Why I defend Coleman as much as I do? I usually stay away from individual player threads, but I don't know why I feel my blood boil, when people start slagging off Coleman. I though about it over the last few weeks and I think I have realized why..
People like Coleman (Or Moyes, Baines, Jagielka, Howard, Cahill, Osman, Barry, Pienaar or Everton team as a whole) give me belief that even if I am not talented enough to sit at the high table, through sheer grit, determination and hard work, I can aspire to rub shoulder with giants of my field of work. It gives me hope, it gives me direction.
When I started following Everton, that's what the team was; a hard working bunch of B-Listers giving as good as they got, I immediately fell in love with Everton and "People's club". The face of Everton is changing over the last few years, we have more talented bunch of players coming in, and it's a good thing as a club to aspire to bigger and better. Everton for me means players like Coleman, who are single minded about giving everything they have, and who put their heart and body on the pitch, inspite of their short comings. I can identify myself with Everton and it's players. Everton became me and I became Everton.
I hope I am wrong, but to me it seems Coleman belongs a dying breed of humble footballers who work their hearts out for the team. And that is why when someone insults him personally, it hits close to home. It feels personal, it feels directed towards me. It begs for reaction...
Maybe this post does not belong here, but since it's about Coleman I vented here... Mods may delete this if not the right place to post.