Camden New Journal - Sports: The Crow

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Camden New Journal - CROW by RICHARD OSLEY and PIP WROE
Published: 10 September 2009

Game’s enforcers are wimps and Defoe’s been made to wait too long

BRILLIANT Arsenal were so much better than everybody else in 1991 that when the FA docked the club two points for knuckling Brian McClair and the rest of the Manchester United duffers in an on-pitch brawl, they won the league anyway. Easily. Losing just one game.
Since then, every time a punishment is handed out, the authorities row back and reinstate points and almost apologise for even daring to suggest sanctions in the first place.
Take the case of Tottenham. Booted out of the FA Cup in the 1990s for suspected financial dodginess. Along comes Lord Sir Baron Admiral Duke whatever-he-was-then Alan Sugar. He appealed – saying any financial dodginess was before he took over – and Spurs were handed back docked points.
Thankfully, this action meant we were treated to the wonderful afternoon – back when Pip Wroe’s shirt was up to date – when Everton smashed four past them in the semi-final. Who knows what was worse: being banned from the cup or being crushed by Daniel Amokachi?
Now, we come to Chelsea. Their punishment for snatching kids from the continent is a ban on transfers for a year. Too right. But the club will almost certainly win an appeal and get back to trying to buy success. Maybe it’s made them think. Where’s the honour in flashing around a chequebook?

SO, as the England band marches on to the World Cup, our team stutter along behind them with their usual brand of underwhelming, slightly nerve-wracking football.
As one of the top sides in the world (according to FIFA), we’ve done exceptionally well to play so poorly for over a decade, and yet the nation follows with the same fervour as always.
Judging from Saturday’s penalty decision against Slovenia, there’s a high chance that the new Wembley could develop into an Old Trafford-esque den of injustice for visiting nations.
If Wayne Rooney destroys your ankle with a horrific lunge you must have impeded him somehow – so penalty!
The one redeeming feature of this current England team is the grudging inclusion of some real danger in the form of Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon.
The tiny terrors from Tottenham are in scintillating form. And despite how depressing it must be to play the best football of your life and still be behind Emile Heskey in the pecking order, Defoe still looks like a constant threat whenever he escapes the bench.
A couple more moments of genius and Defoe may finally leapfrog the Villa striker and claim that richly deserved top spot in the team.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: