In a week that saw Liverpool hanging on to fourth place by the grit in their fingernails after seeing their unbeaten run ended by Arsenal, there were deeper rumblings behind the scenes at Anfield that raised some rather fundamental questions.
What exactly does it mean to be a fan of a club? Firstly, what exactly is "the club"? Is it the ground where the club plays? Is it the players? The manager? The owners? The "brotherhood" of fans? Or, is it some mysterious notion built up inside the fan's head that contains some elements of all these but is still somehow more than all of them?
The gooners continue to be gooners though they moved from Highbury to the Emirates, just as we will remain loyal to Liverpool, when they, hopefully, move to a new stadium in a few years time. So, it's not the ground. Similarly, players and managers change, and change rather often, and may even end up playing for your hated rivals, for them to represent the essence of "clubness". Exhibit A: Michael Owen and Luis Figo. Heck, even owners seem to change rather fast in this age of supercomputers and supersonic jets. Exhibit B: Portsmouth. And of course, it's not unusual to see "fans" of the same club having fisticuffs or at the least slanging matches on online fora about their supposedly commonly beloved club. So, what on earth is this "club" that I love and want to win always? I do not know, but perhaps it is a combination of intangibles associated with it. For a Liverpool fan, it could be things such as the players touching the "This is Anfield" sign as they run out, full blooded reneditions of YNWA particularly when the team is down, the humour on the terraces, and of course, the memories of glories past and near past and hopes for the near future. If one is a "local" fan, then there is also a strong geographical "sense of belonging" thrown into the mix, as it is with me and Pune FC which doesn't have much to give me by way of memories or nostalgia!
Another related question is whether being a fan is a one-way street where the fan is willing to give his/her time, money, emotions to the club, no matter what the situation at the club is, or does the club owe the fans something too? For example, who should the fans of Portsmouth or Chester City rage against? Is it some indeterminate and faceless "powers that be"? And how different is that from the "club"? If Portsmouth is liquidated, would those who no longer follow the club passionately as it tries to scratch its way back from the non-descript depths of the conference or whatever be considered traitors? Or, would they be "justified" in walking away from the club since the club deserted them too? And, when can the club be said to have deserted its fans? Does it have to come to liquidation? Or, is even a longish spell without success (or progress) on the field sufficient?
Well may you wonder why this column has descended into such deep angst-ridden stuff. Yes we're having a bad season but, like we said at the beginning, we might yet just about make it to the coveted fourth spot. So that can't be a reason to start moping about like this. And you would be right. The questions were triggered not by our performances and results on the pitch (bad as they are), but by reports suggesting that two of India's biggest business and erm, most controversial, tycoons, Mukesh Ambani and Subroto Roy, have put in bids to take over our club. While one has since denied such a bid, the other has, worryingly, been silent. And, if such a deal does go through, then one would really be faced with a difficult choice about whether to support the club come what may or to jettison it at the altar of a "higher" principle.
Do you want to look at the bright side? Rejoice that for the first time in six years, there will be no Liverpool-Chelsea bore-fest (though last year was anything but) in the Champions League.
