Watching the Toon from a seat among the Gods
Peter Jones, a university classics lecturer, suddenly understands the abusive behaviour of his fellow Newcastle football fans
Last Saturday Newcastle United were thrashed at home 5-1 by Manchester United, plunging the Toon closer to relegation. The fans on the terraces were outraged. Abuse of their own team and their new manager, Kevin Keegan, filled the air. Was there pleasure at the supreme skills of Manchester’s Rooney and Ronaldo? No.
Why on earth do they come? The answer lies in the tone of voice in which the criticisms are expressed: it is the tone of those who have been personally insulted.
This sense of injured and affronted merit tells one everything one needs to know about the fans’ view of themselves, ie. that they, not the players, are the real gods – and pagan gods at that, who demand respect from their favourites, require offerings, punish disobedience and, most of all, do not countenance failure.
So the fans turn up week after week to ensure that their divine will is done. Players who fail them (forget the opposition, let alone the ref) are an insult to their dignity and deserve to be subjected to the full onslaught of their divine wrath.
These supporter-gods love their players. What more do those ungrateful wretches want? How dare they fail to come up with the right offering – a win?
It is true that the players earn in a week two or three times as much as the average fan earns in a year. But that makes attendance at the match all the more important. For those 90 minutes, every fan personally occupies the heavenly seat of judgment over (in his view) the most privileged mortals on earth, ready to offer them the full benefit of his Olympian advice, graciously to acknowledge his role in the team’s success and to grant them what only a god can – the glory of sporting immortality. All the players have to do is obey – and perform.
| “Players who fail are an insult to the fans’ dignity and deserve to be subjected to their divine wrath” Peter Jones, The First Post
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Human Nature
By nature we have no defect that could not become a strength,
and no strength that could not become a defect.
Found at: Rockcity Blog.
Beitrag zur Grundrechts-Debatte
| DAS Z I T A T DES TAGES widmet Ihnen http://www.jvc.at | |||
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Geburtstag hat heute: Gioacchino Rossini (29. 02. 1792 – 13. 11. 1868)Komponist, Opern: “Der Barbier von Sevilla”/1816, “Wilhelm Tell”/1829 (Italien, 1792 – 1868). |
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Martin Taylor’s Tackle – A Peccadillo?
(Martin Samuels in the Times)
Premier League Game 39 – No Chance?
According to Paul Kelso, Guardian, the Premier League was forced into a major climbdown over its plans for an international round of fixtures last night, cancelling a scheduled meeting with the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, at 36 hours’ notice and effectively killing off the prospects of Game 39 proceeding in its current form. The league cancelled plans to meet Blatter today after intense negotiations between the chief executive Richard Scudamore and the Fifa general secretary, Jérôme Valcke, aimed at preventing the league being humiliated in Zurich.
A Premier League statement said:
“It is our considered view that we need to conduct further internal studies and consultation before seeking the advice of Fifa and the key confederations.”
The English Football Association FA has already distanced itself from the Premier League’s proposal of “Game 39” in order to preserve England’s chances of hosting the 2018 World Cup. The FA’s chairman, Lord Triesman, said there was a consensus in the game that in its current form Game 39 would not work.
Is there anybody who didn’t know that before?
According to Paul Kelso, Guardian, the Premier League was forced into a major climbdown over its plans for an international round of fixtures last night, cancelling a scheduled meeting with the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, at 36 hours’ notice and effectively killing off the prospects of Game 39 proceeding in its current form. The league cancelled plans to meet Blatter today after intense negotiations between the chief executive Richard Scudamore and the Fifa general secretary, Jérôme Valcke, aimed at preventing the league being humiliated in Zurich.
A Premier League statement said:
“It is our considered view that we need to conduct further internal studies and consultation before seeking the advice of Fifa and the key confederations.”
The English Football Association FA has already distanced itself from the Premier League’s proposal of “Game 39” in order to preserve England’s chances of hosting the 2018 World Cup. The FA’s chairman, Lord Triesman, said there was a consensus in the game that in its current form Game 39 would not work.
Is there anybody who didn’t know that before?
Mein Jahr mit West Ham
Mein Jahr mit West Ham
Here you can read my article:
MEIN JAHR MIT WEST HAM
“Claret & Blue” – das sind heuer durchaus wieder Modefarben in der englischen Premier League. Aston Villa und West Ham United, die beide in der ausgefallenen Farbkombination “weinrot und blau” spielen, sind zwar keine Titelanwärter, können sich aber Hoffnungen auf die Qualifikation für einen europäischen Cupbewerb machen.
Dabei hatte sich West Ham-Manager Alan Curbishley zu Beginn der laufenden Spielzeit nur “eine solide Saison” gewünscht. Seit dem Wiederaufstieg 2005 – nach zwei Saisonen in der zweiten Liga – hat sich der Klub aus dem East End von London wahrlich wie auf der Hochschaubahn gefühlt.
In der Saison 2005-06 kam man – damals noch unter Manager Alan Pardew – bis ins FA Cup-Finale gegen Liverpool und musste sich nach einem packenden Spiel (3:3) erst im Elferschießen geschlagen geben.
Im Vorjahr dagegen lagen die “Hammers” nach der Übernahme des Klubs durch ein isländisches Konsortium, dem folgenden Trainerwechsel und rechtlichen Turbulenzen um die Spielberechtigung der Argentinier Carlos Tévez und Javier Mascherano die längste Zeit auf einem Abstiegsplatz. Besagter Carlos Tévez und Mark Noble, ein neunzehnjähriger Eigenbauspieler, inspirierten die Londoner aber zu einer fulminanten Aufholjagd, die in einem 1:0-Auswärtssieg gegen Manchester United und dem damit geschafften Klassenerhalt kulminierte.
Tévez wechselte im Sommer zu ManU, für ihn kamen unter anderem Craig Bellamy von Liverpool und Freddie Ljungberg von Arsenal zum Boleyn Ground, der Heimstätte von West Ham.
Dort ertönt vor jedem Spiel die traditionelle Hymne “Bubbles” über die Lust am Produzieren von Seifenblasen und Träumen – auch wenn sie immer wieder zerplatzen. Wenn vor Spielbeginn die 35.000 im regelmäßig ausverkauften Stadion mitsingen, kriegt man wirklich die Gänsehaut. Sportliche Höhepunkte am Upton Park, wie das Stadion in der multikulturellen Green Street nach der nahen U-Bahn-Station auch genannt wird, waren in dieser Saison bislang Siege gegen Manchester United (2:1) und Liverpool (1:0).
Eine “solide Saison” hat sich Manager Alan Curbishley gewünscht. Ob es noch mehr wird, hängt nicht zuletzt davon ab, ob das Verletzungspech, das dem Klub heuer an den Fersen klebt, abgeschüttelt werden kann. Eine Riesenfreude für die “supporters” der “Hammers” wäre es aber auch, wenn man sich heuer als drittbester Premier League-Klub in London etablieren könnte. Die Chance ist da, denn Rivale Tottenham liegt nach einem schwachen Saisonbeginn hinter den “Hammers”.
EXTRA TIME 
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