(On May 13th at Brammel Lane in Sheffield, England, the home team, nicknamed The Blades, were unjustly robbed of their Premier Status when they were beaten by West Ham. This loss was particularly painful for all football (soccer to Americans) fans because West Ham had illegally signed two of its players, one of whom made the winning goal. For this, WH were merely chastised with what could only be referred to as a token fine, but not charged any points. This made it possible for them to steal Premiership by this win and drive Sheffield United aka The Blades into Relegation.)
What happened in Sheffield on May 13th remains completely unacceptable. I have no idea how or why things went the way they did, and I will not opine about it here. What I do know is that it was grossly unfair, unjust, and utterly ill advised.
This is as good a point as any for me to go on the record and say that I am appalled by the way the Blades gallant fight for justice is being received by the media. All this chatter about their visit to Parliament today being an act of desperation is irresponsible. Shame on these reporters for their blatant favoritism and their poor journalism. For heavens sake! The Blades are not asking for something that isn't rightfully theirs. No one is asking for a free ride! They are seeking fairness.
Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) said it best: "I heartily support ... all those who feel strongly that the arbitration panel should re-consider the decision on West Ham's punishment. A fine makes precious little difference to a club like West Ham, and a points deduction would have not only matched the crime, but have been a just encouragement for all those clubs, who, like Sheffield United, have played fair. To let the current judgement stand makes everyone involved look as if they don't really care."
As Sean Bean expresses his feelings about it in this video, the Sheffield United administrators did everything right in adherence of the rules. It's reasonable that they now feel as though they are being punished while the team who ruthlessly disregarded those same rules (Sorry, I call 'em as I see 'em) are receiving accolades and remuneration. In short, West Ham's bad form is being rewarded by Premiership Status which means, lest we forget, millions upon millions of dollars for them. Well, it sems to me that Mr. Bean is absolutely right. Hey! You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool this ol' Jersey-girl - ever!.
Do the Powers-that-be really want to leave this door open?
Really?
Do they?
And pardon me for asking, but don't the West Ham fans feel cheated? Aren't they ashamed that the team they so faithfully support has mocked them by playing so underhanded a card? I would be furious with West Ham administrators for this!
Okay, I had better stop; my temper is flaring a bit too much... It's just so completely wrong! This whole thing should never have happened.
Steve and I have discussed this a lot and we both feel that if we were in the UK, we very likely would have somehow taken part in the Blades' crusade today, even if all we did was show up and hand out coffee. It's not that we are necessarily Blades fans, mind you, but we are indeed football fans! To be frank, I am at a complete loss to comprehend how anyone who is a true fan of the game could not side with Sheffield United in this fight. I admire the daylights out of Sean Bean and everyone who accompanied him today. They are doing the right thing. I can only hope their words have not fallen upon deaf ears.
(I'll interject here that this game on the 13th between Sheffield United and West Ham was the last one Steve and his dad watched together via telephone - on opposite sides of the pond. It was later that very evening his father passed away. (See my 5.15 post: A Little Bit of Rain) Steve has actually been distracted from his grief a bit by this whole thing and has even stated that he is glad his father is not here to see this happening to football.)
Okay, here is the video of which I wrote a few paragraphs up:
SEAN BEAN SPEAKS OUT...
If I am to be completely honest, I cannot pretend to have been a longtime fan of Mr. Bean's... Well, in my defense, I hadn't heard of him until a few months ago, but he gets A's in my book for today's action. I like him and I admire him. His heart is clearly in this. Sean Bean, unlike so many others who have chosen to remain on the sidelines and keep quiet, will be able to sleep tonight knowing he did everything he could to change things. How can anyone fail to admire that?
It's not difficult to see he is emotional about this situation. He looks away from the interviewer most of the time; he repeats himself; and he is constrained, like someone holding himself back. And why wouldn't he be emotional? Is there anyone alive who has never experienced the heartbreaking torment of watching his or her team suffer a significant loss or sacrifice an important title. Can anyone deny, then, that it must be unbearable to experience watching them lose in such a dreadfully unjust manner. His anger, like that of all Blades fans, must be eating him alive!
Sheffield United were robbed, plain and simple. Justice must be done here. Now, whether or not they will actually receive their Premiership Status again, I do not quite understand - and no matter how Steve tries to explain it to me, I am not grasping it.
I'll close by stating the obvious ...and the heartfelt. For Sheffield United, it's all about their status and the money it will bring to them; I realize that. For me, it's about justice and the integrity of the game. Our son plays football and dreams of playing professionally one day. It's no wonder, therefore, that maintaining the integrity of the game is significant to us. I believe an example must be made of West Ham. I hope and indeed pray that those who have the power to set this right will be unmercifully hard on West Ham - to be sure this does not become a yearly fight. The time to set the correct precedent is now.
Oh, how I hope the high road, in this case, will not be the one less traveled!
We shall see.
Until the 18th we are
Waiting patiently... and passionately,
Carol
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