Twitter means many things to many people. Some find it a complete load of bovine excrement. Others simply don’t understand it. For yours truly it has proven invaluable, both as a means of keeping up with what’s going on and as a way of building up contacts across the spheres of media, sport, agriculture and politics. Now read on…
Some folk, though – most notably top flight footballers – use the social network site as a platform for egotistical ranting. And it seems the more dung you spew, the more devoted followers will join the flock. Hence how the likes of Joey Barton has just shy of two million devotees, Rio Ferdinand is well on the way to four million. Neither is likely to show up at a science fair anytime soon.
West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie pales in a popularity comparison with the other two numbering a ‘mere’ 148,000 and a few. Chances are, a high number of those have jumped on the bandwagon since the twice annual farcical circus that is the transfer window across the water was in full swing. For those of you not au fait with the Nigerian’s ‘plight’, here it is in brief. Basically, he wants away from The Hawthornes, presumably because he thinks he’s capable of performing at a higher level. Possibly in a search for more money.
Odemwingie would have to go down as a success at the club. Robin van Persie or Demba Ba he is not, however. Since the ‘Brom board have presumably dug their heels, his carry on has been laughable. Here lies the epitome of egotistical ranting. Here, also, was the latest and most astonishing evidence that pontificating players are purely pathetic.
He who pays the piper calls the tune. The player is contracted to West Brom, so, the call the shots. He certainly won’t have done his cause any good with his meandering, negative outbursts against them. Let alone by going to the grounds of another club (QPR) and then trying to pitifully, naively administer putty to the cracks by blaming a communications catastrophe. He may well have been badly advised, but somebody of his ilk – remember he’s in his thirties and not some green youngster – shouldn’t have been so naive.
It’s emerged since that the past has been fairly colourful with regard to transfers. But, if a player wanted out that badly, why West Brom didn’t simply offload him. For, as good as he has undoubtedly been for them, the opportunity the club afforded him and his efforts there have put him in the shop window and thus increased his market value.
It comes down to another old chestnut hoarded by this corner. Loyalty, or to be more exact, a distinct lack thereof. Thankfully, there are still a few morsels thereof on the go. For instance, young Messi isn’t about to jet off to Germany after Pep. Likewise, the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerard are a sadly rare breed nowadays in that they will spend the entirety of their careers at the one club.
Clubs, too, must carry their share of the blame in the lack of loyalty stakes. Look no further than the utterly scandalous way Frank Lampard is more or less being shafted out of Chelsea. In terms of scandal, nothing should surprise when it comes to the ridiculous Russian but the treatment being doled out to the great midfielder is truly shocking. Gratitude and common sense seem to be virtually non existent at Stamford Bridge.
Players such as those veterans mentioned deserve a show of loyalty in return for the plethora of that commodity they have shown their employers. Lampard in particular is – every week now it seems – demonstrating the he warrants much greater respect and further consideration. Its top class, exemplary players like the ones referred to that clubs should be doing their utmost to accommodate, not making a fuss out of circus clowns!