So what if Colbeck should overflow with enthusiasm (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

So what if Colbeck should overflow with enthusiasm

11:41am Friday 26th September 2008

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A regular contributor to the T&A sports desk mail bag – and certainly not my biggest fan – has been calling for my head again.

This time I stood accused of “shamelessly exploiting” and “utterly misleading” Joe Colbeck over his excitable comments ahead of the Bournemouth match.

City’s young winger, on a high from his exploits against Exeter, said how he couldn’t wait to “go out and destroy Bournemouth”.

They were his words; not mine. They were not extracted at gunpoint.

Yes, I can understand Stuart McCall pulling Colbeck to one side afterwards and telling him to cool it a bit. He is keen to keep a level head and play down the hype generated by City’s fast start to the season.

But to suggest, as the letter writer did, that I effectively wrote Bournemouth’s team talk is stretching it a bit.

Excuse me if I’m wrong but didn’t Colbeck score a goal and look the best City player on the park? That hardly suggests that the opposition were so wound up they went out to stop him at all costs.

Maybe if those team-mates around him had matched the winger’s efforts, we would have been celebrating another home win and a continued reign at the top of the table.

All right, Colbeck got a bit carried away in the build-up but is it so wrong that a player is buzzing that much before a game?

He’s a young lad living the dream and playing with confidence. The team are doing well and he’s a big part of that.

Or is it only the fans who are allowed to get a bit giddy?

So Colbeck got slightly carried away with his words. Big deal.

We want football to be played with passion and excitement, played by performers with enthusiasm. It’s hardly the crime of the century if that enthusiasm should occasionally overflow.