“Nobody remembers who finished second, but the guy who finished second ” – Bobby Unser.
Variations of this quote have been repeated time after time after time, with people in all forms of life using it as a motivational tool to succeed. Ultimately, the point is forever relevant – no-one cares about the loser, only the winner. No-one cares about who Usain Bolt beat in the Beijing 2008 Olympics when he broke the Olympic record for the 100m sprint – just that he won gold. Nobody is interested in who came second in the Barclays Premier League last season, only that Chelsea won it. The list is endless. Merciless, cutthroat and ruthless it may seem, but these are ingredients for a winning mentality.
So, with all this in mind, tell me why English media outlets flooded their respective websites about the England women’s football side being ‘legends’, ‘heroes’ and ‘triumphs’…for finishing third at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Third. Aside from the fact it’s incredibly patronising for these female professional footballers to have failure – albeit in cruel fashion – paraded as a success, a pat on the back with a big gold sticker reading ‘you tried’ for their efforts which weren’t good enough, it highlights just how pathetic the English media are when it comes to football.
An inconsolable Laura Bassett after her 92nd minute own goal ensured a 2-1 win for Japan, eliminating England
It must be something ingrained in English culture, that if you try hard and show passion, this is better than actually succeeding. No-one can fault the Lionesses’ work-rate in Canada – they did put their bodies on the line and they did give it everything they had – but all they’ve got to show for it is a horrific own goal and a bronze medal. This also demonstrates how black and white sport can be, in the sense that while it was a great achievement for the women’s side to come third, it still can’t be claimed a success as nothing was won.
The same logic transpires to the men’s team. Hard-working players are favoured over footballers who don’t need to run 15 miles in a minute, but can do something out of the ordinary that can change a match in the blink of an eye. These flair players are in turn frequently castigated for not busting a gut, which seems absolutely ludicrous. Take Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling as examples, seeing as both are England internationals. Welbeck – an attacker – scored just four Premier League goals for Arsenal last season, in 25 appearances. Sterling – another attacker – essentially had to do the work of three players for Liverpool with the absence of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, and ended up with seven league goals. Guess which player is written about as a ‘good pro’ and guess which one is described as a greedy, overrated forward?
‘Overrated, unreliable and greedy’ Raheem Sterling on the ball for Liverpool last season
Then comes the hypocrisy. Elegant midfielders who keep the ball ticking over while spraying balls left, right and centre that are English are criminally swept under the carpet – this is a fact. They don’t burst forward like Frank Lampard would before firing a missile from outside the box, they don’t fly into tackles which get the crowd on the edge of their seats like Steven Gerrard did on numerous occasions – they just do the simple things quietly yet efficiently and as such, supposedly aren’t needed. They’ve got to show passion, right?! Michael Carrick is the prime example at this moment in time, who can barely get a look in the national side despite excellent form for England’s most successful club Manchester United last campaign. Despite being amazingly quick to ignore our own, we’re even quicker to laud the likes of Andrea Pirlo and Xavi for doing exactly the same thing in context. How does that work?
The mentality needs to change. The media needs to be more patient with players like Carrick and his approach in midfield rather than resonate with desperate fan cries of “DO SUM’FIN!” in the hope a ball will aimlessly be pumped forward. The media needs to stop frantically praising hard-working, one dimensional, limited ability footballers for their quarterly season league goals and instead appreciate players who perform with style and grace while still rising to the top despite being given unrealistic tasks. Ultimately however, the media need to realise that coming third is not a success. It does not make you legendary, it does not make you a hero, and it certainly does not make you a triumph. All it indicates is that there are two teams that are better than you. It may seem ruthless, it may seem cold, but it’s true. Until a winning approach is adopted by not only the media, but The FA too – ala Germany – then we will get nowhere.
Here’s to wanting change.
Chris78901 