Fat Frank wandered over to the corner flag to a crescendo of boos at the JJB Stadium. Nothing new there as the fat one is booed wherever he goes. Also nothing new in that he had a smirk on his face as he walked over there. Fat Frank always has a smirk on his face. He's laughing at us all. His new contract at 160k a week - give or take a Rolex - securely in his pocket. It doesn't matter to him. We're just mere paupers to him. People he can take the piss out of. He loves it. His fuck off attitude that means people despise him like no other.
His own fans would probably despise him but for the fact that there are few genuine Chelsea fans left at "The Bridge" (nee Stamford Bridge). They were priced out long before the Russian arrived. They will never be able to return. There are no dodgy trips to West London when Chelsea are in town. Some may be pleased with this but give me watching my back above Loadsofmoney NEW football types any day. But those days are no more.
However that is not the argument here. This is football 2008/9 where average to good players like Fat Frank can earn that sort of money. That sort of money in a week that it would take Wiganers over ten years to earn! Can that be right? Can anybody honestly sit there, pay their hard-earned money to watch the likes of Fat Frank and be happy with that. I went to watch Latics in a friendly in Holland. We had 38 spectators in the ground. Ten years ago we would have had 380 there and we were crap then. That's how much football has changed and tells us how much the new lot don't understand football culture. But I digress - what I was about to say was that I watched Emile Heskey there - a player that I have previously defended whilst all around me have rallied against him - walk about for 17 minutes before deciding he was injured and hobbled off. Some said he's hobbled off the coach. Heskey must be on something like 60k a week! It's a cliché but I have seen better players pull the blue and white on when we were non-league.
Yet Heskey is considered a top player. Capello picks him for England and that shows you what a dearth of talent there is in England. Nobody cares enough. Chairman and managers say academies don't work. Spectators believe them and we take 38 to Holland. The power is in the hands of the players. The same players that spend all their spare time - and they have loads of that - talking about cars and money and bling and cars and money. And the new fans love this. The clubs that are caught up in all this are in the hands of the players. They sign contracts and then say they want to piss off. The clubs at the premier level cash the satellite television channels cheques and continue to bump up prices. Why? Because they can. West Brom charged Everton fans £40 and there didn't look to be a spare seat in the house. They can do it to Everton as Everton are one of the few teams that are still a proper club. Their old fans are still with them - just. If they move to Kirkby let's see what happens. Contrarily Chelsea fans have never sold out their allocation at the JJB with tickets sometimes being £15! It tells you everything.
The new fans don't get football. And what football really is. The old fans played it. Saturday and Sundays on muddy pitches. Not once a week down at the local JJB Soccerdome. They listened to the tales in the playgrounds and pubs. On the trains and the coaches. Nowadays the new fans don't bother with aways. And when they do go they moan that Goodison Park is a shithole while Pride Park is perfect. Fucking hell. And these are the people that pay money to watch Fat Frank and Deco and Ronaldo. No offence but I couldn't give a fuck about watching all these so-called world class players. I've always been to football to watch my team (hopefully) win. Win and have a laugh when watching them. Being part of the club. Part of the community. Who gives a fuck about watching world class players when your team is losing.
But that is what's happening. Wigan fans (and we are Wigan now rather than Latics if you listen to some of our new fans) stay and applaud the teams off. Us the gallant losers, Steeeeevieeee Geeeeee and the like the world-class players. When football mattered Steeeeevieeee Geeeeee would have been a Scouse bastard - world-class player or not. Now home fans take his photograph on their mobile phones.
The 200k-a-week footballer may soon be with us. If you are happy about that then fair enough but personally I'm too much of a class warrior to accept that. But like the true Chelsea fans, Geordies, Mancunians et al that have walked away from the game I'll be joining them. And modern football will be pleased. The clubs do not want the likes of me - and you. We don't buy a £4.00 programme and £2.60 pie. The new fans don't want the likes of us that dare moan and dare question the clubs and dare not accept that Marcus Bent is worth 30k a week. In fact the saddest thing I have read recently was on a Wigan messageboard during one of the many spats between the old and new Latics fans. Here some newbie said something like: "Accept it, we are the future of Wigan Athletic". Unfortunately they are right and if they are the future then Wigan Athletic Football Club as we have known and loved is fucked. And as their like are the future of football then football's fucked. But hey it doesn't matter because Fat Frank's getting his 160k a week, they can gurn at the SKY cameras, take their photos, be the big time internet Charlie's and let football and the clubs and players and administrators get away with anything they want.
Sad, sad days…
6 comments:
What a stupid article. I can feel that you are really gutted that no player wants to go wigan because it is such a rubbish football club playing football on a rubbish pitch having rubbish players.
I really would love to see you relegated and then you would know how it can be good having a midfielder score 20+ goals every season.
I can sense that you are jealous. So next time you hear that some player has signed a new contract then try to earn that money by BEGGING.
Bharath Ram, you are an Idiot.
the man is not moaning about anything. He is simply stating that football has taken a more glamorous transition into the modern game. He sis saying the sport is no longer about the sport, it is about making money. Sadly this is the way of all sports. The real fans that watch for the sheer love of the game get priced out and replaced by "fans" that will pay the money to see superstars and be part of the mainstream crowd.
Shit players get payed loads of money to do nothing but piss and moan whilst the little guys in the lower leagues play for the right to make money. Granted if they earn that right they often become like Fat Frank, but eh fact is they are playing for that right. They play with passion and desire for the sport. That alone is a rarity among today's stars.
-LFC Cross, TFF
bharath there's nothing like supporting your local team is there?
What a prize plonker you are. Re-read it and then have the decency to apologise for not having a clue what you were saying.
I have been supporting Latics nigh on 44 years now, I still get to as many away games as I can and have had a season ticket longer than I can remember. But that doesn't mean I'm a better fan than you or even a kiddie who is a member of JJ's club.
I'm guessing I've supported the club longer than you but why on earth do you think YOU have the right to tell people HOW to support THEIR club.
They pay their money like you do so it is as much theirs as yours.
Who the hell are you to tell people what name they can call them?
yes football has evolved, why must insignificant little shits like you have a problem with absolutely everything?
You're an embarassment mon and I suggest you take a look at yourself before moaning at children on the internet because they take pictures of footballers on their phones.
You are stepped with irony as well.
I bet if these 'new fans' didn't show up, you'd moan about that.
Anmd when they do, you moan they're here.
Also quite big of you to openly take the piss out of young teenage lads on THEIR messageboard then report back to your pathetick little click on MH about how sad little kids are.
I wish I was as big a man as you.
You really are laughable.
Talisman you certainly have got your knickers in a twist over this haven't you? Take a chill pill and read it again, think you will find that the writer of the article is not telling you how to support the club, nor does he mention "kiddies" anywhere. You have supported the club for 44yrs so you must have been through some rough times if that's true. Then again you would know that we are the "latics" and proud of it, how many of our "Wigan" fans will be with us when we eventually slide back down the leagues? Some new fans will stay, the majority will never be seen again. I personally couldn't give a toss about Ronaldo, Lampard, Gerrard and the rest of them. I go to watch my team not the opposition. You don't get much quality on show at Rochdale etc but we will be there long after Whelan, Lindsay and our new fans have got bored with us.
Talisman, you haven't been supporting Latics for 44 years -you're a 19 year old boy.
Make sure you cover up your profile when you next talk shite.
Go back to toddler.net and embarass our club even more.
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