Has The Beautiful Game turned ugly?

Andrew Cheal has spent 36 years reporting on football for radio stations all over the country, and indeed across the world…. “From Enfield to Anfield and beyond” is how he describes his career.

But having this summer finally hung up his microphone, he now has a rather different perspective on “The Beautiful Game”.

Former England international Alan Hudson once remarked: “Football is ballet for the working classes”.

Andrew argues that argument got the red card a long time ago - about the time the Premier League was formed.

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It’s the 7th of May 1994, and I am driving back from Blackburn to Ipswich.

I have reported on Ipswich Town’s nil-nil draw in the last game of the season – now known as the “Great Escape” year – they avoided relegation from the newly formed Premier League by the skin of their teeth.

With me in the front of the car is the Ipswich local radio station commentator Brian Knights, who is effervescent with delight at the result. In the back seat sits Mike Noye, the club’s commercial manager who has cadged a lift with us. All we hear from Mike for the first hour of the journey is three words: “four million pounds”…. “four million pounds”.

Eventually Mike explains that is the amount of money the club has saved by avoiding relegation.

Fast forward to Wembley Stadium last May and the Championship play-off final in which Nottingham Forest beat Huddersfield to return to the top-flight after two decades in the wilderness. This time, according to accountancy firm, and football finance experts Ernst and Young, the financial reward for a place in the Premier League promised land is a massive £200 million!

There is no doubt that the formation of the Premier League in 1992 had a huge effect on football and not all of it beneficial. Many of our top clubs are sponsored by bookmakers, and owned by foreign billionaires.

All of this leaves me distinctly worried as the overseas owners, more often than not hire overseas managers who in turn buy players from abroad rather than develop British talent.

Chelsea have just hired Graham Potter – the former Brighton boss – he is only Chelsea’s second English manager since Glenn Hoddle left to take charge of the England team in 1996. Since then, Chelsea have had 18 managers – Frank Lampard was the other in a list bearing the badge of St George.

Potter had coached the unfancied Brighton up to fourth place in the Premier League. But the realist in him had already warned that relegation would hit the club to the tune of £100 million.

And before you think it’s a positive thing that Chelsea are finally flying the flag for English managers, consider Potter’s replacement at Brighton… 43-year-old Italian Roberto de Zerbi. He takes over at a club which has rarely in the past hired anything but British to bring success to Sussex by the sea.

Forgive me please but all these overseas personnel send me a bit “UKIP“ - which is ever so slightly embarrassing.

It’s the same with players. I saw the 16-year-old Trevor Francis make his debut for Birmingham in 1970 before becoming this country’s first £1 million transfer. I watched Jason Dozzell play for Ipswich Town before a £1.7 million move to Tottenham. Again a debut at age 16,. His son Andre followed in his boot steps making his debut for Ipswich in 2016 aged just 17. Dozzell Junior is one of those rare commodities – an English player with a sort-of regular starting spot in an English team, having moved to Queens Park Rangers.

I would argue that Francis would have been a success at any time over recent decades, but too many others are being squeezed out by imported talent, flying under a footballing flag of convenience.

So, what has been achieved by the new club owners – what return on their investment have they earned?

The mega-money-go-round started with the purchase of Chelsea by Roman Abramovich – a Russian – in 2003. That was followed by the most successful period in the club’s history, including two Champions League victories.

The American Glazer family bought Manchester United in 2005.

Since then, the club has claimed one Champions League title and one Premier League.

Old Trafford fans regard that as a very poor return, and regularly protest vehemently about the club being run on business lines rather than for the love of football.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has bankrolled neighbours Manchester City since 2008, quickly replacing manager Mark Hughes (a Welshman) with Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard brought, or should it be bought plenty to make a noise about– at least domestically.

However, Guardiola has been unable to replicate the Champions League success he enjoyed at other clubs.

For all the money being thrown around by the new owners, who scour the world for the best managers, coaches and players, who in turn squeeze British talent onto the side-lines, it cannot deliver the one big much sought-after trophy.

Money cannot buy you happiness or friends, or the Champions League.

I have recently retired after 36 years reporting “the beautiful game“.

Do I miss the passion? No!

Do I recognise the soldiers of fortune kissing the badges on the chest at every opportunity? No!

Recently, I decided a “Busman’s Holiday” was in order, and went to watch Haringey Borough take on Billericay Town. A culture shock of non-league football, after three and a half decades covering World Cups, Champions League, FA Cup finals, and other major events.

Haringey’s cramped and rundown home is less than 400 yards from Tottenham Hotspurs’ shiny new £1 billion super-stadium. The space age venue is magnificent, but frankly I enjoyed my trip to Haringey Borough at least as much if not more than any recent visit to Spurs.

Legendary Tottenham manager Bill Nicholson is alleged to have turned around as he left the club for the final time, surveyed the old White Hart Lane stadium and said:

“There used to be a football club there.”

I know what he means.