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Editorial December 2010
Soccerphile Editorial - December 2010
England: A Year To Forget
There will be no football nation around the world happier to see the end of 2010 than England.
From the national side's dismal performances in South Africa to the failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup, 2010 has truly been a year to forget.
England's nightmare 2010 began pretty much from the start of the year, when David Beckham sustained an Achilles injury which ruled him of the World Cup. It is questionable whether 'Golden Balls' would have made it in to Fabio Capello's squad for South Africa had he been fit. Certainly though, the option of his selection would have been nice and his appearance on the field, rather than the touchline, in South Africa could have improved things for England. Frankly, it couldn't have got any worse!
Ahead of the ill-fated trip to South Africa, the Football Association saw Lord Triesman step down as chairman, following a newspaper article which he suggested Spain could drop its bid to host to the 2018 if rival bidder Russia helped bribe referees at the summer's World Cup. Triesman stood down, claiming he'd been the victim of "entrapment". Set-up or not, his comments were a major dent to England's chances of host the 2018 tournament, which would be decided later in the year.
The Premier League, often branded the best league in the world, had something of an off-year too. Prior to 2010, an English club had made it to the Champions League Final every season for five consecutive years. 2008 even saw an all-English final between Manchester United and Chelsea. In 2010 though, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all fell at or before the Quarter Final stage of the tournament. Liverpool didn't even play Champions League football in 2010, having finished third in their group and failed to make it to the group stages.
More damming to the league was the fact that only three of its players made the shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or out of a total of 23. Of those three, none were English. Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Asamoah Gyan were the Premier League's selected name, but failed to make it on the final list of three players nominated to receive the award on January 10 th .
Of course, a lack of Ballon d'Or nominees, the scandal regarding the FA Chairman and an injury to David Beckham would have mattered not had the Three Lions been able to live up to expectation at the summer's World Cup. Despite consistent heartache at major competitions, there a feeling that England could do well in South Africa and that a run to Semi Final of the competition at least, was achievable.
Robert Green set the tone for England's entire World Cup in the opening game though. Following an early Steven Gerrard goal against the USA, the goalkeeper gifted the States an equaliser, allowing a Clint Dempsey shot to squirm through his grasp. England's next match saw them play out a humiliating 0-0 draw with Algeria, in which the side looked bereft of ideas or purpose. Wayne Rooney verbally lashed out at England fans who booed the side in Cape Town at the end of game. Perhaps frustration got the better of him?
Rooney was arguably the most disappointing "big" player in the whole competition. So much had been written and spoken about him prior to the World Cup, but his performances were so bad that Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claimed he looked like a striker "not worth £1.5m" on current form.
Following a 1-0 win against Slovenia, England progressed to the knock out stages but were swiftly eliminated from the World Cup - thrashed 4-1 at the hands of old rivals Germany.
The reasons for a terrible campaign were numerous. Capello's tactical stubbornness and insistence on playing 4-4-2, injuries to the likes Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Barry and Ledley King and of course, the 'goal' that never was against Germany can all be cited.
Ultimately though, the players simply didn't perform. Any excuses that may have existed simply didn't wash with the English public. It had been probably the worst ever display by an England team on the world's biggest stage.
To compound the misery of South Africa, England recently discovered its bid to host the 2018 World Cup was unsuccessful. Despite pouring £17m in to their bid, enlisting the support of Prime Minister David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham and having the "best technical bid" according to FIFA, England got just two votes in the efforts to stage the competition. They were eliminated from the first stage of the bidding process as a result.
Unlike the Three Lions poor showings at the World Cup, there is at least public sympathy with the bidding team despite their inability to land the 2018 tournament. The general consensus is that FIFA were intent on hosting their future World Cups in 'emerging economies' rather than established centres for the game like England. In essence, the destinations of the tournaments were sewn-up long before the bidding. That's the feeling in England anyway.
For a proud football nation like England, the knocks endured in 2010 will take some time to recover from. As the new year approaches, it's a case of goodbye and good riddance to 2010!
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