Are we missing something?

           "What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It's not the television contracts, get out clauses or the marketing departments or executive boxes. It's the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love."

 - Sir Bobby Robson (1933-2009).

'Up in the Gods' Milburn Stand Level 7       Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pre-season rumbles on, which can mean only one thing: a blend of wild speculation, controversy and excitement.  Yes, 'Silly season' yet again is in full flow - 'Will Suarez make a big money move to Arsenal?', 'Is Bale staying or going?' and 'Fabregas (probably) not for sale' and a raft of other alleged 'stories' float along the all-seeing, all-knowing 'Yellow band of truth'.  Even if you want to you can't escape it. I personally made a promise to myself (yes it has been broken, hence this article) to have a media blackout this summer.  As a Newcastle fan the minute the transfer window crashes opens my mind is engulfed by a cloud of anxiety - Who's in and who's out? - and with that I switched off.  Two days ago I received a text reading 'Oh Papiss...' my football sabbatical was shattered. You'd have to be living under a rock (and believe me I was trying) to miss the Cisse/Islam/Wonga/Casino debarcle.  Before you sigh and think 'here's another rant about Cisse's hypocritical/selective religious beliefs and it's all an excuse to get a big money move out of Toon...' fear not! As a firm believer that religion and politics should not be discussed at the dinner table, my point is much more fundamental. Is this really what football should be about?

The sadly missed Sir Bob better known for his clichés and press conference clangers ("All right, Bellamy came on at Liverpool and did well, but everybody thinks that he's the saviour, he's Jesus Christ. He's not Jesus Christ") recently made me think about what is important.  After establishing Bellamy was not the messiah, I began to reminisce about a time where he might as well have been.  Over a decade ago Bobby's boys found themselves in (and this will come as a surprise to many) the 2002/03 Champion's League.  This was my first introduction to football, I remember scaling what seemed like an Empire State building's worth of stairs to level 7 of the newly expanded Milburn stand.  An 11 year old me peered down from literally 'up in the Gods'.  Buffon, Del Piero and Davids lined up for the Italian Champions.  62 minutes in Andy Griffin darts into the box past a defender and drives the ball across the keeper. The stadium erupts and I'm thrown into the air, somewhere between jubilance and fearing for my life at the distance to fall. Ever since then I've been hooked. The next game I watched on TV - Feyernoord, it was must win. I'm not going to attempt to describe it, instead refer to this 

The rest is history.  I thought about how much more I enjoyed football and how I could get the feeling back. So here's my epiphany; If I stop caring about all the paper-talk, contracts, money etc. I can go back to what really matters: pre-match nerves and the roar of the crowd just before kick-off. For those feeling a bit lost, this is football.  If we each reclaim our 11 year old mentalities then maybe, just maybe, football will become enjoyable again. Today has been brilliant, I'm not caring about whether Cisse's in the right or wong and long may it stay that way.  

Rumour has it Cisse may have even put his religious differences to one side, maybe like you he's just finished reading this...