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It was a boring weekend in the Premiership as snow postponed almost all fixtures with the exception of Blackburn and West Ham struggling through for a draw, and Sunderland eeking out a win at Bolton. For my part, I’d like to give credit to the hearty souls who braved the cold of Blackburn’s winter, little more than 25 miles down the road from the softies in Wigan who had to abandon their match for “freak weather conditions.” Which begs the question, “How do football matches get abandoned in this day and age? And what gives the FA the right to ruin my weekend plan involving the pub, a comfy chair, and a pint?
Call me old fashioned, but I long for the day when they would clear the show off the pitch lines, put out the hi-vis ball, and get on with it. Yes there were injuries, yes the quality of the game suffered, and yes it was an incredibly fun time. Have a look at the images featured in this post, and ask yourself, wouldn’t you love to see Rooney and Van Persie having a go at each other snow, or watching the practiced skills of Van Der Sar mean nothing against a well struck slippery ball off the feet of Kevin Davies? I was looking forward to Chelsea v. Manchester United to see some slip ups, and for once, an unpredictable result. Often, the decision is based on “fan safety,” which another way of saying that the club doesn’t want to be sued by fans who fall on the slippery paths. Honestly, if you’ve gone outside in the ice and snow carrying your small child, or your elderly, I don’t feel too much blame should go the club for you connecting your backside withe the ground. But, sensibilities must be protected, so most games were called off in for the benefit of the few, or a to ensure a long holiday for the club legal departmen
Sadly, I was reduced to the awkward stylings of Club Brugge who seemed to spend most of their match against Anderlecht, who are apparently their rivals, talking to the touchline. they lost 2-0, and deserved it. The best part of the weekend did come when the home supporters began to pelt the Anderlecht players with snowballs as they tried to take a corner, and after there victory on of the Anderlecht players began to playfully hurl them back, then got into a tussle with a steward who tried to stop him. None of it seemed to ill tempered, but it was a joy to see the fans and players having a bit of fun.
Overall a boring weekend of football, hopefully the snow will clear soon, and the Christmas games will be played, if not, I may have to invest in a Club Brugge scarf.
Happy Christmas.
Written by: Matthew Wall, editor, soccerprose.com
