At last! Southampton ace speaks sense over celebration debate
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“I love scoring goals and I’m going to celebrate every one I score.” If you were watching MOTD2 on Monday night or caught Sky Sports’ live coverage of the game in question, then you’ll know that these wise words belong to Southampton striker Charlie Austin.
In case you weren’t aware, this is a part of Austin’s post-match appraisal when quizzed about openly celebrating both goals of the Premier League brace he bagged against former club Burnley on Sunday afternoon, which contributed to a 3-1 win for Saints.
To put his comments in further context, Austin was also careful to point out his respect and admiration for everyone, including manager Sean Dyche, still associated with the Clarets.
In essence though, on a weekend when Nacer Chadli took the polar opposite stance of not celebrating his strike against Tottenham, it was mightily refreshing to hear such candid words from Austin.
To celebrate or not to celebrate wasn’t quite the question Shakespeare posed, but if the greatest playwright in history had, the answer should unequivocally be…the first one.
There’s no doubting the sentiment offered by players in the ‘Chadli camp’, and no one ever wishes to see the complete antithesis as displayed by Emmanuel Adebayor at the Etihad that time, but common sense should prevail.
Players are constantly moving and, unless you happen to have engineered legend status at a club like Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard netting against Chelsea or Liverpool respectively, such levels of respectfulness are at best misplaced.
If only more footballers were as frank and open as Austin. Goals and celebrations make football entertaining. Round of applause that man.
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