fans – GAME OF THE PEOPLE

MANCHESTER CITY proved they can turn it on when they need to, even if they have to go in at half-time two goals down to a team like Tottenham to get going. City were jeered off at half-time by the fans, which didn’t go down well with coach Pep Guardiola, who implied the home support might be becoming a little complacent. He was not impressed.

The Daily Mirror’s Andy Dunn, wasn’t singing from the same songsheet as Guardiola. “You are reading this correctly, they jeered Pep Guardiola. Home fans, that is. Home fans booed the genius. Our at least, booed Pep’s team, which us just as unforgivable.”

Guardiola said the fans were silent for 45 minutes, but they booed because they were losing, not because City were playing bad. He then went on to say that his team lacked guts, passion and a desire to win from minute one. “We’ve lost our fire,” he fumed, but they found it after half-time.

Guardiola should be familiar with the concept of supporters expressing their dissatisfaction; he is from Spain where they wave white hankerchiefs and let the teams know if they are not being entertained. If City’s players are complacent and the fans too used to winning, then what about Guardiola? His record over the past decade suggests he too is unused to failure and, by the way, he also does his share of moaning.

Fans are entitled to show displeasure, as long as it is civil and harmless. They pay a lot of money to watch their team so why not let the team know they feel they are being short-changed? Loyal support is one thing, but blind loyalty is foolhardy – the margins in the game are so narrow that it is precarious to put all your emotional chips on winning every game. Even Manchester City cannot win every game, and neither should they. The problem is, football is often a case of “you’re either with us, or against us”, the sort of devotion that has long since become unfashionable elsewhere. People should be encouraged to question the status quo, even if that has bought the club countless pieces of silverware. What other area of commercial life is complaining met with such indifference and occasional outrage? Have you ever noticed that when the fans behind a goal start to get angry, more hi-vis jackets suddenly appear?

Guardiola also has to appreciate that Manchester City’s modern day status means they have far more supporters than in the past and therefore many do not have the club ingrained in their DNA. Even when City won the league title in 1968, they averaged 37,000 at old Maine Road. Now they get 53,000 and there will be many “new” followers to accompany the legacy fans. In other words, there will be many fans who simply don’t know what it is like to support a mediocre, under-performing side. Every successful club will have fans who feel entitled.

Guardiola told Spanish newspaper AS: “When you have won a lot, you complain more, but in reality, you have to work. I want a reaction from everyone, our fans have to push us, ask us for more.” And yet, barracking and pleas like “Come on, City,” are meant to be motivational. What do they want, banners urging the players to “just do your best”?

Sources: Independent, Marca, AS, Guardian, Manchester Evening News, Daily Mirror.

THIS SEASON (which apparently is a unique one according to the media), I have decided to lend my support to clubs that need a helping hand. It is very clear that the pandemic, like all crises, has hit the poorest in society and football is no exception. Although all clubs have had to bite the bullet in some way, those at the bottom end of the food chain have been hit the worst. Therefore, they need more support than the elite clubs who will always survive and even prosper.

While some big clubs, like Barcelona, have got themselves into dangerous waters, it is hard to sympathise given the amount of money the big clubs pay to their players. Wage bills have, for some years, spiralled out of control, but the clubs perpetuate the problem. Similarly, transfer fees have become ridiculous, yet very few small clubs seem to get a decent slice of the pie. Many transfers are simply being conducted among the top clubs, making agents every wealthy.

Money should be no problem for the behemoths of the game, yet the selfish pursuit of more cash continues, with grand schemes like the European Super League, the somewhat dubious growth of crypto currency and dangerous link-ups with very questionable owners. Football creates it own controversies and its own drama – just look at the financial chaos that exists in the Championship as an example, with wages rocketing beyond income.

Away from this, there are hundreds, indeed thousands, of clubs around Europe that are a million kilometres away from this self-serving model. As a Chelsea fan for more than 50 years, I have moved beyond the stage in life where their results make or break my day or weekend. Chelsea of today are not the club I adopted at the age of eight years old. I am not prepared to pay exploitive prices for tickets at any ground, although like many, I have been forced out of regular Premier action by lack of availability. I refuse to feed the beast and would encourage fans to show their contempt for pricing in the most effective way – by not buying them. Of course, this won’t happen, because fans are frightened of losing their place in the queue. Clubs with waiting lists have no motivation to lower prices, but the fans line-up to shovel more money into the well.

If we all love football, then we should care passionately for the state of health of the so-called eco-system. By neglecting the system, we actually push the big clubs further towards that super league and also damage the structure of the game. There’s few things in sport that are sadder than a closed or derelict football ground.

Part of football’s charm is its aspirational aspect, the possibility of something unexpected happening, be it promotion, relegation, cup shocks or romantic player development stories. The latter is moving into the hands of major clubs, who sweep-up every available young talent and by doing so, deprive smaller clubs from unearthing their own jewel. And then, the young players are rejected and they end up playing in the Isthmian or Southern leagues.

Given there are more fans of big clubs than available tickets, is it not a good idea for those fans who have little chance of gaining a place among the 40,000 at Stamford Bridge or 60,000 at the Emirates to adopt their local football institution as a second eleven? I’m not talking about special “non-league days” or “pay what you want” occasions, but on a regular basis? This not only allows the “fan” to watch live action instead of being glued to TV or social media, but it also pumps more money into the lower leagues of the EFL or non-league.

This is partly why I have decided that in 2022-23, I will be attending League One and League Two as well as women’s football and my local non-league club. I have been something of a portfolio fan for about 10 years, watching the game abroad on a regular basis and also visiting grounds up and down the country (85 of the 92). I won’t pretend this has its downside as I have certainly lost any remaining element of myopic partisanship, but at 63 years of age, I can live with that. But I do feel that it is very beneficial to connect with the very essence of the historic roots of British football. I would add that my next book will be all about the towns and cities in which the game is played across the United Kingdom!

So 2022-23 is a unique season for me and I am actually looking forward to smaller crowds, less hype and some honest endeavour. I would also like to think that crowd behaviour can take a leaf out of the women’s game. I was at Wembley for the final and I have never witnessed a near-90,000 crowd behave with such dignity or respect. It can be done!

This article first appeared in Football Weekends magazine.