Perhaps it’s the passing of time, or the perpetual failure of the national team but international football seems to hold little appeal for supporters of all club denominations. So much that the enforced two week break from the Premier League hurly burly is the entertainment equivalent of Japanese water torture.
Somehow it didn’t used to be this way, with the glamour of playing international football every schoolboy’s fantasy. Memories of the World Cup in far flung places, TV secretly on late at night, with crackling commentary and exotic fans abound.
Yet today, amid the globalised nature of the modern club game, with live matches available at the touch of a mouse almost round-the-clock, the international game takes a distinctly back seat. After all, if the world’s best habitually gravitate towards the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and increasingly the Bundesliga, what purpose does the international game truly serve?
In the Premier League, for example, just 37 per cent of players are English. That is not to evoke the now clichéd argument about England’s international demise but to emphasise the globalised nature of the domestic game. To all intents and purposes any meeting of the Premier League’s upper echelons is international football in a domestic setting.
Moreover, international football is now inferior in many ways to the fare served weekly in the Champions League, even if homogenised tactical patterns now universally dominate Europe’s premier competition. Tactically, technically and certainly in terms of entertainment, last season’s Champions League scored more highly than the World Cup in South Africa.
Indeed, the international game – and especially the World Cup this summer – for the first time has suffered from homogeneity. The clash of cultures once associated with South American, Asian, and African football – as opposed to European – gave way to the preponderance of the 4-2-3-1 system and defensive possession-based tactics in South Africa. Without its distinctness the international game serves as little more than an exercise in patriotism.
If international football is at threat from a lack of diversity and globalised media coverasge, then increasingly club sides are waging a war on their big brother too. Witness recent changes to the international calendar in the move to a Friday-Tuesday double header that is designed solely to assuage club managers.
Then there is also an ongoing case in which Europe’s leading clubs seek to extract greater compensation from international associations for injured players. Soon leading players from smaller associations may – literally – be priced out of international fixtures for fear of injury.
Powerful club sides are also seeking the end to both June and August international friendlies. Within five years it is not unreasonable to assume the only international football available will be competitive, further reducing the diversity in the international game.
Perhaps fans too have become tired even of live international football, with less than 50,000 tickets reportedly sold for tomorrow night’s Euro2014 England qualifier against Montenegro. With a catchment area of 45 million potential fans, the national team – let alone Wembley’s permanently worrisome bean-counters – should expect better.
Certainly the England team’s connection with supporters outside the capital is not aided by the FA’s permanent marriage to Wembey but increasingly the governing body has resorted to cheap ticket offers to fill Wembley’s vast array of seats.
If the traditional England support has come from the lower-leagues, then for Premier League club fans such as those at Manchester United international week is an additionally painful period. England’s match on Tuesday night will feature just two United players – Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand – with the best outcome no further injury to either player.
Of course, United fans’ relationship with the national team is hardly helped by the antipathy with which the club’s players are often received. The mindless reaction of England fans to David Beckham’s red card in 1998, for example, was compounded by the lack of support show for Rooney after his disappointing World Cup this summer.
Instead, United supporters will nerdily check on the club’s players in matches around the globe. This is merely feeding on scraps though, with the real feast returning when United take on West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford next Saturday.
Yep, don’t think England have been that interesting to watch since Euro 96 when Venables was in charge.
A series of average managers, hooliganism & anti United sentiment ensuring a complete lack of interest however much the TV try to hype it up.
I would suggest Harry Redknapp as next England manager, would make things a bit more entertaining & hopefully bring a bit more fire to proceedings.
After Sven, McLaren & Cappello an old fashioned man motivator is what is needed. Fancy tactics & coaching drills don’t seem to really work with English footballers.
yeah wev tried thr supposed foreign sophisticate mollycoddler ‘or foreign supercoach as the fa called him upon arrival), the homegrown clueless yesman and the old style disciplinarian, now let’s try the smallfry self promotional motivational wheeler dealer
Fuck Redknapp
McClaren has more cred than him at European & International level and look what happened there
But the job is his because the FA want him, the media love him, the Ingerland muppets like him ‘cos he’s a chest beating cockney idiot. In their heads, England are shit because of a lack of “passion”… and Redknapp’s half time cockney knees up in the dressing room will make them come out and play like Spain… somehow
England need a manager and a style and a sytem and an attitude that sees them move the ball around confidently and efficiently. They’ve been left behind by the rest of the world in this department. They all get on with playing football – Serbia, North Korea – all knock it around on the deck better than England. Spain are the standard bearers of this modern football. It’s at crisis point with England. Redknapp won’t anything.
I agree that English football needs to be more sophisticated & technical, but if you note the reaction to Danny Murphy’s recent comments then we have a long long way to go.
The way we play football is unlikely to change so you have to, in the short term at least, accept what we are & make decisions accordingly.
English players motivate themselves through passion for the game & aren’t used to good coaching so the best ones know their own game & mould they style accordingly.
In other countries, were coaching is respected & in all honesty better, the players learn through advice & experience. In the UK its win win from U11s & bully teams through being overly physical.
England is a stubborn & proud country, so change comes slowly, as does the idea that somebody else could be doing something better than use – we won the World Cup in 66 you know!
Aye. Did you watch Linekar’s programme the other week? It made alot of good points
I like the way the fat England fella dismissed the myth about England being shit because there are too many foriegners. If that’s the case then why didn’t we qualify for the 74 and 78 World Cups
And Inside Sport did a good piece on whether professionalism is killing sport.
I don’t think England can play the passing game that is required to win tournaments at the moment. In a few years (by 2012 tournament) they could look something like this, and they might have a better chance:
Keeper: Joe Hart
Back 4: Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole
Mid 5: Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Steven Gerrard, Tom Cleverley, Adam Johnson
Att 1: Wayne Rooney
I can’t see Rio and Terry being first choice centre backs in 2 years time. Rio will be struggling to keep fit enough to play every other week for Utd, and Terry will have shagged Coleen. Oh and Jagielka/Lescott make a very fine combo indeed. Thankfully Capello won’t be in charge to pick Heskey though :o)
Missed the Lineker program – will try and find it on I-Player. Interesting bit about qualifying – it used to be 8 teams in the Euro finals. 8 groups, top team qualified.
rio will want to captain to atleast one tourno
we can do better at right back than glen johnson
clearly capello will alwways pick milner from now on if fit
I watched Spain vs. Scotland instead of England – was really good to watch – the skill of Spain & passion of Scotland, made for good viewing. I turned over to England a couple of times, neither was on display!
When the Scots start singing flower of Scotland it really is something special.
Fucking awful