Taking a course entitled ‘Politics and Literature’ at University I was obliged to read the novel ‘Fathers and Sons’ by Ivan Turgenev. Set in 19th century Russia, it tells the story of the Kirsanov family and in particular, Arkady and his father Nikolai. The novel used the story of one family to highlight the growing chasm between old ‘liberal’ Russia and its new generation of men with their ‘nihilist’ philosophy.
When it comes to sport in the 21st century, there would appear to be no chasm to speak of between me and my son. Watching it together, talking about it and anticipating the next big match has been regular fare in our house. We are not big fans. We have never had season tickets and have only seen occasional games of rugby, football or cricket but we follow our teams and our moods often rise and fall with their results.
Like a Barista acquaintance of mine who hales from southern Italy but supports Juventus told me; your football team is the one thing you cannot change. You can change where you live, you can change your job. You can even change your wife but you can never change your football team. I have always followed Swansea City. My son has always been a Villa fan. We have also, though, been tied to the fortunes or each other’s teams. So, to that Barista’s fine statement we have to add another; you cannot change your football team but you can change how many you attach yourself to.
The modern world must be full of such sporting rationalisations. Migration, the loosening of family ties, shifts in career patterns, the greater reach of transport and the global nature of sport now confront many with choices to make over maintaining their allegiance to a hometown club or creating new allegiances further afield. Working at Birmingham airport I was witness to the many Aston Villa fans who were Irish, Norwegian or Swedish but still came to every home game.
Born in Birmingham, my son could have chosen Birmingham City but by accident or design (my design) he ended up following Aston Villa. His first live game involved watching David Ginola help the Villains to a 4-1 home win against Basel in the Intertoto Cup in August 2001. As a seven year old he was dwarfed by the away fans as we crammed onto a bus heading back into the City centre after the game. One of them gave him his club scarf. On the field and off it, it was his lovely introduction to the beautiful game. There has been more than one ugly incident since. Being abused by away fans in the family section at Villa park and on the way to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea, watching a side that finished in the top six of the Premiership slowly decline in form and position until relegation from the top tier in 2016 and feeling the frustration of fans everywhere that saw a string of managerial appointments (7 in as many years) that appeared pre-planned to hasten the decline.
Born in Swansea, I have always followed the Swans. In 1978 my father took me to the Vetch field to watch the home leg in the league cup against Spurs complete with new World Cup winners Ossie Ardiles and Ricardo Villa in their team. The beautiful and the ugly have also filled the Swans recent history. Promoted to the Premiership in 2011 at a Wembley play off that both my sons and I attended, they too have experienced the managerial merry-go-round with Graham Potter being their ninth manager since the departure of Brendan Rogers in 2012 (this includes caretaker spells by Alan Curtis and Leon Britton). They also swallowed the bitter pill of relegation earlier this year.
On 20th October, they face each other in the Sky Bet Championship, both with new managers, both at the beginning of new era’s in the history of the club’s, both trying to find a way to solidify and then succeed in the unrelenting pressure of the championship. There is much talk at the Liberty about the club re-finding its identity and re connecting with its fans. The immediate fears of financial catastrophe have subsided at Villa but they are a team also searching for a way to play and a way to bring a buzz back to Villa Park. It is an odd symmetry that affects both clubs going into Dean Smith’s first home game in front of a near capacity crowd at Villa Park.
So how will I feel when I go to the game. Not really conflicted. I want the Swans to win, but I still like the Villa. Perhaps, because I moved away from Swansea whilst still a boy, I have more of an ‘outsiders’ feel about my support for the team. I lack the partisanship of some fans. I can see the best in every team and take enjoyment in the game itself. Not seeing the Swans win will feel like visiting a restaurant and finding your favourite item on the menu was not available. You would still enjoy the meal, right?
Villa have a very good talent in Jack Grealish who, on his day, can run a game of football like the best of midfield generals. Watching him on song is a sporting treat. Swansea have a young side but one that, so far, has played with a commitment to a passing game that has helped them create two of the best goals you will see in the championship this season, the most recent being in the 2-3 home defeat to Ipswich. Watching them grow in confidence, if not as yet reflected in their results, is something to behold.
So Fathers and Sons can support the same teams or different teams or more than one team. It matters little at the end of the day. Which brings me back to Turgenev. I never did read that book. Like most students, there were some weeks where I just went missing from the field of play. But those nihilists who were so critical of the Russian establishment at the end of the 19th century. They couldn’t have been football fans. Their belief that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value will not sit well with me, my son or the rest of the 42,000 fans that are packed into Villa Park on Saturday. For ninety minutes, life will be full of meaning and purpose. And its value? Three points, yes. But sometimes, it can mean so much more than that. . .