WE ACTUALLY EXPECT THEM TO LOSE.
Yes you read that right. Dearth not death, although I suppose some might say that English football if not actually dead is pretty close to having the vicar arrive to read it the last rites.
By dearth I mean English football. I don’t believe I am saying anything you haven’t already heard about too many foreign players in our top teams. But the Bosman Ruling back in 1995 which amongst other things did away with the previous status quo of allowing only 3 foreign players to play in a side at any one time is now blamed for this situation. But is it to blame?
I have been following English football since the heady days of us winning the World Cup back in 1966 ( I was a mere 12 year old sprog at the time) and apart from that win I do not remember any golden age of English football being killed off because of the Bosman Ruling.
I do remember so many World Cups and European Cups between 1966 and 1995 and even to this 2014 tournament being full of disappointment and woe, so how can too many foreign players in the top level English clubs be the sole reason?
I have heard all the arguments and they always resurface after these tournaments. We need a new manager who must be British/Foreign/Young/Old blah blah blah. But what happens when we get the Sven Goran Erikssons, the Fabio Capellos. The Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddles? The disaster that was Graham Taylor? The answer of course is the same. All quality managers but we still get the same heartbreak and the same disappointments. Over and over again. It has got to the stage now where I just know what will happen in these competitions. I should know by now that England will disappoint and be home early.
The other suggested remedy for our ills is the other cliché. We need new young blood in the side. We’ve done that. Or the other side of the coin when that fails. We need more experienced players in the side … same result.
Is it that English players are just rubbish? How can we say that after some of the players we have produced? The Bobby Moores and Geoff Hursts right up to Stuart Pearce, Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker, David Beckham to name just a few. All world class players. There are many more. Even now Wayne Rooney is a class player although seemingly not for England and also Steven Gerard. It seems we do have great players who just under perform for the national side.
WERE THESE PLAYERS FROM 1966 BETTER THAN TODAY’S PLAYERS?
Perhaps foreign players have more flair, more panache, even more love of the game? A valid point maybe particularly if you look at the Brazilians and Italians. I was going to class Spain as one of these teams but it seems that they often suffer the same fate as England in these tournaments (I am of course excepting their triumph in the last World Cup) But with all of these top foreign managers and players in the English Premiership surely we should expect some of that to rub off onto our home grown players?
So what is the answer then? I am sure better footballing minds than mine are just as baffled so answers on the back of a postcard please …
IS THE BULLDOG SPIRIT DEAD. WAS IT EVER ALIVE?
© 2014 Stan M Rogers. All rights reserved.
Stan M Rogers 