All The Young Dudes

Hello All,

Way back in the midsts of time Mott The Hoople sang about young people.  There was certainly singing of a kind in our house this week as Linda and I watched the current generation of stars from England's Manchester United - our team - take on the best the MLS has to offer.

In the pre-game show the "venerable" Alexi Lalas pontificated in his now customary anti-English way how the MLS "could and should" beat this "Man U team" . . . .how I hate that expression - Man U - it's Manchester United or just plain and simple United.

What transpired was beyond expectations to a degree. The game finished 5-2 to Manchester United.  Manchester United - Wayne Rooney wasn't there so how could the team be strong(?!) - rattled in 5 goals; the first one was scored after 24 seconds by an 18 year old, Frederico Macheda, a very talented Roman, who reminds me of a player we had in the '80's called Norman Whiteside. Big Norm's claim to fame, in case you are interested, is that he is, as far as my memory serves me correctly, the youngest player ever to play in a World Cup Finals ( he was 17 years and 41 days when he played in Spain in 1982 for Northern Ireland )

Football has always been a young man's game. Always has and always will. United made their name in the '50's when the late great Matt ( as he was then ) Busby, the manager of the club, played a string of players in the first team. These players, many of whom were tragically killed in the Munich Air Disaster on 6th February 1958, laid the foundations for the philosophy that still holds true today - if you're good enough, you're old enough.

Today, there's probably more money than sense in football. Unlike US sports, there's no salary cap. I've always defended footballers for getting the money they've had. They're in the entertainment industry and movie stars get silly money, so why shouldn't they? It's a limited career life span and if people are willing to pay more money in a week to you than most people earn in several years, then you'd be a fool to turn it down!

However, after a while, judgement begins to get clouded and quite frankly, delusions of grandeur sets in. Which is where we are now. When one reads that Barcelona are having money problems, United over $1bn in debt despite being the most wealthy team in sport and several teams in England being chased after by the taxman, it makes you shake your head in disbelief.

Teams have been hoodwinked into thinking that to be successful you have to buy buy buy. Developing home grown talent is not fashionable. The rewards to be gained from doing well in football are immense, so owners, desparate for a "return" want instant success. Doesn't work that way chaps I'm afraid!

Teams are built over a period of time. The average fan wants players who he or she can relate to in some way. I used to earn 15,000 pounds a year working all hours God sends ( or so it seemed ) on the 'phones working in a call centre in Stockport for British Gas's Home Service Sales and Service Department. When I see footballers getting upset because they aren't getting 60,000 pounds A WEEK or demanding 90,000 pounds AWEEK then you have to say that we've gone wrong as a society somewhere.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of United, says that his club doesn't need to spend big and pay huge wages because "it doesn't sit well with the fans". He's right. If you know there's some player on that pitch not trying his best for the team and he's on a big fat contract worth millions and here's you, the man or woman on the street who earns a pittance compared to that paying big bucks to watch, then yes it doesn't sit right. You want players who have come through the youth system and have worked hard. That's why it was wonderful to see the youhtful United team that played on Wednesday play the way they did.

United seem to be on the verge of fielding another set of talented young stars. Keep your fingers crossed that they show the rest of the world how it's done. The game in this country is growing at a fantastic rate. Teams in the MLS need to develop youth systems. Ajax of Amsterdam have been doing this for years. A recent article in the New York Times magazine ( when I find the article online I'll post a link to it ) featured Ajax and one of their youth coaches wrote down the names of 5 players who've become household names throughout the football world and have brought in transfer fees of 80million euros to the club. So, there's more to football than buying the latest flash in the pan for God knows how many millions and buying success. Be patient, and the fruits of your team's labour will be visible for all to see.

Stay well and enjoy your football - it's nearly time for the season to start!

Eddie

PS Today is the 30th July 2010 - 44 years ago today, England won the World Cup - bloody long time ago that!