Robinson stays in goal, because no-one has really forgiven Calamity James. The Nev should come in at right back if he can prove his fitness. Otherwise Micah stays. Rio and Terry pick themselves in the centre because Carragher has grown tired of wasting his time travelling without any hope of a game. Cashley at left back is automatic.
Gerrard in midfield, with Hargreaves or Barry looks a better combination than the Scouser and Frank. The right flank position is up for grabs. Joe Cole is a decent option on the left whilst up front, it’s Rooney and Owen full stop.
Not hard or controversial is it. This team can be tweaked here and there but by and large it’s the team most fans would pick.
So why is impossible to do the same at club level? Is it becasue the choice is greater?
Does the answer really lie in the fact that national teams matter less?
When it comes to the domestic league, team colours cloud judgement. Just to prove that I can try to be objective, here’s my top Premiership 11 based on form shown over the past year..with only the hint of personal bias.
(Gk) Cech
(Defence) Cole; Carragher; Ferdinand, Richards
(Midfield) Giggs; Gerrard; Scholes; Ronaldo
(Attack) Berbatov; Rooney
Subs: EVDS (Gk) Obi Mikel; Fabregas (Midfield) Drogba (Attack) Terry (Defence)
(On Oct 18th, 2007 at 8:11 am)
How does Cesc or Gilberto not get into the team Mr. Objective? How does Ashley Cole get into the team after his worst season of his career? How does Micah Richards get into the team? Where is Arteta on that list. And how do you leave out Drogba for Rooney.
Your team is Bollocks.