This week in England, its been all about Adebayor, and that "kick in the face" and that "kneeslide after doing the 100 metres in 10.07 seconds" Fans and pundits alike have not stopped going on about it, for it is the sort of incident that feeds pub-talk
This weekend sees the possible return of Carlitos Tevez to the Theatre. The stage on which he was much adored (more that Ronaldo) and where he shed blood and sweat for the cause. However, we all know how it ended up. He is now a Bitter Blue, albeit a very well paid one.
Tevez has stated that he expects a good reception if he plays. I think he is wrong.
I do not hold any personal grudge against the man, but i am partisan. Former players have left United and come back the following season to rounds of applause. Just recently when we hosted Arsenal, when Micky Silvestre's name was read out as a sub, the stadium warmly clapped its collective hands (rather than the boos that were reserved for every other Gooner) Andy Cole always got a great reception at OT, as did Bryan Robson when he would lead out Middlesborough or West Brom as manager. United legends or players that gave many years of service always get a pat on the back from us (bar maybe Paul Ince)
So should a player that played 22 months for us get a great reception?
Yes he played a big part in the winning of the European Cup in 2008. That will be remembered more fondly in years to come. On the last day of last season i stood with many others as he was substituted and boo-ed my heart out...this was not a slant at Sir Alex, as the tabloids reported the next day, but we were genuinely sad that we knew he would never wear the red shirt again, and he would probably end up playing down the road for a rival. We didn't like it, so we boo-ed...before screaming and clapping and singing "Ar-gen-tina" "Fergie sign him up" & "Our Superstar Tevez" one more time. It was very emotional. As i left the ground i thought about buying a Tevez shirt from the brilliant bootleg t shirt sellers outside the stadium, but opted not to.
The reason i opted not was that, as i briskly walked up Sir Matt Busby Way, i considered how i would feel if i saw him in a Liverpool, Chelsea or City shirt next season. I didn't like the taste in my mouth. So I looked at the t shirts long and hard, and turned my back, heading off to my car. I would never wear it so why buy it? However, if he was retiring, or going back to Boca or the like, id have paid my tenner and got one.
The fact is Tevez has severed the artery that linked him to us. He wanted the cash cow, he signed his name and skipped into the arms of the Arabians. Fair enough. But I personally want to boo the fcuker out of sight. He means nothing to me now. I will not applaud him if i see him in that pale sky blue rag of a top. I will not clap him if he does a mini lap of honour, thinking the Stretford End gives two shits about him. He plays for one of our biggest rivals now. He has to take it on the chin. I feel more venom toward Tevez than i do towards Ron. We got eighty million big ones for him, and Real were his boyhood dream..plus in Spain, he is out of sight, out of mind..fickle i know. Tevez is here, in our faces. Laughing his head off with all the other mercenaries playing for a team he probably did not know existed a few years ago. That is HIS choice. And it is MY choice to show my contempt at his choice.
So whatever reception he gets on Sunday may well and truly be up for debate still. But the fact is I will scream and whistle in his face, throwing and rotating my red and white scarf above the top of my head. I will sing United songs until my throat bleeds and we will let him know what the red half of Manchester thinks..
Why? Cos i want him to fail and us to succeed. We take no prisoners. Glory glory Man United. We'll never die, we'll never die..
He'd already skipped into the hands of the yanks. Don't see a difference. Same job, better pay.... more chance to play... not rocket science.
ReplyDelete"Tevez has stated that he expects a good reception if he plays. I think he is wrong."
ReplyDeleteWhat a clown, anybody who even thinks about clapping him should have electrodes strapped to their head.
It's quite interesting actually what has happened to Tevez because he is a scientific anomaly. He evolved directly from a demi-god to a talking rat in as little as 2 months. The Guiness book of world records might like to look into it..
Ben
I know this is a late response (out of town for a while) but I'd still like to throw in my two cents on the matter. The way I see it, it isn't about how long he was here, why he left or even where he went but about how he handled it as he was leaving and after he was gone. I have spoken out on this blog against the booing of ones own team, against any future booing of Ronaldo understanding and supporting his wishes to play for the team he and his father always supported. I think most would say I am fairly anti-boo or at least a "boo-conservative" but I have no problem with Tevez getting the full boo treatment from the OT faithful mainly because of his comments during and since his departure. I can almost look past and forgive him the highly flexible integrity required to proclaim that he wouldn't go to Anfield out of "respect for the United fans" and then dive in to a pile of money at City without any sense of hypocrisy or shame. SAF didn't use him last year and I would accept, with some reserve, a claim of not wanting to move the family. However, when that load of horsesh*t is added to his boastful proclamations of City inducing fear in United combined with the swipes he took at SAF and the giant welcome poster (not his idea maybe, but as they say, lay down with dogs...) display a complete lack of class and simply beg for abuse. It is Tevez and City who have taken this divorce into the gutter and I see no loss of dignity for us if we lean down to let him know what we think of his conduct by whispering in his ear.... BOOOOO!
ReplyDeleteI would guess that watching the player bought to replace him win the game with a very fine finish at the last was as good for every United fan as it was for me... especially after Tevez clanked the post in the first half!