Rallying call to save Royal British Legion clubs
- Today's leader
Matt Harrold is Shrewsbury Town’s ‘unsung hero’
Monday 18th October 2010, 12:16PM BST.
Adam Watts of Lincoln City and Matt Harrold of Shrewsbury Town back in October 2010
On-fire striker Jake Robinson has saluted Shrewsbury Town’s ‘unsung hero’ Matt Harrold.
Robinson continued his red-hot start to the season by grabbing his ninth goal in Saturday’s 2-0 home victory over Lincoln.
But while the former Brighton forward, who turns 24 next Saturday, continues to grab the headlines, he has been quick to hail the work of his strike partner Harrold.
“Everyone who watches the game and all the players in the team know how much Matt is doing and it was good to see him getting a lot of love from the crowd on Saturday,” said Robinson.
“He seems to worry when he doesn’t score but he shouldn’t because everyone is noticing the hard work he is doing and everything else he is bringing to the team.
“He holds the ball up well and heads it well and does so much more.
“The chances will come for him and he will get goals.
Fantastic
“At the moment, he is doing a fantastic job for everyone else.”
While Town remain in fifth place in League Two, Robinson — who has bagged eight of his nine goals at the Greenhous Meadow — admitted Saturday’s victory was important to halt a winless streak of five games.
“We have been a bit flat in the last couple of weeks,” he added. “We have not conceded many and have been a bit unlucky in a couple of games.
“But we want to be winning games comprehensively and imposing ourselves on teams and we did that a bit more on Saturday.
“We didn’t start the game particularly well but the goal gave us some confidence and eased the pressure and hopefully we can build on that over the next few weeks.”
By James Garrison
Sponsored Links
UK Sport
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
I am not a football fan, I used to be when it was a sport, but now it is a business I cannot stand the game.
The reason I am writing is to express my disgust at the amount of times footballers are tagged as “heroes”. The real heroes of this world are the guys coming back from Afghanistan and other war zones with limbs missing or, NOT coming back at all. Footballers are overpaid, over rated and under performing nonentities, and most of them actually believe they are worth the obscene wages they are paid.
If you people want to spend good money going to watch these money grabbers, then that’s fine, feel free, but do not call them heroes just because they manage to kick a ball into a net.
Report abuse
Nothing better to do with your day Colin?
Report abuse
1. Please don’t classify all football as a “business”. I quite agree that at the top level the corporate aspect of the game has ruined the sport but there are plenty of clubs and players in the lower leagues, down to the grass roots who still operate and play for the love the game.
2. I think you’ve taken the ‘hero’ comment out of context. I don’t think for one second Robinson is comparing Harrold to those who go to war, who are indeed true heroes and are highly respected by the football club. Similarly, you see this word used to describe rock stars, celebrities and other sportsmen. Rightly or wrongly, it’s just a figure of speech.
3. “Footballers are overpaid, over rated and underperforming nonentities, and most of them actually believe they are worth the obscene wages they are paid”. Nothing like a good generalisation is there. Sure, there are a certain amount of players who may fall into this category but there are plenty who are good honest pro’s who do not make obscene amounts and do a lot for the fans and local communities.
Report abuse
A bit of an over reaction to a harmless headline!!
I’m sure the players themselves – especially at the lower levels – wouldn’t place themselves in the same category as our soldiers.
Report abuse
Colin – if you bothered to do your research, you would find that prior to becoming a footballer, Matt served with distinction in the Wycombe Sea Cadets, and was instrumental in saving a boy choking on a cockle whilst on holiday in Southend.
He is a hero to many, especially to me and my Mum. if he scores the odd goal here and there, even better.
Report abuse
I did not expect you people to agree with me, you defend the game against any criticism. One incident I recall, tells me how those involved with football rate the game. England were playing someone, I forget who, when , I think it was Tony Adams, got a cut on his head. As it was raining heavily, it looked much worse than it was, a couple of stitches and he was back on. After the game, the manager, Bobby Robson, said, “men have got VCs for less. What an ignorant, uninformed and insulting statement to make, yet many of you, the fans, think they ARE heroes.
I’m just glad I have sufficient intelligence to distance myself from the adulation and grovelling heaped upon these players.
HappyG. When you grow up you may realise that being in the sea cadets is far removed from facing live fire and IEDs. All credit to him for saving that boy though.
Report abuse
The headline is possibly an ironic comment on the fact that some Town fans have come up with a song about Matt Harrold, which was sung on Saturday.
None of us are stupid enough to regard footballers in the same light as the real heroes who put their lives on the line every day but there is nothing wrong in enjoying what footballers do – especially those plying their trade in the lower echelons of the football league like Matt.
Report abuse
Have you watched Matt Harrold play this season, Colin? Do you know how much he is paid?
Are we allowed to express admiration for anything other than our ‘guys in Afghanistan’ these days?
Jeez….
Report abuse
to quote B&A:
————-
The comments are clearly in the context of a football story.
All that is being said is that Matt Harrold makes an important contribution to the team’s attack, despite not scoring as many goals as Jake Robinson.
‘Colin’ has, probably wilfully, decided to interpret this entirely literrally and taken it as a cue to lauch into a swivel eyed rant.
No doubt if ‘Colin’ overheard somebody saying they’d had a ‘great meal’ he’d wade in with “‘Great? I’ll tell you what’s ‘great’, our brave boys and girls fighting in Afghanistan, you worthless toad”.
———-
Report abuse
No Arthur, I have not seen this man play, and I have no idea how much he is paid, but I would wager it is far, far more than someone doing a useful job, a nurse or junior doctor for example. As I said, if it is your choice to go and watch, then fair enough, it is not mine.
Hero in the dictionary is used to describe someone who has done something courageous or has performed an outstanding achievement. I hardly think kicking a ball into a net now and then fits either definition.
Report abuse
I think that Colin has a valid point about calling footballers heroes,everything is now dumbed down in the media, in my book to be termed a hero meant that you did something heroic, I for one do not count everyone that goes to Afghanistan as a hero, they may be brave going into a war zone, that does not by default make themselves a hero.
Perhaps the term role model would be the best that I can foresee me calling a footballer, but alas they have to be one to be called it.
Report abuse
Colin – You must have had a bad day, do you not understand that soccer is the game of the masses so that they can release their emotions from the events of the week of toil, at least that is what it has always been portrayed as happening. Agreed the game has been greatly altered over the years, some good, some bad, but it certainly is a great stress reliever to those who win, on the other hand for those supporters on the losing side it can occasionally bring out the worst in people, just like life in general when things go wrong.
To classify soccer against any war around the world is rather dumb, you may remember that the WW1 was stopped by the opposing troops for a game of soccer, only to be stopped by the generals as they could see that the game was getting too friendly and it might jeopardise the continuation of the war.
So Colin, I think you should re-consider your idea’s and maybe hope that soccer in it’s way can cause an end to warring conflicts around the world.
Report abuse
I FULLY AGREE WITH COLIN
FOOTBALLERS ARE NOT HEROS
HEROS ARE PEOPLE WHAT PUT THEIR LIVES AT RISK TO HELP/SAVE OTHERS NOT RUN AROUND A FOOTBALL PITCH FOR 90 MINUTES
Report abuse
ANGIE I THINK YOU’VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR CAPSLOCK
Report abuse
footballers are not heroes in the sense of valiant hm forces doing their jobs. but football fans must be allowed to have their own heroes, and if our two lads up front produce the goals up front at chesterfield on saturday, they will remain heroes of their fans. i agree with colins view on real heroes, but please allow the fans of a well run club like the shrews to have their individual heroes on the pitch. floreat salopia and please return our 3 loggerheads and a floreat salopia badges onto the chests of our players so they know the backgound to the historical town they play for.
playing with a lenny the lion badge must be very uninspiring.
any one for a lion bar. shrewsbury town a land fit for heroes?
Report abuse
Colin, you had best get on to HTC who have branded their phone a hero.
Footballers are paid accordingly dependant upon attendances and other commerical streams – you sound very bitter about the amount they are on.
Nurses and Junior Doctors enter their own profesion under free will much like a soldier who is doing their job.
Comments regarding not coming back or missing limbs are idiotic at best. Whether you like it or not part of being a soldier is going to war and people are aware of the risks that entails.
Oh and another definition of Hero is someone who is held up as a model or ideal – under this definition footballers are heroes.
Report abuse
Well Roy, if I’ve had a bad day, yours must have been disastrous.”Soccer in it’s way can cause an end to warring conflicts around the world”. Did you think before you wrote that, or have you been partaking of some illicit substance?. When 2 sets of opposing fans meet up at a match, there is violence and property damage. People have been murdered at football matches, so don’t get on your soapbox and try to tell us that football is a catalyst for world peace, it is, in fact, quite the opposite. Yours is a typical fans view of this irrelevant game, NOTHING else matters, when the fact is that if football were to cease to exist overnight,( I wish), the world would carry on as before with no detrimental effect.
Footballers run round a field for 90 minutes and sometimes manage to kick a ball into a net. If that qualifies them as “heroes”, figure of speech or not, then it says much about the lack of mentality of those who elevate them to their lofty positions. Very sad.
Report abuse
Football may not be a “catalyst for world peace” but it can play a role in bringing people of different ages, religion, creed, gender and race together. Just see the demographics of an ordinary Premier League crowd or Saturday kickabout on the park.
“When 2 sets of opposing fans meet up at a match, there is violence and property damage”. Another great generalisation there. There are a very small porportion of idiots who occasionally cause problems, from a massive pool of millions who watch the game worldwide.
The vast majority of fans I’ve encountered have many past-times outside of football and certainly do not see it as the only thing of importance in their lives.
If you categorise football as “irrelevant”, then by the same token, so is every other sport, past-time and leisure activity, the movie and music industries, drinking in the pub etc. What a sad existence.
I have friends in the forces who have footballing “heroes”. Ironic hey.
Report abuse
I think you will find Football has given the world more than just a spectator sport. Some fledgling nations are acknowledged by FIFA long before any UN or NATO conferences do. The game whilst as you point out does have a nasty underbelly also brings people together. The social aspect of football is open to all. Anti-racism campaigns as well as other initiatives help to heal some wounds of the local community.
Whilst it does not appeal to all and yes the final score is not always life and death there are so many good things to come out of football. Breakfast clubs, teaching children the imprtance of balanced diets and exercise will go a long way to reducing the problem of obesity in children.
Report abuse
Howard Moon, is that your name or where you live?. Did you ever walk through Shrewsbury on match days at the Gay Meadow?. If so then you must have witnessed the businesses all boarded up,, pubs closed etc. etc.. This small proportion as you choose to call them, commit acts of violence and damage in the name of football, they wear the colours and chant the chants therefore football must take the blame,,yeah, and all pigs fuelled and ready to fly.
Report abuse
Yeah I walked through Shrewsbury, shopped in the businesses and drank in the pubs around the old Meadow, didn’t see many boarded up or closed on match day. That only appears to have happened since the football club has moved. I’m sure many would love to have the ground back on their doorstep for the extra income.
“In the name of football….they wear the colours”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hooligan wearing club colours and considering most of them were fighting in town whilst the match was in progress, I doubt they were particularly interested in football either.
Apologies if you were actually joking or being sarcastic, perhaps it’s me being stupid but the “pig” comment flew straight over my head…
Report abuse
Please will you all stop feeding Colin D, recognise his senseless rambling for what it is and move on.
We all chose our heroes based on different criteria. They may seem completely idiotic to others but that’s the great thing about freedom of choice, it’s free.
Colin D is not on my hero list.
Report abuse
Hardly surprising.
Report abuse
(sic) Football chant:
There’s only one Colin Dee
There’s only one Colin Dee
One Colin Deeeeeeee
Thank God!
Report abuse
Oh dear Woody, what a pathetic effort. It does not gel at all, wrong number of syllables altogether, still, you are a football fan I suppose.
Report abuse
A bit like your lack of factual knowledge on where STFC play, or was that played? A point which proves your rants are biased, undeserved and your self-righteous slant on this story is full of self-importance and arrogance, based on your personal dislike of the nation’s favourite sport of which you have little appreciation.
Get back to your stamp collecting or is it train spotting? Really, you can dish out your views but you can’t accept others!
Report abuse
I know they no longer play at the Meadow Woody. As for self importance etc., I consider myself no more or less important than anyone else. I did say if you choose to go to matches, that is your choice, and I respect that.
I am more than capable of accepting criticism, as you pointed out, I dish enough out, and am quite aware that fans were not going to agree with me. I do not understand the adulation heaped on footballers, which was what prompted my original post, but, as previously stated, if you guys want to indulge in it, fair enough.
I firmly believe that each of us has a right to his/her opinion, I have given mine, and you guys have given yours. We must agree to differ.
I do not collect stamps, and there are no trains where I live, maybe this is why I spend so much time on the Star site.
I hope your dedication to “The Town” is rewarded this season. I look forward to our next confrontation.
Report abuse
Woody, Woody, Woody. I thought we had silenced the beast named Colin D, then you had to throw him another bone.
Please stop and let us all get on with our lives without his little rants.
Report abuse
Tyrone, credit where it’s due, my rants are not little, some of them are quite lengthy.
Thanks for the bone by the way.
Report abuse