In a way, we view football in the same way that we view time. Because a casual glance will show no evidence of an end or a beginning. It’s just a constant, a part of our lives and our personalities for as long as we have them. Forever existing next to us and shaping us while we have no concept of what we would do if it were gone. Wow, a little deep for this week’s football article, but there is a point to this.
Debates will rage all over the country between football fans, arguing over who supports the better team. The league table will answer this question for the very short term. One team must be better than another today, the league table doesn’t lie. But since football (like time, remember) is ever ongoing then you can never truly win, you can just be ahead right now. And that is why the debate rages on. I’m in danger of becoming too philosophical here; let’s put it in football terms.
Venture into Manchester and it’s quite clear that the blue half is dominating. City won 3-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, keeping their title pursuit firmly on track while leaving their city rivals languishing in seventh place. United’s other fierce rivals Liverpool have done the same, enjoying one of their best seasons in years as United struggle. But all that this means is that Liverpool and City are on top right now, nothing more. United have enjoyed the last 20 years considerably more than any other team.
But what situation would you rather be in? Would you like to be a United fan having enjoyed the last two decades? Or would you rather have the life of a City fan, knowing that you were number one right now?
This is the argument that seems to engulf social media, certainly since Tuesday night's Manchester derby. City fans have been understandably crowing incessantly about their dominance. The noisy neighbours, as Sir Alex dubbed them, have earned the right to be noisy and are taking full advantage of it. The retorts Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from United fans were almost formulaic, like they had all gotten together and decided what their rebuttal would be.
“Come back when you’ve won 20”
“You’ve been a massive club since 2008, learn your history”.
“We’re the laughing stock this season, but we’ve been laughing at you for decades”
It’s this emphasis on history that the United fans need to rely on. After all, the present day isn’t so good for them. Not too many bragging rights to be had. And the first instinct (mine, at least) is to feel that this is a fairly weak defence. My second instinct would be to tell United fans to stop living in the past. Accept that City are better than them and deal with it. But dig a little deeper and the history defence isn’t such a bad one.
It’s common sense in a way. Would you rather enjoy the last 5 years as City have or the last 20 as United have? City can claim to be the best now the same way United could in 1967 when they won the league. But this idea of being the best is never permanent, if anything it can be fleeting. United fans would have felt that they were on top of the world in 1967, I’m sure they wouldn’t have thought at the time that they wouldn’t see another league title until 1993.
Liverpool have been on top, Arsenal have, Chelsea have, Spurs have, Blackburn have, Leeds, Nottingham Forest, Everton, Wolves, Portsmouth, Huddersfield, the list goes on and on. Plenty have felt indestructible at the top but it never lasts.
The idea of claiming dominance over your rivals is a strange one because of time itself. You’re not the best, you’re just the best right now. There will always be another game. Arsenal fans buoyed by their derby win at North London rivals Spurs two weeks ago were probably less euphoric just a week later after a 6-0 defeat by Chelsea.
Asking who is ultimately the best is like asking ‘what happens to Ian Beale in the end?’ It’s impossible to answer because somewhat unfortunately Ian Beale and Eastenders won’t end, it will probably just keep on going and going and going.
Similarly football will simply continue. In theory it should teach us all to be gracious winners because there is always another game, and football has a tendency to give us a firm kick to the nads when we think our club is doing well. But it doesn’t seem to keep us humble enough for that.
I’ll put City top at the moment because the best piece of banter I have seen this week has come from a City fan. Look away now if you are of a sensitive disposition:
“I like that the United fans are willing us to lose the title to the like of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. It’s the equivalent of getting some of your worst enemies to come round and shag your wife because you’re not man enough to get the job done yourself”.
Fair play.
It seems that the best you can hope for is to be on top at the end of the season. At least then you get a summer to say you’re the best. But shortly after it will all start again, and you’ll have renewed opportunity to get one over on your rivals who have slated you since their last temporary victory.
This can be quite a sobering thought if you are enjoying a dominant period for your team. But I can give you hope if football is guiding you through a low point. Remember, your team can and will regain the upper hand, it will take longer for some than for others, but ultimately it is just a matter of time.