MAY DAY in Nottingham nearly made me cry this year. Not only does the city have to face the closure of several pits, but also the relegation of Nottingham Forest into the first fall of Nottingham's second greatest hero since Robin Hood - Brian Clough OBE.
Football haters, who despise the blatant sexism, racism and homophobia that riddles the compulsory seats of the Premier League, mighs not understand my distress.
But it can he argued that Forest have always represented the human face of football, despite the omnipotent bourgeois idcology. The club which succeeded without the multi-millions of Man Utd.
Idolised
Cougn is loolsca as a sumbol of these ideas, with fundraising for the miners and support for Labour a corollary to cocentric football genius. Such beliefs were seen to cost now the conge land managership.
The left should not be fooled into mistaking such eccentricity for a socialist perspective. Clough the miners friend maybe. This doesn't negate sexism, homophobia and love for the police.
The demise of Brian is saddening, for what we wanted him to be and that, more than ever before, he is palpably not that now. The disastrous Forest side with no decent striker. contral defender or goalkeeper unfortuIt scems that Brian cannot manage any more.
Infatuation
Idolising people is infatuation without the sex. It is the ticulate spokespeople for progressive causes into broken, gibbering shells. It destroys lives - hence the need to fight The Brian Couch's downfall is that ho swallowed the hype. ised the media images, became a victim of the system instead of fighting it. It may seem a minor tracedy that we can no longe look to this man for an alternative perspective on football o life.
What must emerge however is a commitment to look to ourselves rather than to such idols. Sure we need the occasional hero - but idols, be they Peron a cough, maicy i you down a roall to nowhere. Or the case maybe.