At 16:57 p.m on 8th January 2011, Roman Bednar cut a lonely figure. Covered in mud, acheing and dissapointed, he limped over to 2,500 equally dissapointed West Bromwich Albion fans, lifted his arms in the air, and clapped them for their support. The travelling Baggies fans duly responded, clapping their beloved Albion number 9.
What hurt the most on a day where The Baggies were beaten comprehensively by Reading 1-0 was not even that of the performance, shambolic though it was. It was not the cold January air swirling around Buckinghamshire, or even the taunting Reading fans smug as you'd expect in victory against their Premier League opponents. It was the gutless personality of 10 West Bromwich Albion players who, as Roman Bednar was proudly clapping the loyal supporters, were already half way down the tunnel without even a glance at the South Stand of the Madejeski Stadium.
So my question is this: Is the modern day footballer too out of touch with the supporter? My journey to Reading began at 10 a.m Saturday morning and I returned at 8 p.m. During this process, I also spent 30 pounds on my ticket, travel and food, accumulating to around £35. So is it really too much to ask that after all this, the players of my club acknowledge this show of dedication when the final whistle is blown by clapping the fans? I don't think it is.
There was once a time when fans and players sat together in the pub and had a drink after the match. Those days are long gone and it's sad to see. What is it that has distanced the two fundaemental factors in this once great working class sport, the player and the supporter? The obvious answer is of course money. Too much money with too much time on their hands.
Now I am not for one minute suggesting that what these people have is not a talent. More often than not, these guys go out there in front of 30,000 people and produce the goods on a weekly basis. (So I'm told...I wouldn't know as a West Brom fan!) My gripe is not with the talent or even the money. But I fear that if we, the nation that gave football to the world, do not return to the morales of which this sport was built on, we may just be in danger of not having any sport left.
