RED
CORNER
DEV LS’
Yes I support Manchester United like it is the club of my own city even though I haven’t been to Manchester in my whole life.
And there is a reason for it. I started following football in the 1998-99 season. In the scorching
summer of 1998 when Sachin Tendulkar was dominating everyone’s hearts and minds by standing
against even the sand storm – yes literally - I saw a miracle happen at Marseille’s Stade
Vellodrome. A languid fellow called Dennis Bergkamp controlled a 70 yard ball in the penalty box
with one touch, with the second touch he shrugged off the defender, and the outside of his right
boot deposited the ball in the top right hand corner – third touch. It changed my entire life. I was
converted! I remember it as vividly as my 21” CRT TV had telecasted.
So, I started following football, especially the English premier league. I knew only two names in
English Football – Bergkamp and Beckham. A hero and a villain. One played in a team that exuded
flair – according to the papers and radio - and the other in a young team that had a never-saydie attitude. So I did what green boys of 11 do, I followed the team of perfectionists – Arsenal.
As the season unfolded through newspapers and radio broadcasts (English Premier League wasn’t
broadcasted in India till 2002) for me, I started identifying with the villains – the red devils. A team
packed with graft and determination. Something I had to display on a day-to-day basis in school
to overcome my lack of talent. So when they won everything that year (the historic treble), it was
a win for my personality, my kind of people. That’s how I became a red devil and have been one
since then.
In this journey I have been labelled many things – ‘oddball’ (“football fan in a cricket crazed
nation?”), ‘populist’ (“everyone supports Manchester united, only”), ‘bully’ (“referees favour your
shitty team.”) and most recently, ‘have-been’ (“7th, really?”). So the club has been an essential part
of my life, and says a lot about me.
And this month (September) I have been given a new name – rich smug. Of course, we bought big
names and we did let academy players leave. But it was just a product of lack of investment in
youth system and first team. Yes, Sir Alex was an even better manager than you imagined.
In this month, the pieces on Louis Van Gaal’s chessboard have started moving. The team is starting to click, and is genuinely exciting.
So as a lifelong Manchester United fan, I will be painting this section red in every issue. Watch this column for my personal musings.
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