Getting harder to watch this rubbish

IT’S not getting any better is it? A lead in a European tie and a point away to a side that enjoys great home success against the best aren’t the worst things in the world, but if anything the last week has only intensified the distaste for the way we play.

It’s bordering on revulsion now.

That’s two goals in our last seven away games, and one goal a game in our last 29 competitive matches.

It’s hideous, hideous stuff.

People were ranting all week about the latest ‘Eureka’ moment from football’s hierarchy about having play-offs for fourth spot.

There are many reasons why this idiocy has to be opposed. Imagine Capello’s expression if he had to prepare for South Africa with half his squad facing extra games just before they left.

Not that I care, obviously. My objection would be the prospect of such a wretched season being prolonged by a millisecond, even if it were in our financial interest.

The usual hypocritical coverage of our club became evident in the ludicrous assertion that these plans were for our benefit, despite it being common knowledge that we oppose them.

The Urziceni game did little to calm the nerves. A few chances were missed and as time crawled the prospect of falling at the first centimetre-high hurdle of the Beggars Can’t Be Choosers Cup put the whole stadium on edge.

There was coincidental booing in another stand when a few in the Kop tried desperately to get Rafa’s chant going, but deep down you suspect others were most likely tempted to do likewise.

Aquilani and Riera were especially poor. Keane and Dossena have already gone, which leaves Johnson as the only recent signing to vaguely impress.

Mischievous hacks can pretend this Torres/Gerrard megadeal has legs, but heading towards their prospective buyers (in foul weather) didn’t make for an especially festive mood. The football, as it does virtually every week now, only made matters worse.

We started off quite well but deteriorated rapidly even though it became clear City were also paralysed by the fear of defeat. Squeal all you like about a club spending a fortune to produce such petrified tat, but they were no better, boom, boom etc.

What do they say; in times of strife, go with your instincts. This is what Benitez has always done and always will do. Anyone expecting change is a complete idiot.

Even his once-indisputable coaching prowess is questioned. Three years on, and Babel still can’t trap a ball. Players never get headers on target, on those rare occasions a cross actually makes it into the box.

You notice it more when we tend to create so little. A card-happy homer made life difficult, even then he missed a shocking tackle by Mascherano, but ultimately you wonder how we’ve ended up watching this rubbish all the time. Even with injuries we’ve got the personnel to do better surely?

The diehards are also waning. There’s always been an element of one-upmanship in supporting a team, a sense of shame if you dare utter the word ‘entertainment’ and a fear of being outed as a shallow brat. It’s like those film critics who fill their all-time favourites list with 3-hour black and white Polish cartoons from the 60’s. They’re neither deep nor significant, they’re just very, very boring and worthless. You’re not a better person if you ‘understand’; you’re blind clueless and insufferably arrogant.

We’ve had ten years or more of ignoring this, waiting for a child’s voice to eventually tell us the emperor may be naked after all. Our very own ‘Eureka’ moment is long overdue.