It's all in the Game

It's extremely worrying. In fact I would say that, without doubt, it is the most disturbing piece of news so far this year.

Forget the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Dismiss instantly from your mind the parlous state of our economy. Laugh heartily at the certain melt down of London's transport system next summer as the tube, train, bus and road network grind to a halt under the weight of athletes, dignitaries, tourists, spectators and sponsors trying to get to Stratford for the Olympics.

What has filled me with horror is the appointment of Sam Allardyce as manager of newly demoted West Ham (WH). What can they have been thinking of? Are they so desperate? Haven't they learnt their lesson? They appointed another "has been" last year with the result that the team mimicked bottom feeders for most of the football season. And what do the poor benighted WH fans think? - not a lot.

Allardyce has a track record that makes Blue Streak look a technological wonder. He's a bust flush, he's way past his sell by date. He's about as useful in a football dug out as a one legged substitute with Parkinsons.

He's all that's bad with football in this island of ours. Unremittingly overly hyped, deluded, and constantly disappointing.

If you wanted any further evidence of our national game's total capitulation, Manchester United's drubbing by Barcelona is it.

And if that were not bad enough, the FA have the cheek to say they're abstaining from the FIFA elections. Don't they see the irony in their "stance." A group of self elected, self serving non representatives of the English game self righteously refusing to play ball with another group of self elected, self serving non representatives of the World game.

Don't the overcharged, under entertained, usually ignored fans of West Ham, Chelsea, MU etc, etc. deserve much better than the spectacle of a group of old men scrabbling for baubles and bringing their beloved game into disrepute?

What is it about sport? When at "grass roots" the game is a joy, an inspiration, calling up passion,commitment and energy; when it gets to the ruling bodies it all starts to stink. It's not just football, almost any sport seems to attract at the senior levels, characters you'd normally find in prison or a bad horror movie.

Now Brighton and Hove Albion - that's different. Come on you Seagulls!