Good evening all and welcome to my new blog!
I’ve often been told that “good news is no news” and, to be honest, I’m sick of it. Why does everything have to be sensationalist, scandalous or just down right smutty? Well I’m here to buck that trend. I’ll hopefully tell you about good things that are happening in the game and give some balance to very lop-sided perception.
Soccer star embroiled in “enjoyable banter” shock!
At a time when questions are being asked about the line between ‘banter’ and ‘abuse’, let me tell you about Monday night. I’m playing in the FA Cup 1st round replay for York City away at AFC Wimbledon, and it’s live on ESPN. We get a corner in front of the home fans and, as usual, the big ugly lumps come striding forward to add our unrefined yet significant aerial prowess to the attack. As I line up at the front post the whole stand breaks into song:
‘he plays like he’s pissed
he plays like he’s pi-issed
that Clarke Carlisle
he plays like he’s pissed’
It was all I could do to stop laughing there and then. I’ve made no secret of my past, of the mistakes I’ve made and what I’ve done to correct them, so I knew I would get something like this from time to time; it just had to happen when it was live on the bloody telly! Not long later there was a break in play while someone got treatment for an injury and I walked over to the dug-out to get a drink. As I quenched my thirst a lone voice shot out of the crowd:
“Oi, Carlisle, where’s your motor?“
A very well angled dig at the fact that I’d lost my licence. So good, in fact, that I actually bit back at this one…
“Which one?” I shouted back, “the Porsche or the Merc?!“
A little jeer went up around him and smiles were on everybody’s face. Before you lambast me for my arrogance, I don’t even have a car, but that wasn’t the point. It was great to get involved in an amicable way, to show that I am human, I can hear you and I do appreciate the funny side.
I was laughing on the inside!!!
This is where I think social media comes into full effect. Many players are on sites like Twitter, Facebook and such like, and many use them to great effect. The days are long gone where players travel on the bus to matches with fans, (although I have been alongside a few on the trains this last year!!) or have a pint in the local with them afterwards (although I did try and resurrect this tradition once or twice!!), but the technological distance between us all is just one button click. That gap between player and fan has been bridged and it is fantastic for us all. As long as everyone remembers that there are human beings on the other side of those screens, players, fans, adults, kids, men, women, boys and girls. Your screen might be faceless, but your reader is not….
well written blog Clarke.
follow all you do.. proud of you
we all are xx
Excellently put Clarke. I really do think that people forget that footballers are only human. People seem to think thst The huge wages and high profiles that footballers have allows them to abuse and belittle them. How would these people feel if it was there son on the other end of this abuse…..
I agree with what your saying about media sites such as The one I’m on now Twitter! I am a Qpr fan and go week in week out and the abuse on this site recently has saddened me. One or two players arranging to fight fans at the training ground the manager being slated. We are all frustrated and pissed off with the situation but as you say Clarke a person is on the receiving end of the messages
Great post Clarke.
Love it. Top blog.
Good work fella…a point well made
Cracking piece this Clarke. Love the fact that you give reference to how the gap has once again been bridged between players and fans where there’s been something of a void for quite some time, all thanks to social media! Great stuff.
An excellent piece.I loved the header photograph. Come on you CLARETS
I enjoyed this read Clarke. It’s great to see that ‘human’ side to players. As a Stoke fan I remember Gerry Taggart (at the time he played for Swindon, if memory serves), during the game he was receiving a lot of banter from the crowd. Rather than retaliate angrily, he instead joked with us about having Chris Iwelumo in his back pocket, asking us if he should let him out. It was great fun to witness, and he went on to sign for us a season later (totally unrelated I’m sure). It’s easy to interpret football players as machines intended for our entertainment and not expect them to act and react as humans, this simply isn’t going to happen.
Best of luck with the degree.
Lee
Great to see someone with a bit of common sense to put their views across Clarke. Too much gets made of bad press with regards to our sportsmen (and women..). Sometimes you have to place blame at the individuals door however I personally feel the British press are a joke and run with too many publicity stunt stories.
Also just wanted to say thanks for your time spent at my club Watford. You were always fantastic for us and played a massive part in us getting back into the Prem again.
Clarke. Just read your first blog – Amusing tale. Nice to see a normal side to a footballer – too often seen as aloof etc. yes money does buy privileges etc but there are some you meet , that speak with you – and actually in real life are quite different to the way media
Portrays them – Paul Merson has been a real top guy to my girls team and turned up & presented new kit, yourself retweeted our first hat trick – I think if people know they are hearing the ‘real’ person on these media channels they can empathise etc. ordinarily I would have little/ no patience with drink driving / alcoholism but , behind one bad story there is another good one.
Look forward to
Reading more banter from the terraces – and still holding onto the hope our girls are successful in Can’t score Won’t score!!
Excellent blog, keep promoting the positives in football. We hear so little about what clubs and players do with their communities and the supporters especially outside The Premiership or Celtic and Rangers in Scotland where there is so little money!
Football should be no different to any other profession in that the players, manager and others involved should be able to have a laugh and enjoy their work.
Another former Blackpool player, Liverpuddlian David Eyres, always got stick from the Blackpool fans after he left and played for both local rivals Preston North End and Burnley. He was often introduced to the crowd to a chorus of “he’s sh*t, he’s scouse, he’ll rob your f***ing house, David Eyres” in which he always smiled and waved to the fans – true Blackpool fans still have a lot of respect for him as he was a great player.
At a recent tribute night to former manager, Billy Ayre, David Eyres couldn’t make the evening event and instead recorded a fitting video tribute and ended the recording saying “sorry I couldn’t be there, but it’s probably best as everyone can relax that their hubcaps will still be there in the morning”
This is the attitude footballers should take – it earns them a lot of respect from those who follow the beautiful game
Sent off for foul and abusive language??? Great example you are! Gobby twat