7 December 2009
RESPECT: Arrogance Will Come Back to Bite Us
By Russell Drury
In the eyes of many pundits, England have drawn a group that should pose them few problems. But do declarations of superiority really do us any good?
So we are in the easy group (England, Algeria, Slovenia, USA). That is how one top journalist put it. Other commentators and, disturbingly, former players were quick to add their opinion:
“Couldn’t have asked for an easier group...”
“Capello will be delighted...”
“England will have absolutely no problems with this group...”
These are just some of the soundbites I have heard since the World Cup draw was made on Friday. I think we had all just better shut up.
England have never had an easy World Cup group, and certainly not in recent years. Yes they come through it usually, but it has never been easy.
In World Cup ‘90 Egypt were supposed to be the whipping boys, only to draw with Ireland and Holland before England scraped a one-nil win to top the group. In 1998, Glen Hoddle moaned at the fact Romania were seeded instead of England, only for Romania to prove FIFA correct by beating England two-one in the group stage. In 2002, admittedly, England performed well to get out of the dreaded ‘Group of Death’. And in 2006 Sven Goran Eriksson was “very happy” with the group, before beating Paraguay by an own goal and following that with another unconvincing win against Trinidad and Tobago.
Fabio Capello is no fool and I am certain that, as the tournament approaches, his players will be giving the press their well-rehearsed quotes on there being “no easy games in international football”. But it is not the attitude of Capello and his players that worries me. Their approach will be as it should be – professional.
As usual, it is our media who are falling into the same old trap of arrogance that befalls us at every major tournament. As much as we like to crow about the Premier League being the best in the world, apart from ’66 and ’90, we are quarter-finalists at best on the world stage.
And yet our pundits and journalists continue to mock any side that is below us in the world rankings. While diving, cheating and treatment of referees regularly falls under scrutiny, the respect for the opposition always seems to be forgotten, well before a ball has even be kicked.
Every team will automatically raise their game against England, the inventors of the beautiful game. But with football now beamed in some form or another to almost every country in the world, offensive comments from our pundits are sure to find their way into the dressing rooms of Algeria and Slovenia. They will now go out hoping to ram every single one of the disrespectful words about them right back down our throats, and who can blame them? The way we seem to dismiss them makes it sound as if they only learned how to play football last week.
Our players are admired the world over for their professionalism, honesty and hard work. I am sure the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard and Terry would prefer it if the so-called ‘experts’ on the Match of the Day sofa kept quiet and allowed them to approach the tournament without the cocky drivel that always comes back to bite us where it hurts the most. It is time we all showed some RESPECT.
