Putting the FA in Farce
‘ALAN Smith is used to incompetence he is surrounded by it on the pitch at Elland Road and has seen it at close quarters in the Leeds United boardroom.
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But proving that it is a big step up in class between club football and international football, the striker yesterday learnt that there is nothing that Leeds can do that the FA cant do worse.
In fact, the organisation that put the FA into FARCE is again a laughing stock this morning after an amazing blunder which saw Smith sent home from the England squad four hours after being called up.
The reason was that Smith had been arrested for throwing a plastic bottle into the crowd at a recent Carling Cup game against Manchester United.
However, the arrest took place five hours BEFORE the 23-year-old was called up.
The Sun says the FA is now facing another player revolt ahead of this weekends friendly against Denmark.
Players rep Gary Neville, with the backing of the whole squad, contacted PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor to organise a battle plan, it says.
When Smith gets back to his club, he will understandably be confused about who his next manager will be.
The Star has the exclusive news that the porcine David OLeary is so desperate to get away from Aston Villa and return to West Yorkshire that he is prepared to stump up the £2m compensation figure himself.
However, an exclusive in the Stars sister paper, the Express, says the exact opposite namely, that Leeds have offered the piggy one a £600,000 golden hello, but OLeary has chosen to stay at Villa.
All of which leaves us little time to hear from the Mail that England rugby coach Clive Woodward has taken the biggest gamble of the World Cup by picking Mike Catt and Richard Hill in his starting XV to play France on Sunday.
When you consider that the two have 120 caps between them, it might be suggested that it isnt such a massive gamble after all.
And it is even less so for Woodward, who has been told that his job is safe even if England go down to France.
To underline Englands experience, Jason Leonard will become the most capped player ever if he comes off the bench in Sydney and Dorian West will likewise become the oldest to appear in a World Cup semi-final.
However, England have eight players in their starting XV who are under 30 only one fewer than France.
Allez Les Blancs, as they dont say in either Paris or Sydney.’
Posted: 14th, November 2003 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
