What's in it for football fans?

[Bukowski]

In the aftermath of the Gyan fiasco and reading his reasons for leaving I can't help but question what the common football fan get's out of supporting their team. Gyan, on the surface is the fun loving, happy-go-lucky, dancing, smiling rapper with his white boots and diamond earrings, friend to all, fan favourite and yet a total fucking mercenary at heart just like each and every one of them. Bent preached about his love for the team and yet he was gone the moment he couldn't squeeze a few more quid out of us. These people are in a certain career where the flow of money will potentially dry out before they are 40, it's almost understandable why they seek a fatter pay cheque. That still leaves the question, what do we get out of this relationship, fan > club > player/manager?

Why would you watch a film when you know the stars are so bloated on fame and money, totally unaware of what it all means to their fans, willing to tell barefaced lies to get themselves another rung up on the financial ladder, they are almost laughing at you, knowing you'll watch it anyway even though it's garbage. They say absolutely nowt to me and as for their ability, it's limited as fuck anyway. I wouldn't care if we'd spunked a fortune on quality and these mercenaries were propelling us into realms SAFC has never witnessed, it's simply not the case and leaves a sour taste in the mouth when our record signing departs on these terms. You can't answer simply, "SAFC is in my blood and I'll always follow them". The shirt, the city and Quinny are pretty much the final ties to the SAFC I remember as a kid, even when we were shit we still had spirit and identity and a good laugh along the way. I feel very little affinity towards this current crop of players and the management, how about you? Is anyone enjoying being a Sunderland fan of late?