Destroying English Popular Culture

Football is the English National Game.

The manager of the National Team - an Italian - resigned.

Fans, players and the media wanted an Englishman called Redknapp as the new manager. His character could be described as salt of the earth and he had achieved much with several English clubs both in English and European projects with low budgets to buy players.

Here are twitter comments from top English players
"Striker Wayne Rooney had said on Twitter following Capello's departure: "Got to be English to replace him. Harry Redknapp for me." Defender Rio Ferdinand tweeted: "Harry Redknapp would be my choice by a distance."
www.bbc.co.uk...

The ruling body of the sport wanted him to move hundreds of miles away into the desolate middle of England as the ruling body thought that an academy in this place would be the answer to the English National Team failing to win any honour since 1966.

Redknapp who is full of common sense said no - it is reported today that his wife may have been instrumental in his decision and is concerned as he had coronary artery surgery in the last few months and would have to commute from his home in southern England.

And so the ruling body of the sport have contrived to destroy the chances of the English fans and footballers having their choice and end up appointing a guy called Hodgson who has had some success abroad but failed miserably with Liverpool a top English club.

Interestingly Hodgson works in the middle of England where the academy will operate. Coincidence huh!

Once again we are witnessing the destruction of English culture by a mediocracy of managers who do not represent the essence of English football i.e. most clubs were founded by a group of working men kicking a ball around a park.

And who is the architect of this appointment and miserable affair - step forward David Bernstein an accountant who has never played professional footy!


Bernstein is the accountant who oversaw the abusive FCUK French Connection adverts and hopefully if he fcuks up this appointment his head will roll into the same bucket as his foreskin did at his barmy itz vah on the day when he started supporting Mercenary City - a local English football team without any locals after Bernstein "saved the club" LOL.

We are all watching you David even though you will try to disseminate responsibilty when England under Hodgson fail in the near future at the European Championships.

Redknapp who is full of common sense said no

Incorrect. Redknapp himself maintains he was not contacted at anytime (and we saw him say it live on tv) by the FA for the England job. Something the FA has also said.

And so the ruling body of the sport have contrived to destroy the chances of the English fans and footballers having their choice and end up appointing a guy called Hodgson who has had some success abroad but failed miserably with Liverpool a top English club.

To be honest I wasn't too happy with the choice at first (I also wanted Redknapp you see) but once I've had time to think about it I can't complain at all really. We got a great deal actually - We have an extremely experienced football manager, someone knows the game very well, someone who has managed at the highest level (Inter Milan for example not forgetting a long time in the Premiership with various teams), someone who is English and finally, for the first time I believe, we actually have someone going into the job with existing experience on the International stage, and he's also proven himself on the International stage which is also important. Just look at what he did with Switzerland for example taking them of all teams to third in the world at one point.

He's a great manager, and yeah we all wanted Harry but we never got him, and in all honesty, Roy was the best candidate, regardless. With this thread, and with all due respect of course, but I think It's just obvious you're annoyed at the decision and because of that you're looking for any reason, any old possible out there conspiracy theory as to why Roy was chosen instead. And with all due respect but It's just quite silly.

Roy is our manager now, he's experienced, he's English and most importantly he's proven himself on the International stage already - He if after all the most experienced International manager in our Euro group after all, and by some distance. In my opinion I think we all need to get behind him now. Wishing Harry got the job isn't going to change anything. We need a manager and we need one now - It's taken too long already. The Euros kick off in just over a month now and we need someone in there to prepare the team already.

Why is this such a bad thing really? It's just sports, maybe the time could be better spent on fixing some other pressing issues in the world. Yeah, I know.. shock and dismay. I get that same thing when I suggest that to my kids.. two who play football (American) and the other who plays soccer (I think that's your football there right?).

I don't know what it is like there in the UK with sports, but I know around here that people seem to have an almost unhealthy and unbalanced obsession with sports of all kinds. I just find it hard to get too worked up about one coach/head whatever over another. It doesn't seem likely that one person will destroy all of a sport or country's past time.

reply to post by Rising Against


I feel that your interpretation of events is somewhat naive especially in labelling the conspiracy theory to keep `Arry out as being silly.

We now have a "safe pair of hands", as wiki describes Bernstein, appointing a "safe pair of hands" as Gary Lineker the former England striker describes Roy of the Rovers (whilst looking to the right all of the time in the interview suggesting that he was less than impressed with the appointment).
www.bbc.co.uk...


This reminds me of the Orson Welles quote in The Third Man:


Hodgson`s English football team is predicted to be the equivalent of the cuckoo clock.

p.s. being a Spurs supporter I feel glad that Harry may choose to stay with us as his management has been very successful for the past 3 years.

This thread is about English popular culture and how it is gradually being destroyed by middle classes and mass immigration.

That's all well and good.

But everyone knows that in every sport, even though the manager/coach is important, it is the players that ultimately have to perform on the field of play.

England's players have simply not performed well on the international stage. They've come close a couple times but in the end they fail. Blame the coach if you want, I blame the players every time.

Isn't Euro this summer? Can't wait. Go Germany!

Redknapp is nothing more than a cockney barrow boy who was very lucky to escape imprisonment recently.
There have been rumours about illegal bungs for years now.
There's no way on earth the staid and epitome of middle England English FA were going to appoint Harry.

Whilst the appointment of Roy Hodgson hardly excites it is quite wide of the mark to call it another example of destroying English popular culture, in fact I'd say it's re-asserting the traditional English practice of middle of the road mediocre management.

Hodgson will not bring any controversy along with him and he is as English as tea and crumpet.

Unfortunately, I suspect that neither will he bring any significant success as well, his teams will probably reflect his nature - conservative and steady - hardly the approach needed to win major tournaments nowadays, but hopefully Hodgson and his team will prove me wrong.

ETA

This thread is about English popular culture and how it is gradually being destroyed by middle classes and mass immigration.

English popular culture has always been predominantly 'middle class' - gin in teas cups, high tea, croquet and all that bollocks.
I really don't see how Hodgson being appointed is indicative of any erosion of English values or standards.

And English history is one of of never ending immigration - and how on earth has Hodgson's appointment got anything to do with that?

Yes we have massive immigration issues at present but surely that's a discussion for another thread, isn't it?

To be honest it doesn't really matter who is the England manager. If we aren't going to address the fundamental issues with our game, we will continue to see hopeless England performances. We need to focus on the young players, getting them to play a style of football that can be successful in international football. I don't really care who the manager is. Unless we start to approach the national game with new ideas we will be saddled with the bi annual disappointment.

The only thing destroying football is the amount of money involved and the financial issues faced by clubs. Look at Glasgow Rangers or Portsmouth for example.

reply to post by dr treg


The FA had their fingers burnt with Terry Venables and then Sven.

Appointing Harry Redknapp with his alleged background, connections and somewhat shady dealings was, frankly, never going to happen.

Appointing another foreign manager was not going to happen, so the FA was stuck with Pearce or the best internationally qualified English manager in the Premier League, Hodgson.

Not really a conspiracy. More common sense.

This is the question: who does the game belong to?

A game that started with some locals kicking a football around in their park and then formed teams that were watched by the locals i.e. a local culture.

This has developed into a group of non-locals and immigrants or their offspring being watched by men who are socially displaced due to work or financial pressures and had to move miles away from the local stadium which is now owned by an eastern or middle-eastern conglomerate.

Harry would have been one of the last remnants of the culture where football was a local affair. All of the clubs he has managed have been English. God knows what Hodgson has been up to abroad. I for one do not relate to him as a "successful English manager".

No wonder Jimmy Greaves has given up on football and now follows rugby.