What is football for?

Last weekend, Burnley FC, had their relegation confirmed.

They have played 34 games, amassed just twenty points, and have a goal difference of -34.

A couple of days later, they fired manager Scott Parker, who had lead the club to promotion last year, while on the way to second spot, they conceeded just 16 goals in 46 games. Needless to say, that was a record.

I can remember Parker playing on loan for Norwich early in his career, having a man of the match performance, and afterwards being interviewd in the supporter's lounge while his proud parents looked on. I spoke to them, they were indeed proud, and nice, not in a bad way.

Parker has now took three English cluns to promotion: Fulham, Bournemouth and now Burnley.

Fans are divided on his, as his teams play "pragmatic" football, good enough for the Championship and promotion, but not for staying in the Premier League.

A supporter who was spoken to by Radio 5 said fans of the club were celebrationg, but the sacking had come months too late. It was obvious Burnely were going to go down with Parker at the helm.

So, the point is this, in terms of Burnley FC, what is its objective? Is one triumphant season in the Championship, then a season of defeats in the Premier League, where they earn £100 million not enough?

Is the point of Burnely, and so all football clubs, is to win games. Or to entertain?

Bing in the Premier League two seasons out of three isn't good enough. If not, what is? If they were to finish 17th, is the expectation for the next season to finish in 15th or higher? Is there no ceiling on supporters, owners and chief executive's ambition?

This is the Enron kind of thinking, that year on year the club, the team has to get better and better.

And what then of Arsenal?

Arsenal, a month back, were going for the quadruple. Then defeat in the League Cup to Citeh, and in the FA Cup against Southampton, reduced that to a double. Then defeat at home to Bournemouth allowed Citeh to catch up in the league. Should Arsenal fans just be happy in finishing second year after year? Most other teams and their supports would kill for that, but then the thought at the start of the season that Arsenal had two great players in each position, this would have to be their year: no excuses.

But it wasn't always like this. Teams used t go up and down the table year on year. Sometimes relegated, and there was no riots. It was something that happened. Spurs went down in the late 70s, Manchester United went down in 1974, relegated at Maine Road by a backheel of a former player.

They bounced back.

Clubs used to go on runs of bad results. Managers weren't sacked. Life went on. And teams won again. Or didn't. It never was a crisis. Now if Arsenal or manchester United or any other other "big" teams lose even a single game, its a crisis. Is the manager safe, the headlines scream? Frank Lampard of Steven Gerrard is being considered.

If Steven Gerrard is the answer, what the feck was the question?

I saw it myself when Norwich were relegated for the second time in three years in 2022. Fans turned on fans, spite and vitreol on social media, so bad I unfollowed most Norwich fans on Twitter.

When did we, as fans, get so above ourselves to think we and the clubs we support somehow deserve success? We have to lear to accept failure, being runners up, or relegation of the yang to the ying of lifting a trophy or two. Life is all ups and downs, and we can't appreciate the ups if we haven't suffered the downs.

Maybe, we all take it a tad too seriously for our own good, and on a Saturday afternoon, or whenever TV decides our team plays, instead of watching it, we should just go and watch some nature. Or a film. Or go down the pub. And chill the feck out.