10 little things that I love about football

Another top ten, well I can’t help it. I love this sport so much, this time I decided to focus on the little things we love about the game. I feel each one of the following points warrants an article of its own titled “Reasons why I love football”, like the three previous articles I have written on this topic. But I thought I would compile them for your benefit, go ahead and enjoy, and share the little things you love about this game .

10. Penalty shoot-outs

Many commentators call it a lottery, and if a result is undecided after 120 minutes, they probably are correct. I don’t care. All the emotions attached with any classic film can be experienced in the 10 minutes of a penalty shootout, irrespective of which team you are supporting. The feelings are there even if you are a neutral.

The drama when the tenth penalty is about to be taken, that decides the result of a Champions League or a World Cup final, can never be matched. My first, and one of the best, memory of football is a penalty shoot out. Tucked away in Saudi Arabia with my dad, we watched the final of the 1994 World Cup final, where Romario scored his penalty, and Baggio sent his kick over the bar, hence handing Brazil the trophy. Total absolute heartbreak for the best player of the tournament. And since that day, I am totally in love with penalty shootouts.

9. The FIFA game franchise

There won’t be a single person amongst us who hasn’t played these games and fallen in love with them. I started FIFA pretty late, the first PC game I played was the FIFA 04, and I haven’t looked back since then.

The best memories of my college life (apart from poker) have been those of FIFA Super Leagues, where 8 of us would play in four teams consisting of 2 each for 8 – 12 hours non-stop. And on the manager mode I remember managing Huddersfield Town to win the quadruple with an unbeaten season in all competitions. Haven’t all of us done this ? My personal favorite of them all is the FIFA 07, though everyone choices might differ.

8. Fantasy Leagues

If FIFA Pro Leagues exist, can the Fantasy Leagues be far behind? All of us think that we know more about Football than Sir Alex or Arsene Wenger, and scoring points in this Fantasy League is the way to prove it.

I always thought my footballing knowledge was bordering on the level of a pundit, and by winning our private leagues, I made my point to my friends. We have been playing for 5 years now, in a league comprising 9 friends, and the highest finish I have achieved is a 3rd place! But that doesn’t change my belief that my knowledge is still close to a pundit!

7. Relegation Battles

As I mentioned in a previous article, I always enjoy relegation battles more than the title battles. The EPL‘s competitiveness ensures that every year 8-10 teams have the capability of being relegated, and these dog fights every year go down to the last day, with 5 to 6 teams trying to avoid the drop.

In fact, the fight to avoid relegation is the major reason I prefer the EPL over the other leagues. Last season is a very good example. After years and years of surviving at the last minute, Wigan Athletic were finally relegated to the second division. The year before that, they suddenly started winning matches in April and May, upsetting the bigger clubs and generally causing chaos. And I love that!

6. Ultra slow-motion replays

You see a lot of ultra slow motion HD replays these days, especially in the Champions Leagues -”Action Shots”, as they are called. The first I ever saw was Ronaldinho taking a free kick, which he failed to score and hence the action shot.

Other good examples include Rooney wiping sweat of his forehead, or Messi tying his laces. These action shots also have made a foray into cricket, when they show birds fly off the field, or the ball hitting the bat. For some reason, I love these shots!

5. Players refusing to celebrate after scoring against their former clubs

Many people find this stupid, but I always love a player when he refuses to celebrate after scoring against his previous clubs. I appreciate the fact that he is telling his former club that you played an important role in my upbringing, I owe you a lot, and I still love the fans.

Last season, Robin van Persie scored for Manchester United against his former club Arsenal and refused to celebrate the goal. In doing so, my respect for the player increased.

4. Players celebrating after scoring against their previous clubs

What do we love more than a player refusing to celebrate? A player celebrating against his former club. The prime example is Adebayor, when playing for City against Arsenal, he ran the whole course of the pitch after scoring, much to the anger of the fans who were singing abusive chants.

As a lifelong Gunner, I cannot emphasize enough how much I hated the guy at that moment. But when I think as a neutral, this moment is a reason you have to love the game.

3. A Manager’s reaction to on-field action

This is always fun, managers reacting to an on field action. My all-time favorites include Sir Alex rising from his seat for every header, Arsene Wenger’s fist pumps ( like he should be celebrating but he doesn’t know HOW), Avram Grant falling down to his knees when Chelsea reached the Champions League final.

My personal favorite, however, is Mick McCarthy’s celebration when Ireland qualified for the knock outs of the 2002 WC in the 92nd minute. Obviously, there is Jose Mourinho’s run down to touchlines of Old Trafford in 2004 when he was Porto‘s coach, a memory which still haunts every United fan. Paolo Di Canio’s celebration in the Sunderland-Newcastle derby last season was also a classic.

2. Goalkeepers going upfront in the last minute

How often do we see goalkeepers going up front for a free kick or a corner in the dying minutes when their team needs a goal? We see this happen at least twice a month, but is it ever effective? Well, almost never.

But it has happened in football when goalkeepers have actually scored or helped in scoring a goal in the dying minutes. In the 1999 UEFA Champions League final, Peter Schmeichel’s run into the box caused confusion, and in that chaos, Giggs scored.

Incidents like these make the game awesome. However, there is a better story in this regard, a much better story which I am sure none of you will ever have heard of. Go ahead, watch the video of the legendary Carlisle United keeper, Jimmy Glass.

1. Hope

All the 9 points mentioned above are awesome, but nothing makes football more worth it than the hope. No matter how many matches your team loses, no matter how unlucky your team is, no matter how many players leave your team, no matter how many trophies your bitter rivals win – still, you eagerly wait for your team’s next match, you wait to see the new player coming to your team.

You never quit on your team, because one of these days you know you are bound to win; one of these days, you are bound to get a 92nd minute winner; one of these days, you are bound to get a referee decision in your favor; one of these days, your team might just give you what you aspire for.

Hope drives our passion and we cannot stop supporting your team, and cannot stop watching this beautiful game we all love, because, FOOTBALL and HOPE go hand in hand.