Already a subscriber? Log in
Well said, Jamie. You can’t beat loyalty in my view, and what a pity you have had to re-retire, though inevitable I guess. But what is it about playing for England that makes footballers want to quit?
Is it age? Do me a favour. Stanley Matthews was 41 when in 1956 at Wembley he upstaged the great Nilton Santos of Brazil in having a foot in all of England’s goals in an amazing 4-2 victory. Geoffrey Green wrote in the Times: ‘Marshals and scarlet Caesars have won their victories on land, but few could have equalled in colour and dramatic contexts this triumph of the Apollonic English game over the Dionysiac dance of Brazil… (and) in the end it was the particular artistry of Stanley Matthews, backed by the iron spirit and direct skill of his colleagues, who saw England home.’ So maybe it wasn’t Capello’s finest hour to use a TV interview to fire Beckham, who has always said he’s happy to go on playing for England till he’s 106. Unlike Paul Scholes, who also ‘retired’, though he did say he might have played in South Africa if he’d been asked nicely. What a wuss.
Meanwhile Englishness is all around. Someone from the absurdly named Team England has said that the next manager of the national team will be English. That must make Capello feel as welcome as something unidentified in the bagging area. Poor guy. Mark you, you can’t really blame the FA: it is impossible to imagine Spain, or Germany or Italy being coached by a foreigner.
The American writer Budd Schulberg, who knew a thing or two about sport as well as winning Oscars, once said that the closest competition to boxing outside the ring was tennis. You might not punch with your left and right, but you have forehands and backhands; you might not land actual blows, but you used exactly the same tactical sense, driving your opponent all round the court, through strength and cunning, before making the knockout shot or forcing the mistake.
Andy Murray, himself a keen boxing fan, is looking more and more the heavyweight champion he soon should be. He dominated Nadal and Federer in Canada last week (and there’s not many people who do that in one tournament), and is playing with great aggression and freedom now he’s decided to do without a coach. The terrifying presence of his mother Judy, now full-time in the players’ box, would concentrate anyone’s mind, Murray’s as much as his opponent’s. But the long awaited Grand Slam could well come his way in the US Open at Flushing Meadow later this month. There might not be a better time, though at a best price of 3-1 or so, it’s not going to make anyone — apart from Murray himself — a fortune.
Also in Society
Also by Roger Alton
Latest
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in