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發表於 2012-3-20 20:42:52
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(又)轉貼 Phil Ball
Uuuuf ... as the Spanish say. Where do we start this week? Well perhaps with a rather unusual theme, at least as far as La Liga goes. It seems to have been a recurring topic throughout the week, set off by Jose Mourinho complaining once again that the Bernabeu is too 'cold' and that the stadium needs to get behind its players to a greater extent. 'Never mind about me' he said, adding that he wanted the supporters to mostrar mas carino (show more affection) to the players, and support them through thick and thin.
Mourinho's point struck me as relevant because on Friday night I was showing the delights of San Sebastian's Parte Vieja (Old Town) to a couple of American journalists who'd nipped over from Bilbao to see me, between the Manchester United match and the Valencia home game on Sunday. They had been, of course, captivated by the whole San Mames scene, but one thing above all had caught their attention - and it wasn't the unconditional support that Athletic fans offer to their players - but rather that the home crowd had applauded Ryan Giggs off the field and also shown their appreciation of Wayne Rooney's rather excellent goal, which briefly provided some hope for the brow-beaten visitors. I didn't venture to ask whether this was unusual in the United States, either in soccer, baseball, basketball or American football, but it's certainly unusual in Spain, so much so that the few instances of it happening are easy to recall.
The Spanish have good folk memories. They therefore understand (and remember) when something occurs which differs from the norm. For example, all followers of La Liga remember the moment when cultural revolution almost took place, in November 2005 when Barcelona won 3-0 in the Bernabeu. Ronaldinho's goal, where he accelerates past poor Sergio Ramos and sidefoots the ball past Casillas, was applauded for some time by the Bernabeu - a gesture that remains one of the axis moments of La Liga history. And of course, there are various interpretations of this event. The Real Madrid apologists, embarrassed by such fey gestures, will tell you that the applause was for Ronaldinho only, a guy whom it was difficult to dislike, and not for Barcelona in general. It was also, according to some, an indirect message to the Real Madrid players at the time, suggestive of what the Bernabeu wanted their own players to be doing. Nevertheless, it is said that it may never happen again, and that the Bernabeu would never do the same for Leo Messi, a player for whom they feel zero affection.
Returning to Athletic, I made the point to my American friends that the applause for Giggs and Rooney was not the 'we-can-afford-to-clap-because-we're-winning' type of gesture, but rather that it was symptomatic of Athletic's well-documented Anglophilia, recalling the historical roots of the club and their previous dedication to playing football 'the English way'. Amusingly enough, one assumes that their destruction of Manchester United will have cured them forever of their cute but misplaced affection for the football motherland, incapable as it was last Thursday of putting a meaningful move together, but still sitting top of the English Premier League. |
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