Fernando Torres: Loyalty Not Part of the Deal?

The January transfer window has come and gone, as have two high profile and arguably overpriced footballers from their respective clubs. Now, if you have no interest in the sport they call football then I suggest you won’t find any of the following remotely interesting, however if you would like to hear/read my rant then by all means continue…

We all know that the January transfer window is usually less than exciting. However this year, the winter window was so frantic, Jim White could barely contain himself. I am of course referring to the two biggest transfers of the day that saw Liverpool’s star striker Fernando Torres force a £50 million move to Chelsea, while Newcastle’s talisman Andy Carroll made a shocking switch to Liverpool for a staggering £35 million. Now as a Liverpool supporter, you can imagine transfer deadline day was a rather eventful one for me. And if you’re reading this as a non-football fan I’m sure you’re thinking ‘wow she needs to get a life’.  Anyway…

When Fernando Torres dropped the bombshell, also known as his transfer request, I felt deflated, disappointed and distraught. Well, not really distraught but I wanted to keep the alliteration going... Torres has been one of Liverpool’s most valued and loved players since his arrival in 2007 and I think I speak on behalf of the majority of Liverpool fans when I say we believed he would go down in LFC’s history as a legend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

It was clear Torres had been unhappy at Liverpool since he returned from the World Cup last year and I honestly wouldn’t have been shocked to see his departure in the summer, however the way the Spaniard has conducted this move has been disrespectful, insulting and a PR nightmare. When he joined us, he claimed to be a Liverpool fan as a young boy and I distinctly remember him saying he would never play for another English club. This wasn’t the case. I also remember him saying around 5 months ago that his commitment to Liverpool hadn’t changed since the day he joined in 2007. This also wasn’t the case. Of course I believed him and thought he would remain loyal because anyone that plays for the team they support will surely stay. This wasn’t the case either.

My biggest problem with Torres is not necessarily that he left, but the way in which he did it. My problem is that he is yet to offer an explanation as to why he went, or an apology for his sudden departure. He’s yet to pay tribute to the fans that spent huge amounts of money on his shirts and bought tickets to cheer him on every week even when he wouldn’t play at his full potential.

The next blow to Liverpool fans came from his first interview as a Chelsea player when he said he’s always wanted to play at a big club “and now I can”. To be fair, he may not have meant it as an insult to his former club because despite living in the UK for a number of years his English isn’t the best and his mumbling can be hard to comprehend…. However, if he honestly believes Liverpool is not a big club then he could never have been a supporter like he has claimed for so long.

Ok, I have ranted a lot about my feelings over Torres but the point I’m trying to make (if somewhat long-windedly) there seems to be no place for loyalty in the modern game. Yes, there are the odd few players that remain committed to their clubs until the end of their careers but it is becoming rare. I don’t even take notice about how many years players sign to on their contracts because we all know contracts mean absolutely nothing.  When a footballer joins a new club they come out with the standard “I’ve always admired this club”… “They’re one of the best teams in Europe”… and they might even go as far to say “I grew up supporting this club”. That last quote is what I clung onto when there were rumours that Torres would leave the club he apparently loved so much. After his departure I’m left questioning, was he really a supporter? Did he mean anything he said? Or are all these statements and interviews fabricated by agents and PR pros? I guess we’ll never know.

Luckily Liverpool were able to bring in two brilliant signings in the names of Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll which definitely cushioned the blow for losing our former number 9.  I’m still angry and even though we like to deny it, most of us football fans are fickle, so I’ve gone from adoring him to hating him. I’ll act like I’m not bothered during Chelsea and Liverpool’s match on Sunday but I know when I see him walk out at Stamford Bridge in that Blue shirt, my heart will sink a little. Although if we beat them and he suffers a slight injury, I may brighten up…

Is Celebrity Culture Dumbing Us Down?

At the moment, as I’m sure you know, our country’s not having the best of times. We’re trying to combat an economic downturn yet we have a government that seem content on keeping us in it, or better yet, make it worse.  The New Year kicked off with a bang when VAT went up to 20% and some parents will be forced to break the news to their teenage kids that they can’t have the careers they want because University fees are too expensive.  Bit dramatic?  Maybe so.  

Basically, those issues listed above, but to name a few, are newsworthy subjects I feel should have paramount importance when informed to us by the media.  With that being said, I popped into a shop to buy the morning paper the other day and what were the front page headlines? ‘Victoria Beckham Pregnant with Fourth Child’….Ok, they weren’t the exact headlines but you get the idea.

Now correct me if I’m wrong but who genuinely in their heart of hearts actually gives a damn that Victoria Beckham is pregnant?  Does it affect us in the slightest?  Will our lives change because of this ground-breaking piece of information?  No, of course it won’t.  Does it warrant front page headline news?  Unfortunately yes.

We now live in a world that worships celebrity culture.  It’s taken over how we see society and it’s rubbed in our faces every day of the week.  How many articles do you see like, ‘How to Steal Cheryl’s Style!’…’Get A Toned Bod Like Megan Fox’.  We are constantly being told to look like celebrities, aspire to be like them, and adore their lifestyles.  We’re obsessed with the rich and famous.  We want to know every detail of their lives, where they’re going, what they’re doing, who they’re dating.  So news about Victoria Beckham’s growing bundle of joy is the perfect front page story.

You just need to look at the television shows on our screens.  Reality TV has completely taken over.  Shows like X Factor, Dancing on Ice, Big Brother, Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celeb, I could go on and on.  They’re mindless and manufactured shows that are slowly destroying our brain cells. And don’t even get me started on The Only Way Is Essex!  It doesn’t matter how pointless these shows are, they will continue to make them because we will continue to watch them.

Now, the people reading this that know me are probably thinking I’m a hypocrite.  And I admit, I may be moaning about celebrity culture but I too get sucked into reading about ‘celeb gossip’ and I am a regular viewer of reality TV (apart from The Only Way Is Essex…I do draw the line at some things).  I remember dedicating my weekends to the X Factor and compulsively tweeting about every moment.  My former housemates can vouch for me when I say that I was solely responsible for the pile of celebrity magazines piled up in the living room. 

But, I do take pride in the fact that my life is not consumed by celebrities. I actually care about what’s going on in the world and despite the fact that I do enjoy some celebrity gossip; I would prefer not to see ‘Cheryl Cole and Derek Hough’s secret hideaway’ plastered on all the front pages.  That’s gossip I can safely say I couldn’t give a damn about.

Guilty Pleasures Not Feeling so Guilty Anymore!

We’ve all experienced those cold, wet and miserable days where walking to the front door to get the post seems like too much of a struggle. And the only agenda of the day is to snuggle up on the sofa and watch TV. For most people, you would assume that generic shows like ‘GMTV’ and ’This Morning’ are the programs of choice but when the house is empty and it is only you and the remote around, you know that as soon as the coast is clear, you’re flicking the channel to ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ or ‘Total Wipeout’.

Why is watching dysfunctional individuals discuss their problems to a studio audience so entertaining? Nearly every week it’s the same story. ‘My boyfriend slept with my best friend while I was pregnant with our fourth child’…’I don’t know who the father of my baby is’…The stories are outrageous and who knows if they’re even real but I rarely miss an episode.

Every single one of us has a guilty pleasure and more than most have several. For example, I can openly say that I am in my twenties and have all 3 dvd films of High School Musical and a celebrity crush on Zac Efron even though he is cheese on toast and has incredibly feminine eyebrows. I have NSync albums on my itunes and I could happily spend a day watching back to back episodes of ‘My Super Sweet 16′. And the thing that stands out about these guilty pleasures, is that I don’t feel guilty about them at all.

Most people aren’t ashamed of admitting to liking certain tv shows, or listening to music that is aimed at 12 year olds. This just seems to be the way of the world now. Maybe the guilty pleasures don’t exist anymore because people are no longer feeling guilty. I can happily say that watching Jeremy Kyle became an almost daily activity for myself and my University housemates. You could even call it bonding. Not even men are ashamed anymore. I have friends that would prefer to watch ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ over ‘Die Hard’. I also have male friends that idolise Take That and would prefer to go shopping over playing football! Yes, that’s right.

People seem to be a lot more open about what they genuinely like, even if it sounds incredibly stupid and childish. Although, if you know someone who scoffs at you for watching immature programs and listening to cheesy music, I can assure you that once you’ve left the house and it’s time for ‘Total Wipeout’ to start, they’ll be watching people falling off bouncing balls and getting hit in the face with uncontrollable laughter. But the rest of us are mature enough to admit it.