Things I have learned about football in 2012 - No. 2

For the second in this end of year round-up of posts, a few thoughts on the Portsmouth FC situation and the response of some of their support.

Pompey Chimes Out of Tune

 

 

 

Portsmouth FC fans ought to deserve some sympathy and, for a while, I have given it to them. But over the course of the year they have started to grate with, rather than ingratiate themselves to, some fellow football fans; me included.

What has happened at Portsmouth could happen to any club. Over time, clubs have been set back or destroyed by the unscrupulous actions of local businessmen or tainted by much vaunted foreign owners. The continued failure of Fit & Proper rules for ownership should be a constant source of embarrassment to the footballing authorities and one can only hope that the financial fair play rules are more adept at preventing the financial meltdown of clubs funded well beyond self-sustainable means.

 

But as the Portsmouth administration lingers on for the second time, I have grown tired of the self-righteous bullshittery mouthed by certain supporters of the club. When questions were raised about the high profile (for League One) short term signings being made by the club at the start of the season; including a player who, prior to signing for Pompey, couldn't negotiate a deal with a club with 18,000 crowds and a salary cap to meet, they couldn't see the problem. Detractors were chided for knowing nothing about the financial state of the club and generally being "clueless". True the administrator should not be running the club so close to the financial precipice, but who really knows?

There was nothing to stop Portsmouth signing professional players to pep up their squad this season, but with many local businesses remaining unpaid or receiving pennies in the pound, the irony of signing Championship and League One players appeared lost on many. You can point the finger at previous owners, but the one constant that remains, for now, is the football club and as one commenter on this excellent post at The Two Unfortunates was quick to point out, the administrator of the football club was sitting on a £6m bank balance.

Whether the amount is a fact or not, the problem remains that yet again a football club hits financial meltdown and leaves a trail of destruction for local businesses in its wake, yet they still have funds to pay players' wages. To creditors offered 20p in the £ in the first CVA (and never saw it) and potentially 2p in the £ now, that £6m that Pompey have burning a hole in their bank account (and are using to fund good League One players) must provide great succour as they struggle to keep their business running and cut jobs.

Accusations of jealousy abounded on social networks;

 

"You were only hoping for an easy three points" - No we are looking for fairness in the way clubs are treated and special cases not being made for others.

"We have a right to sign players to be competitive; it's in the Football League rules" - What rules are these then? The Football League rules state:

"Each club shall play its full strength in all matches played under the auspices of The League unless some satisfactory reasons are given."

That is the strongest available side. If you can only sign League 2 standard players or use your youth players that is tough.

"It's just not fair on Portsmouth" - Who said football, and life for that matter, is fair? If you are dealt a duff hand, then you just have to play it. Cup finals and AC Milan at Fratton Park - shall we disregard those then, given you, in effect, achieved them through financial doping?

"You just don't understand, it is a lot more complicated than a simplistic narrative" - I am sure it is, but the fact remains how certain fans behave now they have got here is causing people to lose any compassion or understanding they might have had for the circumstances.   

I have even heard the "big club" card being played by Pompey fans this year, the joker in the pack that belies a multitude of sins. How are they measured as a big club? Crowds of less than 20,000? An FA Cup in 2008? A Europa League campaign? Two League titles over 60 years ago? The chiding of other club's fans demonstrated an arrogance that saddened me. The use of "tin-pot" to deride fans of other smaller clubs; the last desperate cry of fans who cannot accept their club has found its rightful place, below where they perceive they should be and they refuse to accept it.

Underlying the questions being asked is a belief amongst supporters of other clubs that Pompey are getting opportunities that were not afforded to clubs in similar positions before. Smaller clubs have been to hell in a handcart for less. Pompey's points deductions have been nowhere near those suffered by Luton Town or South coast rivals AFC Bournemouth. To think there was talk of an appeal against the ten point deduction when they eventually exit administration (again) was some sort of sick joke.

The fact that football remains the exception in terms of insolvencies, thanks to the ridiculous football creditor rules, is one thing, but to see varying punishments being doled out by the authorities following CVAs and administrations is quite another. Portsmouth fans should be thankful that they haven't been treated any worse. Other clubs have.

Much reference is made to the wonderful support of the South Coast club and whilst the Pompey Trust deserve enormous credit for their efforts to salvage their club, the tribal and aggressive rhetoric of a number of their supporters in defending their club and its current undertakings, leaves me cold.

I don't wish ill on Portsmouth FC, I really do hope they find a long-term solution to the club's woes, but forgive me if I cock a deaf 'un to the sanctimony. If Kevin McCabe ever properly pulled the plug on the Blades' funding, or sold out to a miscreant businessman, I'd like to think I'd accept our situation and deal with it with a greater deal of maturity and lesser degree of arrogance than that demonstrated by some of the Portsmouth support in the last twelve months.

Things I have learned about Football in 2012 - No. 1

It is rare that I write about non-Blades related subjects these days. So, to round off the year, I thought I would cover off a few thoughts about wider football issues in 2012. To begin, a few thoughts on the adoration and adulation for Lionel Messi.

Messianic Status

Lionel Messi is a great footballer. At times he is simply unstoppable; an irresistible footballing force, cutting through opposition defences with precision and an incisiveness capped by an un-erring ability to find the back of the net.

He is the greatest player of his generation and probably in the top 3 players of my lifetime. So much to admire, with very few elements of his game that would cause annoyance or frustration. Sadly this year the media obsession with the diminutive Argentine has driven me to distraction.

With so many media channels; both written and spoken, online, broadcast, published and 24 hour news channels with content to fill. Everyone needs a new angle, a new fact, to elevate a player to messianic status and beyond.

Then it came. Messi had set a new record they said. "Most goals scored in a calendar year." Calendar year? Since when does football refer to calendar years? The only thing "Annual" in football were the Shoot! and Topical Times Football books I used to receive each Christmas.

"He takes the record from Gerd Muller who scored 85 goals for Bayern Munich in 1972" the reports stated. Much to the surprise of the majority of football fans, who knew little of the record, and I am guessing Der Bomber, who would have perhaps enjoyed the acclaim of such a title had it been properly bestowed on him before it was taken away.

Then came reports that Muller didn't actually hold the record. It was claimed that Zambian Godfrey Chitalu had scored 107 in 1972. This dispute led to FIFA taking their usual Ostrich like response, but for once I actually agreed with them. They claim not to keep records on annual basis or for individual countries. That is because it is a work of faction. Numbers and facts used to create a story, build the myth. The thing is, it is wholly unnecessary.

To manufacture or resurrect contrived records to somehow accentuate his achievements, actually diminishes his feats. He scores lots of goal, many more than most, many of them that others would struggle to score. That's it. If he top scores in a season - great. If he sets a record for the most goals in a season - brilliant. And to think, the likelihood is that you have had the opportunity to see every single one of them. 

I grew up in an era when, to see Maradona, Platini and Zico we were left with sporadic viewings on Midweek Sports Special, On the Ball or The Big Match. We saw their "best bits", assuming a camera crew was there for the game in question. If the cameras were there the wrong week, your luck was out. If there was an amusing clip from an African Nations Cup tie for Jimmy Greaves to chuckle at, we got that instead.

How many great goals, mazy runs and wonderful trickery from those three and others were seen by those in the stadium but few others? If the coverage of football was as limited in Italy, Spain and Brazil as the Football League was in England, then that would certainly be the case. 

 

We are fortunate to see Messi week in week out, the great, the good, the infrequently ugly. Let us just sit back and soak it all up. Watch in awe, sit mesmerised and clap and nod in approval. Don't bother looking for the next superlative, don't compare, don't look to create meaningless titles and records.

 

Just enjoy.