Idiot Wind

The Wire chronicles. A little treat for the bereft among us.

Never one to be accused of not labouring the point, I feel the need to point out that Capello has been in the press all this week commenting on how our poor, sensitive footballers don't like playing at Wembley, because they sense that some of the crowd are hostile, and will grumble when the players make elementary errors, and even, on occasion, boo. Tottenham fans booed their team at the weekend and the Independent reporter had an interesting observation on it, he said: "It helps that the fans were sanguine, the boos at half-time and full-time being desultory rather than furious, as if they felt the scoreline meant booing was required.........."

Some Blues fans have developed a penchant for booing, a trait which has led to even more discord in the ranks. Some say you you should never boo at the game, others that it's ok to boo after the game, but not during it and others still that you should never complain about the Blues ever. Never. Not at any time, anywhere, whatever the provocation. In fact, there can be no provocation. Our role in life is simply to love the Blues, obediently and unquestioningly. Personally, I am of the don't boo at the game but enjoy several hours of drinking and complaining bitterly afterwards persuasion.

The Independent quote has got me thinking though, and I think that the anti booing brigade should cool their heels. They like to sit proudly on a high horse, the anti booers and they will often comment that it never used to be like this. I'm not so sure, I am fairly certain I have heard booing down at St Andrews for as long as I have been going, although we have never been serial booers. What is certain is that for as long as I can remember, we have been serial grumblers. You hear it every time there is a misplaced pass; a loud collective groan goes up from all sides of the ground, and it often gets louder as the game goes on. The volume of the groan is often at least as loud as a collective boo, but I bet that most of the groaners and the grumblers would say that they never boo.

What I want to know is, what's the difference? Does a desultory boo mean more or less than an exasperated groan. The groaning gets on my nerves, even though I must groan, moan and mumble myself on a fairly regular basis, and what is worse, is that the groaning is never desultory; it is always heartfelt and smacks of impatience and intolerance. So, I propose, boo at will, so long as it is good natured and tolerant booing, and tell all the groaners, message board stylee, to fuck off to Vile Park. Christ, before long, the only spectators would be the ballboys, the linesmen and the photographers.

Meanwhile, I have struggled on and finished Snitch Jacket, which receives a well merited boo and a groan. I might even throw in a mumble or two for good measure.