Goalie's blunder may make public catch on (From Bucks Free Press)

Goalie's blunder may make public catch on

10:59am Friday 18th June 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

I WAS saddened but not surprised to see that the hysteria over England’s World Cup chances evaporated so quickly on Friday and turned to gloom after the 1-1 draw with the USA.

It was entirely predictable that something would go wrong for England, as it always does, although even I didn’t imagine our goalkeeper would make such a schoolboy error. I doubt that poor Robert Green is capable of even catching a cold judging by his calamitous slip which led to the American equaliser.

And, although there is plenty of time for England to still recover, I have no doubt there will be more tears and mishaps before this tournament is over.

But maybe something good will come out of it – perhaps it will make the public finally catch on to the fact that our Premiership stars are overpaid and over-rated, and that watching football is not all about turning on the telly to see a bunch of pampered superstars.

The start of modern-day obsession with top-flight football was said to have begun after England’s heroics at the 1990 World Cup. But the Premiership’s good fortunes were in marked contrast to that of the lower leagues, where many clubs now battle just to survive.

I wonder how many so-called football ‘fans’ there are in Bucks who don’t bother to ever go to see Wycombe Wanderers because they are spoilt on a TV diet of Gerrards and Rooneys.

Maybe Robert Green’s bungle could just mean the start of a drift away from this superstar culture – and the start of a new era of fans following their local clubs instead.