I did not see that coming (Musings on the not so beautiful game)

One of my twitter accounts is @eurofutball. It's where I keep up with my favorite team, Chelsea (CFC), my favorite player, Fernando Torres, the British Premier League, and European football in general, what we in NA call soccer.

One twitter account I follow 'sends up' Arsenal's long-time manager, Arsène Wenger,  Wenger knows best, where tweets often include a variation of

• I did not see that coming.

This blog briefly discusses what I did not see coming when following Chelsea fans on Twitter.

First the good stuff. There are many admirable CFC fans on Twitter. By admirable, I mean loyal supporters who support the club, all its players and manager through thick and thin. Moreover, they use language suitable for all, including kids.

Sadly, there are many CFC fans who exude hatred and ridicule to players who do not live up to their expectations and ridicule anyone on twitter who disagrees with them. 

Such fans are typically vulgarians whose favorite words are f*ck and the 'C' word, often combined as 'effing c*nt.'

They do not support the team and all its players, only those who perform well, game in and game out. Score, win, I love you. Otherwise you're a piece of sh*t. This is what I did not see coming. 

From an early age my parents taught me the following:

• Obscenity is lazy. If you disagree with someone, explain why. To resort to name-calling or obscene language means you lack ideas and arguments.

• Sports celebrates the human spirit. It's about having fun and valuing the best in humans. Sports is joyful.

• It's about how you play the game, not about winning. Indeed, in the end, winning is nothing if wins are bought by those with the most money. Winning because of money is okay so long as you know that buying wins is meaningless. 

• Professional sports are just games played by boys and girls lucky enough to extend their childhoods. At best, sports are entertaining diversions from our mundane, real lives. At worst, cut-throat, big businesses that cynically manipulate fans to get their money.

• Competitors deserve respect and should be treated as you would like to be treated. If you trash sports foes, you trash yourself.

From childhood I've followed professional sports like Canadian hockey and the NA version of football, as well as baseball and basketball. 

Only recently have I been able to follow the beautiful game of football, aka soccer.

Immediately, I noticed significant differences in the British Premier League related to fan behavior on Twitter, comments on Youtube videos, and news stories. 

Most experience relates to Chelsea fans but I suspect it also extends to fans of other clubs.

• Extreme obscenity is the norm
• Hatred of opposing teams and players is the norm
• The more successful opponents are, the stronger the hatred
• Trashing your own players and manager is the norm, at least for CFC fans
• Respect for opponents is nonexistent
• Envy of successful teams and players manifests itself as hatred
• Past wrongs reign supreme, are never forgotten
• The 'milk of human kindness' (sympathy, empathy) is nonexistent
• Reflective thinking and thoughtful analysis of human behavior is nonexistent

Sadly, many fans of the beautiful game are ugly human beings. 

How CLS students discover what's important (Musings on instructor's role)

Recently, as part of a discussion about teaching health professionals, a colleague noted in an e-mail message: 

• 'It would be interesting to learn what strategies good students have for garnering the information that they need.'

A revised version of my response: Many students focus on asking teachers the equivalent of  

• 'What's going to be on the exam?' as opposed to 

• 'What do I need to know to be able to function well and safely in the laboratory once I graduate and become a practicing medical laboratory technologist?' 

As an MLS instructor I was explicit. For example:

• ABO grouping is the most important procedure done in a transfusion lab because, if you screw up the ABO, the error directly affects patient safety. 
• In other words, in the blood bank there is nothing between the patient and possible death but YOU. 

So....You need to know how to

• Perform ABO typing with 100% accuracy
• Recognize unexpected results
• Resolve ABO discrepancies by selecting appropriate follow-up tests
• Select appropriate donor blood in cases where blood is needed before a discrepancy is unresolved

These core skills were course objectives but the critical ones were reinforced orally in class and with many dry and wet practice exercises. 

Key skills also received extra stress in the clinical year by explicitly telling students what they needed to be able to do in the 'real world.' 

And why they sometimes need to know pure information because problem solving on-the-job assumes that basic knowledge.

To me one of the key functions of instructors is to let students know what is critical to know vs important to know vs nice to know. In so many words, I'd say, 

• 'I'm not going to keep what you need to know and do a secret. Here's the scoop....'

I also told students that it was useful to consult instructors about what was EXPECTED for assignments, quizzes, and exams and later to discuss how to improve performance. That way instructors could tailor feedback before and after quizzes and assignments to individual student strengths and weaknesses.

SUMMARY
Good students no doubt have several strategies for garnering the information that they need. But to me, that's a key function of instructors. 

Why are we there if not to share expertise and knowledge about how to succeed as undergraduates and as health professionals?

Why street cred matters (Musings on motivating CLS students to prepare)

This blog is a revised version of a message I recently sent to CLSEDUC, a mailing list for clinical laboratory educators. 

One of the subscribers asked how people motivate students to prepare for class. Excellent suggestions were posted since many quality teachers subscribe to the list and generously share their expertise.

What follows are my musings on encouraging students to prepare for classes and complete assignments, a few simple tactics and strategies to consider.

PREAMBLE
Many CLS students are over-worked or may perceive themselves to be compared to students in programs without laboratories. Plus many work long hours at part-time jobs. And some have family responsibilities at home. 

So the prevailing perception, rightly or wrongly, is one of being overwhelmed at times and hard done by. This makes students sensitive to course workloads, especially anything that strikes them as 'make work.'

With this mindset, students must believe that whatever being asked of them is valuable. As noted, one way is to assign marks or other rewards and 'penalties', a carrot and stick approach. Another is to explain how an assignment will help them succeed.

CREDIBILITY
To me a key to motivating students to prepare and succeed is instructor credibility, being a real person they can relate to.

Credibility is...

1. 'Been there, done that,' i.e., have worked in a clinical lab and know the realities of trench workers and what skills are truly needed to excel. This helps students listen and believe when you explain why something is significant, ideally with real-world anecdotes.

2. Admitting that you screwed up, when you do (and everyone does) and modelling how to accept responsibility and criticism as a normal part of professional practice.

3. Having empathy for students concerns, e.g., ask them about other assignments and course requirements before assigning work and, where possible, get THEM to agree by consensus with when a reasonable due date is. 

Short assignments also are appreciated. Stick to core learning objectives and scrap the 'nice to know' goodies. 

Unfortunately, many instructors, naturally consider their course to be important, if not most important. When assigning work they may not consider all the assignments students are faced with, including mark-related quizzes and exams in other courses. Such willful blindness can be a kiss of death to credibility. 

4. Setting high standards, especially at the beginning. There will be ample time later to be a 'soft touch'. Tell them you have high expectations for what they are capable of. That our brain is ~ 3% of body weight but uses ~20% of its energy and their brain will get a good workout in your course. 

5. Managing learning so students succeed early, as 'nothing succeeds like success.' Early success reinforces that they can all meet course standards. Moreover, when we do well, we tend to like a subject and retain motivation. 

6. Telling students that they, and they alone, are responsible for their performance and achievement. If they want to goof off, so be it. That's their choice. It's perfectly okay. They're adults and if they want to waste their time and money, go for it! 

7.  Having a sense of humor and showing students that you do not take yourself, or your pet discipline, too seriously. A career is but one part of life, a crucial part, but not the only part, perhaps not even the most important part. Self-deprecating humor helps but only if it rings absolutely true.

SUMMARY
All of the above won't 'get' all students. Some have a high degree of achievement motivation and will succeed no matter what instructors do. These students aren't the target. 

The target includes those who

• Are cynical (or pretend they are to avoid disappointment and pain)
• May be overwhelmed and prefer to be spoon fed
• Seek the easiest path to graduation and a job. 

But few, if any, young people are truly incorrigible. 

The first task is to motivate students to prepare for classes so that they can get the most from them. And a big part of that is instructor credibility.

And it's worth remembering that often the professionals who go on to stellar careers are not the ones who excelled as students, but rather struggled. 

One of the best things we can do is not turn them off our discipline and profession. If they love it, that's 99% of the struggle.

Food for thought. More education musings in next blog....

How to motivate pro footballers in Premier League when they don't give a shit

Last updated: 12 Mar. 2013

An Irish friend (@ChelsSince1970) quite rightly pointed out that the blog ignores the roles of managing men and leadership. See Addendum below.

This blog is a mini-rant on the notion that millionaire professional football players need a manager to motivate them. It derives from tweets about Chelsea FC's interim manager Rafa Benitez and how former manager José Mourinho, now at Real Madrid, would be so much better. 

In the past, when working at real jobs*, I never needed anyone to motivate me to do a good job  and protect patient safety, whether it was testing donated blood, 'crossmatching' donor and patient blood prior to transfusion, or teaching students the theory and practice of transfusion science and immunohematology.

*First as a medical laboratory technologist with Canada's national blood supplier (then Can. Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, now Canadian Blood Services), and later as a clinical instructor and transfusion science instructor / professor in the Med Lab Science program at the University of Alberta.

When first starting out, I was paid poorly but eventually adequately, at least sufficiently for my needs. Money was not a motivator, supervisors could not motivate with criticism, praise, or promise of promotion. 

Whatever made me work hard, keep up-to-date, and try to excel came from within, was intrinsic. It was partly self-respect, partly because I wanted the respect of colleagues and students, and partly because errors in the jobs I had could directly lead to a person's death. The last is not that different than individuals who work as auto and airline mechanics, bus drivers, electricians, etc.

Which is why I'm amazed that apparently millionaire football players need to be motivated by managers to give their best. 

Excuse me? These young men earn mega-bucks, live a fantasy lifestyle with adoring fans, and are attractive to others even if they have ordinary looks. Reporters, service people in restaurants, young women in bars, you name it, fawn all over these guys. They have it made by any of society's standards of success.

Yet the poor dears need a manager to rouse them to greater efforts before and during games?

Of course, these young men, like all youth, have limited life experience. They may have overcome poverty, a disruptive home life, or not. Most are not well educated, at least not formally, as they went into football at a very young age. If lucky, they have supportive families who provide good financial and social advice.

MUSINGS ON MOTIVATION
What can motivate young men who have it all?

1. MONEY?
Harry Redknapp in a March 2012 article claimed it was only cash.

• Cash is only motivation for players (As far as managers, when they leave, it's 'the king is dead, long live the king'.) 

I'm skeptical about money as a motivator.

Average Premier League wages are ~ £22,353 a week before bonuses or £1.16 million/year (more than $1.7 million US). And top players earn much more, e.g., Lionel Messi €31million/yr (more than $40 million US).

To me the huge wages are almost FU money. These young dudes can pretty much do as they like, and do.

Only real outliers can wreck their careers with repetitive bad behavior, e.g.,  'Super Mario' Balotelli at Manchester City.

But even 'Super Mario', given his talent, has landed on his feet at AC Milan for another chance at glory.

2. FEAR?
On Twitter some Chelsea fans think fear of the manager can motivate, a reason to dream of José Mourinho's return. In games where CFC plays poorly they tweet that Jose wouldn't have put up with that mediocre performance.

What would he have done? Ranted and scared the bejesus out of the under-performing millionaires by the sheer strength of his personality?

Possible only if a manager has total control of the club. Can that be true for any Chelsea manager, given Roman Abramovich's hands-on approach, albeit via behind-the-scenes puppeteering, and his record of sacking managers? 

3. INSPIRATION?
Can 20-something millionaires be inspired by a manager's rhetoric? #Rafaout fans think that José is a genius who can inspire players to greater heights with sheer charisma and rhetoric. To me that may work for awestruck teenagers, not guys in their 20s with FU $$$$.

Also, it may work when players have grown up with a club and English football, where a club's history is heartfelt and ingrained into ones bone marrow at an early age.

Inspiring a largely foreign group of players is another matter. As Redknapp said, to them club history means nil. In Chelsea's current squad I count only 4 regular English starters.

4. BIG STICK OR CARROT?
In general, some people are motivated by threats ('big stick') and others by a promise of something desirable. 

What big stick do managers have? The most obvious stick is benching a player for poor play, threatening them with whatever the manager knows they fear.

But what's the carrot? Simply getting to start games or being a regular substitute?

Sooner or later players given the stick will opt to be transferred and sold to teams where they'll get to play regularly.

4. RECOGNITION and PRAISE?
Research on learning and employment show that people are most motivated by being respected and receiving praise for jobs well done.

What does that mean in the context of a professional football team? Examples:

• Encourage players to express opinions and ideas and implement good ideas, whenever possible.

• Never insult players individually and publicly for poor play. They know better then anyone else when they've screwed up or had a bad day. Instead use errors as teachable moments for the entire club.

• Treat players fairly, no favorites. If the owner thinks otherwise, resign immediately as to play favorites makes you lose all credibility. 

• Don't marginalize and exclude players who are off form. If anything, make them feel even more a part of the club, valuable contributors. 

• Discuss an individual's poor play privately. Focus on what happened rather than pejorative characterizations, e.g., 'Your pass completion was 40% and you had no shots on net. Why do you think that happened?' (Not, 'You were totally sh*t today.') Then listen. 

• Praise more than criticize but offer praise only when valid, else it becomes meaningless.

LEARNING POINTS

You may think that for professional footballers 'recognition and praise' advice is namby-pamby and spineless. But these strategies apply to all humans from live-in nannies to tenured university professors to millionaire pro footballers. We're all human beings with the same vulnerabilities and desires.

Think about your own job. What most motivates you to work harder? Money? Fear? Threats? Promises? Being respected and appreciated for a job well done? Depending on your individual circumstance, I bet for most it's being respected and appreciated.

As to rich, young pro footballers needing a manager to motivate them  to play better, my gut reaction is, 'Give me an effing break.'

So long as the manager isn't part of the problem by being abusive, player performance is mostly internally motivated as it was for me - self-respect and the respect of peers. 

Of course, managers exist for more than motivation. There's tactics and strategy, analysing the opposition, creating game plans. But this blog focuses only on the manager as motivator.

And I suspect that thinking a manager can motivate millionaire young players, especially foreign ones, is a crock. José would be no better than Rafa. Of course, Rafa was made a eunuch by 'interim manager' designation. 

If José - or any manager - had total control (unlikely at Chelsea), perhaps it would be possible. But mainly by using fear and threats, never the best approach. 'Do it for Chelsea' is a meaningless joke to most foreign players.

In today's Premier League, Harry Redknapp is likely correct about players:

• They don't give a shit. [At least most of them...]

Addendum

José 

My Irish buddy Vera thinks I've misrepresented José Mourinho's management style. She notes that José is acknowledged as a great manager and leader of men, the type of guy who relates to and bonds with players such that he squeezes that extra bit out of them that wins championships. She supplied this  article on Mourinho and Lampard:

• Lampard scrubbed up nicely  for Chelsea after Jose showered him with praise (23 Feb. 2009)

And she's right. Video clips of José in Chelsea's glory days of 2005-6 show that he came close to being accepted as 'one of the lads' while remaining his superior status as the gaffer. He was even a father figure to some, e.g., Michael Essien calls him daddy. 

This is a tough balancing act for any manager. Because familiarity breeds contempt, there must be a distance. Yet on some level staff need to see a manager as one of them, someone who knows and empathizes with their struggles.

Rafa

On the issue of José v Rafa as a leader of men, judging by achievements, it's José. Vera gives this example of how CFC players view Mourinho: 

• Joe Cole: Chelsea should never have let go of Jose Mourinho (29 Dec. 2011)

Rafa may be a good manager. His record is not shabby. Certainly, his management style has its critics, including former players. That would be true of most managers in any profession.

But for Rafa, Chelsea was a non-starter from the start, as it would be for anyone who joined today's Chelsea: revolving door managers, even if you win the biggest club prize of all, the Champions League; Roman's circus of trained seals to front for his wishes.

AVB

When he managed Chelsea, André Villas-Boas had many skills needed in successful managers. But I thought he was a poor manager of men, that he lacked the necessary emotional intelligence to lead men. Time will tell with his career managing Tottenham Hotspurs.

BOTTOM LINE: The blog examines what motivates people and why millionaire footballers, in general, and Chelsea players, in particular, need motivating to play well. It was not meant to be about leadership and that was a serious omission. 

Perhaps José can provide the inspiration, recognition, and praise that motivates people to excel. However, being a cynic*, I'm not in the camp of those who think that José is Jesus and his second coming is imminent.

David Moyes is also a skilled manager of men. Chelsea hiring him would not be a bad thing.

* Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist. (George Carlin)

Further Reading

José Mourinho page

Mourinho one of the best managers - 2012 ITV documentary

Roman Abramovich returns to take full control of CFC (20 Jan. 2013)

Time for a Chelsea fan intervention? (We have met the enemy & he is us)

Updated 24 Feb. 2013

INTERVENTIONS
In health care an intervention is a process to help people with addictions like alcoholism, drug abuse, and eating disorders to change before things get even worse. Addicts are typically in denial or unwilling to seek treatment. An intervention by friends, family, and sometimes professionals, is designed to make them see the negative effects their destructive behavior has on themselves and others.

Addicts usually surround themselves with like-minded individuals who mirror themselves. Living in a bubble, they believe their own actions are acceptable. Anyone who challenges them is shunned and even attacked, similar to how dysfunctional families exclude family members who dare to voice never-mentioned realities.

This blog is written as food for thought. I could be wrong about just about everything below. That's okay. The ideas are only what I think, given my background and biases.

CHELSEA FC
Chelsea fans are also addicted, and not just to football and the team. Since the Russia plutocrat Roman Abramovich bought the team in 2003, they've become addicted to winning. Sadly, like many druggies, if they don't get their regular 'fix', they turn nasty. 

Background
Stamford Bridge - The loyalty of #CFC fans cannot be questioned. Chelsea's history shows that veteran fans lived through tough times in the 1970s and '80s and developed hope in the 1990s as the club gradually improved.  

When Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, he poured mega-£ into the club and his money achieved results. The club built an impressive record in the Premier League:

• 2003-4: Runners-up
• 2004-5: Champions
• 2005-6: Champions
• 2006-7:Runners-up
• 2007-8:Runners-up
• 2008-9: Third
• 2009-10: Champions
• 2010-11: Runners-up
• 2011-12: Sixth 

Despite the disappointing 2012 PL finish, which would have dropped them from the all-important Champions League in 2012-13, in 2012 Chelsea won the biggest prize of all, the Champions League: 

• “Kings Of Europe, The Chelsea Story” 

Fans were blessed to watch a fabulous club win the PL and multiple trophies. Winning became a habit. Being a Chelsea fan allowed you to swagger and trash-talk other clubs and their fans such as London rivals Arsenal and other successful clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool.

For the past 9-10 years Chelsea fans have had it good. Glorious days to be fans and sing 'Blue is the Colour' (a truly crappy song) and 'We Know What We Are, Champions of Europe' (a truly arrogant chant). 

REALITIES
The 6th place Premier League finish in 2011-12 WAS and WAS NOT a harbinger of 2012-13. Chelsea is currently in 3rd place, with a chance for second. Not shabby by any means.

But they bombed out of the Champions League in the group stage, the first reigning champions to do so. This despite scoring more goals than any other team in the competition. Fact is in most years Chelsea played well enough to go through but not this year.

Playing in the Europa League (not Champions League) is seen as a disaster by Chelsea fans. Granted the CL has all the status, is worth mega-bucks in television revenue, and attracts big name players to the club. Yet many fine teams play in Europa League. It's hardly tragic, despite fan reaction.

I won't dwell on other league trophies as they're 'small potatoes' compared to CL. But Chelsea, reigning CL champions, still has chance to win FA Cup.

Chelsea has had 3 managers since June 2011 when Andre Villas-Boas was appointed. He was fired in March 2012. Then came Roberto di Matteo, a beloved Chelsea player, who led them to the CL title but was cruelly fired in November 2012.

Next, Roman hired the hated former Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, as interim Chelsea manager. As interim manager, Roman condemned Rafa to eunich status.

The instability of Chelsea managers is solely attributed to the Russian owner. Seems Roman is both a savior and a saboteur of club fortunes. So many managers in so short a time, 10 since he bought club in 2003, cannot be good policy in the long term, despite Chelsea's success to-date.

SO WHAT'S WITH CFC FANS?
To read Chelsea fans on Twitter, you'd think the club was in danger of relegation instead of being in 3rd place. Fans are cynical and critical. Many are downright hateful.

TORRES
Fernando Torres, transferred from Liverpool for 50 million pounds (not his fault) has not lived up to his Liverpool performance and is now a subject for widespread ridicule and hate among Chelsea fans. See my earlier blog (Jan 2013):

• Musings on Fernando Torres at Chelsea FC

Other PL clubs have MULTIPLE talented strikers, one of whom usually scores, e.g., Van Persie, Rooney, Chicharito, Welbeck for MUFC; Tevez, Dzeko, Aguerro for MCFC. At Chelsea Torres carries the load and for this he's booed by his club's fans.

More than booed, some call Torres a piece of sh*t, a flop, a f*cking c*nt. That's the intellectual level and vocabulary of many Chelsea fans. 

No matter what Torres does, Chelsea fans focus on the transfer fee (not his doing), think he's overpaid and should be sold as fast as possible.

RAFA
Chelsea fan reaction to the current manager Rafa Benitez is a disgrace. As  Liverpool manager he alienated them but nothing  justifies such hostility.

RafaOut banners, booing him, calling him the Fat Spanish Waiter (FSW), chanting obscenities - all are the norm for Chelsea fans. They feel comfortable ridiculing a person for being fat, for being Spanish, and for being a waiter.

Are such fans great models for young Chelsea fans? Great models for tolerance? No. Chelsea fans don't realize that their behavior has far-reaching implications for what it promotes. For example, they'd be at home as bullies of chubby kids.

Chelsea fans now focus on who they don't like on the team (Rafa, Torres and Israeli Yossi Benayoun), interestingly, all former Liverpool employees.

CHELSEA HATE SYNDROME (CHS)
If you suffer from CHS, you point out Torres's mistakes more often than you applaud his good plays.

No matter what Torres does, you think he's overpaid and should be sold immediately.

No matter how many completed passes, assists or goals Torres makes, you only talk about him after he makes a bad play. He's the designated scapegoat for all Chelsea's failures. 

If the entire team plays poorly, it's Torres's fault.

Same for Rafa. You call all his tactics and substitutions shite, even if they turn out well. You ridicule everything he says and does. So far as you're concerned, he's the devil incarnate.

The beautiful game is supposed to be fun. How does constant complaining and criticizing every play make watching the game and being a fan more enjoyable?

Why does Torres's transfer fee and salary bother you so much? Sure, he's overpaid (as are most PL players), but it isn't his fault that Chelsea paid so much for him.

What he gets paid has nothing to do with how he plays. Put yourself in his position for a moment. Chelsea has been a nightmare for Torres, yet he shows up game in and game out, enduring the boos of his own club's fans. 

It's one thing to take abuse and ridicule on Twitter, where any idiot can tweet and does. Another to take it from print journalists, many of whom are envious wannabee jocks or over-the-hill ex-players. But live and in-person from your club's fans? To me that's over the line.

I'm reminded of a Humphrey Bogart quote on marriage: 

"I wonder if the f*cking you get is worth the f*cking you get." Clearly, for Torres, it's not.

No money can compensate for the constant abuse he takes.

INTERVENTION
I understand why Chelsea fans behave as they do. Winning is addictive. Soon you begin to think you're better than all the rest. It's exhilarating. You're special, others are sh*t.  You deserve to win, not just now, but forever, as illogical as that may be.

But booing a Chelsea player, ridiculing him - and spewing hatred across the twittersphere - is destructive with negative consequences for the entire team. Same with booing and ridiculing Chelsea's manager, Rafa. Totally non-productive. Accuse him of poor tactics and substitutions - fine. Fans have a right to their opinions no matter how correct or how ill-informed. But why call him a fat prick or fat c*nt? 

Is the sole purpose to make selfish fans feel better by abusing scapegoats? Could be. 


The worst cretins never fail to mention that the transfer fee for Torres was £50 million and love to report how few goals he has compared to others. Boring. We all know he isn't scoring enough but still they drone on with statistics.

Other fans get off on calling Torres names such as effing freckle-faced c*nt, useless twit, girly boy. And when he had longer hair, macho fans would get hot and bothered when he'd fuss with his hair band. Wow! That says more about the 'macho' fans than Torres.

Chelsea fan behavior is a microcosm of how prejudice works throughout the ages. Some individuals crave others to demonize so they can feel good about themselves. They have no milk of human kindness in their veins, little empathy. They're not reflective, thoughtful thinkers. Just haters who feel good when ridiculing others.

And the silence at Stamford Bridge in the last game, Chelsea v Sparta Prague, was truly disheartening. When down a goal or two, don't fans cheer loudly to spur their team on? Everywhere but Stamford Bridge it seems. 

Instead they boo a player when he's working his buns off, trying to score and overcome a 2 year+ nightmare.

Chelsea fans are addicted to winning, haven't a clue how to cope with anything less. Like all addicts, they're blind to the negative effects their destructive behavior has on themselves and others.

As Pogo discovered about the nature of mankind, 

• We have met the enemy and he is us

Of course, doing poorly is relatively new and is exacerbated by the recent the glory days. Fans are only now adjusting to doing without their regular fix of winning trophies and the PL.

BOTTOM LINE
Will the Chelsea fans described here (not all, but many) ever assess their behavior as destructive, harming the club, undermining players and fellow fans? My guess is no. They're arrogant, certain they are right. How comforting that must be to them and their exclusionary clique of boo-birds. 

Wish they would wake up and smell the coffee. Realize how lucky they are. Enjoy the beautiful game. Know that success and failure come in cycles. Embrace kindness and empathy. See that we are all connected as humans, who have one wild and precious life (Mary Oliver poem, The Summer Day). 

Many losing clubs have long-suffering fans who cheer their players year in and year out. They always hope for better and, when some success occurs, it's cherished all the more. I suspect they're happier than many Chelsea fans.

FOR FUN
As for me, I consider Chelsea FC to be simply the best, better than all the rest. I support all the players and the manager du jour, whoever he may be.

• You're simply the best (Tina Turner's 1989 mega-hit)

I'd like to credit Jason Gregor for the idea for this blog:

• Time for an Oilers fan intervention? Edmonton faithful more apt to point out mistakes than applaud good plays

Musings on Fernando Torres at Chelsea FC

Updated 15 Jan. 2013

Just read one of the most balanced and informative blogs on Fernando Torres career today by Kevin Kostka: 

• Why Fernando Torres is gone for good

Kevin concludes with 'he may yet become a half-decent striker for Chelsea'. Well worth a read. 

Instead of a recap of this excellent op-ed, I offer brief musings as a fan of both Torres and Chelsea. See Twitter account,  @eurofutball 

I'm writing this blog immediately after CFC loss to Swansea in the Capital One Cup semi-final, first-leg, on 9 Jan. 2013. 

I suspect Torres was booed when he left the field and Ba was substituted. No boos for Ivanovic whose sloppy play resulted in both Swansea's goals, none for talented magician Juan Mata who failed to score on several golden opportunities, none for likeable David Luiz, who continues to sacrifice ball possession far too easily with ridiculous long shots over the net.

Many musings below are obvious but still worth stating. I'll try not to regurgitate the hackneyed writing and cliches of mainly professional reporters for British media. Frankly, many fans and bloggers provide better analysis and more insights than so-called pros. 

What follows is a stream of consciousness, which is how I write most blogs (mainly about transfusion medicine). Over the following days and weeks, I'll revise and add to the blog as new ideas arise.

My analysis is about emotional intelligence. I leave it to more qualified fans to dissect technicalities of the beautiful game.

1. TRANSFER FEE
Torres cannot help that Chelsea paid Liverpool a whopping transfer fee of £50 million. Yet it's universally held against him by what I call boo-birds (small-minded, negative nobodies who parasitically feed on the misery of others whose jock straps they could not even carry). To me a transfer fee focus is sheer envy on the part of those who mention it at every opportunity. 

As well, Torres' agent negotiated the best salary he could get, apparently ~£175,000 a week. Many footballers earn ridiculous incomes. But as an employee, wouldn't you want the best salary possible when starting a new job and relocating your family within a foreign country to one of the most expensive cities in Europe? 

Moreover, when Torres moved to London, I'm sure he thought he'd earn every pound.

Learning point: Criticize his play but emphasizing the transfer fee exposes a critic as petty.

2. WEAKNESSES
Torres' weaknesses are dead simple. 

(1) First, as a striker Torres doesn't score enough goals, and rarely scores in big games. As a result Chelsea loses game it should win. 

Of course, it's not Nando's fault alone. Here's what I've observed over 2 yrs:

• Torres makes good runs but passes don't come. Many reasons but in 2011-12 club was not aligned to his style of play and vice versa.

•  Eventually, teammates lost confidence in Torres and, instead of passing to him, even if he was in the clear, passed to others or tried to score themselves from impossible positions.

• Lack of passes and confidence by teammates eventually sapped his confidence. To compensate, he became an effective play maker instead of a goal scorer. Valuable player but not a winning hand if you're the striker whose club paid huge transfer fee. 

• Confidence complicated by having as teammate and fellow striker the larger than life Didier Drogba, already a club legend. 

(2) Second, Torres is introverted and sports fans don't dig shy introverts. They tend to characterize them as brooding and find that disconcerting. Even more complicated because Torres' competitor Drogba is an extrovert. 

I'm a keen observer of human nature and am positive Torres is introverted. People cannot grasp how people on a public stage can be introverted and shy, but, trust me, it's all too common. 

• Fans and people in general, inc.colleagues, are much more comfortable with extroverts. Think David Luiz. The happy geezer is easy to like. And Torres being a family man who doesn't enjoy clubbing is another reason why he's an outsider. 

• Recall video of Chelsea celebrating in dressing room. Frankly, celebrations are pretty forced. Note Torres at back getting dressed and ignoring the lame celebrations.   

(3) Torres has had a run of bad luck in which he almost seems to be jinxed. Shots that earlier would have scored don't anymore. I particularly recall an acrobatic strike that should have been a goal, worthy of goal of the year, but it hit the crossbar. 

Learning point: Not enough goals, introverted, and bad luck means most Chelsea fans have lost faith in Nando and have given up on him. These are human reactions from fans who just want their team to win.

3. FAN INFIDELITY
We think of infidelity as breaking a promise to remain faithful to a sexual partner. But it can be applied to breaking a promise as a fan. And here's where some Chelsea fans have failed big time. 

No doubt CFC fans have been spoiled since Russian plutarch Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. 

But aren't fans supposed to be loyal to the team, its coaches, managers, and players? 

Don't want to dwell on all gory details, but many CFC fans routinely delight in ridiculing Torres and his difficulties. I think of such fans as wee human beings. No milk of human kindness. No ability to empathize with others. Why little empathy for Nando?

• Is it because he's Spanish?
• Because he came to club for huge transfer fee? 
• Because he's an easy scapegoat when club loses?
• Because all spoiled Chelsea fans care about is winning?
• Because they've finally run out of patience? 

Matters not. Positive fans stay loyal to players and club and would not think of booing someone having a rough time. Negative fans are fair-weather fans, bottom dwellers who thrive on Torres' misery. Says more about their character than him. Criticize play, but why the trash-talk personal venom?

Then there's the matter of fan girls. Many male CFC fans call female Torres fans, fan girls. Others dump on those who do not attend games as plastic fans. 

These are often young men who can only feel superior if they diss others. Very similar to bigots. Generally self-absorbed types who believe life is a zero sum game in which others winning mean you lose.

Learning point: Some Chelsea fans (not all) have no idea what being a fan means. They're insulated and provincial, i.e., wee persons of local or restricted interests. 

And if a player does not perform, they feel free to ridicule him. Indeed, they often get off on tweeting smart-ass remarks on Twitter, not realizing what asses they are. They're still fans, just not ones I choose to emulate.

Torres is Chelsea's designated scapegoat. Entire team may perform dismally, but fans attribute losses to him, regardless of how poorly entire team plays.

And in one respect, though they don't know it, and cannot be credited with insight, they're correct.

4. BOTTOM LINE
To me, the bottom line of any game is goals. If you cannot score, you don't win.

Think of all the so-so performances of MCFC and MUFC. These clubs are often outplayed for entire games, look all too ordinary,  but win at the last minute in stoppage time. 

Why? Because they have multiple talented strikers, one of whom eventually scores. Van Persie, Rooney, Chicharito , Welbeck, Tevez, Dzeko, Aguerro, Balotelli, it matters not. 

But until Ba arrived, Chelsea in 2012-13 had only Torres. He was supposed to do it all. That teammates play so-so or worse matters not. Torres was expected to rescue the club with goals.

If Chelsea outplays opponents - they often do - but Torres does not score, he takes the can for the loss. If the entire team stinks, he still takes the can for the loss. 

That's the tragedy of Fernando Torres. If only the sole STRIKER would score every game, regardless of teammates' play, Chelsea would win many games it loses. 

Too much pressure on one man. Miracle that he shows up game in, game out and tries. 

In some ways Torres is similar to a classic tragic hero. Talented. Admirable. Lionhearted, but destined to bear a burden. His fatal flaw is not to score in games when colleagues do not score. Seems he's THE ONE on whom club's entire success depends.

Yet a cadre of fickle, selfish Chelsea fans constantly ridicule him. Sadly, I despite these cretins for their lack of humanity and discernment and ability to empathize.

I believe that Torres is salvageable and can contribute to Chelsea's success if team, Ba and next hired striker in particular, have milk of human kindness, and believe that to succeed, all need to succeed. As opposed to being 'all about me' ego-freaks, who care only to pad their own nests, the typical BPL strikers who fans adore.

Of course, Torres is not the player he was at Liverpool. Not as much pace, hindered by fear of further injury, and less confident, given all that has happened. What happened to him is open to dispute and remains an enigma. No doubt he has never been the same since his two knee operations in 2010.

Still, as of 1 Jan. 2013 he has decent statistics in all team play: 14 goals, 7 assists. He's a good team player and does contribute more than boo-birds give him credit for.

Still, some, indeed many, fans simply want to jettison him and hire a striker at the top of his form, e.g., Radamel Falcao. They typically tweet that Torres is a piece of sh*t, a flop, a f*cking c*nt. Yes, sadly, that's the intellectual level and vocabulary of many Chelsea fans. 

They're spoiled by a rich Russian owner (never mind how he got his billions), used to winning, and think it's their right to win forever. Sheer fantasy and Torres is impeding the fantasy. 

Should he start to score key game-winning goals, these same fans would fall all over themselves to praise Nando.

Me, I don't give a flying fig what fickle, spoiled fans think. Chelsea is one of the truly great teams of English football. 

I wish all Chelsea fans had half  the integrity that the Champions of Europe deserve. And half the humanity that truly nice guy, decent human being, exemplary family man, and remarkable footballer Fernando Torres deserves.Thankfully, some do.

FOR FUN
These two iconic songs by Freddie Mercury are often sung at Canadian hockey games, ironic given the uber-macho nature of hockey. Gotta love it!  

• We will rock you 
• We are the champions 

Gotta love technology (Seniors in 21st C)

Updated: 5 Jan. 2013

For fun, an interesting end-of-year afternoon spent problem solving a shaw.ca technical problem with a lovely 90-yr old senior. 

BACKGROUND
A senior's family buys their 90-yr old mother a new flat screen tv for Christmas. But the manual is only on CD and she has no computer. Guess stores figure everyone has computers these days. [Just like Facebook and Google assume all users have smart phones for recovery, if accounts are hacked. Grrrrr.....]

A family member experiments and successfully connects her new tv to the Shaw high definition box using a myriad of different connectors (cable, sound, video, etc.).

Unfortunately, the next day she discovers that her phone, also with Shaw, cannot make or accept calls. When I phone her number, a voice says she is not connected to a network. Hmmm....

CASE - INTRO
To investigate, I take one of our phones to her apartment and connect it to determine if it's her phone or a network issue. Same problem, so it's as if her wall phone jack is no longer connected to the network.

Try to call Shaw on my cell phone but, naturally, its battery is dead. So I return to our apartment with her phone number and Shaw account number in hand, put cell phone on its charger, call Shaw from land line and, after a 35 minute wait, get a friendly guy who speaks perfect English with an East Indian accent. Could be in Edmonton or any Canadian city or Bangalore, India.

Describing the problem, I mention that she recently got a new flat screen tv and one of her sons connected it to the Shaw HD box without a manual, which was only on CD.

He says it's best if I can be in her apartment on cell phone to troubleshoot. Luckily, cell is now fully charged. He will call me on my cell in 3-5 minutes.

NITTY GRITTY
True to his word, call comes through on my cell. He notes that her phone modem is indeed not detected, not connected.

In the interim, I've looked at tangle of cords behind her tv. Thank gawd her tv is on a stand with rollers so it can moved for easier access to the tangle. But, Yikes! None of it resembles the Shaw modems and connections we have, except for the main cable cord coming from the wall.

Many cords connect her tv flat screen and Shaw HD box and there are two co-axial cables. One connects the main cable cord to the HD box and the other connects the main cable cord to the flat screen tv. Plus there is a fat black modem attached to the wall (our modem is much slimmer). 

After much description and discussion, support technician tells me to unplug the power cord at top left from the fat black modem attached to the wall. Then unscrew one of the two co-axial cables, doesn't matter which one, connecting the Shaw HD box and flat screen tv, AND connect it to the fat modem instead. I lack strength to unscrew the co-ax cable from the HD box (hey, I'm a senior citizen too), but manage to unscrew the co-ax from the tv and connect it to what I hope is the correct port on the fat modem.

Voila, the phone makes a sound and support guy, sounding quite pleased with himself, says the phone now shows as connected and he'll call us to confirm. Sure enough the phone rings and I answer.

It's fortunate that her phone was connected when it was. Shortly thereafter, Meals on Wheels volunteer delivery person called from the lobby to be buzzed in. And later her home care nurse, who changes her surgical dressings every 2nd day, unable to get through by phone, decides to come by regardless and calls from the lobby to be buzzed in. 

CASE - COMPLICATIONS
Based on experience, I now tell the Shaw support technician that we need to confirm that her tv works. I turn on the Shaw HD box and new tv and - as anticipated - nothing but snow. He asks me to look for another co-axial cable in the jumble of cords, but there is none. He says we can buy a co-ax almost anywhere and use it to connect her new tv to the Shaw HD box.

Rather exhausted, I'm not so sure I can do the co-axial thing and explain that we need a Shaw technician to come to her apartment and make it right. He says there is no way a technician call can be justified when a simple co-ax cable will solve the problem. Also goes into spiel on how her relatives should have called Shaw to see how to connect new tv. In other words, it's her fault.

Technician may have a point (relatives and friends are amateurs when it comes to connecting TV, phone to Shaw cable) but calling Shaw when one buys a new TV is not first option most customers think of. Who wants to wait for gawd knows how long on phone? And Shaw support may decide it's not a Shaw issue: You bought a new TV. Figure it out, dude.

Technician's tone suggested it was the senior's fault that problem existed. The blame-the-victim spiel was a mistake as it triggered a few buttons. As calmly as possible, but with a steely voice, I explain that she is 90 and lives alone. She needs her phone for safety, plus she's had recent surgery, and is stuck in her apartment. TV is also a life-line that makes life bearable. And the family member who connected her new TV is also a senior. Sounding empathetic, the technician asks if I can hold while he consults his supervisor.

Surprise! It turns out that, yes, a Shaw technician can come out after all. But not for ~ one week. I thank him and mention that, because a week is a long time to juggle either having a phone or TV, we'll try to get a co-axial cable to solve the issue. If we do, we'll cancel the Shaw technician visit.

CASE - RESOLUTION
As it turns out, one of her children has a spare co-axial cable and will bring it over right away. I connect the co-ax to what I hope are the right connections on the TV and Shaw HD box. But when the TV is turned on, nothing but snow.

Then I recall the 'input' button on the TV remote. [More on this in a later blog on what happens when a computer no longer connects to its flat panel screen.] Scrolling through the options, 'TV' (existing selection) doesn't work but 'component' does. Hallelujah!

About 4 hours after problem was detected, the senior now has both telephone and new TV operational. Yah gotta love technology. 

Upon reflection, the senior decides to have the Shaw technician come out anyway. First, the Shaw remote control now only controls changing channels and she needs to use the TV's remote to turn on the TV and adjust sound. Perhaps the service rep can make all functions work off Shaw's remote. 

Second, since the people who connected the new TV and trouble shot the telephone problem are amateurs, it's wise to get the Shaw expert to ensure all is working as expected.

Learning Points: 
1. Never, ever, be without a co-axial cable. You never know when one will solve an urgent problem. I have a friend who thinks this about WD-40. 

2. Don't take any guff from support staff. If they say you did wrong not to consult them, take them up on it and insist on a service call.

FOR FUN
I like to link suitable songs to blogs (see Musings on transfusion medicine). And this fits in a kooky sort of way:

• Look what they done to my song (Melanie Safka)