I have just finished reading Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. To those who don’t know, Fever Pitch is about Nick’s obsession with Arsenal. For those who don’t know what Arsenal is: nothing to see here, please move along, folks. I haven’t read of a lot of football literature, but as an Arsenal fan, it gave me a peephole into a world long since gone: the world when Arsenal were the equivalent of Stoke City of the last few seasons - the ogres of football. No, honestly. The way Nick described Arsenal and the Highbury crowd reminds me of the Potters in every way - the siege mentality, the general dislike from other fans, the media, the shit football…

We saw a recent lecture series on club loyalty. I believe that those fans who abandon their club when they are down don’t understand the core point of football, or any team game, or any game, for that matter. I admire Barca, not for their style of play, but for the sheer talent and skill some of their players have. I admire Royal Madrid, because of the impunity with which they play Fantasy Football. I admire Manchester United, because they have grit. I admire Tottenham Hotspur, because they fought to grow out of the shadow of their neighbours and succeeded.