Keep an eye out for that guy with the ‘babyboy’ screen name

By: Bob | March 12th, 2007

If you have ever waded into the swamp that is football message boards you know that they are often a mixed bag. They offer both the wonderful passion of fans and the worst of humanity. Shielded by the anonymity of the Internet they provide an outlet for people to rant and vent in ways in which they would probably never do in real life. Millwall striker Darren Byfield, pictured to the left looking ridiculously smooth with his girlfriend Jamelia, experienced this firsthand recently when he tried to engage his club’s fans on a message board.

The Times’ Rod Liddle tells the story:

Byfield posted a message under the name of “babyboy” (the endearment used, apparently, by his girlfriend Jamelia). “Darren Byfield here,” he wrote. “Fire some questions.” The first two he received were: “Why does it always rain on me?” and “Explain the theory of relativity, please.” Then there were one or two about Jamelia and the stuff she does, or doesn’t do and which I can’t really go into here. But the lad was undaunted. No, he said, ask me stuff about Millwall. But the trouble is, nobody really believed it was Darren Byfield and so the remainder of the questions concerned ways that the striker could prove that he was who he said he was, questions that made him increasingly exasperated.

Eventually it was agreed that before the start of a game against Blackpool he would run up and kick the post twice, as a signal that it was indeed He. Sure enough, just before kick-off, Byfield trotted all the way back from the centre circle and kicked the post twice, beaming at the Millwall supporters. So it was him! And then someone pointed out that Byfield always kicks the post twice before the start of a game; it’s a superstition of his. So we were back where we started. Eventually the poor chap had to ring a local paper and explain that it wasn’t a wind-up, it really was Darren Byfield talking to the fans, please believe me now, etc. Even then, the story was still doubted.

I think it funny that you’ll find posts on message board everywhere that lament the modern footballers’ lack of interaction with fans, but when one does reach out he is mocked by his own fans. Such is the nature of the Internet where mistrust runs so high. No wonder most players use computers for other means.