Fans deserve to be entertained

I NEVER did anything with the intention of taking the p***. And I don’t really see how trying to entertain can be looked at in that way. Entertainment is a big part of the game — or at least it should be. It ought to be a huge part of football, especially now that people are paying more than ever before to come and be entertained. Look at Spanish football. It is wonderful. And why is it so wonderful? Because guys like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are beating players for fun, going past defenders and bringing the crowd to their feet. The Spanish games attract huge crowds and a big global TV audience — and that is because they have these free spirits who play that way. Fans like nothing more than to see a player taking on one, two or even three defenders, then leaving them for dead. Why wouldn’t they enjoy that? In my day, there were some great entertainers like Jimmy Johnstone. How did defenders stop us? They kicked us. Kicked us back and front, too — long before the tackle from behind was outlawed. But Jinky and I just got back up and went at them again. That was the best way to beat them. Don’t get me wrong, the best defenders never had to kick you. Someone like Tommy Gemmell could defend properly, so could someone like Giacinto Facchetti, the great Inter Milan and Italy defender — the best full-back I ever played against. But guys who didn’t have their ability as part of their repertoire just used to kick the flair players. Who is complaining about what the lad Nathan Oduwa did? An Alloa defender? Alloa? I didn’t hear anyone complaining when they kept taking points off Rangers last season. Maybe that has something to do with it. I’ve always thought that beating players, using whatever tricks you had, was a big part of the game. Football has changed over the years but, as long as you’re not really taking the p*** out of anybody, it should still be part of the game. If a defender doesn’t like it, well, it’s up to him to work on his game and improve so that he can stop the guy next time around. The crowds will always love players who go at defenders and try to beat them with something clever.