One One Minutes Silence

Sheffield United 0 v Barnsley 1

Saturday 1 November 2014

Twitter @ball_sup

There now follows an opinion piece on ….. minutes silence at football.

We had The Remembrance Day commemoration at The Lane today. Surely, that’s number 1 on the list isn’t it? But, you know, maybe it ought to be the first & last & only one on the list.  I realise that view is going to upset people. I apologise for that. But, I’m from a generation where it was all about quiet reflection.  What else do we have? Ex-players. Leading lights from other areas of football. Leading lights from other areas of Sheffield life & community. Fans who die in tragic circumstances. Tragedies & disasters overseas. I’m going to say it - the list is getting endless.

And, it’s no longer about reflection. Minutes silences hijacked & turned into minutes applause. Symbols sewn into team shirts & auctioned for charity. Orchestrated applause at a particular minute during a match. Banners. Wreaths laid on the pitch. Turning the Kop into a living this that & the other. I’m going to say it - teams are trying to outdo each other & be “more commemorative than you”.

And, what if your nearest home game to Remembrance Sunday is in early October - how long is too long - 2 weeks before Remembrance Sunday, three?  But, as I say, Remembrance Day should be properly observed at an appropriate game at football. You know, with a perfectly observed minutes silence. I’m going to say it - and maybe just a minutes silence.

A mate of mine used to write to the club at the beginning of each season and request 30 minutes silence at the first match “to get it all over & done with for the season”.  And fair play to the crowd at The Lane - impeccably observed, no applause, on this occasion.

Oh and, The Royal British Legion is a marvellous organisation worthy of your support. But, how did we get here? Ex-Soldiers & veterans of foreign wars relying on charity. Medieval. Dark Ages. Backward Step. You, me, The State should provide. Corporations make massive profits here in the UK because it’s a stable & safe economy. Made stable & safe by those Servicemen. Those Corporations should be pursued for their full Tax obligations - and that Tax should adequately provide for us to look after our Servicemen.

Make no mistake. Charity is a regressive tax - it falls disproportionately on the poor & unwaged. Those Corporations & richer people who benefit from the safety provided need to pay for it. Part of the price they have to pay is to support ex-Servicemen. Who is with me…..? Yeah, thought not.

Disappointing result for the Blades. They started very bright. High tempo. They sort of create chances. But they are “balls across the box chances”. We’ve got a perfect storm. Our main attacking option is pace out wide (Murphy & Campbell-Ryce) - yet we’ve got no one in the middle who can finish.  We created a lot of early opportunities. We didn’t convert. And we (somewhat understandably) lose a bit of tempo, die a little bit, not as bright. And if we concede, we have to chase too many games.  That’s our season mapped out I’m afraid.