Berks v Turks

‘IF the England players were expecting sympathy for their show of solidarity with Rio Ferdinand, they find it in pretty short supply among today’s papers.

Sven Goran Eriksson has plenty to worry about

The sports hacks take pretty well the same view on the back pages that the news hacks take on the front, as demonstrated by Brian Woolnough in the Star.

“How dare our star footballers hold the country to ransom?” he asks, portraying Saturday’s crucial Euro 2004 qualifier as Berks v Turks.

Actually, with Michael Owen missing with a leg injury, it is probably more likely to be Becks v Turks – and in those circumstances the Turks have got to be hot favourites.

The Sun, whose early editions led with the headline “Heroes To Zeroes”, had a Damascene conversion halfway through last night and is now supporting the players.

As evidence, it quotes a Uefa official as saying that England could have played Rio Ferdinand if they had wanted to, while the Turks also said they would not have objected.

But the Sun’s support is only skin-deep – in fact, it only lasts a couple of pages into the paper where we come across Steven Howard blasting this “bunch of prima donnas”.

Meanwhile, the Mirror pays a visit to the Turks’ training camp and finds it “full of laughter, fun…and football”.

“The Turks were so relaxed as their build-up to Saturday’s troubled Euro 2004 qualifier intensified that they hosted a barbecue at the squad’s countryside training camp,” it says.

And it is England who can expect to be on the end of a skewer in jut over 48 hours’ time.’

Posted: 9th, October 2003 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink