SCENE: Santa’s Grotto in a major department store. A cute, curly haired young lad looks up and says – “Santa, I don’t want anything for myself this year, I just want Mile to score another last minute penalty so my Mommy can have a happy Christmas.”

Sadly, there were to be no festive Hollywood endings for the Mariners this week, and as I watched them battle on through a windy ‘Willington’ evening I began to think about what happens to a team after a frustrating defeat.

I imagine ‘Yaydinak’, ‘Boyitch’ and all the other exotic variations of players mentioned by the entertaining commentators made their way dejectedly back to their hotel.

Wellington nightlife not being particularly tempting, they would probably indulge in a soft drink from the minibar and some soul-searching about what went wrong. Imagine how much worse they must have felt if they were able to watch the Jets triumph over Victory while still raw from their own defeat.

Then there’s the long trip home and it’s back to refocusing for Boxing Day, while everyone else around them is caught up in the indulgences of the silly season.

To come back out and play confidently after a defeat (or several) takes an enormous amount of self-belief. Coaches, team captains and the players themselves must devote an enormous amount of emotional energy to boosting each other’s confidence and remaining positive.

At times like this, the support of fans can make a crucial difference to whether a team can regain their winning edge. Supporting your team when they’re on top is easy, continuing to support them through the down times is the measure of a true believer.

I’m not suggesting that fans don’t have a right to criticise players or coaches, but surely we need to be balanced and supportive of the teams we profess to love. Every week I am astounded at the scathing and nit-picking match analysis spewed forth by people who would call themselves fans. Anything less than a win is greeted with derision and individual players are frequently pounced on in a vicious rant of “name and shame”.

While players probably learn to ignore most of this, some of these comments are eventually bound to get to them. Constant negativity also has an effect on other fans, drawing them into a quagmire of doubt and making them question their own attachment to their team. It’s no exaggeration to say that this may have a disastrous impact on a team’s overall fan support and drag the team down further.

So in this season of giving, take a moment to consider what you give back to your team. Do you enhance their confidence by offering them unwavering support and belief, even when they have lost? Do you temper your criticism with a respect for the players as human beings, individuals who need to feel confident about their ability to perform? Or do you expect perfection every week or you’ll be off to the pub?

It’s been a week of extreme highs and lows for the A-League: The Reds bringing home a major prize which benefits everyone while three top players are caught in a betting ‘scandal’. The A-League has also been under attack in recent times by those whose sadly ignorant opinions would seek to undermine all we have achieved in the past four years.

Yes ‘we’ have achieved much to be proud of: this is the fans’ league as much as it belongs to the clubs, players and coaches. Now is not the time to take aim at fallen idols from rival clubs or resent Adelaide’s success. Australian football is a very small world where fans can have a positive or negative impact – I choose to keep the faith.

Here’s hoping the team that inspires my faith can enjoy at least part of Christmas Day before training and psyching themselves up to crush the Jets to coal dust. Goodwill to all men – at least until Boxing Day.

In tonight’s performance, the part of Santa Claus was played by Adam Kwasnik.

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