The artist vs. The grafter: Darren Ambrose - cult hero

The philosophical debate at the heart of Crystal Palace’s love for Darren Ambrose

Posted in conjunction with Football Fans Today – Written by the fans for the fans

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If football was a game played only by Phil Neville’s, it’s hard to think that it would be quite the global phenomenon that we all know and love. That’s not a knock on Mr Neville, a fine professional, just that when little kids dream of wanting to kick a ball it’s those players that have magic in their boots that inspire them to want to take up the game rather than the journeymen pro’s, the one’s that you can never knock their attitude, but the one’s that would struggle if you asked them to inject some fantasy into their play.

We all value commitment, hard work and endeavour as admirable traits. Putting your back in and delivering a hard days graft are things to be praised rather than knocked, and yet, in so many walks of life, we also need those mercurial talents, those artists, those creators. Unpredictable, sometimes temperamental, dare I even say lazy those that have that streak of genius, that flair for imagination they are the only ones that can do what they do. ‘But if only they worked harder!’ you can hear people cry, ‘imagine what they could be!’ That is to miss the point, that’s exactly what makes them different.

Apologies at the rather long winded introduction, but the debate that rages on in the sport about ‘over coaching’ and hard work against the rather more laissez faire attitude of the creative player was at the forefront of my mind as I sat in my seat at Selhurst Park on Saturday, taking in Crystal Palace’s clash with Watford. Not the most obvious place you might think for a philosophical debate on the creator versus the grafter, but it came to me when admiring the right foot of one Darren Ambrose.

Darren Ambrose is not Maradona. Even sitting here with my CPFC season ticket holding hat on I can admit that, but what he is, or rather what he possesses is an ability to put an unbelievably special, not to mention dangerous ball into the opposition box each and every time that he draws back that right boot. He’s a man that can frustrate as much as he can inspire, for every deadly delivery there is the general lack of tracking back, the wafted legs masquerading as ‘tackles’, the general demeanour that suggests “I’d rather be anywhere than Barnsley away”.

But that’s the payoff you get. If Ambrose ran around a bit more, got stuck in then maybe he would be a better player and maybe he would still be playing in the Premier League, which he certainly has the talent to do. Maybe, but then maybe, he was just not built that way, maybe he was born with a flair that suggested that he was put on this Earth to strike a dead ball and that wasting your time getting him to run himself into the ground would be a waste of his talents.

He has the ability to do it all, ask any Palace fan after his contribution to the 2009/10 season and they will wax lyrical about his impact that season. If it wasn’t for his 20 goals and probably just as many assists then the club would have gone down to League One for certain and probably wouldn’t be in existence anymore. That season he showed everything, goals, crosses, dribbles, and no little application, at one place in time, everything came together for one outstanding season. Sadly injuries, or indeed the creator’s prerogative to go off the boil have meant that he has yet to hit those heights since but you can always see it, that ability is always there.

It has been hammered home to me twice this season, just at times when I was starting to lose sight of what the man was all about. I too was falling into the trap of wishing for more application, wishing for more blood and guts without recognising that while I am not exonerating him from a hard days graft like the rest of the team that he has that unique talent that a club like ours doesn’t get to witness too often and that we need to respect, encourage and nurture the skills he does have rather than admonish him for the one’s he hasn’t.

The reason you support a team or go to a live game is for moments like Mr Ambrose’s magical strike against Manchester United at Old Trafford. That moment alone eclipses all the neglected tracking back and somewhat half hearted marking of the past couple of years. It’s undeniably frustrating when you know a player has the ability but not the application but every single time would I take a player who could do the incredible every now and again rather than the mundane 100 per cent of the time.

Palace’s No. 7 was at it again on Saturday, with direct assists for three of the four goals. Watford simply couldn’t cope with the quality of his dead ball accuracy and three times Palace players were on hand to profit. In all round play, Ambrose was excellent displaying all the facets of his game. His is a talent of great creativity and artistry and one I hope we remember to always cherish rather than run into the ground demanding greater blood, sweat and tears.

@CollinsBeans

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