Lucas Radebe has spent 10 years, 231 games and the best years of his life at Elland Road. But emphatic defeat against Bolton last Sunday saw a dynamic decade end in tears. It came as no surprise to Radebe, who has dramatically accused Leeds United of failing to tackle the issue of racism, no longer being a team and making huge mistakes.
The battle is on. No, not for the Premiership title. Fourth place. That’s what this season is all about now. The battle of the little big clubs, neatly lined up behind the real big boys, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United. Under-achieving Liverpool, over-achieving Aston Villa and my favourites, Newcastle, are the serious contenders.
Don’t you hate it when marriages break up? When the kids are left broken and bewildered by the parting of their guardians? Yup, poor old Cristiano Ronaldo, Kleberson and even the older kids like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are feeling the pain of divorce as Sir Alex Ferguson and captain Roy Keane end a beautiful relationship after 10 years.
This will go down as one of the worst weeks in Europe that we sad Britons have suffered since William the Conqueror brought his disciplined FC Norman over to Hastings and massacred King Harold’s XI. That was one in the eye for England. This week was more of a foot in the mouth for the nation that created the universal game.
Football fans all over the world will be reaching for the prayer mats (atheists: simply drink more beer) this weekend as the season approaches hit-or-bust time in England. Yes, that’s hit-or-bust, though if Spurs lose to Arsenal on Sunday, unloved caretaker boss David Pleat will be in it up to his eyeballs.
So now we’re all Chelsea fans. Blues brothers. Having seen Benni McCarthy and Porto put Manchester United out in the last 16 and Claudio Ranieri’s men upset Arsenal at Highbury in the quarterfinals, Chelsea are now all England have left in the Champions League, perhaps the world’s greatest club football competition.
Easter. It’s not just about bunny rabbits and funny-shaped chocolate, you know. It’s about football. In Britain, this is the weekend when we finally make our overpaid, badly behaved professionals earn their money. Most of the poor lambs will have to play twice over the Easter weekend. Scandalous.
What a glorious smorgasbord of football! What Fifa-sanctioned friendly delights! The star-spangled Wednesday action featured all the glitterati, the galacticos, the gloryboys. But it all meant nothing. Friendly internationals are just a waste of time. Just look at Sweden 1 England 0.
It’s the biggest games since … well, last week I guess. Arsenal vs Manchester United. Like Celtic vs Rangers, Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Milan vs Juventus, Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates. On Saturday it’s Sir Alex Ferguson versus Arsène Wenger yet again, this time in the classic FA Cup semifinal showdown at Villa Park.
In the end, the great experiment proved a qualified success. Australia and South Africa played their friendly international at Loftus Road and 15 000 mostly expats turned up and paid their £12 to £15 for the privilege of seeing their national sides. As a game though, it wasn’t great.