Joao Pedro – football genius or pantomime villain? Maybe he’s both – and Brighton and Hove Albion fans love it

An initial throwaway remark in the Gulls Eye fanzine turned into a football terrace phenomenon.

I’ve long since kissed and made up with the JC, but the original comment made by co-editor Peter Kennard under his nom de plume, Billy Watson, had more than a hint of irony, but it actually transformed Crumps from a head-strong but ultimately underperforming 2nd Division footballer into a club legend.

The T shirts clearly didn’t make Crumps play better on their own, but most Albion fans cannot question all these years later that the publicity around the garments gave him the kick up the backside then Albion boss Barry Lloyd had been attempting to for some time at the beginning of the 1990s?

Yet it appears three decades later the Albion perhaps have themselves a genuine football genius, and to slightly misquote that immortal Phil Collins album title, there’s no T-shirt required.

To the Albion faithful, almost from the get-go, we’ve always known Joao Pedro was a little bit special. The ultimate endorsement came from Watford legend Luther Blissett, who stated at the time of the player’s move from Vicarage Road to the Amex that the Albion had signed a potentially world-class player.

But it’s perhaps the perception of the legions of the EPL opposition fans that throws up this conundrum.

To Fabian Hurzeler’s Blue and White Army, he is the aforementioned genius in waiting – to my mind potentially a player who could replace Mark Lawrenson as the greatest player to ever pull on a blue and white Albion shirt; while on the flip side he’s fast becoming a principal hate figure among opposing fans.

In the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen two incidents at the Amex – the first the other Friday when under arguably extreme provocation he proceeded to throw an elbow at Brentford’s Yehor Yarmolyuk.

Even with my bluest of blue and white spectacles I thought Pedro, especially with the all-seeing VAR, was extremely fortunate to escape a straight red, which ironically would have ruled him out of last Saturday’s visit of Arsenal.

Then against the Gunners, he won a second penalty after a clash of heads with William Saliba. Pedro’s perceived ‘theatrical’ reaction to the incident appeared to rile the Gunners fans, but ultimately referee Antony Taylor deemed it a foul, backed up by VAR. So was it a penalty? I watched it live, and there was clear contact, Pedro’s reaction was no different to what you’d see the length and breadth of the country, and thankfully he recovered sufficiently to score the spot kick.

The acid test for me was watching again via the TV coverage.

Like thousands upon thousands of others I’m passionate about the Albion, but realistic enough to know when we’ve had a ‘touch’ – on this occasion I think it was a penalty, so much so if it had been up the other end with roles reversed with Van Hecke and Jesus I would have accepted the decision.

But this all adds fuel to the fire. In Pedro we have our very own extremely talented pantomime villain, a modern-day footballing Mick McManus.

Long may it continue – on his day Pedro is almost worth the admission fee on his own. With 18 league games left, if he stays injury free, he could yet catapult Albion into those all-important European qualification positions.

As for detractors, all the time they are getting upset, he’s clearly doing his job, so long may it continue.