Sometimes,and especially in the heat of the moment, it is a good idea to stand aside and wait until the dust has settled, and that is what has happened here, for I have deliberately held back from commenting on the World Cup, while feelings were still raw. It is not that people here expected England to win, but no one, even in their private moments of doubt, anticipated that St. George would not turn up for the fight; a disappointment that metamorphosed the nation to the point where it, rather than the dragon, was spitting fire. And interestingly, when I discussed this outpouring of rage via MSMessenger with Gun, a young man in China, (who supports Liverpool), it was clear from his response, that he had no concept of a nation being angry with its footballers. And what will be just as iconic a memory of 2010, (in radio broadcasting), as are the words of Kenneth Wolstenholme when England won the World Cup in 1966: "They think it's all over, [fans spilling on to the pitch] ....it is now", will be the sound of Chris Waddle, banging his Radio 5 Live microphone down in frustration and disbelief at what he had witnessed: England's dismal performance against Germany.
Now when writing, I try to avoid cliche's, but in the context of England's exit from the World Cup, I am going to break my own rules, in opposition to those enraged fans who were insistent, that when it came to playing for England, the chosen few, had neither: "pride," "passion", "care for the shirt", or worse: no consideration for those indefatigable supporters who spent their hard earned cash on the journey to South Africa. As the top came off the mountain, all that the players cared about, we were told, were their wallets and their pending exotic summer holiday. Well, the cliche is to the effect that in respect of England's performance, or lack of it, "Nothing is that simple." as represented by these words published on the BBC Sports Web-page, after England's 1-1 draw with the USA.
"As an Irishman wanting England to do well, the explanation for their poor performance is obvious, (though it seems to escape the pundits). They are exhausted after their domestic and European seasons, as are most of what we would consider Europeam teams: Spain, France, Germany Portugal and Italy. And it confirms what I have long argued, that there is far too much football. Players are breaking down and not having the time to recover. So don't blame the team. BLAME THE SYSTEM; it is so obviously the case that that is what is wrong."
These words are mine, and I could have said a good deal more, but I was reluctant, at such a busy time, to tax the editorial controls at the BBC. So let me expand.
I don't think that anyone would dispute the fact, that Wayne Rooney had an outstanding Premiership Season until he was injured in the last minute of United's Champions League quarter-final match against Bayern Munich in March. Not only did the injury end Rooney's season, but it scuppered any hope that Manchester United had, that they could pip Chelsea to the post and win the Premiership title for an unprecedented fourth year in succession. But being the player that he is, and despite the pending World Cup, Rooney came back for the last few matches of the season in the hope that he could help push United over the line. He couldn't; and those whose job it is to know about these things, were of the view that it was because he was not, "fully match fit". But not withstanding this, and the fact that he had played in a punishing schedule over 4 competitions: The Premiership; the Carling Cup, (which united retained), the FA Cup and the Champions League, he was expected to go off and be England's talisman in the World Cup. So from my point of view, too much was asked of Rooney, as was the case with Fernando Torres of Liverpool, another outstanding player, who, though injured, and playing well below his best, was expected to be pivital to Spain's success, but he, like Rooney couldn't do it.
At its most crude, football is about kicking a ball from A to B until it ends in the back of the net, or put more expertly by the legendary Brian Clough: "Football is a simple game. You keep the ball and pass it along the ground to someone in the same coloured shirt as you, until it ends in the back of the net". But football is also a form of psychological warfare, and here I would draw attention to Stephen Gerard. Apart from the fact that he too struggled with injury, he played out his season for Liverpool against the backdrop of an unprecedented level of failure by their standards: disunity in the boardroom, sustained criticism of the manager Rafa Benitez, with the inevitable speculation as to whether he would go, or be sacked. A disunity that culminated in their failure, (for the first time in a long time), to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League, or to qualify at all for the competition this year. So for me, in the context of football, Stephen Gerard must have arrived at the World Cup in a demoralised frame of mind.
Now these players, taken together, illustrate another and more general point, that when it comes to the argument as to why they were so poor, questions relating to the amount of money they earn, are irrelevant. Football is played, not by God's, but by men, who, in this instance, had limits beyond which they could not reasonably be expected to go. "But what about Diego Forlan", I hear you shout "He had a successful World Cup!" Well, I could start an argument, vis-a-vis La Liga and the Premier League, as to which is the more demanding, but I won't. Suffice it to say that those few "big names" who had a successful World Cup, as compared to those who didn't, does not invalidate the argument that something is fundamentally wrong, when so many, "world class" players, or "top sides," failed to cut the mustard when it came to the biggest tournament of all.
As for my assertion that there is too much football, here, as the song says, is what I would do, "If I ruled the world": -
Introduce a winter break, a four week period in which there would be no football, either at home or abroad. As for the Champions League, I would be even more radical. I would end the group stage of the competition, and the home and away fixtures, whereby clubs can calculate the odds on their winning over the two legs. From start to finish it would be a knock-out competition. And as well as who you played, where you played, would, so to speak, come out of the hat. Without doubt, this sudden death approach would result in football that is entertaining rather than pedestrian. And in recognition of the fact that fans might well have to bravel to support their team in a one-off match, I would guarantee each set of supporters, 40 per cent of the (seats) available. As for the travel costs involved in this new format, they should be no greater than at present given the reduction in the number of games. And besides questioning the very idea of a World Cup, I would send to the Tower of London, anyone who as much as hinted at the possibility that the National Anthem, or other forms of communal singing should be lead by celebrities from the world of opera.
But given that all that is a flight of fancy, it has to be asked, who, among the powerful, could, or would raise their voice, in sufficient numbers to establish the principle that money no longer talks. That what matters is the physical well being of the players, the integrity of the rules as applied, and the entertainment value of matches. And something that I should have mentioned earlier, I would allow a limited system of appeals during matches and introduce the "sin bin".
As for the fans, of which I am a poor example, they are not to be underrated, even if, at times, the reasons given for their anger is misplaced, for they help to pay the wages. Nor should it be forgotten that football is a relatively harmless form of tribalism: a stabilising influence that brings cohesion and a sense of purpose and shared values to local communities. And fans are a part of the entertainment also, which is why I want to share with you, something of their genius. These contributions are on the subject of "Your best and worst World Cup pundit." I found them on, "The Word", a music magazine website, appropriately described as "Entertainment For Lively Minds".
Among the contributors Alan Shearer, (as do some others), takes a kicking, but who could be offended by this:
"I assume everyone has seen Shearer being out acted by a burger bun on the Morrison's advert. Maybe he should sprinkle some sesame seeds on his head and double his appeal"
And this, "two for the price of one" in shopping parlance:
"Danny Baker ... was just in the BBC studio for ten minutes and showed us exactly what someone with wit, broadcasting experience, and opinion can do - he took over the entire programme with a mixture of anecdote, comment and views on various teams and their prospects, which ended with Alan Shearer wanting to have "whatever he's on". Which says it all really - get rid of the ex pros and get some professional journalists and broadcasters who aren't afraid of opinions..."
Now I usually enjoy Danny Baker on his Saturday morning show, on Radio 5 Live. I say "usually", for at times it seems that his introductory ramblings are over long. And part of what keeps me listening, is, that I am never quite sure how sane he is, which I am happy to believe, is a trick of his trade.
And a counter argument to the notion above, that what we need in punditry are more professional journalists, rather than ex players, is to be found in respect of someone still playing, and obviously appreciated by many. I only discovered him as a pundit, towards the end of the Premiership season, and I was mightily impressed; for he made me sit up and take notice. This contribution, is by tiggerlion:
"Robby Savage by a mile. He was astounding today on Italy v New Zealand. His "mate" was playing for New Zealand and he was loud, exuberant, opinionated and even a little biaised. Far more entertaining than the match. His commentator didn't know what to make of him. Can't he pundit every match?"
And this, from Red Umpire:
"Cant bare Savage as a player, but as a pundit he's bloody good: honest, passionate and thoughtful. At the end of today's Portugal - Ivory Coast game he said, live on air, that he would be donating his appearance fee to charity as the game had been so poor that he'd had nothing to do as a summariser and he realised how lucky he was to be at the world cup at the BBC's expense."
To which the writer added:
"Now that's class. (And that's not a phrase I ever expected to hear in connection with Mr Savage)."
Which in turn, prompted David Hepworth to ask:
"Can I suggest a charity he gives it to? That way we might find out how much it is. I'd love to know."
Now someone that I like, but who fares badly on this website, is Mick McCarthy. There is an earthiness and a decency in him that I like, a durability that leads me, metaphorically speaking, to think of him as, a gate-post, or cart-horse: an animal that could never be persuaded to go faster than is absolutely necessary. And perhaps, in a perverse way, it is because I like him as a person, that I enjoyed these comments. The first, by King Tim, is followed by boc74, and Skirky:
"imagine my surprise to discover that the endless droning sound on the BBC 1 audio was not the massed vuvuzelas but the far from dulcet tones of Mick McCarthy."
"itv please release mike mccarthy into the african bush where he can bore a hole to the centre of the earth, instead of my f....ng brain."
"Worst; Mick McCarthy. Perpetually sounds like a Yorkshire butcher describing how he's been forced to bulk up the meat content in his sausages by Trading Standards"
And apart from the BBC being censured for its lack of imagination in selecting its World Cup pundits, Chris G, was keen to extend the boundaries:
"Worst gimmick: the BBC's "Battle Bus". It's pointless and just plain annoying yesterday they went on SAFARI and we learnt stop the press they have large wild animals in Africa. Why don't they just burn individual licence fee payer's cheques instead I don't know. Oh and if Gabby Logan updates us on England Team's washing again she might as well get back on the plane home too."
As for my own personal dislikes, I would cite Graham Taylor as the most platitudinous pundit imaginable. And though I have heard him often, I am at times, staggered by the conviction with which he can state the obvious, or befuddle my brain with the truly banal.
Now the wisest comment that I heard, in respect of the England fans sense of disappointment came, I think from the South African Team Coach; but in a moment of distraction during the broadcast, I can't be certain that it was he; and I am paraphrasing what was said. The mistake that the English fans made, he told us, was to believe that the exciting football that they see week in and week out in the Premiership, was synonymous with the England Team. But as many are now too painfully aware, they are not the same thing.
And the saddest: the story of a woman who saw her young grandson, in his moment of disappointment, putting his England shirt in the bin: the one she had bought for him. Discretely she recovered it; not because it was expensive, but because she knew that in all probability, and given time, he will have a change of heart.
As for Spain whom I earlier labelled among the "exhausted", winning the competition, I don't regard a defeat, and a series of one nil wins, as "entertainment". Yes they did what they had to do to win the competition, and in that sense they were the deserved winners. But who knows what England's fortune might have been had Lampard's disallowd goal against Germany been given; and that apart, many people believe that the real final, (when the pressure was off), was the match between Germany and Uruguay.
And something else that interested me during the competition was the various National Anthems. That of Spain, (that is without words, but is tuneful with a sense of purpose), was the best. And I was perplexed by some of those from South America, that seemed to have nothing whatever to do with, "the people", but with the elite and in particular, the Opera House. And that reminds me of a blog that I wrote some years ago entitled "England! England!" in which I explained why I thought that "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles, would be the perfect song for the English fans to sing from the terrances.
Who knows, they might even sing it in my memory - when I'm dead. - One can but dream!
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© Cormac McCloskey
The Word: "Your best and worst World Cup pundits..." here
