England are home and as the dust settles and the nation comes to realise we are home early because we are not very good, an almighty squabble has broken out about their shabby return to the country. As ever, David Davies is in the thick of it.Right back as far as Hoddles ill advised France 1998 diary, which was written by Davies, his grubby paw prints have been all over every major embarrassment the national team has endured.
As a general rule, I am against sacking people, even when they are useless, unless they have power over peoples lives. This guy though, has to go. His judgement has been found wanting time after time. He never misses a photo opportunity, forever at Svens shoulder, yet never accepts responsibility when things go wrong. Plus he is ugly and has adopted a jutting jawed air of defiance, even when their is nothing to be defiant about. He affects an air of absolute moral certitude. In short he irritates the shit out of me and I want to see his head in a basket.
I can barely believe that he said there might be a reception in a few weeks, his arrogance is beyond belief; has he not realised that the half of the country that actually thinks about football, rather than reacts to shared national experiences, are not greatly enamoured of our teams performances? He cannot come into proximity of a trick without missing it. The opportunity for bonding with the fans has passed, the opportunity for some spontaneous interaction has passed, but his first thought is damage limitation. How he gets away with it is a source of mystery and wonder.
There is a thoughtful article in The Independent suggesting Sven should have stayed behind to watch Turkey, given we are due to meet them in some important matches quite soon. It also points up some appalling P.R cock ups, not least the wilful ignoring of thousands of Japanese fans who had gathered to bid them farewell. After the welcome and support that was given to the team, this is astonishing. It points up the poor relations between press and team too, it's worth a read.
Need I say that all the points made within the Independent article indicate that Davies is a useless tosser?