Ched Evans. That's a wrap.

Sheffield United 1 v Notts County 1

Friday 28 November 2014

Twitter @ball_sup

Blimey. It’s hard to leave the Ched Evans stuff alone isn’t it? I count myself as a passionate Sheffield United supporter. So, it does matter to me. And, I’m one of those supporters who measures his passion by turning up at games at all levels, in all places, through thick and thin. I’ve never painted my house Red n White. I’ve never had my photo in the Programme wearing a club shirt in The Algarve. I’ve never called my daughter Kylie Currie Edwards Rose. Shoot me.

At times, the Evans thing has become a mad self fulfilling circle. Big Blades want Ched back. Er, I know people who go to lots of games who don’t want him back. They can’t be Big Blades then. What? Well if they were Big Blades they’d want him back.

I promised myself one Blog about Evans. I held off. I held off. He was invited to train with Sheffield United - I blogged it - I was against it.  Since then, the offer for him to train has been withdrawn. I’m blogging “him” again.

He’s served his time. He has the right to rehabilitation. If he was a Plumber he’d be allowed back to work. Why should he be treated differently because he’s a footballer - I hear you say. Well, the story took an interesting twist this week. Manchester City had to apologise to kids who had attended one of their Soccer School sessions. The kids had been handed a certificate which included a photo of Ched Evans, who graduated through the City Academy. Now, that’s the point. He isn’t a Plumber. A global corporation like Manchester City do not hand photos of Plumbers out to kids.

I don’t like calling him a role model. That’s unfair on him. But he works in an IMAGE industry. He wants to work as a paid performer. He wants to work in a representative industry. Actors, DJs, Filmstars, TV Presenters, Councillors, MPs, Spokesman, City or National Sports Team. They’re all in Image & Representative jobs. They’re all going to struggle to go back to their job after a conviction for rape.

I prefer the simple bums on seats model of football finance. I don’t want our players and my club to be a walking, talking set of adverts for a bizarre variety of multi-national tax dodging corporations. But, I’ve lost that war. Image is important. Rape is a bad image.

I support the stance taken by some Sheffield United sponsors, patrons and high profile supporters. That stance being to actually withdraw, or threaten to withdraw, support if Ched Evans trains with the Club.

What do these people do for the Club though? I’ve never see ‘em pay for a ticket - I hear you say.

Image, Image Image - the three I’s.  An ideas above our station Club like mine, want/need to portray themselves as important, fashionable, international.  The Club hope to draw in an ever wider set of sponsors & supporters - to generate income - to buy players - to win summat.  I wish they could do that by training & developing good young players from the local area.  But. In the modern world. We have to have Foundations, Patrons, Sponsors, Partners.

We named the Jessica Ennis stand to portray ourselves as something we’re not. And it’s bitten us on the Arse. And I fully support Jessica Ennis’s stance. 

Why are we even pretending the Law matters. This Is England 2014. Corporate greed top trumps the Law.

The Sheffield United Chairman talks about our Community & Family, after jetting in from his home in Riyadh. He also calls it Mob Rule. Call it Fred. Call it Ginger. I wish it wasn't, but Corporate money is important in Football. Image is important to the Corporate bottom line. Rape is bad for image. Sorry Ched.

But. I support the end result. Ched Evans will not (for the moment) be training with Sheffield United. That is the right decision & I feel I’ve got a little bit of my Club back. Thanks to the Board & Chair. And thanks to the Mob.  I’m certain it’s been very difficult for the Chair & Board, sponsors, patrons, etc. I’m going to applaud the end result. I’m not interested in the route. Yes, things could have been done & said differently, quicker, slower. But, we got to the right place in the end.

I'll emphasise. Ched Evans has every right to protest his innocence & pursue that under the Law. But, that makes some of the steps to his rehabilitation more difficult. That's just how it works. If he clears his name, he can come back for me.