Remember when a mob of Chelsea fans was a bad thing?
The Super League's 72 hours of reckoning had a satisfying symmetry. The four remaining Premier League clubs tried to sneak their press statements out under cover of darkness; the same act as Sunday, after the news had not been so much leaked as deluged.
When the dust settles, owners should congratulate themselves for achieving something very special. Football is oppositional, but their conceit created an almost-total unity: across traditional rivalries, across barriers, across nations. Christ, they basically managed to get Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn to tinkle out Ebony and Ivory.
Super League collapse
The pathetic nature of Manchester United and Liverpool's statements, in particular, were like a teenager forced by their parents to apologise to the neighbours. We all know it's corporate bollocks, boys, but at least put your back into it. Although, maybe not as much as Arsenal - yeesh.
Liverpool's corporate climbdown mentioned "[receiving] representations from various key stakeholders, both internally and externally." In much the same way that the city of Troy listened attentively to the external stakeholders ending their bloodlines.
Similarly, United's statement congratulated themselves for "[listening] carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders." Typed, no doubt, by a terrified comms executive as a bare-chested Luke Shaw roamed the corridors of Old Trafford, carrying Ed Woodward's scalp.
But these statements are of absolutely no surprise to a general football fanbase that has shown themselves to be a little more diverse and adroit than their owners thought. They are not all thirsty content consumers, mouths agape for portions to be piped down their gullet.
Premier League clubs have long-felt fan culture something to be exploited for personal gain. Over the last few days, supporters have shown that the power is still with them, that there is a steely, nasty side that only real fans know. This, to lay claim to a phrase, means more.
There is a weird atmosphere among fans today. There is the joy of knowing that there is still power in union, and satisfaction that it will be a long time before clubs make such ham-fisted and ill-thought attempts to make a break. But look at a group like United fans: they are under no illusions whatsoever where the problem with their club lies. Woodward was the fall guy. As Andy Mitten told OTB last night: 'he wears the suit, but he doesn't wear the trousers.'
Fan forums were abuzz with joy at Woodward's demise, but messages pulled people back to the central message: 'Don't forget, #GlazersOut'. These are people that the likes of the Glazers, Fenway Sports Group and the Kroenke family have seen as abstract for too long.They have been all too keen to monetise them; to portion them up to commercial sponsors as passive deliverers of social media impressions and engagement rates.
But that tide also turned. Those further afield were bombarding each other's social media feeds with messages of solidarity. People with Liverpool crests as their avatar were typing #GlazersOut alongside #FSGOUT. Social media football fans, often-derided by their fellow supporters, were providing an online flank to what was going on on the ground. The ones to whom these clubs truly mean the most were hanging banners off the front of their stadia, taking them down within, and mobilising.
As Andrea Agnelli and Florentino Perez found themselves on an ever-decreasing ice floe, a mixture of rage and confusion may have coursed through them on the Super League's collapse. But there's no sense of befuddlement in the fans - even those watching proceedings from far away.
This is by no means over. Supporters of every single football club in England were aghast at what they tried to do. The owners felt they had power in coming together as - almost - one. What they managed was to unite every fan in the country behind a common cause. We know this isn't finished - the owners of these clubs do, too.
But now, the key internal stakeholders know what to do to stop it happening again.
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