Post by JoeLatics on Sept 19, 2009 21:02:50 GMT
It's very easy to get depressed at the state of our national game.
To ask why your life should be dictated to by the whims of mega-rich mercenaries, paid obscene wages by foreign tycoons who would stroll off with an insurance cheque and invest it in a ball-bearings factory tomorrow, if your beloved stadium was razed to the ground.
But it's equally easy, when you come across a story of courage, humility and compassion to remember why you first fell in love with football and why, at its roots, this is still a fine game involving decent people.
Last Saturday afternoon, as under-siege Eastlands stewards tried to hold back the tide of hate between a petulant multi-millionaire and a snarling set of fans, something special was unfolding at Yeovil Town.
The story starts on Wednesday when Stockport County boss Gary Ablett pulled aside striker Carl Baker at training and told him his 34-year-old brother Michael had died of leukaemia.
It was a devastating blow to Carl, not just because his brother had been given the all-clear to return to work, but his 17-year-old brother Dean also suffers from the disease. Medical experts knew of no other pair of brothers in the country battling leukaemia at the same time.
Baker went home in pieces, but the next day rang Ablett demanding he play at Yeovil. Not only did they need him, he argued, but Michael was a fan who would have insisted he pulled on the shirt.
So he played, and scored twice, making him the country's leading marskman with nine goals. After hitting his first he collected a shirt from the dug-out bearing the words: "For U Mike" and held it above his head as every team-mate rushed to embrace him.
At the final whistle he ran to the hundred or so Stockport fans who had made the long journey, and was presented with a condolence card, signed by every travelling supporter. And tears were shed.
The Bakers aren't from Stockport. They weren't brought up in the Edgeley Park family, but they are very much part of it now. Despite being in administration, Stockport have been incredibly supportive of the family, wearing shirts with a leukaemia research logo and donating a hefty percentage of match-day advertising to the charity.
I once asked Bob Paisley what the secret of footballing success was, and he replied: "If you're lost in a fog you stick together. That way you don't get lost."
Which, when you think about it, is the secret of all human success. Stockport County are living proof of that mantra. And, along with Baker, are an inspirational to us all.
Recall their story the next time modern football makes you nauseous. Remember that however much the sharks, the cheats and the chancers try to rip the heart out of this game, they won't win. Because there will always be some heart left.
You just have to avert your gaze from the top of the corrupt heap and look to the bottom, where it all started. In working-class communities. As a tool of hope and joy.
And when you do, you may just remember why you became enthralled with football, and why you can never permanently fall out of love with it.
www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-reade/Stockport-and-Carl-Baker-have-reminded-us-football-has-not-lost-its-soul-article163331.html
To ask why your life should be dictated to by the whims of mega-rich mercenaries, paid obscene wages by foreign tycoons who would stroll off with an insurance cheque and invest it in a ball-bearings factory tomorrow, if your beloved stadium was razed to the ground.
But it's equally easy, when you come across a story of courage, humility and compassion to remember why you first fell in love with football and why, at its roots, this is still a fine game involving decent people.
Last Saturday afternoon, as under-siege Eastlands stewards tried to hold back the tide of hate between a petulant multi-millionaire and a snarling set of fans, something special was unfolding at Yeovil Town.
The story starts on Wednesday when Stockport County boss Gary Ablett pulled aside striker Carl Baker at training and told him his 34-year-old brother Michael had died of leukaemia.
It was a devastating blow to Carl, not just because his brother had been given the all-clear to return to work, but his 17-year-old brother Dean also suffers from the disease. Medical experts knew of no other pair of brothers in the country battling leukaemia at the same time.
Baker went home in pieces, but the next day rang Ablett demanding he play at Yeovil. Not only did they need him, he argued, but Michael was a fan who would have insisted he pulled on the shirt.
So he played, and scored twice, making him the country's leading marskman with nine goals. After hitting his first he collected a shirt from the dug-out bearing the words: "For U Mike" and held it above his head as every team-mate rushed to embrace him.
At the final whistle he ran to the hundred or so Stockport fans who had made the long journey, and was presented with a condolence card, signed by every travelling supporter. And tears were shed.
The Bakers aren't from Stockport. They weren't brought up in the Edgeley Park family, but they are very much part of it now. Despite being in administration, Stockport have been incredibly supportive of the family, wearing shirts with a leukaemia research logo and donating a hefty percentage of match-day advertising to the charity.
I once asked Bob Paisley what the secret of footballing success was, and he replied: "If you're lost in a fog you stick together. That way you don't get lost."
Which, when you think about it, is the secret of all human success. Stockport County are living proof of that mantra. And, along with Baker, are an inspirational to us all.
Recall their story the next time modern football makes you nauseous. Remember that however much the sharks, the cheats and the chancers try to rip the heart out of this game, they won't win. Because there will always be some heart left.
You just have to avert your gaze from the top of the corrupt heap and look to the bottom, where it all started. In working-class communities. As a tool of hope and joy.
And when you do, you may just remember why you became enthralled with football, and why you can never permanently fall out of love with it.
www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-reade/Stockport-and-Carl-Baker-have-reminded-us-football-has-not-lost-its-soul-article163331.html