There were many things we knew about Chelsea striker Didier Drogba before the weekend. We knew that the Ivory Coast international was a demon of a centre-forward, strong in the air, fierce with his back to goal and deadly in front of it. We also knew that the man has a penchant for arguing with referees and flinging himself to the ground at any given opportunity.

What we didn’t know before this weekend is that Drogba is a schizophrenic. How else could one possibly explain his kissing of the Chelsea shirt before throwing it to the fans, only days after his explosive interview with France Football magazine, in which he spoke of how he has fallen out of love with the west London club and is ready to leave?

Well there is another possible explanation to Drogba’s antics - he’s a mercenary. An exceptional talent on the field, and a selfish ego-maniac off it. What is even more discerning for football fans than Drogba’s behaviour, is that he is simply one of many parasites now plying their trade on the football pitch.

'There is another possible explanation to Drogba’s antics - he’s a mercenary. An exceptional talent on the field, and a selfish, ego-maniac off it'


You would think Drogba would feel remorse or be ashamed of the comments he made, comments which not only acted to destabilise and undermine his team-mates and employers, but more importantly would have adversely affected his adoring fans.

Yet his shameful charade executed after the final whistle blew on Saturday, was yet further evidence of his delusional mind-set. Drogba’s actions could have been translated into the following words: “I’ve insulted your beloved club, I’ve insulted you, the fans - but here, why don't you fight over my shirt?”

What is most puzzling is that Drogba was not booed on Saturday by the Chelsea following, the same fans who slaughtered their board for destabilising the side and humiliating their idol Jose Mourinho. Yet they proceeded to cheer and laud a man who showed an incredible lack of respect for all those associated with Chelsea FC.

And here lies the problem. Players have become too big for the game. Fans have lost sight of what really matters and what really counts, and that’s the club they support. The old cliché of ‘no player is bigger then the club’ is no longer the case.

Players are often accused of not caring as much as the fans. While this is unquestionably true, it is not something we should be surprised of, or angered by. Players will never care as much as the paying customers. Football is simply a job for them, while for the fans it is the game in which their lives revolve around.

There are some exceptions to this rule, but the likes of Steven Gerrard and Carlos Puyol are rarities in the modern game. The likes of Drogba should not be expected to love their club; what they should be expected to do, however, is show it some respect and loyalty.

Today’s players, with their oversized pay packages and over-inflated egos (which are constantly being fed and harnessed by an over-indulging media and even more indulging employers) are well aware of their importance to the their individuals clubs and the game as a whole. This paves the way for the likes of Drogba to flex their muscles and lay out their demands, knowing that no matter what they say, they will continue being loved and catered for.

From a supporter’s perspective, this state-of-play is demoralising. It’s no wonder that people are falling out of love with the game. Yet it is up to the fans to buck this reprehensible trend.

While the media and clubs have played the largest part in creating the player-run world in which football now exists, the fans have also been guilty of buying into the hype. If football is to be so lucky as to witness a seismic shift in power away from the players, it is up to the supporters to engineer it. And this can only be done if we vote with our feet and make our voices heard.

Many people, typically the players and those within the media, voiced their displeasure at the recent booing of England’s Frank Lampard. Why? Lampard is a man whom many fans feel fits into the category of an overpaid, over-protected footballer. Couple this with the fact that he has not been playing well for his country, and the fans have every reason to boo him. What else should they do?

There is no player/fan dialogue any more, footballers are untouchable and are treated like movie stars. How else should the fans voice their displeasure and make their feelings known? The one thing that today’s footballers actually cannot buy is the love of the fans. That is something they still have to earn, and for people to try to remove that position of power from those in the stands is shameful.

Fans need to once more start seeing the players as simply a means to the club's ends. We need to stop absorbing and believing the clap-trap that comes out of the mouths of Drogba and Co. And we need to fall out of love with the stars and back in love with our beloved clubs, who were here before the cowboys came riding into town - and will remain here long after they have gone.

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