YOU have to accept that in many ways modern day footballers have become more than sportsmen and have to fulfil the role of entertainers.
Hence we are treated to many differing dramatic flourishes on the field of play but, as in all walks of like, some of them are Oliviers and others are ham actors.
Sadly for the followers of Reading and QPR they were left to try and stomach some of the worst of players hamming it up after Sunday’s 0-0 draw at the Madejski Stadium.
At full-time players from both teams were left on their knees or lying on the pitch seemingly distraught at being relegated.
It is a shame that none of these players seemed to realise until the final whistle of this particular game that they were going to be so emotional when relegation was confirmed, or they might have thought about producing some better performances back in January and February when it might have made a difference.
This is possibly a little harsh on Reading as they were always going to face an uphill battle in the top flight this term, but for fans of the London Hoops the reaction of some of their players must have been very hard to swallow.
Even Rangers boss Harry Redknapp has more than hinted that a significant percentage of the Loftus Road squad have been radically over-paid to habitually under-perform, and that has got to rankle with fans when they see players making a great show of their grief at relegation like hyper-active silent movie stars.
Although it might be the players are genuinely distraught, what with the thought of having to give up their summer holiday to try and wangle a deal with a different Premier League club for next season.
And just while I am on the subject of relegation and how it should be dealt with, I honestly don’t understand clubs who condone celebrating avoiding the drop.
Players being allowed to break open the beer or the bubbly because they managed to prove themselves just not quite rubbish enough to get relegated seems a little odd.
Certainly let the fans show their relief at survival but those players should accept the applause, for what it is worth, and be thinking more about how they are not going to end up in the same position next season rather than holding a party.
