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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:45 PM PDT

OCT 4 — There is a very simple explanation for why English Premier League (EPL) leaders Manchester United did not play well on the weekend.

Would you believe me when I say that Norwich City actually played extremely well? Well, that is the answer, no more no less.

The Canaries were well-organised and played as a very compact unit. There was also a good defensive discipline about them.

Unfortunately, they tired towards the end and that is not a surprise when you play in the EPL. It is bound to happen.

This was a very mentally and physically taxing game for the Norwich players and their missed chances, too, is more a sign of lack of confidence and temperament rather than any perceived lack of ability.

The top, and more experienced, players get calmer nearer the goal while the rest just hit and hope.

You would hope that most pundits and millions of Red Devil fans can read the game in this way too.

But, nah, for them it sounds better to say Man Utd were just not their usual selves!

On a different scale, the Gunners too face a lot of flak after the derby defeat at White Hart Lane and we hear of the names of former captains Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira being brought up.

There is a transitional period going on at Arsenal with experienced players being brought in and it will need time before the Gunners can start being consistent again.

Yes, I know, "that old excuse again."

But this time, I am not talking about a transition of the young players that has been going on over the past five or six years. That is, with them maturing and getting stronger.

Instead, I am referring to the team's transition for this season in itself.

The new players brought in during the last transfer window have yet to settle in. Besides that, the new younger players have to settle in too.

On a positive note, however, for the first time since the departure of Jens Lehmann, it looks like The Arsenal has a world-class goalkeeper in the making.

Regarding the game on Sunday, to be fair, it was a very good performance from Tottenham Hotspur and finally, Harry Redknapp seems to have actually "watched" the match from the sidelines and reacted positively.

His tactical substitutions were spot on and Kyle Walker scored the kind of goal every fullback scores once in a lifetime.

Nah, it still sounds better to say Arsenal need Frank McLintock and Liam Brady.

Now, on to the other local derby highlight of the weekend, played on Saturday night, between Merseyside rivals Liverpool and Everton at Goodison Park.

The referee got it totally wrong with the Jack Rodwell red card as it was firstly, a good tackle to win the ball, and more importantly, there was only minimal contact with Luis Suarez.

Rodwell's momentum stopped at the feet of Suarez but the latter, famous for his blatant handball to save Uruguay in the World Cup 2010 quarterfinal at the expense of Ghana, acted as if he had been shot.

The bait was set and the referee bought the dive and cry, hook, line and sinker.

Maybe the referee should have first assessed the perceived damage to Suarez's ankle before reacting. He would have probably noticed that there was hardly a scratch.

Alternatively, he could have reserved judgment on the red, just showing a yellow, and then allow Rodwell little mercy for any further fouls.

After all, he could then have observed, too, how Suarez played out the remaining 67 minutes at full pelt.

Nah, it always looks better to flash a red card!

‘Disgusting’ chants reflect society

Posted: 03 Oct 2011 04:44 PM PDT

OCT 4 — Harry's not happy.

Despite the warm glow of seeing his side continue their strong start to the Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over North London neighbours Arsenal, one element of the afternoon's proceedings drew the ire of Harry Redknapp.

"Disgusting," was the Tottenham manager's description of the chants aimed by Arsenal fans at Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor, adding: "How do you chant something like that at someone? You can't be right mentally. You need help."

Considering the fact that the chants in question mocked the fatal gun ambush on Adebayor and his Togo teammates during last year's African Cup of Nations, which killed three people, it's difficult to dispute Redknapp's viewpoint.

However, Tottenham fans were hardly blameless, having spent a large portion of the afternoon directing similarly unpleasant chants towards Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Tottenham's players might have won the match on the pitch, but on the terraces their supporters shared the spoils in a dishonourable draw with their Arsenal counterparts.

On the one hand, it's a shame that such an unpleasant periphery matter diverts attention away from what had been a pulsating game of football, which demonstrated once again that Tottenham's playing capabilities have now overtaken those of their local rivals.

But on the other hand, examining the venomous terrace tirades of abuse is an interesting exercise, allowing us to understand a little bit more about how and why we watch football.

Firstly, it should be stated there was nothing new in the chants at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon. Adebayor had already been on the receiving end of abuse from Arsenal fans during his time with Manchester City, while Wenger is forced to sustain pretty nasty verbal attacks every time he visits Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.

Vicious, vindictive and vulgar terrace chants are a fact of modern British football. The invention of football songs, something that used to be an amusing and light-hearted pursuit, has mutated into horribly aggressive, personal and deliberately spiteful abuse that would result in arrest if it took place anywhere outside a football stadium.

So why does it happen, and why is it getting worse?

I believe it's because sport mirrors society, and the last 30 years – since the advent of Thatcherism/Reaganomics , the growth of personal liberties and rights, the expansion of lowbrow mass media and the cult of celebrity, the lessening of community spirit and the diminution of the moral authority exerted by establishments such as the government and the church – have resulted in a marked increase in the vulgarity and aggression of society, and a connected dramatic rise in the importance attached to sport.

In the past, people were generally less outspoken due to a higher level of respect for and fear of authority, and we were less inclined to treat famous people, whether sportsmen or television stars, as separate cases.

Now, we feel we can say what we like, when we like and how we like – and our obsession with celebrity has made famous people particularly vulnerable targets for outbursts of vicious jealousy.

It happens in society and so – as is the case in many aspects of life – its effects are reflected and magnified by sport.

Essentially, vulgar chants are a response to a perceived attack on self-identity, which is becoming more and more closely associated to our favourite sporting teams and players. With the loss of a true community spirit and the downgrading of moral authority exerted by external organisations such as the state or religion, we have developed an even greater sense of affinity with our sports stars. Football teams fill the gap that was previously occupied by God and the Queen.

Hence, Wayne Rooney was more than just an Everton player; in the eyes of supporters, he was Everton; he epitomised and personified the spirit and personality of the club and their supporters.

So when he rejected that status by joining the hated Manchester United, it was regarded as the ultimate betrayal, undermining everything the fans believed in and cared about, unconsciously challenging their internal sense of identity.

The feelings of betrayal are intensified when the rejection is carried out in a callous and uncaring manner, giving fans cause to think that the player never really cared about his club in the first place. That's certainly the case with Adebayor, who has become a particular hate figure for Arsenal fans due to the suspicion that he is primarily motivated by money (he left the club after reportedly demanding a huge pay rise).

And so, roughly stated, the combination of a greater attachment to sports stars and a new interpretation of the right to "freedom of speech", has led to the unpleasant scenes witnessed at White Hart Lane (and elsewhere) this weekend.

Of course, everything I've described is a particularly British condition and may not be replicated in other societies. Or is it? I'd be interested to know what Malaysian fans of the Premier League think about these terrace chants.

Do you like them because they demonstrate the passion, commitment and (sometimes) humour of the fans; or do you dislike the vulgarity and aggression of new-style terrace "banter" and have a lower opinion of English football as a result? We know what Harry thinks.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Selasa, 4 Oktober 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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