Ok, so I have a dilemma and I need your help working it out.

It’s not earth shattering, as dilemmas go, but it many ways it could be considered life changing: which football club should my son support?

Andy recently turned six and he is never happier than when playing football. He trains with Balzan’s academy where, three times a week, he displays considerable speed, some genuine talent and an incredible ability to fall over without actually being touched. It’s like raising a cross between Arjen Robben and Jurgen Klinsmann.

For that reason, Balzan are obviously his favourite team, and rightly so. But I can’t help but feel, in order to allow him to keep up with his friends, he also needs a more ‘global’ team to follow.

But which one?

In an ideal world it would obviously be Sheffield United. They would be a top-four Premiership team, challenging in Europe and live on television every week.

Sadly they are a top-four League One team, only go to Europe for pre-season training and are shown on television less frequently than The Sound of Music.

Global? Not as such.

So I need to be realistic here. Without exposure to the SUFC – either in the flesh like I had at his age, or at least on television – there is little or no chance he is going to end up a Blade. A sympathiser, maybe, but not a real Blade.

Which means he needs another team. But which one?

Of course, I could just let things take their natural course, allow him to find his own path to follow. And many of you may think that is the right thing to do.

But several of his friends are starting to support Italian teams and I don’t think I could live with myself if he came home one day as a fully-fledged Inter supporter, for example. Nothing against Italian football, but that would be straying too far from his roots for my liking. Plus Inter aren’t in a good place right now.

Which means we need something a bit more English.

I don’t think I could live with myself if he came home one day as a fully-fledged Inter supporter

We could go with one of the bigger teams – Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City or Chelsea. But I can’t shake off the feeling that picking one of those would be merely jumping on an already successful bandwagon.

And let’s remember, if I do want him to start getting excited about ‘his’ team, I am going to have show some excitement myself. Can I really see myself ever celebrating a Manchester City victory with any conviction? Nope.

All of which means we are going to have to slide a little bit further down the football ladder. Not too far, of course, because the last thing I want is for him to end up with a team that struggles. I’ve had 40 years of near constant heartache and there is no way I would wilfully inflict anything similar on him.

But I would be much happier with a team that has potential, rather than one that is the finished article. So I have narrowed it down to four teams:

• West Ham United: This is partly because he likes bubbles, but mostly because I think West Ham could become a force to be reckoned with in years to come. They always like to play football the right way and are due some success. I have to say, however, the violence at the Olympic Stadium is putting me off a bit. As is the stadium itself.

• Everton: A football club built on great history and tradition that could be on the cusp of a return to the top of the game. Everton already have a good little team, and now, with proper money behind them, could easily become top-four contenders. Plus I vividly remember enjoying watching them during their successful spell in the 1980s.

• Tottenham Hotpur: After so long of playing second fiddle to arch rivals Arsenal, Spurs are now finally starting to emerge from the Gunners’ shadow. A new stadium is on the way, a very good squad is in place and a great manager is in charge, everything seems set up nicely for them to start winning things.

• Newcastle United: This one is a bit out of the box, I grant you. But I have always had a soft spot for Newcastle, and their time may finally be coming under Rafa Benitez. Yes, they are in the Championship at the moment but not for long. And anyway, that would give Andy a taste of the joys of promotion.

So there you have it, my shortlist. All I need to do now is take an actual decision before it’s too late. Which is where you come in.

Am I doing the right thing here? Is there a team I should be considering that didn’t make my list? Should I swallow my pride and opt for one of the established big boys? Should I just back off and let things happen of their own free will?

Should I turn this problem into an opportunity and sell his footballing allegiance on eBay instead?

I’m open to suggestions.

Pep works his magic

Having watched Manchester City systematically dismantle Barcelona last Tuesday night I have to say I may have been wrong about Pep Guardiola.

Regular readers will know I am not his biggest fan. In fact, only the previous week I was reiterating my belief that he is grossly over-rated.

But the way City tore Barcelona to shreds in the Champions League was absolutely mesmerising.

This wasn’t a case of sitting back and hitting on the counter or some sort of fluke result, this was City playing Barcelona at their own game. And doing it better.

I just loved the photos of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar looking miserable as they flew home after the game – it can’t be very often that trio get to experience what it feels like playing for Sunderland.

Of course, Barcelona had a makeshift defence in place for the match, which will have had some bearing on the result. And the fact that this was Guardiola against his old club also probably influenced proceedings.

On that basis, I am not yet ready to concede my belief that Guardiola is not the  managerial god people think he is. However, what he masterminded last Tuesday night did make me start to wonder if I am wrong.

And I never thought that was ever going to happen.

Boring? Not even slightly

When I saw which game had been picked for Monday night football last week, I was severely underwhelmed.

There is little obvious glamour to be found in a clash between a Stoke side still recovering from an abysmal start to the season and a Swansea team who believe an American with no experience of English football is the right man to save them from the drop.

As matches go, it was hardly likely to get pulses racing, I thought to myself.

I was wrong.

This was actually Premier League football at its finest. Not exotic or refined but a good old fashioned blood and thunder clash between two teams desperate to win. There were goals, near misses, proper challenges and excitement aplenty. Stoke even managed to hit the post three times in the first half.

I think we all – myself included – get so wrapped up in the hype surrounding the big teams and the big games that we fail to give these ‘lesser’ matches a chance.

Like everyone else I tuned into the recent Liverpool vs Manchester United game with eager anticipation, only to realise it would have been equally exciting if the players hadn’t turned up and we spent 90 minutes watching the grass grow.

Stoke versus Swansea last Monday was the complete opposite.

Just shows you should never prejudge a football match by its cover.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade