Divided Loyalties -Fans,Players and instant gratification.

Divided Loyalties -Fans,Players and instant gratification.


When I tell you that the first time I saw the Swans play-my first view of a live Professional Football match- was Swansea Town v Leeds Utd in the 1963/64 season, a Division 2 fixture that saw Leeds promoted at the Season's end, that will nail my generation..We finished 19th.My Dad took me for my first visit to the Vetch,we sat in the upper tier of the Double Decker and I was hooked. That was also the season that we reached the FA Cup semi-final(going out to PNE), and I was delighted to be allowed to go to our 4th round replay 4-0 win over Sheffield Utd in the January and the even better 2-0 5th round replay win in February over the mighty Stoke.On both of these occasions I was allowed to go on my own, to the fabled North Bank.Wow.I didn't make the stellar 2-1 win at Liverpool in the 6th Round and I'm not ashamed to say I cried at the semi-final defeat to Preston.
Hey,I was bloody 13 after all.What really shocked me though was my dad cried too.Wow and double wow.

Anyway,enough nostalgia.Good memories,which I know a lot will share.

Since those long gone days a lot has changed- both in football and society generally.Don't worry,this isn't going to be a rant about " the good old days".I happen to believe that they've changed for the better.Our Town became a City amongst other things, and the vagaries and vicissitudes,the fortunes and fate of our beloved Swans is reflected in far better detail elsewhere.Suffice it to say that when we beat Reading 4-2 on that fateful Wembley May day we were deliriously happy.Swansea City in the Premier League.Do you know,I still get a buzz from writing it.From thinking it,even.

So,as a Season Ticket holder(I sit in the Lower West and love it) I've seen all of our Home games and was lucky enough to travel to our Away defeats to Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup and to the Emirates where we went down to the Gunners.I really enjoyed those trips too- yes I was down that we lost,but a lot of good things happened .So,what's the point of this nostalgia trip; it's this- why do some of our own fans not only chastise,but curse,mutter and even boo some of our OWN PLAYERS.This irks me.It frustrates me.It annoys me.And,more than anything,it bloody shames me.

You know exactly what I mean.It's the sort of thing that you hear on some of the more
asinine Talk/Phone-in radio and TV shows.Where every caller seems to think football began with the creation of the Premier League.Where Arsene Wenger "deserves the sack".Where 5th = "failure".Where some fat,sloth-like(I guess but I bet I'm not wrong) keyboard/telephone dial warrior tells people that a professional athlete "isn't fit to wear the shirt".By this time I usually explode.Metaphorically,of course.

You will also have heard it at a football ground near you-usually your own.

The current cross-bearer at Swansea City is Mark Gower.This excellent,admirable pro joined us from Southend a couple of seasons ago,having started at Tottenham as a youngster and,on discarding by them, worked his way back into the professional game via non-league
Barnet amongst others.So,having seen him do well for Southend against us,when we signed him I was quite pleased.Since being with us,he's done absolutely nothing but please me-including advancing his skillset by transforming himself from an out and out winger to a graceful,skilfull,ball-retaining midfielder.He suits our game and our team,I like to think,suits him, and has helped him to advance.That's not quite enough for the naysayers tho'.I've heard fellow "fans" groan when he misplaces a pass(as do ALL PLAYERS) occasionally .When he took a
nervous while to get his first goal for the Club I heard some cretins scream abuse weekly.(Yes,I DID intervene-uncomfortable but I like to think necessary).Please don't think that my judgement of ANY player is necessarily right.But I think it's at least fair.

In the last couple of seasons,previous targets of the boo-boys have included Jordi Gomez,the ball-savvy technician who Martinez took to Wigan...."too flash(sic)" and Jason Scotland..."..he doesn't do anything but score goals" (sic-cer).

At Arsenal,I remember Eboue and Bendtner(before they left) taking the flak.Arshavin seems to be the current hate figure there.At Chelsea it's Kalou(christ,even Torres too).At Man U it's Nani for some.."too many somersaults?".

Liverpool?- Carrol.Villa?- Ireland.QPR?- Taarabt-especially after last Saturday.

Go on.Do it.Go down the list of clubs and you will find at least one if not more who are subjected to this dross weekly.It must make it pretty uncomfortable to run out in front of your OWN fans and be subjected to such hateful,sad behaviour.

One of the more positive ( I think) happenings over the last few years has been footballers(athletes,personalities etc) being willing to engage with fans through Social Media streams(Twitter,FB etc)..

But who could really blame them if the abuse they suffer both in grounds and via the ether caused them to withdraw.

Certainly,not us.