Synergy - the science of football
By Farzana Chaudry
Body language, it was all in the body language. As I watched the Golden Boys
warming-up, I could sense something just wasn't quite right; they seemed
sluggish and tired, the usual passion and vigor was missing. It was almost
as if there was some kind of player-fan synergy going on. Some of their
lethargy rubbed off onto us and some of ours onto them.
All the Leeds players left the pitch by 2.50pm,no doubt to psyche themselves
up for the task in hand. Some of our players were still on the pitch
dangerously close to kick-off time. In my book it's the little things like
that which count.
As the teams came out I was delighted that more fans are bringing confetti to
the games, a woman not far behind me had painstakingly cut up thousands of
pieces of red, yellow and black crepe paper, that made my chunky white
efforts look decidedly embarrassing.
There was a sizeable Leeds contingent. Leeds had asked for more tickets and
were awarded them. It's synergy again - the science of football! Don't give 'em
loads of tickets and they buy them anyway and ruin it for the home
supporters; give them lots of tickets and they end up taking two thirds of
the Vicarage end. Call me old-fashioned but I thought the whole
point of home matches was to vastly out-number and intimidate your visiting
rivals to small quivering wrecks stuck in the corner of the ground, not
enjoying full vantage position behind the goalmouth.
Man with tannoy - darling, please calm down. The Leeds fans can stand on their bloody
heads for all I care!
We were very poor in midfield. Most of our players just seemed to panic when
they had the ball. It isn't netball, lads - you can keep the ball for longer
than three seconds. It's so soul destroying to lose at home when you know we
didn't even really put up a half-decent fight. We know we're better, we are
the best, and we are the greatest....
Yeah, yeah it was Sunday...but it was also Sunday over at Upton Park, plenty of
passion of a different kind there!
Sorry, no excuses. I may be mad and desperate but I'm not stupid.... all of
us were poor and we just can't afford to play and spectate like that,
especially at home and especially on a Sunday.
