McClaren is again haunted by umbrellas!
Football supporters occasionally make the headlines for the wrong reasons - harshly jeering off their team after a narrow loss, scrapping with opposition fans or going too far with baiting chants - but they are equally capable of moments of sheer inspiration, as Wolfsburg followers showed last weekend.
Their response to a poor first half of the season under Steve McClaren in which they have won only four of their 17 games and sit four points off the relegation play-off place, compared to 14 points off the Champions League pace, wasn't to go on a protest march or chant for his head. Instead, they decided to turn up to Saturday's 2-2 draw with Hoffenheim wielding green-and-white umbrellas.
Accompanying the umbrellas was a big banner reading "we won't let you stand in the rain - would you let us?", as the Wolfsburg supporters let McClaren know that it was no longer just in England where he was viewed as the "wally with the brolly".
The Bundesliga's first ever English trainer could be on borrowed time at the Volkswagen Arena despite arriving with a good reputation having guided FC Twente to the Eredivisie title last season, and he can ill afford to lose his final match ahead of the winter break if he wishes to keep his job.
The 2008-09 Bundesliga champions host second-tier promotion hopefuls Energie Cottbus in the third round of the German Cup and are [1.46] favourites to triumph despite having drawn their last six encounters.
The umbrella incident just about trails the Parma sandwich protest as our favourite comedy show of dissent of the campaign to date. Parma fans brought their lunchboxes to a game against Roma in October and tucked into sandwiches as the players walked onto the pitch to humorously display their dissatisfaction at Serie A's new 12.30pm kick-off time.
Can you recall any other magnificently innovative acts of fan rebellion? If so, please share them below...
Published: 21 Dec 2010
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