Wayne In Spain
‘A GREAT player may be judged not only on his goals and style on the field, but what he does when the game is not going his way.
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| ‘No, the monkey chants aren’t aimed at you’ |
As yet, Wayne Rooney is no great, but he does have promise and in his current vein of form he usually promises to kick, dive and mouth off.
Last night in Englands 1-0 defeat to Spain, the Times watched the tyro exit the pitch in disgrace as he was substituted before he could be sent off.
To compound his night of shame, when he tried his utmost to add some spite to a friendly, he managed to rip off his black armband – worn to mark the passing of former England captain Emlyn Hughes – and toss it to the ground in disgust.
Granted, Hughes had his faults, and placing his arm around the shoulders of dear Princess Anne may have been too much to bear for a young royalist like La Roon, but its no excuse for his reaction.
So, after having spent the better part of the run-up to yesterdays game in Madrid taking the upper hand, when the game started, Englands players used the same hand to push shove and insult the memory of a fallen leader.
But no matter, because one thing England fans are not guilty of is racism. Not like some of those Spanish fans. No, siree.
Well, not in the Express, where the FA have written to UEFA stating their dismay at the monkey chants directed towards Englands black players.
And quite right that they should. Racism is ugly and corrosive and should be stamped on hard.
And while we applaud the FAs tough stance, we at Anorak look forward to hearing the delightful chants and experiencing the wonderful bonhomie as England take on Northern Ireland in their World Cup group game this coming spring.
Elsewhere, the nation is holding its breath – before exhaling a satisfying blast of smoky air – in readiness for Sundays big darts showdown.
Thats when world champion Andy The Viking Fordham does battle with world champion Phil The Caravan Taylor for the title for world champion (or champions).
And the news is that Taylor had best look out because XXXXXXL Fordham is breaking the habit of a lifetime.
No, hes not given up his 20-bottles-of-lager-a-day keep-in-shape regime, neither is he forgoing what appears to be a penchant for Monster Thickburgers (see Tabs) – hes training.
I dont normally do any practice at all, except for loosening up my throwing arm with a few beers, says the champ.
So hes tossing a few darts in preparation for the big one. And just as soon as hes summoned up the puff to go to the board and collect them, he might just launch a couple more…’
Posted: 18th, November 2004 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
