Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sack the Mac!
Poor old Steve McLaren. England’s hapless manager has the media vultures swirling overhead preparing to pick at his corpse while he prepares for a game that ultimately be futile.
McLaren was patently not the man for the job. Every newspaper and blogger has told us this so it must be true. Fine. Sack him. Negotiate another healthy pay off and start posting Wanted ads in the Evening Standard let’s start the whole messy, undignified process again.
McLaren isn’t the problem. Part of it yes but not the full pizza. Just a slice. The numpties who appointed him are also slices in the problem. As is a lunatic media that is quick to praise and even quicker to bury. Then there is the lack of support from clubs who always find their star player is injured whenever friendlies come around. Oh yeah and Arsene Wenger is also worth a slice or two on his own.
There’s plenty of blame to be passed around, fear not if I left your slice out of my particular pizza of guilt.
If England fail to qualify for the Euro 2008 next year and sack the Mac then what? Where to find some masochist thick skinned enough to want to deal with Fleet Street’s finests’ dirt digging escapades? Don’t forget we’re the country that even pillories our relatively few successful national team coaches. Think Robson and Hoddle.
England are not as good as we like to think we are. Lampard is not a world class player and Crouch would not get in any other national squad in the world. I look at the England team and think there is nobody there I would have in my Arsenal side and I bet Wenger thinks the same. How often do you hear about foreign clubs coming in for the cream of the English crop? Hold on, I just saw a pig fly past the blue moon.
We’re the country who couldn’t see talent when it hits us in the face. Where other countries would build a team around the likes of Le Tissier, Currie and Worthington we mistrust them and question their work rate.
As the debate hots up and everyone is asked their opinion (and I offer mine without being asked) people like Steve Coppell and Gordon Brown call for affirmative action. Sorry, quotas. Regardless of quality, clubs must field a minimum number of home grown players, something Brown would never try forcing on the City. It’s cheap politics and deserves short shrift. Do you really want your team to be like Derby County?
We’re crap and we need to accept we’re crap. We also need to accept we’re crap ‘cos we put club before country. I want my team to do well, If they don’t I still want them to do well. I couldn’t give a flying duck about England. Whether Terry partners Richards or Jagger is of immense indifference to me.
Wenger, who has raised players like Sidwell, Bentley and Pennant through the ranks at Arsenal probably feels some justification in letting them go. I mean they have hardly become England regulars have they and given how thin on the ground England players are these days it says a lot about how others perceive their ability.
The worst thing that can happen is we scrape through to the Euros and we sit back and say oh yes, we’re going to win it this year. Our delusions will flood the reality and sour our memories and we will be carried along on a tide of patriotism and false dawns. Again.
Or perhaps we get through and McLaren is allowed to overhaul the rotten stinking carcass that runs our game and we can look forward to a promised land where blame is apportioned to dodgy penalties and short sighted officials.
The fact of the matter is this talk of pizza has gotten me hungry. {Stretches for the Sarpino's menu}
McLaren was patently not the man for the job. Every newspaper and blogger has told us this so it must be true. Fine. Sack him. Negotiate another healthy pay off and start posting Wanted ads in the Evening Standard let’s start the whole messy, undignified process again.
McLaren isn’t the problem. Part of it yes but not the full pizza. Just a slice. The numpties who appointed him are also slices in the problem. As is a lunatic media that is quick to praise and even quicker to bury. Then there is the lack of support from clubs who always find their star player is injured whenever friendlies come around. Oh yeah and Arsene Wenger is also worth a slice or two on his own.
There’s plenty of blame to be passed around, fear not if I left your slice out of my particular pizza of guilt.
If England fail to qualify for the Euro 2008 next year and sack the Mac then what? Where to find some masochist thick skinned enough to want to deal with Fleet Street’s finests’ dirt digging escapades? Don’t forget we’re the country that even pillories our relatively few successful national team coaches. Think Robson and Hoddle.
England are not as good as we like to think we are. Lampard is not a world class player and Crouch would not get in any other national squad in the world. I look at the England team and think there is nobody there I would have in my Arsenal side and I bet Wenger thinks the same. How often do you hear about foreign clubs coming in for the cream of the English crop? Hold on, I just saw a pig fly past the blue moon.
We’re the country who couldn’t see talent when it hits us in the face. Where other countries would build a team around the likes of Le Tissier, Currie and Worthington we mistrust them and question their work rate.
As the debate hots up and everyone is asked their opinion (and I offer mine without being asked) people like Steve Coppell and Gordon Brown call for affirmative action. Sorry, quotas. Regardless of quality, clubs must field a minimum number of home grown players, something Brown would never try forcing on the City. It’s cheap politics and deserves short shrift. Do you really want your team to be like Derby County?
We’re crap and we need to accept we’re crap. We also need to accept we’re crap ‘cos we put club before country. I want my team to do well, If they don’t I still want them to do well. I couldn’t give a flying duck about England. Whether Terry partners Richards or Jagger is of immense indifference to me.
Wenger, who has raised players like Sidwell, Bentley and Pennant through the ranks at Arsenal probably feels some justification in letting them go. I mean they have hardly become England regulars have they and given how thin on the ground England players are these days it says a lot about how others perceive their ability.
The worst thing that can happen is we scrape through to the Euros and we sit back and say oh yes, we’re going to win it this year. Our delusions will flood the reality and sour our memories and we will be carried along on a tide of patriotism and false dawns. Again.
Or perhaps we get through and McLaren is allowed to overhaul the rotten stinking carcass that runs our game and we can look forward to a promised land where blame is apportioned to dodgy penalties and short sighted officials.
The fact of the matter is this talk of pizza has gotten me hungry. {Stretches for the Sarpino's menu}
# posted by Me @ 3:00 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
i don't understand this call for quotas, on paper england has a good a team as they've had in years.
More often than not, players perform below expectations for McClaren -- and that's precisely the sign of a bad manager.
More often than not, players perform below expectations for McClaren -- and that's precisely the sign of a bad manager.
oh come on there not crap. there are actually some world class players in the england team but i feel the pizza was mclaren... His lack of tactical knowledge was exposed last night against croatia. he had his chance...and he failed... quite miserably. im guessing few of us english will be putting a bet on football during the Euro Finals next year. Just out of interest, if you were to participate in a bit of football betting at some stage during the Euros, who would you back? As for quota's - a load of rubbsish - we actually want the quality of the premiership to be above that of the championship!! i think we need a tactically adept, english manager who can instill some pride, passion and direction into the national team...
# posted by 
: 10:43 PM
: 10:43 PM
ooo, forgot to say, im backing italy at the euro's and i reckon coppell, curbishly or redknapp should take the national job next!!
Post a Comment
# posted by : 10:45 PM
: 10:45 PM << Home
