Have you ever heard of the Crucible Curse?
In case you’re not a Snooker fan?
The Curse takes its name from the venue: the tournament’s been held there since 1977.
It refers to the fact that no first time winner of Snooker’s World Championship has won the title the year afterwards.
And it’s generally held to be something psychological: attributed to weight of expectation after winning the biggest title in the game, tied to a lack of experience of winning the game’s biggest title.
The reason I mention it?
Is because I’m not a football fan.
But was shocked to hear the Leicester City FC have sacked manager, Claudio Ranieri: the man who’d steered them to winning the Premiership, last year, after many years out of the game’s top tier.
Yes, I know the team’s in the relegation zone. Yes, I know there’s talk he’d lost the dressing room.
But I can’t help but think the team — manager and players — been suffering with football’s equivalent of the Crucible Curse.
For the owners to ignore the possibility?
Represents short-termism at its worst.
And bloody stupid.
~≈Ö≈~
