BRIDGE TOO FAR
there for the community, after all – should be involved in?
The most important thing that came out of that episode was that the fans themselves believed in what I did – and supported it.
They raised so much money in support of the sacked dock workers and helped people treated unjustly.
Guardiola is doing that, too. He is due to face a hearing this week and I hope the FA see sense.
Mind you, sense is not always a word that could be used to describe me. That whole dockers thing, Steve Mcmanaman and me had discussed the idea because I think he had a relative who had been involved.
We said before the Cup Winners’ Cup game, against Norwegian club Brann in 1997, we’d wear the T-shirts under our kit and take our tops off at the end to make a small statement.
Except I scored my second goal in the game, went screaming to stand in front of all the photographers in the ground – and then ripped my Liverpool shirt above my head.
As small statements go, it had quite an impact. IT’S weird what’s going on at Chelsea – they had a side who were ruthless at seeing out games in winning the title last season.
It’s the same manager, same beliefs, same ideas, same tactics and same players this season, more or less. Yet a totally different attitude and approach.
That tells me one thing – the team doesn’t have the manager’s back any more.
To me, Antonio Conte (below) has lost the dressing room. I know that phrase can cover a multitude of sins, but, in this case, it looks to be true. They are not doing it for him as they were last season, the desire isn’t there, the drive or commitment.
A year ago, the Blues would have strolled to victory at Old Trafford from the position they were in last Sunday. Yet they blew it against a team they had dominated for an hour.
Lose at Manchester City today and they could even fail to make the top four.
A lot of the same players did it to Jose Mourinho too at Stamford Bridge, the season after winning the title. To do it to one manager is careless, to two, criminal.