Weekly Why: Premier League, Joleon Lescott and the Burden of Professionalism
Welcome to Bleacher Report's Weekly Why, a place where we discuss world football's biggest questions that may go neglected and/or avoided. Ranging from the jovial to the melancholic, no subject matter is deemed off-limits.
Why Don't Players Feel Clubs Like Fans?
After losing 6-0 before your home support, I'm not sure there's a great way to respond as a footballer, but tweeting a picture of a Mercedes certainly isn't the correct move—as Aston Villa's Joleon Lescott's Twitter account displayed on Sunday.
In the former England international's defence, two hours after posting the sports-car image, he publicly apologised for his tweet and suggested the picture was sent "whilst driving," with his phone apparently in his pocket.
Whether his version of events is true, I don't really care. If people want to maintain a perpetual state of outrage, then having a footballer fall victim to stereotypes that suggest "all they care about is money, women and cars," should suit whatever pitchforked mob down to the ground.
If Lescott's coping mechanism with losing was tweeting sports cars, I contest this would've happened far earlier than Sunday's 6-0 drubbing. The Villans' current 3W-7D-16L record is the Premier League's worst—meaning the defender's had at least 16 opportunities (not including two cup defeats or previous seasons) to display "objectionable" social-media decorum, and he's refrained.
My question has nothing to do with possessions (cars, homes, clothes etc.), nothing to do with women or any other factor that might influence a footballer's ambition. It doesn't really have anything to do with the final results of football matches.
The largest construct to wobble in the aftershock of Lescott's postgame Twitter activity was his comment about Villa's mentality. His statement read in full:
"I'm not one for tweeting after games, whether it's a good, bad or indifferent result, but I would like to apologise for the performance today, personally and collectively. Liverpool are and were better than us today, but that doesn't excuse mine and the team's lack of commitment for 90 minutes. Again apologies to all the fans.
I would like to add that the tweet sent out from my account involving a picture of a car was a total accident, it happened while driving and my phone was in my pocket.
"
Many were captivated by the Mercedes explanation, but the more telling paragraph was Lescott's first. In brutally honest fashion, the 33-year-old centre-back tells us what the scoreline already showed: Aston Villa were (and are) suffering from a "lack of commitment."
"Aston Villa 0-6 Liverpool
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When thrashed by a massive scoreline, the terms "capitulate" and/or "capitulated" are often used. Not unique to Aston Villa, Newcastle United were down 5-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and the term was found, even after a late consolation goal.
Meaning "to surrender," capitulation infers one tries, finds a task too great, then willingly lies down. A "lack of commitment," however, displays something more condemning than quitting—it suggests you couldn't muster the resolve to even try. Reading Lescott's brief statement is to understand how a team (who've spent nearly £50 million on players this season) could have 16 points after 26 matches.
Entering a dangerous and fraught territory labelled "supporter," one understands victory is not guaranteed and losing comes attached—grasping that notion makes life easier.
Whether supporting Aston Villa, Manchester United, Arsenal or Dagenham & Redbridge, one carries certain expectations of their club but, irrespective of them, they comprehend three points aren't a birthright. That said, most expect footballers wearing their club's badge and colours to attempt everything in their power to win matches.
Though forgiving and compassionate towards problems that beset people's everyday lives, if one is being paid to perform a service (be they a janitor, barrister or Premier League footballer), the minimum they should offer is diligence and effort.
There is something endearing about forlorn effort; about the little engine that can't, but thinks he can. If losing is an accepted symptom of fanhood, taking losses on the chin—though frustrating—can be soothed with the knowledge your team has turned over every proverbial stone to find solutions. If they fold their hand, or don't want cards, a bulletproof chin can hurriedly turn to glass.
Occasionally we discover certain players who grasp this concept. Normally raised from young as "club men," they have a relationship with their supporters and leave everything on the pitch. Then there are others who have reservoirs of passion within them; loyal to a fanbase or not, their desire to win supersedes all. These players become cult heroes, legends even.
I realise high expectations from others on my behalf is the quickest avenue to disappointment but, in this particular case, I'm not too certain I'm the one at fault. Effort shouldn't be a lofty presumption to have. It boils down to professionalism—the burden one carries when accepting a responsibility and its corresponding cheques.
Lescott cannot be slated for tweeting pictures of automobiles. I can't bring myself to berate a man for a legitimate accident—if his story is truthful. What I've a hard time accepting, though—not just from Aston Villa (as that's setting the bar too low)—is a widespread "lack of commitment."
It's a damning sentiment, and one which irks my rather humble sensibilities.
Last Weekly: Premier League, Ticket Prices and the Short-Sightedness of Greed | Why Should Tickets Cost So Much?
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
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