I think the most dramatic end was in "League One" - or, as I call it, Division 3. Any of 4 teams could have been relegated and a win would have guaranteed survival for any with the exception of Tranmere, who were relying on other results going their way. As it was, Tranmere won and it was Gillingham who were relegated. This will be a devastating blow for Gills' fans, and they have my sympathy, but I am delighted that Tranmere pulled this off. They had an awful start to the season with the ill-conceived appointment of John Barnes as coach and they were left rooted to the foot of the table with an appalling goal difference by October. Les Parry has done a fantastic job to maintain their status. It reminded me of a game I saw against Exeter City in 1987 when they escaped relegation from the league with only minutes to spare.
What I did find disheartening was the trolling post on a Tranmere message board from a supposed Liverpool fan who claimed that they had "cheated" by playing bottom of the table Stockport on the last day of the season. Now, this is clearly a class one numpty but it did get me thinking about what actually motivates some football fans. With the Premier League coming to a close I looked at some of the messages there. If my team had just won a major competition I would be absolutely delighted. I would be so elated that I could not care about any other team or their supporters as all the effort in supporting a team would have been rewarded at last. Seemingly, this is not shared by every football fan. There were various comments on Manchester United message boards from, supposedly, Chelsea fans bragging about their money and United's debt. In fact it took Chelsea to the last day to win the title in spite of United's defensive injuries. The Manchester club have had a fantastic season and, although there is minimal silverware, they can take great pride in how well their players have performed. I checked today and it looks like those comments have been deleted. However, in past seasons I can recall similarly poisonous comments being aimed at Liverpool or Arsenal fans from, allegedly, United supporters.
When I was growing up I was always told to be gracious in defeat. No-one likes a sore loser. However, I think that is understandable. Losing stinks. If I had been watching a team for a whole season there is a great deal of emotional investment at stake and to lose out at the last hurdle is a big disappointment. I can understand the motivation of fans who will blame the pitch, the referee or their "cheating" opponents. It's not pleasant but it is understandable. What I can't tolerate is those fans who's team has just won but all they are concerned about is taunting the fans of rivals. I don't mean typical football banter, which is fair enough, but nasty, hateful comments. They don't seem to be concerned at winning at all. What they want to see is their rivals lose. Can there be anything worse than poor winners?
I am rather reminded of the acceptance speech of former German president Johannes Rau:
"Ein Patriot ist jemand, der sein Vaterland liebt. Ein Nationalist ist jemand, der die Vaterländer anderer Völker verachtet. Ich will ein Patriot sein." - "A patriot is someone who loves his homeland. A nationalist is someone who despises the homelands of other peoples. I will be a patriot."
I think this can apply to football as much as nations. A true football fan will support his local team - or the team he has chosen to adopt - through thick and thin. That's not to say that they may not, at times, be critical of their team and wish that they could emulate more successful sides. This is a healthy and optimistic state of being. When the only pleasure that can be taken is in the downfall of others then it is a poisoned state of mind - and nothing good can come of it.
I'm not sure quite where such attitudes originate from. I suspect that rampant nationalism and tribalism was a useful survival technique in evolutionary terms. Suspicion of "the other" would help to protect one's own. But in an interconnected world this is can only lead to increasing mistrust and even violence against "the other". When tribalism and nationalism shows through it is the inadequacies of those individuals and their inability to assert themselves constructively that leads them to turn against others. For some football fans, it seems, winning is not enough - in fact, it is not anything.
I will congratulate those that have won and commiserate with those that have lost but, like Rau, I think I will be a patriot.
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