FOOTBALL CRAZY

First I must admit that I am not the worlds most enthusiastic football fan, I have always preferred rugby, having said they I do enjoy a good football match on the odd occasion our national team plays one! I am not one to harp on about 1966 but it must be faced that it has been all down hill since then.

Back in those palmy days a footballer played football and if he did not play well he was out on his ear. Nowadays teams pay millions for a good looking boy who will look good on the merchandising. Oh boy do I get weary of players like David Beckham who as far as I can see is unable to kick a ball with out falling flat on his ass.

David Beckham is rubbish! Set him against Bobby Moore or either of the Charletons and it is a no contest. Today’s footballers are a bunch of over paid prima donnas who can not hold a candle to the likes of Nobby Styles, Geoff Hurst, Alan Ball,Roger Hunt and Martin Peters to name but a few,not to mention the amazing Gordon Banks who played for my home side Stoke City or Sir Stanley Mathews, now there was a hero.

A few years ago when I saw Wayne Rooney run on to a football pitch for the first time I had not seen a player so dynamic since George Best, but look at Rooney now, he has become as spoilt and temperamental as the rest. Poor Bestie too much too soon and Gazza who some say is the Greatest Footballer of all time yet followed the same downward spiral of self destruction, let us hope that Rooney avoids their fate.

Here's another thing,what in the name of a thousand wonders is all this stuff about W.A.G.S?What the hell have these witless bimbos got to do with football,I suspect that they are their to interest the young girls who,s boyfriend,s go to the match every weekend and I find that insulting, Ye Gods I asked a little girl what she wanted to be when she grew up and that was what she wanted to be, a bloody WAG!

But I digress, and that is exactly what is wrong with football today,too much digression. In the good old days it was the fans who mattered,not any more. All that matters now is how much a club can make on merchandising and sponsorships. The players are more interested in endorsing anti stink for huge sums of cash than they are in playing football for their country.

For days we have been hearing all this rubbish about Terry and Capello. Excuse me but didn't Capeskin fire Terry's ass a couple of years ago for bonking a team mates WAG?
Now all at once he is determined to keep him as captain. While we are on the subject why Capello , and why Erickson? Have we no English managers good enough to do the job?

Now I come to the nitty gritty, the reason why England have not won The World Cup for so long,is is simple,it is because the powers that be were too stiff nicked and prejudiced to put the best team manager ever in charge of the England Squad, Brian Clough. Loud mouthed. Yes,rude yes, ruthless,oh yes but did he get results? Yes he did. It was predudice alone that kept him from Taking our national side to a World cup Final, fact.

So who's next for the poisoned chalice? Well there’s Harry Rednapp,loud mouthed,yes,rude, yes, ruthless, yes and maybe even a bit dodgy but we need him, Until players are chosen for their skills rather than their looks and until managers are chosen for their ability to get results we have no chance in the fierce competition we have to face .

I tentatively suggest that perhaps for £6.OOO.OOO a year we might have expected the England manager to speak English, and if any one can enlighten me as to what precisely Capello did to earn this huge some I should be eternally in their debt.