Soccerlens: Fans More Fickle Than Ronaldo
Soccerlens has launched a scathing attack on football fans around the world, branding them irrational and childish.
Soccerlens owner Ahmed Bilal went so far as to call them a “senseless, directionless mob who enjoy being manipulated by the media.”
Speaking exclusively to Soccerlens (go figure) on the Ronaldo saga, Bilal questioned the loyalty of so-called Manchester United fans who had celebrated the successes brought to the club by Cristiano Ronaldo but now could not find any time for the Portuguese winger:
“Football fans are always going on and on about loyalty and how players get their heads turned too easily by their agents. These fans are f*****’ hypocrites.”
Bilal also questioned the double standards used by fans to judge players.
“Pique just went back to Barcelona this summer. He ‘WANTED’ to go back. His desire to move to Barcelona, where he gets to play for a club he’s idolised since childhood and earn more money than he would be getting at Manchester United, is no different than Ronaldo’s desire to play for Real Madrid.
For one player we wonder ‘what could have been’ and wish him good luck. For the other, we throw a fit, hate him for wanting to leave and shun him when he decides to stay? This goes beyond hypocrisy, this is as stupid as it gets.
Fans are being jerked around by a media that thrives on emotionally blackmailing its readership. And what’s worse, we’re letting them do this to us.”
When asked why Ronaldo had taken so much time to make his intentions clear, Bilal laughed off the suggestion that fans ‘deserved’ to know sooner:
“The fans? What about the club? As far as I know, Ronaldo plays for Manchester United and the club pay his wages. He owes his loyalties to the club, and as long as he’s playing for United and giving 100%, the fans should be backing him 100% as well.
People – especially those who are easily manipulated by the BS we’re spoon-fed everyday – forget that the player as well as the staff at the club were on VACATIONS during different times in the last two months. Ronaldo’s had a tough year, he’s taken his time off as he deserved, he’s then talked to the gaffer and they obviously decided that the final decision would be announced once he returned to the club.
So he goes off, has his operation, takes some time off and then comes back to the club as scheduled and says he’s responsible for the mess and that he’ll stay of his own accord and will give his 100% to the club.
Sure, you can say he has no choice, but shouldn’t actions speak louder than words? He HAD a choice – he could have thrown a tantrum and embarrassed himself and the club, but he’s dealt with it very professionally. What’s left is to get fit and then perform for the club. As long as he does that, the fans should be rooting for him, not complaining like jealous girlfriends.”
The Soccerlens owner also contrasted Ronaldo’s behavior with other leading transfer sagas of the summer:
“Look at the Gareth Barry situation. Look at how Ashley Cole and William Gallas treated their clubs when they weren’t allowed a move. Look at how Robinho’s agent is criticising Madrid. Look at how Rafael Van der Vaart offers himself to top European clubs ever summer. Look at how some of the chairmen at different clubs are behaving. Look at Adebayor, for f**** sake.
When you look at the numerous transfer sagas that have ended in acrimony, you’ll come to realise that Cristiano Ronaldo has been remarkably professional and respectful in his dealings.”
But when all is said and done, one gets the feeling that fans, fickle or not, will struggle to embrace Ronaldo as they did before. Considering how much the opposition loved to boo him, one wonders if Ronaldo will be given the same protection by United fans as before and if that will have an impact on how he plays and whether he stays long term.
When this question was put to Bilal, he pointed at Madrid’s conduct as the chief catalyst in turning fans against Ronaldo:
“They’ve stoked the fires and let everything else run its course. They knew the English press would piss itself silly trying to fill column inches on the story, and when the shit lords of UK went ahead and did exactly that, the fans’ minds were poisoned and now they just don’t care any more.
It’s a very sad state of affairs – I hope Ronaldo can win the fans back although a lot of it will depend on what happens the next time the fake Madrid come knocking.
The fans are just as, if not more, fickle than the players.”
Are fans more fickle than players? Let us know what you think by voting on the poll and sharing your thoughts in the comments below.
Editor’s Note: Ronaldo’s latest interview in full – read before you comment.
Didn’t Cristiano Ronaldo say he was going to Real in 7 days?
That would be Marca for you…
The Media is main culprit. They are the root of most problems, faking injuries, transfers, who said what, basically misinformation.
For now that CR7 is staying, and what he has said(heart and soul), he better do as what he says when the he is back on the field, otherwise it was a mistake not to sell him this summer.
I actually wrote a piece on this on the ManUtd Forum titled ‘A Fan’s Loyalty..Worth much?’ It pretty much talked about how fickle the fans are and if we should expect any more loyalty form players than what they recieve from the fans and the clubs.
After much debate though, I think most people realised that we the fans are actually less loyal than the players; after all, some of us call for the selling or releasing of players who still 100% want to be at the club but can’t due to injuries/poor performances (saha).
Anyways, after all is said and done, I’ve always regarded SAF and ronnie as straight people who air their views and frustrations without shyness, and this whole mess was just as a result of the English medias’ (and Marcas’) obsession with negative and false stories. All the ‘facts’ that were included in these numerous stories all pointed to Ronnie staying, but they managed to twist it the other way and the fans and populace fell for it.
I for one, will always continue to cheer for Ronnie, as I know he is a passionate footballer and will give his all no matter what team he’s in, at least he was honest about that!!
Its just difference in thoughts and opinion. See, football has a huge fan following all over the world and you will never find the sentiments same everywhere. We in India only get to know what’s wriiten in four to five lines in the sports column. Coming to Ronaldo, the truthis you, me, the media and everyone just want a lil bit of him. Don’t tell that you are writing for the sake of it. Why don’t you write big articles on the 10000 other players coz football is not a one man army….So we should respect everyones thought, coz thats the way it is….(no offense to anyone though)
I disagree…Ofcourse no fans in the world would be happy with their best players leaving the club…let alone THE best player in the world…But if a player who barely gets a game in the first team leaves it wouldnt be such a big problem…so with regards to the comparison between Pique and Ronaldo: Absolute Rubbish!!!
If you look closely, Ronaldo states in the intervew that it was his fault all this controversy was caused. He says that it was he who publicly stated his desire to move to Madrid…(Cant see how the media could have lied there)
So he claims and adits it was his fault, He admits he publicly stated his desire to leave…so he deserves whatever the fans send his way…unless he publicly declares his allegiance to Manchester United for the rest of his career…:-) Then I guess I would forgive him…
No matter what you say about the media contorting and distorting things, It is clear Ronaldo does not have the passion for Manchester United like say Rooney and Scholesy and so many others.
PS: It was Rooney’s dream to play for the scousers. He seems quite happy not to fulfill his dream???
PS: It was Rooney’s dream to play for the scousers. He seems quite happy not to fulfill his dream???….WHAT? O, u meant Everton…
hahaha. Rooney is the one Manu player i’ll regard with fondness…Remember: Once a blue, always a red.
Ronaldo has commited himself 2 manchester utd, end of. He has not killed anybody for god’s sake…BUT HE WILL BE ABSENT when utd come 2 anfield..hehe. Nice.
Yup…meant Everton…Ronaldo’s committed himself 4 wun season only…Bloody hell…Still goes on saying things about noone being able to predict the future
Look the mere fact that before he went on vacation he couldnt just man up and say he wanted to go madrid is what pisses us of not the fact he wanted to leave if he did what adebayor did then fine thats understandable. Not I stay I go I tell you in two weeks his words not the papers. So while I dont hate him, he will not ever get the same emotion the likes of scholes and giggs when he draws on the jersey. I will have his back but I cant say I will feel anything when he leaves.
“The fans? What about the club? As far as I know, Ronaldo plays for Manchester United and the club pay his wages.”
Bilal:
Players play for the fans as much as they play for the club. My opinion. Without the fans a club is nothing, and so players should feel some sense of loyalty to the fans.
We as fans had every right to know what Ronaldo thought. Simply because he never went about it in the right way. You can point to other players whose conduct was worse, but really I don’t care how other players conducted themselves.
What hurt me the most about Ronaldo was his unwillingness to give a straight answer when asked. Do I really need to remind everyone of the number of times he claimed a decision would be made within a week, a week that came and went time and time again?
On vacation or not, he was undoubtedly aware of the stories circulating in the press. Stories fueled by his own indecision. Fueled by his unwillingness to make a final decision. Perhaps the blame does lie with Real Madrids conduct, but the fact remains: Ronaldo had the power to come out at any point of time and set the record straight.
And if he truly cared for the fans, he would have.
What you ask could he have done better? Come out and said once and for all how things stood. He owed it to the fans. Yes, he OWED it to the fans. The same fans who stood by him after the world cup. The fans who were willing to accept him as a United legend in due time. The fans he himself holds in high regard (”I’ll be forever grateful. Manchester United and its fans can be sure that I’ll never forget them, no matter what happens. They’re special and they’ll always have a place here [puts hand on heart]“).
How much trouble would he have had to go through to say simply, “I would like to go to Madrid one day, that is my dream. BUT ” ?
He has only now come out and owned up for all of this, ONLY AFTER S.A.F CONCLUSIVELY SAID HE WAS GOING NOWHERE THIS SEASON. All the same, I would like to believe he meant what he said, and I for one will still support him, though not think of him in nearly the same regard as I did last season.
PS: Comparing Ronaldo to Pique is ludicrous. Ronaldo was the stand-put player for United last season, Pique was never assured of first team football at the club having to compete with arguably the best defensive partnership the club has seen for a long time now.
I think the proof will be on the pitch. If he performs like he did last season and gives his all for the club and their fans then the fans should back him 100%. The clubs fans are the most important part of the club, without the fans the club would simply not be. If the fans are unhappy about something to do with the club then they are entitled to voice their opinion. If Ronaldo’s desire to play for Real Madrid shows through too much then it will affect the mood in the dressing room and on the football pitch, the fans would then be entitled to jeer him. If I was a united fan then I would not be happy to have him in my team, he would have to regain my trust before I could back him fully. This is the view of a lot of United fans because of his conduct of the whole situation. In my view he is a typical Superstar Footballer, cares only about his own agenda.
Let’s get the Pique reference out of the way first. No comparison. Pique is a promising defender who has little short term prospect of getting regular 1st team footbal at Utd. He wants the opportunity to advance and so SAF amicably agreed to let him go. Absolutely no parallel to the CR situation.
Now let’s get onto fickle fans, starting with a definition of fickle:
“Characterized by erratic changeableness or instability, especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious”
I would argue that fans are anything but fickle. Their undying affection is for their club. True fans, as we see repeditively on this blog, will defend their team at all costs and this loyalty is unwavering, certainly not subject to ‘erratic changeableness’.
By extension, fans bestow that affection and loyalty on all those who throw their lot behind the club, none more so than on players. This has close parallels to many of life’s close relationships and as in those other situations, trust, loyalty and respect are paramount.
If any of the stakeholders breach these fundamental values there are consequences, but the commitment to the club remains untouched. CR has violated all these fundamental values with his behaviour and many fans are, rightly, unforgiving.
The bit regarding the media does not hold weight, for me, in this instance. Yes, it was a media frenzy and full of hype but fans don’t lack the intelligence to shake this out and see the reality. It comes down to the personal interviews with CR and what he DID and DIDN’T say. It’s beyond question that he wanted (wants) to leave and while he may be entitled to that, the response of many true fans is: ” fair enough son, piss-off….next!”
Nobody is bigger than the club (bad cliche I know) but certainly not this arrogant, vain, egotistical brat.
Many Utd fans, even before this saga unfolded, had a problem with CR. Personally, I found it a unique phenomenon to have the most influential player at the club I have supported all my life also a player I could not warm to on a personal level.
While CR is now backtracking at a great rate the fact is he has potentially undermined Utd’s season this year based on his actions. This would have applied whether he stayed or went and clearly he is going sometime soon.
True fans are anything but fickle, the love of the club is paramount and never dies. Anyone who disrespects that deserves everything they get.
The sooner I see the back of him the better. Break the trust and there’s no way back!
As for: ‘Soccerlens owner Ahmed Bilal went so far as to call them a “senseless, directionless mob who enjoy being manipulated by the media.‒
Isn’t Ahmed the media himself? I feel this article is trying to manipulate my view but I’m not to be swayed!
And finally, regarding the reference to all the other acrimonious transfer sagas that have unfolded recently, well all of the above applies to those players and they deserve the same consequences.
On a lighter note, is this piece Mr Bilal interviewing himself?
Worrying if that is the case!!!!
They accepted him back after the Rooney incident in the World Cup when all my Man Utd fan friends said they’d never cheer him again. I don’t see why they won’t love him this season if he performs like he did before- fickleness works both ways!
Do we ‘hate’ Ronaldo because he’s more valuable to us or because he wants to leave?
Because he wants to leave, nobody wants a player in their team who doesn’t want to be there because you cannot rely on his loyalty. What if Man U and Real Madrid meet in the cup, will Ronaldo play the best football match he has ever played or will he be caught in two minds as to what to do?
Ahmed, being rated as the best player in the world obviously ups the anti but it’s not because he wants to leave, it’s the spineless and disloyal way he has handled it. If he spoke privately to SAF and Utd senior management at the end of the season and/or issued the following statement:
“I have had a fantastic time at Man Utd and appreciate all that the club have done for me. Last season was beyond my wildest dreams in what the club and, I personally, achieved and I have fulfilled some of my greatest ambitions. However, it has been a long held dream of mine to play for the club I idolised as a boy and having achieved great success at Utd, I feel the time is right to follow that dream and challenge myself in a new environment. I know this will disappoint a lot of people but I will always treasure my time at Man Utd and the club will always have a special place in my heart, as will the wonderful players I had the privelage of playing with and the manager, who has been a constant support and like a father figure to me. Utd fans are the best in the world and the support they gave me and the team in my time here is something I will never forget. I need to follow my heart but I hope all the Man Utd fans realise that this is a very difficult decision and one I do not take lightly.
Whatever the future brings I wish nothing but success for this great club, this has been a special time in my life.”
But no, instead he issued a series of spineless, cryptic (but easily deciphered) comments that he wanted to leave without ever considering or paying homage to the people who made him great and gave him undying support.
It says everything you need to know about the man, and it’s not pretty.
it’s the spineless and disloyal way he has handled it
Disloyal being the fact that he wanted to go? Or disloyal being the fact that he spoke to the press about it?
I’m not happy with him talking to the press that way – but I can accept it since at the end of the day, he is man enough to come back and play for the club without throwing a tantrum a la Gallas or Cole or Barry or dozens of other primadonas.
If he had made a habit of speaking to the press like Adebayor or Drogba have, then I’d have held it against him. Right now, he’s given two interviews in which he talked about wanting to leave – one before the Euros and one after it to Ballague. In both interviews he’s said that the final decision rested with United. In his third interview he’s said that he’ll commit to United for the future.
Contrast this with the cunt-like behavior you see with players always talking about how sad they are at a club and flip-flopping between wanting to stay and wanting to go.
Step *back* and get some perspective. Or don’t, up to you.
Spineless being the part where he one, admitted to wanting to go but still maintained that it was united’s decision in the end and two, decided to stay on and give his 100% to United knowing that he’s incurred the wrath of fans by wanting to leave in the first place?
It takes greater integrity to come back to the team and face the players / fans than it does to throw a strop and refuse to play for the club. It takes greater integrity to own up to what you want than it does to lie to the world while your agent desperately works for a deal.
I’m not a fan of Jorge Mendes but in all this we heard nothing about him, and I’m really happy he kept out of it. Ronaldo made a brave choice and when it didn’t work out for him, he made another brave choice.
I don’t like the thought that he wants to leave (although in his mind he’s won everything there is to win with United, and he has a point there), but I can deal with that separately from what he’s done, and so far he’s done nothing to embarrass himself or the club.
Again, compare Ronaldo with wantaway players from other clubs and then decide. It wasn’t smart to talk to the press but there’s nothing spineless or disloyal about it.
are you having a laugh?
If the sun-baked portuguese pop-star does not want to wear the shirt…
then he can f*** off.
The End.
I totally agree.
In fact, having lived as a fan through most of the dark years between 1968 and 1993, I sometimes find it embarassing how some fans treat the players (and club) they say they love.
â€What we need now is a player like that guy from Brazil, or Italy, or Spain, you know the guy, you can see him on youtube, 57 seconds of magic. Why don´t our players perform like that? All the time. They are such rubbish, get them out! Champions? Luck, I tell you, luck. And Chelsea has Big Phil now, and Deco. We must act!
But if that guy doesn’t show his magic repeatedly in the first half of the first match, then let us castrate him, in public and buy this guy instead. He scored nine goals in Serie A, and someone who knows a lot about football says he is the new Pele, or Maradona, or at least Lineker…â€
I mean, there is no wonder Ronaldo is looked upon as bad guy. A missed penalty is for many as bad as a knife in their mum´s back, a bad day is comparable to treason, an injury is a sign of disloyalty and spending one month of summer without buying the world is an insult to everything and anything anyone hold dear.
And if you are just a hard working, quiet, loyal team worker who go out to do your job without any fuss, (which any team deperately needs), then you are rubbish, shite, scum and should be given away to the nearest pub team.
The solution is always to get in someone else, preferably a superstar like Messi or Kaka, or even Pirlo or Villa. Or at least someone who can deliver the Premiership and the Champions League by September (and in exciting fashion). The grass always seem to be greener on the other side – or rather in the other sides – our players deliver the Premiership and the Champions League and fans deliver abuse. Where is the loyalty in that?
If you have called Ryan Giggs rubbish just because he isn’t as fast as he was in 1996, if you have called Saha lazy, or Carrick useless, or questioned the most winning manager of all times just because he doesn’t swap his whole Champion-team for Kaka – then you shold not speak about loyalty. Then you should shut up until you have something useful to say.
And furthermore – if you want these great players as seen on the telly – great players from great football nations with great football clubs – do not expect them to have a secret dream about playing for United, to love the club as if it was their local club, and to show this love and loyalty at any time and with as much force and passion as humanly possible.
Because kids in other country, in other football cultures, may very well dream of something else than United and Manchester. And all though you can buy their skills, you cannot buy their dreams. The only thing you can hope for is to make an impression good enough to convince them they live in another dream, just as good.
And if you don’t want this – then don’t expect to win everything all the time. It is as easy as that.
By the contents of this article, I’d have to say I find Ahmed Bilal and his comments to be more hypocritical than the fans being criticized. He obviously cannot determine whom to blame for this Ronaldo saga. First he criticizes Real Madrid for all sorts of crazy things which have no evidence, but then, although quite rightfully so, blames Ronaldo for his public statements and for his refusal to quelch the rumors. Is he done yet pointing fingers? No, he turns around and blames the fans for turning their back on Ronaldo. Brilliant.
RvN – that’s called ‘everyone being responsible for their own actions’. It’s not as easily cut and dry or black and white as you’d like your world to be. At the end of the day though, the fans are wrong for ‘hating’ Ronaldo, and that’s the point of the article.