Blowing Hot And Cold

‘“THE answer for Sven is Owen in the wind.”

An Owen goal

How the Mirror hacks must have chortled over their back-page headline celebrating the stand-in England captain’s goal that earned a 1-0 victory in a stormy Azerbaijan!

It’s certainly a hell of a lot better than the Sun’s abysmal “Colden Balls” – a reference to the man who can’t stop hogging the news even when he’s not playing.

The Express might moan about the manner of England’s 1-0 victory in Baku, but anything that keeps David Beckham out of the papers has got to be a good thing.

However, Beckham’s shadow – in the form of an apology for getting himself deliberately booked in the match against Wales – still looms large over the game.

The Express and Mail both refer to it in their headlines, while the Sun reports that Fifa boss Sepp Blatter is demanding an FA investigation into the whole incident.

Are we at Anorak the only ones who are fed-up with this display of self-righteousness by the likes of Blatter and certain elements of the Press?

Beckham’s only crime was being stupid enough to think that he would receive anything but abuse if he revealed that the foul on Ben Thatcher was deliberate.

If he wanted it known that this wasn’t an act of petulance but of professionalism, then he should have leaked that to the papers without attribution.

He could have them denied it in public in a tone of mock outrage, thereby confirming his “guilt” to all but the game’s authorities.

Whichever way you look at it, though, this is a fabricated row that has long since passed its ‘best before’ date. Enough, people. It’s boring.

To the game itself and the Guardian reminds its readers that England’s football “could only be as neat as unpredictable conditions and frozen feet permitted”.

The game was won by a first-half Michael Owen header, but even that, he said, “bent in the wind”.

With Poland scoring three times to ruin Mark Hughes’s last match as Wales manager, England will just be happy with the three points.’

Posted: 14th, October 2004 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink