If like me, you’re in the range of about 18~ years old, you grew up with the English national team being a perennial disappointment. Our golden era was actually just a team of individuals trying to work together while being constantly lambasted by the media (I’ll get to the media later). While us English people had our fingers in our arses trying to figure out why a Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard pivot wouldn’t work (by the way, the answer is a 4-3-3 with Owen Hargreaves playing behind the two of them, shame) while other countries were planning for the future.
Because of our TV money, we never really had to plan for youth development. However countries like Germany, Spain, France and Portugal had to find other ways to compete with the Premier League’s riches. All of the above began investing in youth development and structured youth scouting systems throughout the country, while also promoting youth coaches, with the correct attitude (more of this later, too). Germany, Spain and France are already seemingly reaping the benefits, as their countries would quite comfortably spank England’s national team even if we had a ten goal lead.
Our youth development and understanding of the beautiful game is nothing short of embarrassing, in England. I would not be surprised if you went to your local youth game and saw the W-M formation being utilised with aimless long balls being played forward. In fact, how is it even beautiful to us? To the Spanish, beautiful football is played in an actual beautiful way, with purposeful possession and control. In England it’s called the beautiful game because of we all get our hopes up for the national team and we’re always perennially disappointed. It’s what keeps the alcohol business in England booming.
“But Billy!” I hear you cry, “How does that relate to Mesut Özil?” Well, it’s linked to the destined assist leader in Europe as England are arguably the most backward ‘top’ footballing nation in the world.
In Englischer Fussball by Raphael Honigstein, which gives a looking at English football through the eyes of a German journalist, Honigstein looks at England’s strange dislike towards technically gifted players. In fact, it stems mostly from England’s one and only World Cup win in 1966. Football sociologist Chas Critcher wrote
“The lesson learnt from [Ramsey’s] success was that exceptional work-rate, team understanding and defensive impenetrability could overcome more skilful but less effective foreign sides”.
This is still evident even today. Foreign sides and players are often labelled as ‘soft’ and phrases such as ‘let them know you’re there’ are still spouted by English pundits. But who ends up winning? Ah yes. The softies. It is incredible that an attitude so prevalent in the 1960’s, is still emphasised today. Football is constantly evolving, except in England.
Honigstein argues that few people see the huge price England had to pay for that single World Cup win. Historian Frank McLynn puts it more cynically –
“If we are going to accept a humourless, cynical, negative opportunist as one of our sporting heroes, of what calibre will the villains have to be?”
Just think about English’s footballing heroes. They’re either exclusive to the ’66 side or we have emotional ties to them because of their club. The only player who escapes either of these categories for me is David Beckham, who captured everyone’s hearts when he pulled on an England shirt. I even used to have a mohawk when I was six. A bloody mohawk.
David Beckham was technically exceptional. Yet he was demonised by the media and fans alike, in fact, his most praised asset was his passion, and not his ability. If that doesn’t show our incorrect attitude then nothing will. In fact, ask any average football fan in your pub, and phrases such as ‘Primadonna’ and ‘He only really cared about fashion’ will be thrown around. Not the fact he was arguably England’s most unappreciated player of all time, well, maybe second behind one Paul Scholes.
Paul Scholes should’ve been born 50 years later, when the FA finally get their fingers out of their arses and properly funds youth development and coaching. Paul Scholes hated the media circus surrounding the English national team other England players’ selfish attitude. Yep, our greatest ever technical player disliked playing for his own country because there was no team cohesion. Is team cohesion and modern day football linked? Well, yes. Look at sides such as Louis Van Gaal’s Barcelona, Rinus Michels’ Holland, Guardiola’s Barcelona and you’ll see immense team cohesion. With England, there hasn’t been any team cohesion since the 1990’s. Where Bobby Robson’s England were still ridiculed by the media and fans and guess what? They actually played nice football.
Seems quite irrational that a manager who was at his peak in the middle of the 20th century has affected a country so profusely, doesn’t it? Honigstein also points out how the English national team has a history of neglecting those who technically gifted.
The likes of Charlie George (One cap, subbed after half an hour), Frank Worthington (nine caps), Peter Osgood (105 goals in 286 games, led an aesthetically pleasing Chelsea side to a Cup Winner’s Cup and an FA Cup, and oh, four caps), Alan Hudson (two caps). The problem is deeply rooted in England’s society, as Honigstein writes –
“As far as the public was concerned they were too flash, too glamorous, too flamboyant too conscious of their own ability. They played the game too colourfully. Although aristocratic or middle-class eccentrics are traditionally accepted in England, the rules for middle-class men are less tolerant. You must remain modest, conscientious and predictable. You do not flaunt what you have…”
This seems a bit ludicrous, doesn’t it? The unconscious is an odd thing. But all you have to do is look at English nature. Take a look at our favourite past time, queuing. Everyone respects the queuing system, it is nationally known. You cannot push in front of the queue. You’re essentially screaming ‘LOOK AT ME! I AM BETTER THAN YOU, I DISRESPECT THE QUEUING SYSTEM!’. This is how flair players are regarded amongst coaches. While little Johnny Stafford hoofs the ball up front to his pal on a Sunday morning, he is applauded. While little Johnny Cruijff passes the ball backwards to his teammate in space, he is criticised. All you need to do is go to your local youth game to experience such backwards behaviour.
Oh shit, this was meant to link to Mesut Özil, wasn’t it? Sorry, I got carried away with the incompetence of England in general.
Anyway, have you ever been on http://Twitter.com? It’s an absolutely awful place, even though I’m using it to promote this piece right now. Anyway, if you want to see how ignorant the average person is to the ability of Özil, then please, go ahead and make an account.
The unconscious is a very, very strange thing. Although we may ignore the average drivel from newspaper columnists, we still unfortunately take in their idiotic information. Such articles such as this nonsense and the infamous alas deleted Daily Mail article which was titled ‘Germany drub Brazil 7-1, but Özil still goes missing’.
The clear agenda in this country against Özil is so clear I reckon your blind great grandma would shake her head in shame. But of course, it is just not Özil who is regularly scrutinised. Ex-Manchester United player Ángel Di María was heavily picked on by the media and fans alike, despite the Argentine being in tough circumstances and finishing the Premier League season with ten assists. It may not be just because these are both highly technical, but both play(ed) for two of the biggest clubs in England, and people love to read about big clubs, no matter how stupid the story.
But of course, there is also, one Jack Wilshere. England’s supposed prodigal son. The similarities between Paul Gascoigne and Jack Wilshere are stark. Both technically gifted players, something England doesn’t see very often, injury prone, personality…issues? And of course, both are misunderstood.
Immense pressure was piled on Gascoigne everywhere he played. But it was where Gascoigne played without pressure where he played best. At Tottenham under Terry Venables, Gascoigne thrived in his first season at White Hart Lane. It was only when a foreign club recognised that there was an immense technically gifted player being underappreciated, did the English game realise what they were missing.
Gascoigne and Italy never really mixed. It was eventually at Rangers that Gazza flourished, with little pressure in the SPL, Gazza dazzled. Yet he was still only 28 when he arrived at the Scottish club, but English fans caught a glimpse of what they could have had if Gazza had progressed as planned. If the media and fans alike had supported an obvious prodigal talent, who knows how good he could have been?
Players like Gazza are remembered so fondly because technical ability is not emphasised in England. Us English mourn about what Gazza could have been, yet we offer no change when technically gifted played actually come through, I.E Jack Wilshere. Instead of being praised as a talented individual, the media and fans look to demonise Wilshere. It’s entirely possible that we see Jack Wilshere as an abnormality, one that would not fit in with Alf Ramsey’s England side. He belongs with the other unappreciated ‘flair’ players. He even passes the ball backwards!
Paul Gascoigne is a cautionary tale, yet we do not learn from him. Jack Wilshere is slowly becoming a cautionary tale, yet we do not learn from him. The Premier League is often touted as ‘the most physical league in the world’, is this even something be proud of? In an age of Pep Guardiola’s beautiful Barcelona side, this is what England is known for? We offer players such little protection that it’s no wonder we have no technical players as we let them be slaughtered by awful tackles. If this is the case at youth level, then players will simply boot the ball away before they are inevitably kicked. No technical ability is improved upon.
Xabi Alonso summed up England’s problem with a great quote on tackling.
‘Tackling is not really a quality, it’s more something you are forced to resort to when you don’t have the ball,’
‘You would come across an interview with a lad from the youth team and they’ve asked him his age, his heroes as a kid, and his strong points. And he would say things like shooting and tackling. I can’t get into my head that footballing development would educate tackling as a quality.’’
In the book ‘The Numbers Game’ by Chris Anderson and David Sally, this quote is used. Xabi Alonso argued that tackling is a last ditch effort. It goes against modern day principles and is rather archaic. Tackling is a negative thing in football. Across England right now, thousands of kids are being shouted at for ‘not getting stuck in’. While far more advanced footballing nations such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain have activities such as non-contact Futsal. This emphasises footballing ability, whereas in England we still having tackling drills. An attribute that emphasises fixing a mistake, i.e a bad pass.
Do I care that we all seem to strangely have an agenda against technically gifted players? Not really. Mesut Özil plays for my club and not yours. So suck it. However, the ignorance towards the understanding of technically gifted players does bug me. Even this week a YouTuber released a video saying Dimitri Payet is better than Mesut Özil. Of course this was just simply for views, but there has to be a level of ignorance to even contemplate releasing such a video. Such attitudes are so prevalent throughout England, technically gifted players may never be encouraged and it’s no wonder we don’t understand Mesut Özil.
Us English have a shockingly ignorant attitude to our own players, and I’m disappointed in myself it took this long to even realise it. Can you imagine if Mesut Özil was English? Roy Hodgson would probably play him on the left in a flat 4-4-2. I hope we never win a World Cup again and we don’t deserve to. Screw you, Alf Ramsey. You ruined football.
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