Hear me now or remain confined to the belief that Capello will finally lead England,to what has been the nation's nemesis,since 1966 - World Cup glory - come 2010.The colourful and highly accomplished gaffer received so much media attention since his inauguration,a few months ago.The media frenzy epitomises what the British public has suffered every 4 years since 1966.Some of us who are British by default will still find the audacity to be cynical about the winning goal against West Germany in that year - a goal that never was - but the man in black still awarded it and England were 'World cup champions'on home turf.Now with less than 18 months South Africa and the world are waiting,for creme de le creme of the English premiership.
The British premiership is unequivocally the most exciting and entertaining league in the world.From Manchester to Rio De Janeiro to Yokohama and other less fortunate corners of the world - soccer fanatics envy and worship the premiership.And there is every reason to believe so.This is where a galaxy of the world's most talented and pampered footballers converge for a common purpose - playing football the way it should be played.This is where punting is free and fair.You are assured of making millions if you are a bookmaker or even a high-street broker.That is English football.
Through out all the years of resilience and patience,my feeling is that i might not live to see England lift the most prestigious trophy in any sport - the world cup.All my eyes have seen it and all my ears have heard it - endless failures at the knockout stages.Almost is not good enough.In my privileged life,i have seen Italia 90,even though i might have been too raw to understand.Yes i saw a mighty Cameroonean side fronted by the Great Roger Milla,Francois Omam Biyik,Andre Kana Biyik and Ceril Makanaky,dismantle England and only to be robbed by that man in black.A Gary Lineker spotkick sealed the victory for England,but as expected the team crumbled in the semi-finals.
And 1994 was not an exception either.Disappoint once again.Then the emergence of a dream team in 1998 inspired by a fresh-faced David Beckham and Michael Owen,once again left us cursing those above.The blame was on David Beckham - only if he had not received an unnecessary red-card when he reacted to an Ariel Ortega tackle.In 2002,Ronaldinho's delicate freekick was a sucker punch that booted England out once again.The 2006 edition was quite a unique one because a goal poacher in Wayne Rooney had been brought in, to bang them in.Guess what?, with all the anxiety and expectation from Soho Square,to Newcastle - Rooney stuck his boot into a Portuguese opponent and England's dream was shuttered for the umpteenth time.
Now Capello has been assigned to carry English hopes and without any illusions someone explain to me what has changed in the set-up?Steve G,Frank Lampard,David James,Ashley Cole,Rio Ferdinand and many more who have monopolised the selection for a while - are still surely in the England squad for South Africa.What is it that they will conjure up differently this time around.An impressive run of fortune in the preliminary qualifying stages is a mere fluke and hear me now or never.What England need for now is a complete overhaul of the playing personnel.They have been tried ,tested and failed.Hence ,it's time to move on with the next generation.
Of course,English football might be a marvel to watch but world cup glory is something more than passion and excitement.It's not about wags or labels,it's about national pride and patriotism.
South Africa will presumably provide a bunch of under-achievers with a scapegoat because - the altitude and hard pitches will be stumbling blocks once again.
Hear me now or Never
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment