Every time I see a horde of teenage girls in a mass of hysteria drooling over the latest manufactured boy band on the television, some of my stomach contents begin to shoot up my throat. They are fanatical and unwavering in their support for these individuals, and akin to a horse with blinkers on they are unaware of anything else around them in their lives except the object of their obsession.

Want to know how obsessed this people are? Gabriel Agbonlahor can tell you first-hand how boy band fans feel after receiving a mass of death threats from teenage girls. His crime? Introducing One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson to a football tackle in Stan’s charity game in Celtic Park.

Such obsession displayed by teenage girls is viewed as comical and farcical – after all, how can they care so much for individuals who don’t give a rat’s monkeys about them?

Surely it’s absurd to care so much about the events of Justin Bieber’s life, but equally maybe it is foolish for Aston Villa fans to care about Christian Benteke? When it comes down to it, what do these so-called superstars do for me or you? Essentially we pay a proportion of their wages, yet certain players will kiss our beloved Villa crest this week, only to demand a transfer move the next.

Loyalty is a concept that is mostly alien in the football world, as the players of today don’t have half the affiliation of the players of yesterday with their respected countries, let alone their clubs/employers.

When you feel dejected after a crushing defeat, how many of those players do you think share your pain? Or does the fact that they have a £40k a week, three year contract make things a little less worrying?

Now we can all argue that we care about the club – we are the fans after all – rather than the players who are just employees, so how do we make them care as much as us? With everything in life, there are some exceptions to the rule ,and some players are loyal to their clubs and do genuinely care, but the majority would cross the road faster than the proverbial chicken for an extra buck, pound, Euro, or whatever was being offered.

Player power is now an irresistible force – they hold all the cards. Want an example? Just ask Paolo di Canio who recently joined the unemployment line after being ousted from Sunderland. Why? He ruffled too many of the players’ feathers at the Stadium Of Light.

But it isn’t just di Canio. Harry Redknapp last week speaking on 606 said his friend Graham Souness would never re-enter the management world now simply because the players have too much influence. In my opinion, there is a drastic imbalance, and player’s wages should be based more on performance, rather than agent negotiations. Perhaps then, and only then, they will they care as much about our club as me and you, or as much as a young girl cares about Justin Bieber.

Campo Retro Competition

Have you entered our exclusive competition with Campo Retro yet? Win yourself a free retro shirt by simply clicking the following link and answering a simple question – enter NOW! http://www.astonvillalife.com/aston-villa-blog/win-a-retro-aston-villa-shirt-from-your-era-of-choice/

Leave a Reply