Sorry people, but if you think we'll be defined and recognised as a great team in the eyes of others because we win a CL once, you're living in cloud cuckoo land. The immediate dipper response will be “Wait until you've won it six times, then come back and tell us you're great, la”. The immediate Chelsea response will be… the immediate United response will be… the immediate Forest response will be… (substitute appropriate number of times won). All and sundry – “You're having a laugh with us”.
And if ever we win it six times, it will be “You did it with dirty oil money, it doesn't count”.
You know that this is true.
As for the media, they will not acclaim us as a great side on that basis, because they have a vested interest in bigging up clubs that have millions of clicks from places like Kuala Lumpur, Lagos and San Diego that are so closely connected with Liverpool, Manchester, London. As Solozzo the “Turk” says in Godfather 1, “It's good business, Tom.”
Water off a duck's back, as they say.
I suggest it would be better for our mental health if we stop thinking about what others think of us. For me, I say this calmly and with utter conviction, this team has already achieved greatness — when it won a never-before-achieved domestic treble. And the season before, when it achieved an unparalleled 100 points playing sublime football.
By the way, yes, I very much want to win the CL. I would love to see us lift that trophy in Paris. It would be a proud moment, one among many. Winning against Gillingham was another. Nelly's goal from Buzzer's cross was another. I don't choose to order these moments in a hierarchy. But I suppose only a blue could understand how Dickov's moment could fill their heart with pride, just as lifting that big cup in Paris would fill their heart with pride. Am I ‘desperate’ to win it? Funny, but I don't feel desperate. At all. And I don't think the club does.
But I could be wrong, I suppose.
On the other hand, if we lose out on both the PL and the CL, especially taking account of who we'd be losing out to, I shall be Pretty Fucking Devastated.
