A year has gone by.Time has passed and healed my wounds of the worst night in my life.The Roman empire came falling down in front of my very own eyes and all I could do was gasp for breath and rub my eyes hoping I would wake up from this nightmare.Didnt happen though,because it was reality and my mailbox,orkut account was flooded with cynical remarks from united fans who had made me and my beloved club their laughing stock.Well I haven’t been able to get over that night.I was in Singapore and had stayed up all night anticipating a good result as we had a 2-1 advantage.
Before kick off Id met a zillion Asian Man Utd fans and had wished them luck.And since I was wearing a roma jersey throughout the trip they knew where my loyalties where.Im not explaining in detail about the game but Id planned to go to a pub in the hotel that was exclusively for united fans.Thank my stars!But nevertheless,that result was a fluke and my sweetheart destiny has rolled the dice once again.on my birthday,2nd October we went back to old Trafford to get revenge.We spurned a host of chances and Utd won the game,but this time I was less sore since we fought and deserved to win the game.The return fixture was of no meaning and just when I thought Id enough of the Man Utd-Roma fixture it comes back to haunt me again man!
Okay the real meaning to write this was to share my experiences of meeting up with people who have narrowed their horizons only to the premiership and nothing else.But first for all those who think that the The Premiership or as they call it EPL is the best league in the world, please stop thinking as you are making a mockery of the evolved cranial capacity in humans. If the premiership was the best league in the world then England would have sailed across their qualification for the euros.And I tell you within ten years the three lions will be hovering the line with the other british teams,its their fate which has sadly been sealed by the exponential rise of foreigners in their league. But,sadly the emerging crop of players ie the big players are all going there but that doesn’t mean rest of Europe doesn’t have any talent.Firstly,the clubs in England have no local lads representing their clubs barring few like Mark Noble,Steven Taylor but do the ‘epl’ followers in India know who they are?No,beacsue they are stuck up with Ronaldo,Rooney,Lampard,Gerrard and the bunch I don’t need to give names.For me the best player in my time,a certain Mr.Luiz Ronaldo didn’t not play in England which tells a lot.He is the best player Ive seen Live,along with say Zidane(I don’t like him too much personally).I don’t want to be a braggart and lsit names but personally I love the leagues in Italy,Spain.English Championship football is exciting for me but not the premiership.The players who I like currently in the premiership are-Phil Jagielka,Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble.
Okay this the fun part,people who don’t read football read this if you’ve not understood anything above.And please start following the beautiful game.
My Experiences with Indian Football Fans(of the Epl to be precise)
My gujrati friends are all Man Utd fans.Firstly tell call them Man YUUU.This one gut who I met across the road the other day.
“Areey Hi Ajay bhai,su che?Toti jersey.Good,where did you get it from?”
I replied instantly “My dad had been to Rome”.
He smirked and said “What yaar,Roma lost 7-1 to Men U.(Yes he said Men u).Men U is the best club in the world.”
I interrupted “But Milan are the champions of the world”
“Huh,Men U won na something,some cup,it comes in the ad.Cristiano Ronaldo is the
Best striker,what he hits goals, he’s the dhoni of Men u”
I gave him a slip since I almost burst out laughing.
When euro 04 was going on,My physics prof was lamenting about how david beckham doesn’t score these days.When I told him,hes a right winger and creates goals for the strikers and his job is to make goals,not score them he had a clueless white face similar to this dude.Man these guys get cricket also in between.Times had compared the Indian cricket team to Real Madrid-Los Galacticos.What losers.
Anways,when id been to Kerala,me and my bro were watching a Chelsea game(since hes a fan and I had nothing better to do) at a hotel,in a common game room or something. They were two kids cousins I presume who had come befor us- one would be 13 yrs and other 16-18 yrs old. The older guy asked me
“So whose youre favorite player?”
My reply was instant “Daniele De Rossi”
‘No in the Epl”he was taken aback.
Coming to his rescue quickly was the younger kid who seemed smarter among the two and trust me that dude was lucky because he was just about to get a lashing.
Which club do you support he asked.
Roma my reply.
After that the words he said are still embedded in my head and I swear I could have killed him there.
“Yuck.I mean Im sorry”
He just called my Roma Yuck.What nerves does he have sob!
They are a good club he said as if I didn’t know.Totti,Mancini good players.
Immediately the other dude who lost the spotlight came back and barked “Mancinis goal
In the champions league was awesome.Which team was it,yes Lion,German champions.”
Disgustedly I said “Thank you”
The younger kid started “But Chelsea are the best club in the world.They can win anything.They have legends like Cech(???),Drogba(???).”
I had to make a exit unfortunately as I parted I advised him Money cant buy you everything,son.But may be he was too young to understand sarcasm,or was he?I don’t care.But the wise old dude was also telling about how Charles N’Zogbia used to play Right Back and he was predominatly right footed.Lucky none of them got hurt.
My good friend Laxman Singh Hada who I was to kill is as ignorant as anyone.He supports Liverpool and gets me Roma jerseys,infact he was actually going to print one in his name – Laxman 8.
Luckily that didn’t happen.The other day he was asking me about Euro 08.
“Clubs are not participating.Like World cup right?What about Brazil,Argentina?
I was going to lose it “Laxman only European teams.”
“Oh! Yes I know you want toti and plus ill go early to Bangkok(he gets the jerseys from there) since there will be a lot of people wanting Rooney 9,Beckham 7,Owen 10 England NT shirts”
I calmly replied again “Laxman,Tottis retired and England haven’t qualified.”
Shell shocked he replied”What,England not there.Sob Sob”
It was like Id announced that some national tragedy had struck.
I don’t argue with Arsenal fans. I don’t want to. Because they are the least English club among the so called big four. Chelsea were the first team to roll out an all non-english 11 in the field but Arsenal are carrying the flag forward.
Ive met few Spurs,Everton fans but not as funny as meeting some one who just shows off for the sake of it. They talk about their clubs as they were born in England. Ok, I wasn’t born in Rome either but the passion running in my blood is right up there.
Im a bit psychotic.I scared a laborer who was wearing a SS Lazio shirt.Poor guy for him it was piece of cloth protecting his skin,but for me it was madness.
I almost ran over a guy who was wearing a Nike Totti 10 shirt.Why?Because Totti is with
Diadora now.
The whole point of writing this was cos I was feeling frustrated at the state of my life,since the lega calico d’italia doesn’t get the same respect as the premiership.
But when is started writing I divulged into God knows where and in the end I got 4 pages of words. I was exasperated with myself at the end of the day as my eyes and fingers were bearing testament to the non stop typing. But for Roma,Ill give my everything.Ive become so sleepy that I have no track of what I’m writing.ill edit and post latewr on.No its ok im posting it as it is.Im talking to myself,Im stopping now.
On april 9th I await the fate of my Roma.One result can shut the mouths of millions of Man Utd fans.And the whole population in large who follow the Epl.
Till then,forza Roma!!!!
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