The villification of Ronaldo and the entire Portugal team is simply a
manifestation of denial.
The English cannot accept the FACT that the national football team is a
comprised of a bunch of useless overpaid serial underachievers. After
watching Italy vs.Germany does anybody seriously believe in this 'golden
generation' rubbish? Italy delivered the best exhibition of passing football
I have ever seen, sheer unadulterated class. England at their best (or
should that read least worst) could not live with the sheer quality that
Italy showed us the other night.
The facts about Rooney and Ronaldo are simple and clear - Rooney
deliberately stood on the grounded player - as soon as it happened I knew
he'd be off, it was clearly deliberate and not one person in the England
team or management has tried to excuse him. Bizarrely the FA have taken up
the cudgels, prolonging the embarrasment. Ronaldo did not get Rooney sent
off, Rooney got Rooney sent off.
Another myth is that Sven is responsible for the miserable state of the
football team. Martin O'Neill got it exactly right when he said that Sven
had improved the team by qualifying consistently. The theory that England
should play 442 because 'thats what the players are used to' conveniently
ignores the FACT that other teams switch formation at the drop of a hat. Our
players are not as talented nor as sophisticated as most of the European
teams - including Portugal - who by the way were missing two of their most
influential players when they beat England. How would we have done deprived
of Rooney - oh hang on a minute!
In this country we elevate a bunch of mediocre hacks to the status of
demigods and then blame all and sundry when it goes predictably and horribly
wrong. Villifying the Portugese for diving whilst applauding the likes of
Owen and Gerrard for 'winning' penalties is just hypocrisy. Face it - we
were bloody dreadful, and got exactly what we deserved - nothing. Until the
players start to realise that winning is not a right, we will never succeed
in competition. Until spoilt underperforming halfwits like Michael Owen
learn to accept criticism from their manager and work to improve, instead of
running to the papers, until players stop referring to themselves in the
third person - (how ludicrous a statement is ' It is not Gary Neville's
right to give up playing for England' when uttered by Gary Neville himself)
we will never win anything.
pip pip
Chris Wright
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oh alright then :-)
