Fortunate as I am to have Sky I am even more fortunate in that I get it via NTL, actually this is not fortunate at all as many of the best bits, like football first are denied me, but also denied me is Fanzone, which is a good thing. I only see what Sky regards as the highlights of the fans of Fanzone and why anyone would watch it beggars belief. They all seem to be screaming morons, the kind of blokes who would have you requesting a change of seat if you found yourself sitting next to them. All the more surprising then to find that Blues representative is a witty and thoughtful guy, and a brilliant writer.
He writes a bit for the
Singing The Blues website, and this contribution is most definitely worth sharing: Wally The Rifle Pandiani looked strong and willing and used the ball very intelligently which gives us great hope for the balance of the season. Apparently his reluctance to play in Birmingham was a misquote, or a crap translation, of his actual words. He doesn’t need to apologise. I think we would all prefer to play in nice warm Spain or Italy rather than in Small Heath given the chance. By all accounts Mrs Rifle was more than happy to come to Britain’s second city mainly because of the shops! So those of you who frequent the haute couture establishments of Woolworths and Asda in Small Heath can expect to see a little Uruguayan woman fascinated by the apathy of the retail assistants.
Five live has been going on all night about the cost of going to the football, and it is true it is prohibitive. I think the game and some fans are being a bit myopic. Blues got a dishonourable mention apropos the prices it charges away fans. No representative from the club would appear but a statement said something along the lines that it is a competitive business and they had to make money to compete. Fair enough.
However. A big problem is the cost of a ticket relative to income. Back in theseventies, this was negligible, now it is enormous, at least it is to my income! I never used to think about how much it would cost to go to the Blues, it didn't matter because it wasn't much. So Saturday would come around, yes, Saturday, and off I would trot, with my pocket money, or later, with my wages and I would get a programme and a burger and day would be had, sometimes good, often miserable, frequently indifferent.Last night I took my nipper to see Birmingham v Southampton. The cost of the two tickets was a very reasonable 33 quid, but when you factor in about 30 quid for petrol, a fiver for parking, plus food and other bits and pieces neccessarry to a nippers enjoyment I got through about80 quid. When you consider there was deal on last night, and you won't usually get change out of 45 quid for one ticket at St Andrews, it is beyond my budget.
I cannot now go without taking the nipper, I couldn't live with myself if I did that. Going to the game should not be an ascetic experience, although I know some joyless Blues fans who think it should be, so he is going to get his treats. Personally, I wouldn't use a programme for bog paper, but it is an important part of the experience for the lad, so he is going to get one. Personally, I wouldn't put any of the food available in the ground anywhere near my mouth, but the nipper gets some. It all adds up.
Blues can be blasé now, but if, when, we go back down, they will find that they have a lost a large and loyal fan base. It's not just ticket prices, comfort levels are appalling, abysmal food is massively overpriced, programmes are uninteresting and expensive, every opportunity to milk you is maximised. In the end, people will look at the overall cost, and realise that they are not getting value, and will spend their bucks elsewhere.
Football is no longer a cheap working class release valve. The working male would go along, have a few pints then spend an hour and a half screaming abuse at a bunch of strangers, because in this environment such behaviour was acceptable. Now, it seems, this behaviour is acceptable anywhere, even walking down the street in the middle of the day, guffawing into a mobile. The working male no longer has to go to the football to empty his bile duct, he can do it anywhere.
Once upon a time, you could just about identify with your heroes, the earnings were not that much more than the average wage for a skilled worker, quite a few of your local team would be locals themselves, all would speak a familiar language, in short, one could identify with the buggers. BBC 4 regularly show some old documentaries from the sixties where even a clubs star players lived in average semis in average suburbs.
I am not suggesting that players should not share in the profits, they should, but there has been a massive sea change. Few clubs field any local players or players who come through their own youth systems. Foreign players form a majority in most clubs. There is no local connection, clubs are made up of pampered millionaires brought in from around the globe. The question is then, why should anybody care? What connection is there? There isn't one and the passion of the game, the blood of the game is being diluted.
Whoever Arsenal play, I want them to lose, be it in the league or in Europe. I wondered about my sense of patriotism, when wishing some Spanish team or other would roll over the sulky and brattish " North Londoners" but patriotism doesn't enter into it, Arsenal do not represent English football, they represent a collection of individuals so there is no patriotism involved. In fact, in supporting say, Real Madrid over Arsenal, or any other ostensibly English team, I am being patriotic, as the Spaniards will probably field more English players than the English team.To be fair to Blues, they do have some good deals for home fans, which is a by product of having such a mediocre season, so I can go quite regularly; this wouldn't be the case if we were any good though. I am not well paid, nor am I poorly paid, but by and large I can't afford to go and that's with one nipper, when the others decide they want to go, it will be the end.
When I was my nippers age, I would be devastated if I missed a game, it's not the case with him, he loves to go, but he doesn't much mind if he doesn't, he has plenty of alternatives. All his mates profess to support Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal or Man U but never go to a game, never even consider it. There is always something else to do, something cheaper, warmer, more comfortable, better value. They are a generation which is becoming lost to football.
I think the game may well be doomed.
Mind you, on the rare occasions that they put on a performance like they did in the first half last night, it all seems worth it. It was the best Blues display since the days of Jim Smith, who was sitting in the opposition dug out. Perhaps it was a homage. We attacked in numbers, with wit, verve, precision and malevolent intent. Southampton simply could not cope. Wingers, committed to attack, not defence, attacking full backs and forwards who cannot rest until they have had a hairy arsed defender for their supper, let's hope it wasn't a blip.
If you wish to read more of this pretentious rubbish then go to
http://themisanthrope .typepad.com/ma_vida/
and good luck!
Naughty Nightie
Back to the highlands and a wee dram for the weekend - if ye ken what I mean.
Gordon
