February, 2005

I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh at Steven Gerrard for scoring the own goals of own goals, or to cry because Chelsea have silverware. Admittedly I was rooting for Liverpool yesterday, but that was just because I had to pick sides, and at the moment, Liverpool seemed the lesser of the two evils.

Was manically trying to finish off some analysis, so I forgo the option of coming to campus to watch it and listened to Radio 5 Live instead. And while mulling over the thought processes of other ‘neutrals’ who chose to root for a team in last night’s game, it dawned upon me that the dynamics upon which football fans choose their rivals have changed dramatically over the past few years.

It used to be.. that local rivalries were the order of the day. Ultimate hatred would be reserved for United by those donning the blue of Manchester City; a player crossing the blue-red divide in Merseyside from Everton to Liverpool would risk lynch mobbing, among other things. Local derbies between Newcastle and Sunderland; Aston Villa and Birmingham; Lancaster City and Morecambe, even, were often fiercely contestest – for at stake was not just three points or a place in the next round of a cup competition, but bragging rights for the fans.

These days, stop an Arsenal fan and ask him which team he despises the most, and my best bet is that the words ‘Tottenham Hotspur’ wouldn’t be the one most often uttered. Ask a Manchester United fan and the word Arsenal would top a frequency count; not Manchester City, or even Liverpool. I could go on.

Perhaps one defining factor in this shift would be threat. It was only this season , that Everton have recovered from the slump post-glorious 1980′s and have met Liverpool match for match – now even ahead of them in the standings, although whether this remains come May, we shall see.

For most of the 90′s Everton were seen to be the poorer cousins of their Merseyside neighbours Liverpool; and while the derbies were often hotly contested, sendings-offs being the normal order of the day, the general direction of hatred seemed to head further up the M6; although I could obviously argue that in general, most directions of hatred seem to point to Manchester.

Over the past few years Arsenal – United clashes see more sparks than the Manchester derby, as City, flip flopping between divisions in the early years of the Premiership, were well obscured in the shadows of their significantly richer neighbours. It is good, though, from the neutral fan’s perspective, to see City capable of beating United solidly and soundly these days; and that Everton are ahead of Liverpool in the standings, because with more threat of defeat hanging in the air, the atmosphere quickly becomes very electric.

Another factor is globalisation. Manchester United aside (yes, even historically), most people grew up supporting their local teams; and the sense of rivalry is much heightened. These days, shirts bearing emblems of Premiership teams (original or otherwise) are adorned by many a fan the world over; and in the block offices of Manila, Tokyo or Shanghai, a victory over Manchester City does not afford a United fan the same bragging rights as a victory over Arsenal would – simply because there would be no one to gloat to!

So yes, it looks like a totally different field people are playing on these days, and I, at least, am still unsure whether this is good, or bad.

Amidst rumours that Matchbox Twenty might be breaking up following the departure of guitarist Adam Gaynor and other members of the band currently on hiatus pursuing individual projects, I trawled the internet yesterday to look for some rarities.

This website has a nice collection of acoustics and covers – although some of the quality leaves a bit left to be desired for. And Rob Thomas’ first single, Lonely No More, from his solo effort, Something to Be (out April 19th, hint hint) can be heard here. It’s not quite his normal sound, but has an infectious feel to it.

I like Matchbox Twenty. They’ve got some good stuff.

———————————————-
My first 3am phone call this year, came on Sunday. The usual perp, of course. I am having serious doubts as to whether any level of maths is taught at Law School.

Having happily dropped a bombshell, she said her goodbyes and I was left wide awake with nothing but some skiing on TV.

I now know Bode Miller is the man to beat.