Twitter: Why Football Players Should Be Allowed to Use It

In the modern age, footballers are carefully ring-fenced and protected from the public and the media as much as possible.

Players are now routinely media-trained from a young age, expertly schooled in the art of speaking in public while at the same time saying nothing.

Every weekend the same bland, predictable platitudes are trotted out as media commitments are fulfilled with the minimum of fuss.

This is why Twitter has become so popular. It allows players to express themselves as and when they see fit, and communicate with their fans on a personal level that was never previously possible.

Recently I spoke to former Manchester United and England winger Steve Coppell, and he talked about how players used to often share a drink with journalists and fans after a match. Players trusted them enough to interact with them on a personal level, and players were able to do so without fear of a camera phone being stuck in their face. That is something that is barely possible in this day and age. 

The gap between players and supporters is bigger than ever, both in terms of tax brackets and lifestyle.

Your average fan is never likely to bump into one of his heroes in the pub or around the local area near the ground, while players are wrapped in cotton wool. If most managers and club doctors had their way, players would be taxied directly to the training ground and back to their gated mansions in the country, barred from emerging until matchday.

But, for those on Twitter, you are never further than a smartphone away from knowing what your favourite footballers are up to. Sure, that may be them withering on about the latest TV talent show, hawking their sponsor's new line of footwear or engaging in what passes for "banter" with their teammates, but sometimes there can be more substance.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, for example, is guilty of all of the above, but he has also used his position of influence to do such things as open a debate about racism in football, following Sepp Blatter's myopic comments denying that there was any such problem in the game.

Ferdinand and teammate Michael Owen have also used the social networking site to abuse the one-man tsunami of smugness that is Piers Morgan—never a bad thing.

Players such as Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany also tweet their thoughts and opinions in an engaging manner. When he was recently sent off in controversial circumstances in the Manchester derby, he took to Twitter to explain his actions and fight his corner. In something of a social media double-whammy, he also linked to a dignified and articulate post on his Facebook page discussing the matter.

Twitter is also the perfect medium through which to share experiences, both good and bad. When Wales manager Gary Speed tragically took his own life late last year, many footballers contributed to the massive outpouring of grief online. Those ranged from Speed's close friend and former Wales teammate Robbie Savage to Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso. 

It can also be a gift for journalists, who can bypass the official channels in order to get a quote direct from the horse's mouth. Players have broken news about injuries, transfers and new contracts in 140-character nuggets on several occasions, though perhaps not to the pleasure of their employers.

Of course, Twitter is a two-way street, meaning that fans can get in direct contact with players and, baring the abusive, they may well enter into a dialogue with them. Supporters can share in victories and, in the event of a particularly bad performance, many players will go online to offer apologies or reasons for doing so.

Of course, footballers being footballers, it is easy to go too far. Either from a lack of restraint, judgement or simply intelligence, many a player has tweeted their way into trouble.

Ryan Babel became the first player to be disciplined by the FA for a tweet when, while playing for Liverpool, he posted a link to a picture of referee Howard Webb photoshopped so that Webb appeared to be wearing a Manchester United shirt after the official had given a favourable decision to the Red Devils.

Earlier this week, Oxford striker Lee Steele had his contract terminated for tweeting a homophobic remark about a contestant on Big Brother.

However, as long as players use it shrewdly and wisely, there is no reason why Twitter cannot continue to be a medium through which footballers can interact with fans on an adult level and express themselves without a press officer leaning over their shoulder.

And, of course, if you don't like what they have to say, then you can just unfollow them.