Success and Failure, and the thin line that divides them...

If you support a particular football or rugby club your pre season aspirations and post season reflections depend on a touch of self-censorship and the ocassional reality check. For Manchester United fans it has been a good season, for Chelsea it's been great compared to the dark days under Bobby Campbell but poor when compared to the last two seasons, for Arsenal it's been another tale of what if's? For Liverpool it will be a sucess or failure depending on what happens in Athens a week tonight.

So where does that leave Sheffield United fans today after Colin has handed in his notice? What should Newcastle United fans realistically expect from Big Sam next season? Will Wigan disappear under Chris Hutchings and what of Sunderland back in the big time?

The argument over what makes a big club usually comes down to three things: history, fan base and current position in domestic/european football. Thus Man.United, Arsenal and Liverpool are big clubs, Chelsea are below Notts.Forest in terms of history but miles ahead on current position and Newcastle and Tottenham are the footballing equivalent of The Fast Show's Old Gits.

Listening to Big Sam's press conference yesterday whilst on the way to a clients, I was struck by his lack of footballing history or perhaps he was just saying the things the fans wanted to hear. He also said that Notlob were picked on because they consistently beat the 'big clubs' and he had proof that there were clubs above them in the league that played 'the long ball game' more than his side did. He's right, Liverpool do, the difference being that their passes go to the players they are aimed that, Kevin Davies didn't commit more fouls than anybody in the Premiership because the ball was played to his feet did he? Newcastle apparently deserve success, the players owe it to their fans who are the most fervent in the known universe, the stadium is the third largest in England etc etc.

Success isn't based on the size of your support, the size of your wallet or the size of your head, it's based on good old fashioned hard work.