10 West Ham Icons

West Ham has always been a frustrating club to support because it has so little to show in terms of silverware for its great reputation and heritage. This begs the questions as to why it ever gained such a respectful reputation in the first place. One of the reasons is because West Ham United’s story has featured some of football’s most famous figures and this has led to a number of icons emerging in claret and blue.

1. Ron Greenwood


Many supporters and media pundits referenced ‘playing the West Ham way’ when Sam Allardyce was appointed as manager, and that phenomenon is down to Greenwood. Hammers fans often take pride in the reputation of playing ‘football the right way’ and this can be credited to Greenwood as he introduced a whole philosophy which has influenced the club ever since. Greenwood morphed the Hammers into pioneers of skilful football in a similar fashion to Pep Guardiola’s revolution at Barcelona. As manager, Greenwood led the Hammers to two FA Cups and the European Cup Winners’ Cup for their most successful spell in history. Greenwood can draw many parallels with Arsene Wenger, he was an idealist and a perfectionist in the way that he styled his team, but he had nowhere near the same resources as Wenger has had. Greenwood tutored John Lyall into being his successor and his legacy influenced the club, as well as the England national team, to their greatest ever successes.

2. Bobby Moore


There is no doubt that Bobby Moore is West Ham’s, if not English football’s, greatest icon. The image of Moore lofted above the rest of England’s 1966 world-cup winning team at Wembley with the trophy in hand is possibly the most recognisable photo in football history. Moore captained West Ham for more than 10 years and is widely regarded as the best defender who ever lived. Moore gained 108 caps for England and played 544 times for West Ham United and is certainly their most successful player ever having also achieved numerous personal awards such as BBC Sports Personality Of The Year and an O.B.E. You may go as far to say that never again will a West Ham player captain the club to three major trophies, including one in Europe, and lead England to World Cup victory. If you thought David Beckham’s status couldn’t get any greater, imagine if he had led England to a World Cup victory in 2002; that was Bobby Moore, and he did it all with the Hammers on his heart.

3. Trevor Brooking


Many good things emerged from West Ham’s golden age in the 1960’s, and Trevor Brooking was certainly one of them. Having graduated through Greenwood’s regime, Brooking was ready to continue the legacy of beautiful football when the stars of the previous era began to leave and retire. Brooking stepped up to become West Ham’s most important player in a similar way to how Cesc Fabregas did when the likes of Patrick Viera, Robert Pires and Thierry Henry departed. It is impossible to tell as to whether Brooking’s skill can be compared to the likes of Lionel Messi’s, but his majestic nature was so evident on a playing surface far rougher and muddier than the smooth ground we see today, that it is definitley worth arguing. When the Hammers were relegated, Brooking showed indescribable loyalty by pledging to stay with the team, and he did so for the rest of his career. He has even made a brief comeback as manager on 2 occasions in times of trouble, and only lost 1 game. Brooking is certainly the Hammers’ second greatest icon.

4. Billy Bonds


After signing from Charlton as a young full-back, Bonds went on to make a record 793 appearances for the Hammers in a spell at the club stretching over 20 years. Grit and determination is something West Ham supporters have always been fond of, and it is possible that this derives from Bonds. After Bobby Moore left for Fulham, Bonds’ natural leadership made him the obvious successor to the captain’s armband, and this was an honour he held down for many years to come. His strong and tough nature in midfield enabled the team to cater for the flamboyance of Brooking to provide the creativity which made the dynamics of this West Ham team so effective. Bonds can be compared to the likes of Michael Essien in the modern-day, whose defensive ability is the key to his game and allows the more creative players to flourish. However Bonds, like Essien, did not operate without the surging runs he became equally famous for and which led to him scoring almost 50 times for West Ham. To cement his legendary status, Bonds was the club’s manager between 1990 and 1994. He truly resembles the kind of defensive midfielder which has become so popular today.

5. Tony Cottee


Here is yet another local boy who came through the academy to play an integral role in West Ham’s history. Cottee burst onto the scene in a similar fashion to how Wayne Rooney did at Everton; as a 17 year-old debutant he hit the net against West Ham’s rivals Tottenham, not a bad way to introduce yourself. Cottee continued to score goals and amassed 92 in his first spell at West Ham. His goals were vital to West Ham’s third place finish in 1986, their highest ever, and he won the PFA Young Player of the Year in the same season, think how much he would’ve been worth in today’s game. Cottee did move to Everton for a British record transfer fee but he eventually returned when he was signed by Harry Redknapp in 1994. Cottee hadn’t lost his shooting boots and managed to net another 24 for the Hammers, making him one of West Ham’s highest goalscorers to date. Any West Ham striker less than 5ft8 will continue to be compared to Cottee long into the future.

6. Julian Dicks


It’s quite rare for a left-back to be thrown into a list of iconic players but ‘The Terminator’ cannot be excluded. Dicks combined the unforgiving, tough tackling that fans love to see with an undeniably wicked left-foot in a way which few have since Roberto Carlos. Dicks’ hard-man reputation often clouded the fact that he was actually an excellent footballer and managed to score 50 goals for West Ham. Dicks was able to power down the left wing in a manner as threatening as Gareth Bale does for Tottenham today, and if he was given enough space on the edge of the area, he would not be afraid to release a thunderous drive at goal. It’s also debatable as to whether West Ham have had a better penalty taker since Dicks as his explosive shot was effectively replicated from 12 yards. However, Dicks’ attacking talents were not to compensate for his defensive ability as he defended in a formidable manner which was certain to strike fear into any winger who considered a few step-overs; the best left-back ever to play for the club.

7. Tony Carr


It is difficult to select one of the magnificent players that ‘The Academy of Football’ has produced as firstly, many are good enough to be in this list, but secondly because none of them were loyal enough to West Ham United to be considered for selection. However, the emergence of these players is widely credited to Tony Carr and so, although he has never made a professional appearance for the club, he is a worthy icon. Carr resembles West Ham’s proudest institution, their youth academy, which has produced the likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Glen Johnson, Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and more. If Carr’s class had remained at West Ham then it is certain that they would’ve been far more successful in recent times than they have been and would’ve probably been regular Champions League spot, if not Premier League title, contenders. Although this is somewhat of a regret, Carr’s brilliance has not gone to waste as he has generated extortionate amounts of money through player sales which have saved the club financially on more than one occasion.

8. Paolo Di Canio


Di Canio is West Ham’s greatest contemporary icon, resembling the style and skill which has been seen throughout football’s modern age of the Premier League and foreign imports. The Italian was a controversial signing as his eccentric nature, which had previously led to him toppling a referee, made him somewhat of a cult figure in the English game. However, his skill was undeniable and had been showcased during spells at footballing giants such as Lazio, Juventus and AC Milan. Di Canio’s career at West Ham was a huge success; the passion and emotion which he brought to the team made him a fans’ favourite instantaneously and it appeared he fell in love with the fans just as quickly. Highlights of Di Canio’s West Ham career include a winner at Old Trafford, the greatest Premier League goal to date and an emotional winner against Chelsea in his last game at Upton Park. There was never a dull moment with Di Canio and many hope that one day he can return as manager.

9. Carlos Tevez


It may be debatable as to whether Tevez is worthy of a place on this list given that he featured just 26 times for West Ham, but his character and ability certainly made him a true West Ham icon. A move to the biggest clubs in Europe was mooted for the Argentinian international before he was surprisingly transferred to West Ham in one of the most controversial deals of all time. Upon a wave of excitement, Tevez struggled to settle at first, but as the Hammers looked to be sinking into the second tier of English football, his brilliance prevailed. Tevez scored 7 goals in the last few games of the season to achieve one of the greatest escapes football has ever seen, including a stunning free-kick against Tottenham and a winning goal at Old Trafford on the final day. Although his attitude has been a matter of dispute in recent times, his commitment to West Ham on the pitch was unquestionable.

10. Scott Parker


Parker is the most recent player who can be considered a true icon; his face was stapled to every West Ham marketing campaign until he was regretfully sold earlier this season. Parker arrived amongst a number of high-profile, proven Premiership players during the free-spending Icelandic period. Like many of these recruits, his breakthrough was heavily delayed due to injury; however he stood out as the only one who could really reach iconic status. Parker’s gritty determination and commitment meant he carried one of the poorest West Ham teams ever through some very difficult times and almost single-handedly saved them from relegation in 2010. Parker also provided some vital goals in his time and his ability was finally recognised by Fabio Capello when he was recently drafted into the England squad. Following the inevitable relegation in 2011, Parker was sold to Tottenham in order to aid him with his international aspirations. It is testament to Parker that only a small minority begrudge him of the move and it is even possible that he could receive the England captaincy in the near future.

West Ham have had the privilege of being involved with a number of iconic figures throughout history. However, few of these individuals were of this status before their association with West Ham and so it is clear that, although we are not the most successful team in the world, we are truly great at creating genuine football icons.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

The Millwall game means nothing

With the intense anxiety surrounding our fixture against Millwall, I was posed with the question as to what it would actually mean for our fans to thrash the Lions. I have come to the conclusion, that in the grand scheme of things, it means little more than an ordinary game.

Whilst Millwall have not entered the top tier of English football for over two decades, the majority of West Ham’s recent history has either been spent there or vying to return there. Although I will be accused of being a biased West Ham fan, I think we can safely say that the Hammers are a far bigger club.

Modern history has seen us develop a more relevant rivalry with Tottenham Hotspur, a club which has been in the same division as us far more often and who we have had arguably more fracases with, the latest being the battle for the Olympic Stadium. When we beat Tottenham I am filled with an immense sense of pride and relish the next, inevitably, boastful encounter I will have with a Spurs fan; when we beat Millwall it is more a sense of relief.

Whilst both clubs have had their own aims to focus on, West Ham’s being promotion and Millwall’s towards the other end of the table, eyes have certainly been drawn to this game, whether it is with eagerness or caution. The initial leg played at the Den resulted in a dull 0-0, but of course the main thing to report was an impressive lack of crowd violence.

The rivalry between West Ham and Millwall has become so warped by popular culture and Danny Dyer’s everlasting list of football ‘firm’ films that the violence which was synonymous with 1980s hooliganism shamefully returned to the surface just three years ago. Strangely, the match between the sides at Upton Park in 2004 and even in the corresponding fixture earlier this season have passed by without incident. So what was different about the infamous meeting in 2009?

Quite simply, being a League Cup match which was not included on the season ticket, much of the ground was not filled with genuine Hammers’ fans but with rowdy idiots who purchased tickets to the match with the sole intention of re-creating the violent rivalry which has been advertised through cinema in recent years.

Although these topless yobs on the pitch may have had hammers imprinted on their skin, a real West Ham supporter would care more about our reputation and the negative repercussions the club could face rather than shattering a Millwall fan’s cheekbone.

Whilst the banter of healthy rivalry is integral to the character of football as a whole, seeing it resort to mindless violence undermines the whole purpose of the game which is, ultimately to entertain. Thanks to the outrageous scenes of the last meeting between the two clubs at Upton Park, alcohol is banned within a surrounding proximity of the Boleyn Ground and many parents have refused to take their children to the match, this affects the way in which a huge amount of people want to enjoy football.

The absurdity of wanting to injure, or even kill, another man on the basis of who he wants to win a game of football is almost incomprehensible when you look at it in that way. Many of these stupid thugs don’t even know why they are attacking the man opposite them; it is simply “because he supports Millwall!”

In truth the rivalry originates from when Thames Ironworks were placed on the opposite side of the River Thames to Millwall’s founding company and put in direct competition with them. It is easy to see why, when both companies decided to form football teams, it was always a fierce encounter.

However a fiery competition on the pitch is completely different to hundreds of grown-men lobbing glass at each other over. I hope it does get heated on the pitch this Saturday as that is the best and most entertaining way to respect this historic rivalry, not by fighting other fans.

The main thing for real West Ham fans is that we pick ourselves up from a shocking 5-1 defeat to Ipswich in the week and remain on course to win the Championship. We are excited to see the new signings Ricardo Vaz Te, Ravel Morrison and Nicky Maynard add some much needed pace and flair to our football; we do not want to see pathetic old men or ignorant troublemakers trying to cling onto a shameful period of football’s past.

It would mean an enormous amount for Hammers’ fans to see an exciting and passionate game of football in which West Ham emerge victors, but not because of the regretful connotations of this fixture. It would mean so much because it would prove that the players actually care about West Ham United, a matter of debate with regards to Tuesday night, and would push us a step closer to returning to where we belong.

Spurs consider a Green choice

It has emerged that Tottenham Hotspur are looking into the possibility of signing West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green as a replacement for the ageing Brad Friedel; and they could get him for free.

The experienced Friedel, who turns 41 in May, has had an impressive debut season at Spurs as the club have forced their way into title contention, but being eight years younger, Green could be a more viable option in the long-term. Tottenham are looking to solidify their position amongst the English elite and therefore want to add to a group of players who can mature together over the next few years.

This could prove to be an attractive option for Green who has seen his former Hammers team-mate, Scott Parker make the same move and become a Tottenham favourite. Parker has been highly-praised for his performances this season, which have helped to make Spurs strong contenders to qualify for the Champions League, a meteoric rise considering he was playing in England’s second tier at the start of the season.

Although Green’s track-record suggests a strong loyalty, having only played for Norwich City and the Hammers, he may wish to test himself at the highest level before retirement. Green, unlike Ben Foster and Paul Robinson, has also expressed a desire to remain involved on the international stage and a move to White Hart Lane could only strengthen his cause. Since his infamous error against the USA at the World Cup, Green’s credibility as England’s keeper has greatly eroded, but whilst he is highly unlikely to displace Joe Hart, he could be a worthy understudy.

If these reasons for a move away were not enough, West Ham are playing hardball over a contract extension to the one which expires in the Summer. Determined not to make the same mistakes as previous regimes, David Sullivan and David Gold are hoping to secure promotion to the Premier League before offering one of their highest-earners a new deal.

Although this seems sensible at first-glance, it could risk losing one of West Ham’s best and long-serving players who would be invaluable to surviving relegation if they were to be promoted next season. Reliable goalkeepers are notoriously hard to identify, even Manchester United have struggled, and Green has certainly proved to be one of the talented few, despite his high-profile mistake.

Contract laws are such that Green could freely speak to Tottenham in the summer, or be offered a move by a European club from now with relation to a free transfer in July. With Monaco also apparently interested in Green, this possibility could not be out of the question.

However, a move to Tottenham seems to be much more likely as it would require little adjustment or relocation and would give Green the opportunity to play at the highest level of European football. Hammers’ fans will be hoping their owners decide to tie him down quickly or they will risk losing yet another star to their bitter rivals.

Follow me @RichMaher93

Hammers make ambitious bid for Kalou

With rumours circulating that West Ham’s move for Nikica Jelavic may have fizzled out, Sam Allardyce has been quick to turn his attentions to yet another high-profile forward; this time in the form of Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou.

It has emerged that Allardyce has proposed a loan deal for the Ivory Coast international, currently at the African Cup of Nations, in order to help boost his attacking options for the remainder of the promotion campaign.

With offers for lesser-known strikers such as Jordan Rhodes already apparently rejected, it seems a rather ambitious attempt, however it delivers a clear statement of intent to the rest of the league, similarly to how the purchase of Kevin Nolan did in the summer.

Allardyce has not baulked at the prospect of bringing high-profile names to less glamorous clubs in the past, managing to lure Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicholas Anelka to the Reebok Arena to play for Bolton. Despite West Ham arguably being a bigger club, the lack of Premier League football to offer is likely to repel players of Kalou’s status.

Although it is an admirable effort, which apparently also featured a cheeky enquiry with regards to Florent Malouda, it is highly unlikely to be completed. Although Chelsea would perhaps not be averse to seeing the pair leave, with the arrival of Juan Mata and return of a more mature Daniel Sturridge dramatically reducing the roles of the duo at Stamford Bridge, they are unlikely to accept.

Kalou has rejected a slightly more seductive offer from Olympiakos in the past in comparison to plying his trade in the unforgiving second tier of English football, and with Arsene Wenger a known admirer, he is likely to hold out for a transfer to a team playing at a similar level to his current employers.

A player of Kalou’s mould is certainly needed and would provide a great option to either pair with one of our larger strikers, or to deploy down the wing to add some much need flair, pace and width to our game.

It won’t come as a surprise that Kalou is not likely to join but ‘Big Sam’ must be commended for his efforts and ambition. But with less than a week remaining of the transfer window, it may be time to identify some more realistic targets in order to bolster our front-line.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

West Ham v Nottingham Forest Preview

Nottingham Forest, similarly to us, had a new, high-profile manager in place at the time of our last meeting, in the form of Steve McClaren, a man who had apparently recently rejected the position to be our boss (for the second time) and had beaten our own Sam Allardyce to the England post, which eventually destroyed his national reputation just a few years earlier. It’s fair to say that a resounding 4-1 victory was rather satisfying.

Steve McClaren quickly abandoned Forest and embarrassingly scuttled back to Holland after more dismal results, a country in which it is inevitable that he is held in a higher-regard considering the joke he has become to the English fans and media. His impressive grasp of the Dutch accent is also cited as a key reason for his return to FC Twente.

In contrast to McClaren’s retreat, Allardyce has managed to stabilise West Ham’s situation and has led us to the pinnacle of the Championship alongside this year’s enemy, Southampton. However, fans have fashionably continued to criticise his style of play, despite its arguable success, and still want more. The increasingly irritating notion of the ‘the West Ham way’ is continually used as an argument to suggest Allardyce is not suited to guide us to success.

In my nine years as a season-ticket holder, I have never seen this so-called ‘West Ham way’ in action, perhaps with the exception of a brief period under Gianfranco Zola, but this arguably represented the Italian’s ideology rather than some kind of natural style of football which inhabits Upton Park. It’s often flattering to hear this myth in the media but when our own fans become deluded into believing it, it can cause some discontent.

Admittedly, our victories since the Forest game have rarely been so emphatic, but they are still victories; something we’ve been unable to produce consistently for many years. Even Alan Pardew’s team that got promoted was infamous for its inability to turn draws into wins.

Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea City are the latest club to grab the imagination of the Premier League leading to sycophantic stories and reports about their style of play covering every back page and every pundit’s script. It’s certainly a proud moment for the club, as it was for us when we captured the attention of everyone back in 2006 and for that brief success with Zola; however, we now know from experience that it never lasts long.

Blackpool were the equivalent of Swansea of last year and look where they are now. Realistically, Swansea have a better chance of surviving this season than Ian Holloway’s Tangerines did last term, but it won’t be long until the Welsh side hit hard times. With Allardyce in charge, it’s possible that we won’t become the team that has everyone drooling over passing statistics, but we are also unlikely to come crashing down as Blackpool did, and as Swansea will.

This pessimistic view does not begrudge the Swans of their time in the limelight, it’s always nice to have that team who romantically rise to the top against all the odds and beat the likes of Arsenal. In fact, this January has been a very romantic month for English football, especially considering the lack of major transfer activity; it has seen the return of Thierry Henry to Arsenal, who glamorously netted the winner on his debut, and also Paul Scholes to Manchester United who likewise scored upon his return.

It makes a change for West Ham to be exempt from this coverage. The past decade has seen relegations, promotions, takeovers, three trips to the Millennium Stadium, the signings of international superstars and the departure of Tony Carr’s golden age. The less extravagant nature of the modern West Ham can be seen as a little boring and depressing, but you can be sure that if we keep up these consistent modest victories we’ll be back in the headlines for the right reasons, and back in the Premier League.

You may despise Stoke for their style of football but I’m sure you would accept being 8th in the Premiership at the moment and that is the impressive position in which they currently stand. With Allardyce in charge, there is no reason that we cannot match this gradual success, and perhaps build on it with a little more swagger than the Potters.

The likes of Youri Djorkaeff, Nicholas Anelka and Jay-Jay Okocha were added to the solid foundations of Allardyce’s Bolton team and gave it the flair and exuberance which led to a League Cup final, Europe and becoming a regular member of the Premier League. It is only since Owen Coyle has tried to dismantle Sam’s foundations in exchange for more attractive football that Bolton seem to be losing their grasp on Premier League status. Coyle’s Bolton are yet another team who the media were briefly in awe of last season and have dumped now that their ‘open and expansive attack’ has predictably turned into a weak and frail defence.

I have no doubt that Allardyce is looking to add that flair to our squad in this transfer window, and that he will continue to do so in transfer windows to come, in which we will hopefully have Premiership football to offer. But Allardyce’s management is built on a solid base, and that means 1-0 victories are Sam’s plan for his first season in charge and his struggle to get us out of the second tier. An addition of quick and skilful players this month would certainly help to give us the edge of champions and make us a more attractive side to watch; but if we trudge to another one goal victory today, I for one will be more than happy.

Why the 'Rooney Rule' should not be introduced in England

Of course in our country, the name Rooney only triggers the thought of one man, that being Wayne; arguably our best footballer for many years. However, in America the name Rooney is most prominently associated with Dan Rooney, the chairman of the NFL’s diversity committee and owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers whose rule (‘The Rooney Rule’) forces football teams to interview an ethnic minority as a candidate for senior roles within their club. The name ‘Rooney’ could soon have similar connotations in the English game.

American lawyer Cyrus Mehri, a key figure in the implementation of the Rooney Rule in the USA, arrived in London recently to discuss a possible system of a similar nature being enforced in English football. The PFA’s chief executive, Gordon Taylor, of course backed the idea in the politically correct fashion in which you would expect; but is this really a good idea? I don’t think so.

The issue with regards to this rule is; is it really necessary? People can speak of inherent racism remaining within our country as much as they like but as far as I’m concerned it is obvious that football does not suffer from it. The amount of black players in the Premier League for example, shows that there is categorically no discrimination as 24% of the Premiership’s players are black whilst only 3% of the country is.

However, of course this issue is about management where, admittedly, the figures are rather disproportionate. The only black managers currently in professional work in England are Chris Powell, the boss of Charlton, and Chris Hughton, of Birmingham City (who is actually mixed race). This is odd but is it really through a lack of opportunity which the advocates of this rule try to convince us of?

Other former black managers who spring to mind are Paul Ince and John Barnes. Paul Ince was handed the Macclesfield Town job and, after impressing, was quickly promoted to MK Dons. Here he had a successful spell with a 60% win record and led the Dons to the Football League Trophy and to becoming League 2 Champions. As an exciting, young manager, it wasn’t long until the Premiership clubs began sniffing around him, despite the fact he’s black would you believe!

He couldn’t resist the lure of the top tier of English football and so decided to ditch his lower league club and was appointed by Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2008 to become the first black manager in the league. However, his story goes rather downhill from here as a miserable run of 11 defeats saw him sacked by the end of the year. Did this have anything to do with the colour of his skin? Of course not, it was a just a run of poor form in an infamously results-based industry. Ince was even given the chance to return to MK Dons the following summer however he eventually decided to leave again and was consequently signed by Notts County. Here he lost a record 9 games in a row and left the club by mutual consent. Again this was because he failed in his job, not because of the colour of his skin.

John Barnes is perhaps an even more obvious example of a manager who was given an opportunity but failed and is now out of the game. Despite the statistics with regards to black managers, Barnes was handed a shot at one of the biggest jobs in Britain; Celtic. His team were ridiculed for how badly they performed under him and suffered a shock Scottish Cup defeat to the hands of Iverness Caledonian Thistle leading to him being duly fired. After a short-spell as boss of Jamaica, Barnes indicated he wished to return to club management and despite his previous failures, he was appointed by Tranmere Rovers. His time there was disastrous and he was sacked after just two wins from eleven games.

This is not in any way suggesting that all black managers will be failures, it simply shows those who have been given opportunities that, if what supporters of the ‘Rooney Rule’ suggest was true, they never would have. There have been other black managers in England including Viv Anderson (also the first black man to be capped by England), Luther Blissett, Leroy Rosenior and Keith Alexander. Suggestions of a ‘glass ceiling’ in place for black managers did arise when the latter two began to become more successful in the lower leagues, but of course Ince’s appointment by Blackburn smashes these accusations.

Chris Hughton and Chris Powell were both appointed as managers this year. Had the Rooney Rule been in place everyone would’ve been praising it for its progress whereas, infact, neither has needed the Rooney Rule to earn their positions. Instead they can receive the credit for working hard and ignoring the manufactured idea of managerial discrimination.

Powell’s namesake, Hope Powell, who is also black, is the manager of England women, and has held the position since 1998. Again this shows football has not hesitated to include, and maintain, a black manager when he, or she in this case, is of the right calibre. Why should clubs have to interview ethnic minorities if they are not of the right calibre? It is a waste of everyone’s time and could be depriving a more deserving manager the time of a club’s chairman, regardless of his skin colour.

With the amount of money being thrown around in football at the moment, I can guarantee that no chairman would hesitate to appoint a black, or Asian manager if he thought that it meant bringing success to his club. Chairmen look for potential and success; not skin colour.

Mehri has eccentrically claimed that the lack of black football managers in the Premier League is “like putting poison right through society”. However the only matter of racism is coming from Mehri himself as he is making an issue out of something which is essentially not a problem and infecting the media with it in an attempt to broker another deal for himself and add another big achievement to his CV. If the rule is enforced it will be he who gets the credit for black managers breaking into the game, not the likes of Hughton, Ince and Powell.

In a ‘Martin Luther King’ fashion speech, Mehri has described himself as a “catalyst for change”. However no comparisons, however minimal, can be drawn with this situation and the time when King was campaigning for his dream. At that time federal action was required, but we must hope that no senior official in football considers himself a potential John F Kennedy as the ‘Rooney Rule’ would only cause more damage than progress.

At a time when we have reached the stage where most see skin colour as irrelevant, why would you separate the minorities from the majority all over again? This act of positive discrimination is insulting to white people in the sense that it suggests they believe they are a ‘superior race’ and also embarrassing for black people and other minorities, who wouldn’t like the idea of receiving special treatment and being separated from the rest of society again.

Do I hope that there are successful black managers in English football in the future? I don’t really care. As much as I don’t care that there are currently more managers from Glasgow than those from England; I’m surprised someone hasn’t made a conspiracy theory about that. Whether the Premier League has 20 white managers, 20 black managers or half and half, as long as our league is the best in the world I will be content that each and every person is doing his job.

5 of the best England vs. Wales meetings

November 16th 1966: England 5 – 1 Wales

Jack and Bobby Charlton became the last siblings to score for England in a single game as the World Champions thrashed their neighbours in an emphatic 5-1 victory. World Cup final, hat trick hero Geoff Hurst had put England 2-0 up before Wales pulled one back, however the Charlton brothers struck either side of an own goal to complete the convincing victory.

May 31st 1977: England 0 – 1 Wales

This famous Welsh victory marks their first, and so far, only win at Wembley Stadium. England’s most-capped player, Peter Shilton brought Leighton James down in the box and gave him the opportunity to covert the resultant penalty to the delight of the travelling fans. The result was quite a shock for an England side sporting the likes of Phil Neal, Emlyn Hughes and Kevin Keegan. Fabio Capello will be glad Wales didn’t double that win tally at Wembley last Tuesday.

May 17th 1980: Wales 4 – 1 England

The ironically named Mike England got off to a flyer in his eight-year spell as the Welsh national manager as his side stunned Ron Greenwood’s England team, who had taken the lead early on, by cruising to a 4-1 triumph. Leighton James yet again returned to haunt England with one of the goals whilst it was a day to forget for Liverpool legend Phil Thompson as his comical own-goal completed the embarrassing defeat in the friendly at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham.

May 2nd 1984: Wales 1 – 0 England

England’s next visit to the Racecourse Ground was just as fruitless as the previous as an impressive Welsh side boasting the likes of Joey Jones, Neville Southall and Ian Rush battled their way to a 1-0 success with debutant Mark Hughes netting the only goal of the tie in the 17th minute. Wales held on for the rest of the game, against a relatively inexperienced England team led by Bobby Robson, to win the match which proved to be the final Wales and England meeting in a Home Nations Championship.

October 9th 2004: England 2 – 0 Wales

An attacking Sven Goran-Eriksson England team, featuring a front three of Jermain Defoe, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney comfortably overcame a worryingly weak Wales side, this time managed by Mark Hughes. Rio Ferdinand was recalled following his eight-month ban for missing a drugs test and Frank Lampard gave England the lead inside the first five minutes at the Millenium Stadium, but in typically spectacular style it was David Beckham who stole the headlines. In the second half his stunning, trademark curling strike from outside the area flew past goalkeeper Paul Jones to secure the victory. Beckham’s reckless booking was also later revealed to have been a deliberate stunt to earn him a suspension in a game he would’ve missed through injury anyway, sparking outrage amongst some of football’s leading bodies.