GLF77: Tommy enjoys players' tweets.
Twitter Breaking Down Barriers
Footballers have more money than sense. They live in a different world to ordinary people mercenaries who don’t care about the club or its supporters. This is what I used to believe - before I went on Twitter that is.
The divide between those on the pitch and those in the stands has developed over years when footballers’ weekly wages grew to dwarf average incomes. But perhaps this divide can be bridged by Twitter, a social network site. Users post tweets about what they are doing and what’s on their minds, no matter how mundane or banal. Actually, the more mundane and banal the tweets are, the better. Out with match days it turns out that footballers are as normal, as boring, as anyone else. From my analysis they don’t get up to anything very exciting.
What I’ve learned from a few weeks on Twitter:
Jamie Murphy likes wrestling.
Just watched The Rocks comeback on the wrestling! Wat a guy!
He also enjoys fine dining at Nandos.
Nandos!
But isn’t a big fan of the Scottish climate.
In town, why is so cold n wet all the time nowadays?!
Tom Hately often tweets about being tired and sleeing.
Training doneeeee! Afternoon nap?? Would be rude not to I suppose!!! Cya in a couple hours tweeple x
If these two are anything to go by, our players aren’t particularly flash or extravagant. Their main concerns are sleeping, Nandos and often, what the weather is like (mostly raining). So footballers aren’t that different to everyone else after all.
More than dispelling the myth of a wild lifestyle, Twitter has the potential to reconnect players and supports. Modern football, often seeming soulless, can benefit from the unrefined dialogue coming out the dressing room. Many postings show genuine warmth for the club, contrasting with the image of overpaid, self-centred footballer. After this season’s League Cup semi-final defeat Murphy posted:
Thanks everyone for the messages. Support was unbelievable and everyone cheering us off at the end was amazing. Proud to be a part of it...
Maybe if fans knew the players felt this way they would be less inclined to bellow abuse at the first stray pass of a match! Finding out what is on our players’ minds can only be positive it could help everyone get behind Motherwell FC. We need more of our team speaking their minds on Twitter.
Tommy Reilly
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