45 buses of
Elche (8 wins, 1 draw, 0 defeats) fans will arrive at the New Condomina tomorrow. This remember, is the
same team who in recent years have only managed to scrimp together a couple of
hundred fans for the long and difficult 50 kilometers that separate Elche from
Murcia.
I’ve always
admired the long suffering and faithful fans who follow their team through thick
and thin. Brought up on English football, this was the norm. You would find
that success brought in more fans, but only in a minimal kind of way. A club with
a hardcore 20,000 may dip to 17,000 with a relegation, or rise to 23,000 with
promotion. It’s a swing you could consider normal.
A friend said
to me the other day that he considered being in Gerona for our terrible
relegation much more important than being at Lugo 12 months later for our
return. “When the club is in need, real need, that’s when the fans must be
there” he said. Another said this week that “there is more love in 3 cars of
relegation threatened fans than 45 buses following a winning side”. It’s a truism.
I know no-one
likes to suffer, but abandonment in hard times, be it of your team, your family
or your friends, is a terrible personality defect. But then if you didn’t love
the team, family or friends in the first place, and just wanted to go to their
party, then it’s easy to turn your back on them when things aren’t so good.
Sadly the 45
busses of fans sum up the sheepish nature of fans in Spain. To be part of the
hardcore through thick and thin makes you an object of ridicule. Going to
somebody else’s fiesta is ultra cool.
Cant do anything about this - its a fact of life in football. Still, we can always take the 3 points and 45 bus loads of money.
ReplyDelete