Firstly I would like to explain the title, whilst this is a little inflammatory I am not here to discuss the merits of the Mike Newell School of sexual equality within the beautiful game but rather the unresolved conflict between two great loves of my life – women and football.

Firstly for some reason I feel I must clarify what you already know, the role of football for millions of men’s lives begins at an early age. I can remember that I have loved football long before spending time with the opposite sex became more desirable than contracting the bubonic plague.

Despite a lack of discernible talent I like countless others grew up playing, talking or watching football at every opportunity. From the schoolyard, park or back garden everywhere had the potential to be a football pitch, I read all the books (this was before the interweb) and Saturday afternoons were subservient to BBC Radio 5 live, train schedules and kick off times.

This continued as I reached puberty and beyond and despite one or two close encounters my head was never turned for a long enough period of time to loosen the grip football had on my life.

It must be remembered that as a boy grows up and bubonic fears are replaced with the desire to impress, neigh court a fair maiden the equilibrium is put in danger.

If successful in pursuit of a lady companion and a relationship between a man and a woman reaches a certain stage weird and confusing activities are suggested for Saturday afternoons insted of football. Such activities include (but are not limited to) decorating, Ikea, going shopping and other suitably stereotypical ideas that will doubtless endear me to a generation of feminists.

As the relationship grows Football is no longer guaranteed to be centre stage it can become subject to negotiation and argument as man is torn between his love for football and his love for the lady in his life.

So I have been debating recently how involved your significant other should be with your relationship with the beautiful game.

Some would argue that this is not as much of an issue as it used to be over recent years the demographics of English football stadia have shifted dramatically and it is now culturally acceptable to enter a football stadium with your other half in tow.

Technically this development presents a new potential middle ground between the two, introducing your girlfriend to the beautiful game could be a perfect formula( depending on your significant other of course). Gone are the stereotypes of condiment offside trap diagrams, ignorant questions and a new era featuring more and more women of all ages playing and revelling in the beautiful game.

With this in mind  I have recently took the decision to finally take the big step and reluctantly decide that after 4 years finally take my girlfriend to watch my team play live for the first time.

My girlfriend has known since about the second month of our relationship that she would always be competing with football for my free time and spare cash, to her credit she has taken steps to try and gain a rudimentary understanding of the game and learnt that my mood on an evening may be determined by the actions of 22 men on a football pitch often hundreds of miles from our present location.

Taking a woman to a football match may not sound like a big deal however for the last 4 years I have kept the two competing sections of my life separate. Juggling my weekends to ensure enough time was spent in the company of my lovely lady to ensure I was not shown the door, whilst still allowing sufficient time to travel to games or at the very least keep track of the action on television.

It was not that I didn’t want her to like football in fact the exact opposite I want her to understand my passion to not roll her eyes when I get excited about the cup draw or that Eric Von Winkle from FC Sponge has signed a new contract.

However I am not so sure that I want her to share the passion, I like that I can disappear for a few hours on a Saturday into my own world oblivious to all things that are truly important in life. For 90 minutes I can shout at the top of my voice, voice displeasure at random strangers and take out my frustrations with life.

Please do not misinterpret my ramblings though, I welcome the arrival of women onto the terraces it shows that many of the negative aspects of the game have been eroded and the game has entered the main stream. Also with my Mum, Sister and Grandmother (Nan) season ticket holders at one of two English clubs I am in no position to argue that women do not have a place on the terraces of England. 

After much internal debate I bought the tickets and took the plunge a 5pm game so that we could take in a few activities that were more to her taste and not just throw her in at the deep end. Arriving in plenty of time for the match (10 minutes before kick off rather than the usual 2) she seemed impressed by the sheer size, noise and theatre of the stadium.

Throughout the game you could slowly see her starting to realise what all the fuss was about, the banter, the singing the random swearing/shouting for no apparent reason, the excitement the passion.

The game was a great success she had a great time and was able to see OUR team romp to victory, although I am not sure what I will say when she asks when am I next taking her along.

I do not regret taking the plunge and introducing the most important person in my life to my sporting obsession, but i guess I wanted to see if my misgivings were normal?

How long would you wait to take a girl you like to a football match, is it now first date material or something special to be savoured.

Do you see football as separate from your romantic life or am I just out of date/touch with the modern world for dragging my feet for so long?

The lady at the top? Letizia Filippi.

What you’re going to see is something that I just can’t find the words to describe. Just watch it yourself:

Want more football videos? Check out the Soccerlens Youtube channel.

In fact, you can’t really tell them apart anymore:

Studs Up, by Chris Toy

I’m writing this post in order to bring some hope to you men (mostly), whose partners for life give them a hard time over their fascination with the beautiful game. I’ll start at the end:

In May 2009, a business trip “forced” me to go to Barcelona. The trip happened to coincide with a home match against Villareal, and I hoped that the game would be the championship game. A week before, the La Liga results were in our favor, and I was all excited about watching Barcelona winning the title at home (eventually they didn’t do it that day). I was not the only one excited, my girlfriend Aya was, too. Perhaps, even more than I was. We were destined to be at the Camp Nou a week later, and she couldn’t wait going there.

But it didn’t start that way at all. On the contrary. Aya and I met two years ago. We used to meet a few times a week in the evenings and there were very good signs this was going to be the relationship we were looking for. It didn’t take her long to notice my addiction to football. At the time, I lived by myself and had plenty of free time for live football on TV. In some weeks during the season’s long peak, I could easily watch 4 games a week (only 4, since I did want to have some life).

It took Aya about a month and a half to realize what she was walking into. She had absolutely no sympathy or respect for my love to sports and football in particular. Televised football and Aya were parallel dimensions. She could not understand how the hell I get so excited by merely watching football, and not even practicing it.

It was early in Rijkaard’s last season in Barcelona, and the range of emotions erupting from me amazed her. She could not understand how I got so angry with a game which I’m not an active part of, played by some players thousands of kilometers from us. She used to say “I’d understand it if you had something to do about it, or if you were playing, but I can’t understand how you can watch so much, and why you care so much”. Simply out, she thought I was some kind of a monkey.

Read the full article at Footbo: There’s always hope, or – how my girlfriend learned to love football (by Yinon G)

“Seeing these smiling faces is the greatest pleasure. They have been magnificent all season. They have been our 12th man. I have always said our fans are the best in England. Now I know they are the best in Europe too.” (Rafa Benitez)

Yes indeed, Rafa Benitez may be many things but naiive he most definitely is not! The moment he walked through the hallowed gates of Anfield on the 16th of June 2004 he was met by that enormous weight of expectation and it has rested heavily on his shoulders ever since.

But Rafa knew what he was getting into, he relished the challenge…..and quick smart produced a five year plan. The man arrived with credentials and the belief that he was the one who could achieve what Souness, Evans and Houllier failed to do in the previous 14 years…..bring the title back to Anfield.

Five years into that five year plan and Rafa has yet to deliver the one prize the Kop so desperately covet and the relationship between fans and manager has become a simple equation.

However, before examining where Benitez stands in the hearts and minds of Liverpool fans we should first look at the history….what sets the tone amongst Liverpool fans and how they treat their managers, in the context of their huge desire to return to the glory days of the 70’s and 80’s.

As one who has been around since the Shankly days, that’s not a big ask. I can’t think of another club where the fans are so completely supportive of their managers, where they stand cheek to jowl in their defence and where they show outstanding patience, an acceptance that everyone deserves a chance…. time to prove themselves, despite their hunger for success. If anything you could argue that Liverpool fans give their managers too much rope and in recent history they have all ultimately hung themselves. Arguably, Souness, Evans and Houllier had all passed their sell-by date before the axe finally fell.

But in the final analysis there’s no scope whatsoever for a failed manager at Anfield offering a case of fan impatience as the cause of his demise. Maybe that’s because of the halcyon days…that unique dynasty created by the wonderfully charismatic legend that was Shankly. The ‘Boot Room’ delivered Paisley and Fagan in the great man’s wake and between them they made Liverpool a world force. They set the standards and for two generations Liverpool fans knew nothing but success. Those days are not long past and have set the agenda for all that has followed.

The baton has now long since been passed to Rafa by one in a lengthening line of plodders, whilst the gold medal sprinters of former days remain but a fond memory. Shankly to Paisley to Fagan to Dalglish was undoubtedly the ‘dream team’…..leaving all others in their wake as they won gold medal after gold medal. To be followed by Souness to Evans to Houllier to Benitez, so far, has been the equivalent of replacing Usain Bolt with…..well let’s say….someone else.

So how does Rafa stack-up in that ‘lesser’ team? Not badly at all actually. Souness won the FA Cup in 1992, Evans the League Cup in 1995 and Houllier 2 League Cups, 1 FA Cup and 1 UEFA Cup (3 of the 4 all coming in the same season). Benitez has 1 FA Cup and the (potentially) job saving prize of the CL in his first season…and that trumps all of the others!

The question remains though, where would Benitez be now if it wasn’t for that miraculous comeback in Istanbul? But the fact is that he won it and his stock rose hugely as a result, understandably so. Benitez won his two trophies in his first two seasons at Liverpool, both cups; both in penalty shoot-outs; and both because of the inspirational Stephen Gerrard. It is often said that Gerrard single handedly won those trophies…and I can’t find fault with that argument.

Is it a valid point to suggest that if Rafa had lost those two penalty shoot-outs, or if he had lost Stevie G to Chelsea some seasons back, that he would now be a distant memory on the Kop….or is that too harsh?

But let’s examine Rafa’s current position at Liverpool and what the future might hold….five years into his tenure.

Let me begin where I began, with that quote from Rafa. There’s no question that he has understood from day one the importance of keeping the fans onside. I would argue that he plays them like a fiddle ….and he’s clearly a man with an ear for music! Let me go through some examples. Yes, I accept that Liverpool fans may not agree with these observations but as a distant observer maybe I can bring a different perspective.

When the US owners arrived in 2007 all looked rosy…for about 5 minutes. Rafa had money to spend and the arrival of Torres and Babel, amongst others, had Anfield buzzing and off to a good start to the season. But trouble arrived in October, points were dropped and Benitez came under fire for his rotation policy (probably unfairly), primarily concerning Gerrard and Torres. It was at this point that Rafa went public with a high profile attack on the owners….apparently because further transfer funds would not be forthcoming in January.

No need to rake over old ground…. suffice to ask why he went public on an ‘internal’ matter and why the timing (just 3 months after spending close to 50 million and declaring himself well satisfied with his summers work)? The answer may lie in what happened when Liverpool’s title challenge collapsed by January. The bitter disappointment brought a wave of emotion from the fans and the owners took the brunt of their anger as they rallied in support of their manager. Rafa had played his card to perfection and with impeccable timing! It was premeditated damage limitation at its best!

Fast forward to last season and we found Benitez leading a full-on title charge. With his team leading the way into the New Year, Rafa’s stock was flying high. In that early part of the season he steered clear of controversy….basking in the warmth of expectation and belief.

But come January and storm clouds started to gather. As their bitter rivals put together 11 straight wins, Liverpool’s challenge hit a rock in the shape of too many ‘soft’ draws and when they lost 2-0 at Boro on the 28th of February, leaving United 7 points clear, the title race was declared over by most observers. The fans had become increasingly restless over those two months. It was a bitter pill to swallow but once again Rafa had his hand on the pulse. He was dealing cards faster than a Las Vegas croupier as he desperately tried to deflect attention elsewhere and hang onto the fans loyalty.

Firstly, we had the now infamous ‘Rafa Rant’, quickly followed by an attack on David Gill over his role with the FA. Then it was back to internal matters and his own contract. He went public (yet again on an ‘internal’ issue) with a cryptic reference to his control (or lack of) over transfers. Barely a week after dropping this tidbit to the fans he then declared that it was inappropriate to talk about his contract publicly as it was a distraction from the real business at hand. Hmmm….

Next came the barb directed at Parry as the internal wrangling heated up. Apparently it was Parry’s fault that Daniel Agger was threatening to leave because Parry had been way too slow in coming-up with a new contract. Once again you may ask, why wash the dirty linen in public? Agger’s agent weighed in, stating that is was nothing to do with the timing of a new contract that had his client restless but the fact that he was unhappy at not playing…..clearly a player/manager issue….and one that Benitez should have been aware of and should have been handling (and maybe he was aware of it but that didn’t suit his needs?).

In all the above instances the fans supported Rafa 100%. My point has nothing to do with the specifics of these episodes…all of which were debated to death at the time. No, I am interested in the timing; the correlation with what was happening on the pitch and Benitez’ penchant for deflection when the heat is on. In particular, I wonder at his tactic of making private club matters public for personal gain, invariably involving his determination to influence the fans and get them onside.

But the most interesting aspect of all of the above, in the context of the subject of the article, is that Rafa came-up short this time. When Liverpool lost to Boro the majority of fans felt the title was going back to Old Trafford. It was yet another gut wrenching disappointment and emotions ran high. For a number of days the fans poured their hearts out and the verdict was not good for Benitez. His team selection for the Boro game was crucified and old issues regarding rotation, tactics and ability in the transfer market came under the spotlight.

There is no question in my mind that in those brief few days Rafa lost the majority support of the fans. Some journalists suggested that a bad result against Real Madrid in the CL would see his departure.

Now there’s an old adage about lucky managers but I can’t quite recall how it goes. What happened next for Rafa was maybe down to luck or maybe his guardian angel was on hand. Like a fading gambler desperately seeking one last ‘big hand’ Benitez was dealt a royal flush….by his team. Timing has been everything for Rafa recently and as he hung by a thread after that Boro game his team suddenly found a purple patch, unprecedented in his tenure…and one that, I believe, saved his skin.

Real Madrid were embarrassed at Anfield, Villa dispatched 5-0….but the jewel in the crown was a 4-1 away win over United. As Liverpool soared United wobbled….and the title race was back on! Liverpool’s run came to an ignominious end in the CL QF against Chelsea but a strong finish in the league and pushing United to the 2nd last game restored Rafa’s credibility.

Ultimately, Liverpool fans felt they were unlucky and when Ronaldo’s departure from OT was announced in June they were positively dancing in the streets! The title was there for the taking this season! But as a rather bizarre transfer window closed, many had revised their expectations. Their shopping list of a quality full-back, wide player and striker (which would provide the necessary depth to finally reach the ultimate objective) never materialized. The quality full-back arrived as another ‘decent’ one departed but the big hit was the departure of, arguably, their most influential player last season…Alonso.

Maybe not in the same league as Gerrard and Torres, Alonso was the fulcrum of the system that proved so successful last year (and a system for which Rafa must take full credit!) and in Aquilani they have bought a good player but one who is injury prone and cannot perform the same role as Alonso. Many point the finger at Rafa for his departure after the ‘Barry affair’ last year and his revelation that Alonso would be sold.

But in some ways Rafa has gotten lucky again! The expectations have been revised downwards as a result but make no mistake, the desire and ambition will burn forever and Rafa is now living on borrowed time. History alone shows that six years without the title at Anfield puts you at risk. It quickly becomes a set of extremely polarised possibilities!

For the man who delivered the CL in his first season (dreamtime for most managers) these are the potential scenarios:

Win the title this season and you probably have a job for life.

Come up short and fall out of the race too early, especially if Utd are well ahead of you, and your number is likely to be called.

My feeling at this point is that the Liverpool fans can’t take another slap in the face in the Rafa era and no amount of attempted deflection will save him from here on in. If he doesn’t deliver the ultimate prize he may go this season but that will very much depend on how things unfold. Failure to deliver this season and next (assuming another CL isn’t won) and I believe that the fans will call time. And, as always, Liverpool’s results and league position in relation to their bitter rivals will also play a part.

As I said, the relationship is a simple equation and the Liverpool fans have delivered everything and more that could be expected from their side. It will be their call. Benitez has managed the ‘politics’ to such an extent that he has been nearly untouchable, despite major fall-outs with the owners and senior management at the club….and make no mistake…that’s because he has always understood that, at Anfield, it is the fans who decide on managerial moves.

He couldn’t have asked for more from them. He knew the expectations. He had a plan. It’s now time to deliver!

The fans continue to hang in there but if the cool optimism of early season turns into major disappointment as the season unfolds, emotions will once again run high and as we’ve seen time and time again, when the tide turns for managers it usually happens in the blink of an eye.

After the last two seasons I doubt that the Anfield faithful can take many more hits. There’s a limit to every managerial tenure, no matter how much loyalty the fans show. Rafa has played the ‘owners’ card and the ‘hierarchy’ card (in both cases to perfection) but the next time the fans are left gutted I expect they will look at just one man.

Benitez’ resume as a manger stands up to scrutiny against the best. He’s certainly not a bad manager and is a decent individual. Credit has to go to anybody who can operate effectively under such pressure for a sustained period.

Maybe he will take his team to the Promised Land this season and become Liverpool Royalty for life.

If not, the clock will continue to tick….and when it comes…the end will be swift.

We’ve all been there. It’s the last minute and your team is clinging on to a vital, undeserved win away from home. You stand and bellow support for your lads with their backs against the walls, frantically throwing themselves in front of every ball headed toward the goal to break your heart.

Or stood on the balls of your feet, arms aloft, savouring every last note of the band’s encore. After wholeheartedly participating in the circling, moshpit in the centre of the venue throughout the gig.

Even stood, screeching, encouraging your horse to win by a nose and net you a cool couple of hundred pounds of profit.

Now replace the word stand or stood with sit or sat, and it’s not quite the same experience is it? Yet there is only one of those situations that is an offence, meaning ejection from the event you were enjoying. Then maybe even a ban for life from returning to the place where the offence was committed.

Yes, with the shadow of the Hillsborough disaster looming behind it, football is a different, and definitely more sensitive issue. However, essentially within each situation are just normal people actively enjoying their passion.

Lord Justice Taylor’s report on Hillsborough is not something to be ignored or taken lightly, in fact because it has been embraced is the reason going to watch football has become the popular, all- inclusive and above all safe pastime it is today.

However, although Lord Justice Taylor recommended all-seater stadia in English football, a rule that has been implemented in the top two tiers, it never said the actual act of standing was to cause for the horrible tragedy that day. Rather ‘the muddled stadium maintenance, safety inspection regime… poor approach to stadium design and event management.’

In the same report, commenting on his recommendation to move to all-seater stadia, Taylor stated, ‘spectators will be accustomed and educated to sitting.’ This is the basis of the most compelling case for the introduction of safe standing in England. Every week at most football grounds throughout the country, masses of supporters stand (especially in the away end) with stewards seemingly powerless to stop them.

20 years on and football supporters have not become accustomed to seating, and probably never will. Yet those behind, whether young, elderly or disabled have only two choices, try and stand and try and peek above or around those in front, or just not be able to see. Yet the footballing authorities are ignoring the perfect solution to this problem, a safe standing area where those who want to stand can, and those who want to sit can, and both enjoy the game.

Another problem stopping football followers from enjoying the game is the cost to be able to. The cheapest ticket at Old Trafford for the most supported club in England is £27. This being good value for money in the premier league, it costs £39 in the family end at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea home games. Conversely, the cost to see a top-flight game at the most supported club in the German Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund is €14 (£12), less than half the price of Manchester United. Amazing value for money, especially considering the strength of the Euro against the Pound.

The reason this can be done is the immense 24,454 capacity Südtribüne at Westfalenstadion. (Shown in the photograph with article)  Given the nickname ‘The Opera House’ because of the huge passion demonstrated at every home game. This is a perfect example of how safe standing can be achieved. There are small areas holding just over 2000 people where just those with the correct ticket are allowed to enter, with ample room for each person. While the terrace can be transformed into an all seater stadium to be able to host events such as the Italy and Germany World Cup semi-final in 2006, and the 2001 UEFA cup final between Liverpool and Deportivo Alaves.

German football clubs can allow choice for the fans because of the refreshing attitude of the German football association, DFB. After Hillsborough the DFB reviewed its policy on standing at football matches, like the FA. But chose to keep standing areas for various valid reasons including the fear of children standing on seats on steep terraces trying to see above those stood in front of them, and to ensure a greater social inclusion to football games.

Yet the most striking aspect of the reasons for their decisions is this statement, ‘Football is culture… the solidarity inspired by a sense of community’ Imagine this coming from the FA’s slick PR machine? That statement and all that surrounds it is surely what football is all about, groups of friends going to games and becoming one group with hundreds, or thousands of others. Something that is being lost with billionaire oil baron owners and wall to wall live football on sky sports.

Therefore, don’t think of the standing argument as a yearn for the dark days, rather a look forward to a future with the choice for affordable, safe standing areas, a chance to reclaim football for its fans.

After all what other industry (and the government) would ignore its consumers.  In a survey conduced by The Football Fans’ Census 92% of football fans said fans should be given the choice whether they stand or sit inside football grounds. A clear illustration of the feeling on what is one of the most important issues in English football, yet an issue that gets so sadly ignored.

Emmanuel Adebayor evokes some interesting emotions wherever he goes. From his goal-scoring exploits for Arsenal to back-to-back interviews where he pledged allegiance to Arsenal before flirting with Barcelona, to his quite obvious Milan fantasy to his bumper contract at Arsenal to a move to Manchester the next summer, Adebayor had already entertained and infuriated Arsenal fans.

But then came last Saturday when, in-between his clashes with Fabregas, Song and RVP, he scored a goal for City and then proceeded to run the full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the visiting Arsenal supporters.

There has been plenty of debate on the matter – here and elsewhere. Suffice to say that both the fans (who can dish it out but can’t take it) and Adebayor (whose lack of class while as an Arsenal player and now as a Manchester City player is disappointing) are in the wrong here.

But what’s most interesting is how this Arsenal fan reacted to Adebayor’s antics from Saturday – we’re used to people burning effigies of politicians and what not, but as Andrew demonstrates, burning the shirt of a footballer who has betrayed your club is just as satisfying.

Take a look: Arsenal fan burns Adebayor Shirt.

Am I the only one who seems to think everyone in the country is missing something? At Eastlands on Sunday a steward was struck by missiles thrown by Arsenal’s fans, and left unconscious by the pitch-side for five minutes. A disgraceful act that none of us want to see in football I’m sure you’ll all agree. And surely a more serious incident than the pathetic, infantile pitch invasion at Upton Park last month, where it seems that the large majority of West Ham fans were celebrating.

Yet the damning of each incident compare slightly differently. The Sun calling it ‘A horror pitch invasion.’ Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe commenting on a “return to the dark days of the 70s and 80s.” Harry Redknapp saying he was “sick to the very pit of his stomach.” Danny Dyer saying, “it’s the best thing to ever happen to resurrect my slowly dying acting career.” I might be lying about the last one but you get the drift.

So what sorts of condemnations were there for the Arsenal fans? None at all. In the mass hysteria of people queuing to attack Emmanuel Adebayor for daring to give a little back to thousands of fully grown adult’s constant abuse and vitriol he had been on the receiving end of both prior to and throughout the game, nobody has mentioned the fact that the Arsenal fans were well out of order.

The bare fact is that Adebayor wasn’t the one who concussed the steward.

Before I go on any further, in no way does this mean I think Adebayor is anything but a repulsive idiot, who fully demonstrates what is wrong with the mercenary attitude of modern footballers. His stamp on Robin Van Persie was disgraceful, and I’m sure he will receive the punishment he deserves. His very public flirting with Barcelona, “There is no player who can say no to Barcelona”, made me sick, and there is nothing wrong with Arsenal’s fans telling exactly what they thought of him. But as the old adage goes, ‘if you can’t take it then don’t give it out.’

The blatant ignorance of the away ends misbehaviour can only be for two reasons in my eyes, both as wrong as each other.

Either our country has accepted that football fans are all mindless idiots, and therefore cannot control their actions in provocation from a fellow idiot. So everybody is willing to let this one go because football fans can’t help it. This view is so patronising and wrong that I really hope it isn’t true.

That leaves the fact that Arsenal were not in Green Street, have Nick Hornby as a celebrity fan and have a reputation of a family club without a real history of football violence. I won’t insult the reader’s intelligence by explaining why treating every team on reputation is wrong.

So unless the FA have a valid reason to treat Arsenal different to every other club, then the same book that was thrown at West Ham should also be lobbed in the direction of The Emirates.

Today a four year legal battle that has dominated the national and international news has come to an end, Michael Shields has been pardoned by the British government following his conviction for attempted murder in a Bulgarian court. After serving time in both Bulgarian and British prisons Michael Shields will be freed in the coming days a thought that must have seemed a long way off following his conviction and 10 year sentence four years ago.

The events of the 30th of May 2005 and those that followed evoke great controversy and emotion, the sense of community on Merseyside has been immense following the conviction of Mr Shields. There has been a long standing campaign including marches, mass protests and letter writing designed to secure the release of a man who has always claimed his innocence.

In this article I do not want to re-examine the court cases or the morals ivolved, the events that transpired that night or in the following years will be covered infinitum by better educated fellows than myself. I like to write about football and the greatest question in my mind is not was this an injustice, but what has this to do with football?

Since 2005 much has been made of the fact that Michael Shields was a Liverpool fan, particularly as the alleged crime took place when the accused was on holiday after attending a major footballing event involving that club.

Headline after headline in media link the crime and football that the accused supports almost implying that the two are directly related. When breaking the news today the BBC used the headline ‘Pardon for Football fan Shields’. This headline is technically accurate however this crime was not committed at a football match, it was not committed in the aftermath of a match, nor was it committed in the name of football.

Therefore why is the fact that Michael Shields was a football fan relevant to the story, if I am to commit a crime tomorrow will the headline read ‘football fan robs bank’? or will this detail be omitted as an irrelevance? The crime that occurred in Bulgaria was a vicious attack regardless of who was responsible, an attack that severly injured the victim and was more likely caused by the consumption of too much alcohol or sheer vindicativeness than an affiliation with a football club.

Whilst I am sure that much of the emotion and interest in this story would have remained, would this have reached such a fever pitch had the connection between Michael Shields and Liverpool football club not been made?

I severely doubt that there would have been so much pressure on Jack Straw to make a decision on this issue had the link between football and the crime not been made. I also doubt that this story would have been deemed as newsworthy as it has been and it is unlikely that it would have been more than a footnote news story quickly passing into the annals of time.

Therefore my point is this at what point does the club that someone supports become a noteworthy item? Recent events have reminded us that some despicable acts do get perpetrated in the name of football including extreme violence on both a small and large scale and this is disgusting, but the Michael Shields incident took place in Bulgaria hundreds of miles from the sporting event referenced in reports.

There has also been no mention that football was a factor in this attack so to include this information is to miss the point of the Michael Shields case which has little if anything to do with which football club he supports. Surely the media would be better to focus on the valid points raised by the case such as the relationship between national legal systems, their individual merits and the actual guilt or innocence of a young man accused with the rest of his life ahead of him.

This case has ultimately brought out the best and the worst aspects of football supporters, the community spirit and support showing the best and the derogatory chanting of opposition supporters highlighting the worst.

Whatever your viewpoint on the case it ultimately has served to cast an undeserved shadow on the beautiful game.

Walking into my room on a chilly Sunday morning, I sighed heavily, yet I was happy. I had correctly tipped Burnley to beat United. Who knew. I didn’t get it all right; I had a few problems especially my A-League tipping. Mariners and Jets drew, so I only had 2 points from this round. Forgetting about that, I walked over to my desk, before clomping down on to my seat. Feeling down after my tipping woes, I decided to play a game of Football Manager. I’ll have you know that I am in the Premier League with the Wolves. Sitting 5^th might I add, and in contention for Europa Cup. After a few seconds, I realized I needed my disc. I wasn’t really in the mood to find a crack, so the search for the disk began. Sorting through the layers on my desk, I went through my season insurance forms, various team lists and stats, homework due days ago, and various editions of FourFourTwo mag. I then sat up. It just occurred to me, *click* like that. I, as I presume many of you readers are out there, Football Fanatics. And there I was thinking I was just a normal 15 year old boy.

‘I can’t be a footballing fanatic, now can I?’ I thought to myself.

“Dude did you see the Fulham game…” I heard in the background.

“Crap man, sheesh that was an awesome game, Schwarzer mate seriously…” I trailed off, rambling on about the game, and the pointless argument that the match was the 50^th rained on match in the last two years. After composing myself, I thought ‘well there you go, I am a fanatic.”

Being a fanatic isn’t a bad thing. It’s not a bad thing at all. Being a fanatic means that you bother to carry around at least one copy of FourFourTwo magazine. That gives you something to read in those boring English classes, engineering lectures, or even office fire drills. That’s something a normal kid wouldn’t think of is it? Fanatic 1, Average Joe 0. That’s the fanatic’s first goal of the… Oops, there I go again. Even when there isn’t a football match, we make one up. And it ain’t a bad thing either; it gives us something to do, like write articles for major online blogsites.

Another fanatic trait is over reactions to certain football related things. “Carrick missed? You have got to be kidding me! *Shakes small scared new boy* DID YOU SEE IT I DON’T F****** BELIEVE IT!”

And that was my reaction to the Manchester United Charity Basketball game. You don’t want to see the Burnley reaction. The neighbours want a new house now. They don’t see the décor of a hole in the wall.

And then the accents came. With the added strength of Special1TV, us fanatics just find the time to practice their manager accents. Or even Rooney accents, but that one’s too hard to understand. Yes, we fanatics are the people at parties who are acting like a crazed French psychopath but deny it. Wonder why? We aren’t crazed French psychopaths, we’re just Arsene Wenger in the dugouts.

Wait hang out, your right about the crazed Frenchman bit. We have a great time doing the Sven accent, or even our Jose Mourinho quotes. But seriously, “please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m a Football Fanatic and I think I’m a Special One.”

Some of us hardcore Football Fanatics, even practice the hardest of all quotes/accents (its both). That’s right, the golden eagle, the A-Bomb of managerial try-hardiness. Gianfranco Zola’s Cockney rhyming attempt. Yep, as crazy as it sounds we can do it. And if you don’t know it, “I’m going down the apples and pears, into the jam jar, down the frog and toad into the rub-a-dub-dub, and I’m going to have a pig’s ear.” How about that ey? Talk about relocation-fail. Well, at least we all weren’t booed off by our parents like Theo Walcott.

So that’s the first chapter in us Football Fanatic stories. But it gets worse. Anyone out there got a major fanatic story that is just begging to be told. Well then do it. Comment your thoughts, your story or even YOUR attempt at beating Gianfranco Zola.