It seems such a silly subject for a post, considering that I don't only have a category here called Football, but that category contains sub-categories. All other sports are grouped together under... 'Sport Other Than Football'.
I have been a football fan as long as I can remember. Most specifically I have been a Manchester United fan. I suspect that my fandom has reflected the stage at life I was at. As a small child, I simply identified as a Manchester United fan. In my Teens and Twenties I was a regular attender, first only at Old Trafford and increasingly at away grounds. There could be a fascinating article written about how football fandom changes as life changes. But not by me.
I am approaching the first stages of young middle-age (but I'm still younger than Teddy Sheringham and Paul Ince, and don't you forget that...!)
In the 1990s it was utterly fabulous to be a Manchester United fan. I will never forget 1993, when we became Champions for the first time in my lifetime. And all those years of glory that followed.
Times have been lean of late, and I am conscious that I don't blog about United anything like as often I ought to. It's partly because of a sense of disillusionment with the football business. Not with the game, twenty-two men on the pitch, but the greed and nastiness, the Abramovitch-Glaser faction, if you will.
I started this season, as every season since 1970-something, full of optimism, even though the mature brain told me not to be so ridiculous. An Arsenal fan declared in August that Chelsea had already won the Championship, a statement I found profoundly depressing.
Back in August, in an early European qualifying match, a young player caught my eye. I did wonder how much of that was down to his impossible good looks, but I also know that over thirty years I've seen pretty boys come-and-go. In the few times I have seen him, albeit briefly, on the TV this season he has continued to strike me as being a promising player.
So Wednesday's FA Cup Third Round Replay against Burton Albion was an absolute delight, because there was no doubt who was Man of the Match - Giuseppe Rossi. One of the Four 'R's (along with Rooney, Ronaldo and Richardson). I know that Burton are very much lesser opponents, but the eyes cannot deceive - he has tremendous potential. Now we can only hope that he fulfills his potential. Sometimes, a player arrives on the scene who really goads me out of my jadedness. Even today, I was hoping he would come off the bench, and that Sky would put him onto Playercam, and I was really very disappointed that he didn't. I have never really used the Playercam, but for Rossi I just might.
He has played for Italy Under-19, and has been approached to play for the USA. If he chooses the USA he could make it to Germany later this year; if he opts for Italy he will have to wait for South Africa 2010. Discussing this indoors, Jimmy reckoned that if he has any sense he will wait for Italy. But I came out with the statement that over the course of his career - which could extend to the 2018, or even 2022, World Cup - I think he will stand more chance of a World Cup medal with USA than Italy.
It was ace this afternoon to beat Liverpool. It's always feel better to beat Liverpool than it does to beat anybody else. Especially in such dramatic circumstances, with Rio Ferdinand rising like a salmon to head the ball in.
I suspect Giuseppe Rossi might shift a few more duvet covers than Rio Ferdinand. I'm not sure that it feels quite right to have a minor crush-let on someone half my age..
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