By Dave P
March 5 2007

Belief is a word that has many meanings and for a footballer it is something that is very important. Players have to have belief on many levels.

Belief is a word that has many meanings and for a footballer it is something that is very important. Players have to have belief on many levels. They have to have belief in themselves as a player. They have to have belief in their team-mates and they have to believe that their team can win when it all seems to be going pear-shaped all around them.

 

I watched two games of football this Sunday starting at 11:30 on a rain swept, windswept public playing field in North Watford. My sons U13 side were playing the team on top of the table who needed a win or a draw to become champions. My lads’ lot are still in with a shout of finishing as runners up but that seemed unlikely at 11:40 when they went a goal behind and were being over-run. Then with about a minute to go until half-time they put the ball over the line when a defender got the ball cleared and the referee awarded the goal. After the home side moaned about believing the ball had not crossed the line the Ref changed his mind and disallowed the goal. Our lots manager complained and the ref said that he could see it was clearly over the line but as the linesman said it hadn’t crossed the line he could not allow the goal. Half time came and went and my lads’ side believed they had been robbed and more to the point they had belief in themselves as being the better side. They dominated the second half and made the home side look very ordinary, clueless even. Just a pity they could not snatch the equaliser their play so richly deserved. We came away from that muddy field believing we had won the moral high ground even though they had persuaded their own ref to allow them to win.

 

So moving on from the real grass roots of English Football, and on to the high profile money laden demands of the Premier League. A West Ham side that believed that against all the odds that they could survive for the riches next seasons’ premiership prize money could bring them. A West Ham side that played as though they believed it. And at half time 30,000 East Londoners believed it as well. They had outplayed a Spurs side that thought it had turned a corner but now found themselves 2 goals down in a game only the most biased of supporters believed West ham had a prayer in. A rash challenge on Lennon and a moment of belief in his own ability by Lennon put Spurs firmly back in control and you could see the belief visibly drain from the West Ham players and supporters. Nerves then took over until a substitute restored that belief with his first touch of the ball and with only five minutes remaining. Tottenham refused to stop believing though and went on to clinch the win in what must have seemed a remarkable game for any neutral that happened to be watching.

 

So what now for the remainder of the season for the two sides? West Ham need their Belief more than ever but was that the blow that demolished any belief they had remaining. The pictures of their players at the end of the game suggest that the belief has now gone and they are Championship bound. I personally share the belief of many that any hope they may have had of survival disappeared when Stalteri was first to the rebound from Greens hands.  

 

Tottenham on the other hand must now believe that they can get something at Braga in the UEFA cup and at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup next week. They must believe that they can continue this form in their remaining games in the Premier League and if they do, qualification for Europe via a league place for the second season running is a distinct possibility. Who knows, with belief a cup is not out of the question either.

 

So today I saw belief nearly pay off at grass roots level, I saw belief carry a resurgent Spurs to a remarkable victory and I saw the expression of those that must surely now question their belief. Very important  this belief thing.