Once upon a time, football was considered to represent a form of escapism. When the working man, wearied following a week’s toil, could take himself along to a game of a Saturday afternoon, and allow himself some well-earned time-out from what could be described as the harsh realities of life.
On Tuesday the FA took to a Wembley Stadium press conference to announce Roy Hodgson as the next England manager. A hugely successful coach with a wealth of experience, Hodgson will find the poisoned chalice that is the England job unlike anything he has ever had to contend with before.
There has been one recurring theme over the last two days since the FA made it clear that they were approaching Roy Hodgson to become the new England manager- surprise. This has been conveyed by practically all of the newspapers and online media, and in truth it is part of an underhand PR campaign.
On reflection, a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1980 horror film The Shining on Friday evening was an entirely fitting end to a week in which Scottish football, like the character played by Jack Nicholson in the movie, descended into madness.
The whole of football loves the story of a rising star. A young player working his way through the ranks to become the next global football phenomenon. At the PFA Awards last weekend, Tottenham Hotspur’s Kyle Walker was the latest to be labelled the ‘next big thing’.