Fans are fickle - discuss

Mark Lawrenson is a strange character. In his playing days he was the one who everyone thought might be spare time model for a mail order catalogue. It was a reputation he liked to play upon at Liverpool when he used offer to drop the youth players home after training, so a friend of mine, who was 2nd choice goalie in the mid eighties, told me.

After a poor spell in management Lawro, became the sarcy languid sidekick to Alan Hansen and has never looked back. His constant attempts to be the bastard child of Oscar Wilde and Don Revie make him a figure of pity in our house, rather than anything else. He's always trying to be funny, rarely getting past smart arse. But on Wednesday this week he overstepped the mark when he said "The Fans are Fickle".

"The fans are fickle" was his expert analysis of Joey Barton's apparent zero to hero transformation at Man City's 90 minute humilation of Newcastle. Booed roundly for daring to challenge the club's valuation of his worth, Barton left to a standing ovation on his substitution during the second half.

What may not have occured to Lawro, was that the loyal and proud Barton baiters incensed by the timerity of the Huyton born rough diamond, might be entirely different fans from the ones who showed their appreciation of a job well done in the 78th minute. In fact, the lovers may have been spurred on by the haters, to show their fullsome support of Joey. You never know.

What Lawrenson demonstrated with breathless ease [again] was that the players and riders of the football's gravy train never have, and never will, understand how the fan works and kissing the badge and running into the crowd are just further evidence of the scant respect they have for us.

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Funny in a way Mark Lawrenson can only dream of. Click Here