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Following on from <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/martin-oneill-did-a-solid-jo/22977" target="_blank">an article on this very site which I respectfully disagreed with</a>, it seems to me that Revisionism is prevalent in modern football. Whether it be a defence mechanism to cope with loss or the delusion that things can and will only get better it worries me that legacy’s can be lost in the haze.
Right off the bat I’ll put my feelings out there. The loss of Martin O’Neill will be a terrible blow to Aston Villa, particularly at this point in the season. Martin O’Neill has not left jobs before for pithy reasons he was regretfully dragged away from Celtic and his decision to leave Leicester was one of ambition. I wonder if some Leeds fans still think upon Ridsdale’s mistake in annoying O’Neill prior to him actually joining. Martin O’Neill has been nothing but good for each club he’s come to and left and unfortunately after he departs the teams often fall from his highly set standards. To call his time at Aston Villa as ‘solid’ is in my opinion revisionism of the highest nature.

Though this sort of sentiment is nothing new, in fact it is not the first such instance of this kind of thinking this summer. He still is a Liverpool player but many Liverpool fans feel that Javier Mascherano’s time at Anfield has come to an end. His transfer should be welcomed as ‘we’ are getting offered stupid money for a reducer. A job anyone can do, hell, we’ve even got Lucas to do it right now at no extra cost. I’ve already covered the importance of the Defensive Midfielder and this type of thinking is revisionism. If/When (delete as applicable) Mascherano leaves Liverpool people will talk of his replacement being able to do more than the diminutive Argentinean largely ignoring that he has moved to the champions of Europe and was courted by the previous champions a year ago. Speaking of which, just a year previous, Liverpool lost Xabi Alonso for 30m this was regarded by my Liverpool supporting friends as a bit of a coup, Alonso was coming off a good season sure but he had had injury problems and the midfield would not suffer without him. Come October and Xabi had turned from injury-prone good midfielder to the key to Liverpool’s system.
The feelings are not restricted to Clubs either, after England’s world cup debacle the media had to centre on someone to blame. In 98 it was ‘1 stupid boy’ and in 06 it was ‘the winker’ but it is disingenuous to pin the blame solely on one person on every occasion at some point it must come down to the team effort. Cue the World Cup in 2010. An unmitigated disaster, Fabio Capello’s choices are diminished by injury before the tournament but his decisions during it are often against popular opinion and backfire. However it was not only Capello in South Africa, John Terry had a torrid tournament as the defence received very little protection from Midfield and Wayne Rooney was obviously not fit. When they were eventually destroyed by Germany the blame had to be apportioned. Given the benefit of hindsight every tabloid latched upon the Authoritarian image of Capello. Despite their hugely successful qualifying campaign where Capello was hailed as the saviour and the only man fit to get the best out of the so-called ‘golden generation’, after the tournament he was an inept tactician, stubborn and a terrible man-manager. The hypocrisy was lost on the papers as they directed and reflected public opinion.
Following on from this, the papers indicated that Capello should be sacked, in my opinion I thought he should have left as the team needed to blood new players in the new campaign, like Germany. If Capello were to leave the papers indicated that it should be an English manager who takes over as they are the only ones who understand the football culture and personality of the players. Again, confidently brushing over Steve McClaren’s reign. The whirlwind of media attention that surrounds football this day always will focus on the negative as it is a better story. As such this view can permeate through to the reading public and colour opinions which are far beyond the reality of the situation. This is not to say that all the revisionist tendencies of football fans are negative, some people are held in high regard despite their obvious flaws. 
Robbie Fowler is a prime example, whilst he was nothing short of prolific for Liverpool for a few seasons, football changed around Fowler as it became more about pace and pressure than the precision play he had used to enjoy. After 1997 his career took a precipitous drop the goals dried up and he fell behind in the pecking order to Emile Heskey, but he was still revered. As he left the football club for Leeds it was an unpopular decision, to quote Phil McNulty:
“There is also the not inconsiderable emotion – and in some cases anger – the deal will provoke among the Liverpool fans who have labelled Fowler “God”.”
However the deal proved to be for the best, Fowler had a decent season for Leeds but due to injuries and his controversial nature was never worth the 11 million they paid for him, however the mythos surrounding him has not left Anfield as he made his return after another unsuccessful period at Manchester City. The popular striker returned to much fanfare and left without any. If any ex-striker were to be revered it should have been Michael Owen, a prolific scorer at the club and national stage unlike Fowler he thrived in the modern game. So much so that he would win the Ballon D’or but his transfer out was received with much less remorse than that of Fowler and his reputation amongst Liverpool fans has now been (reasonably) diminished.
The problem with this revisionist nature is not the ill feeling that it is sometimes born from, it is that it can often impact on decisions that are about to be made. If Liverpool made it clear as they did for Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres they could try to keep one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. By selling him for a quite considerable fee and replacing him with the Poulsen Liverpool will have weakened their midfield but strengthened their bank balance. Much like some United fans believed Nani would replace Ronaldo easily and the loss of Martin O’Neill is seen as an inconvenience the rise of revisionism in football is one that can change expectations so much so that assumptions can be drawn in much the wrong way. This could breed contempt were it shouldn’t be as strong (Capello at England), reverence where it is not deserved (Fowler) and expectations that will never be met (Keegan’s return to Newcastle). Revisionism is football’s lead in the water-pipes, it drives the public crazy and serves to give a false account of the modern game and could lead to incorrect decisions being made.

Revisionism in Football - World Soccer Talk

Revisionism in Football

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Looking at England’s recent friendly against Mexico, one thing that is certain is the England team lack depth. The so called fringe players were supposed to grab this chance to prove their worth but none of them did any justification to why they are deserving of a starting spot. Without a doubt, the first team are a strong unit and on their day, they can beat any team. However, look beyond it and I’m sure we can see the underlying problem of how the players coming into the team as replacements for the starting eleven quite often struggle when given the chance to stake a claim.
When it comes to the first eleven, Capello has everything from personnel to formation and a system of playing that is already fine tuned and seems settled; most importantly, they play the way Capello wants them to play. Against Mexico however, there were some interesting observations made. Apart from Peter Crouch, the other players coming into the team struggled to stamp their mark on the team. The score line ended favourably for England but anybody who watched the game would not disagree if I say they were far from convincing and struggled to play as a unit. James Milner was as hardworking as ever but lacked the extra bit of quality to control the game from the middle of the park and Michael Carrick’s performance just about summed up his season. Carrick kept giving the ball away and was anonymous throughout the time he was on the field. Ledley King scored a goal but there were mistakes from him that went unpunished as well.
Same formation, same system but why didn’t it work this time? The answer could simply be the reason these players are considered reserves for the team. If England were faced with a similar situation at the World Cup, where key players were to be either injured or suspended, could they afford to put in another performance like they did against Mexico? No disrespect to Mexico, but if it were a team with the calibre of Spain, it might have been a totally different result. The gap of class between the eleven that is going to start in South Africa and the probable replacements is quite evident and this could go a long way to determining &nbsp;how far England can progress in the World Cup.
Capello has probably chosen the best 30 available players to make up the squad but it remains to be seen if they are good enough altogether as a squad to win the biggest prize in world football. The fringe players have to step up to the mark and perform when or if Capello needs them and another performance like the one against Mexico could ruin their chances in the World Cup. There is a question however if whether England has a plan B. Rather than sticking to the same formula, Capello could utilise these players and play them to their strength which would probably involve changing the formation and system but with time and games running out, it is uncertain whether Capello has a plan B and being the manager he is, we all hope he has the answer to this problem and if he could guide them far enough into the tournament, it would be a massive achievement considering the lack of depth in the squad. Have your say; do you think the England team is strong enough as a unit to win the World Cup?
Do share your comments and thoughts below.

Does England Have Enough Depth? - World Soccer Talk

Does England Have Enough Depth?

<div id="attachment_10709" style="width: 213px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>South Africa 2010</div>
Almost twenty years ago England went to Poland knowing that a draw would qualify them for Italia 90. A backs-to-the wall performance and the magnificence of Peter Shilton ensured they had their point and the team then went onto reach the semi-finals of the tournament that arguably saved English football from itself and ultimately elevated it to today’s dizzy heights.
Were it not for the&nbsp;crossbar however that Poland hit in the last minute with the superlative Shilton well beaten, England would have&nbsp;lost that night and not have qualified for Italia 90.&nbsp; &nbsp;There would have been no glorious <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH_Yt0K3tZA">semi-final defeat</a>, no tears from Gazza and the EPL might never have been born. Yet lady luck was smiling on England that night and here we are some 20 years on with England once again on the brink of the finals of the World Cup.&nbsp; Like Bobby Robson’s team, England remain unbeaten throughout their qualifying campaign but there is unlikely to be a repeat of that night in Chorzow where England had to get a result as their campaign for South Africa draws to a close.
Should England fail on Wednesday they have a second and a third stab at qualification against the Ukraine and Belarus respectively in October although in all likelihood their passage to South Africa next summer will be sealed with those two games to spare.

There’s something about a do-or-die game however that somehow makes it all seem worthwhile. All those weekends where the EPL comes to a grinding halt and all eyes are fixed firmly on the England camp seem to frustrate fans and managers alike but when it all comes&nbsp;down to one night, it&nbsp;serves up a starter that wets our appetite for the main course of the Finals themselves next summer.
In years’ gone by, as well as the nail-biter in Poland, England supporters have endured the catastrophe in <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Us6K9HLhcs">Rotterdam in 1993</a>, the miracle of <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=_10WqWZ3qds">Rome in 1997</a>, David Beckhams <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRMa0285d4I">finest hour </a>in 2001 although last time around in 2005 it was something of a damp squib as Sven’s men actually qualified for Germany on the back of a <a href="http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/4319660.stm">Dutch victory</a> over the Czech Republic.
Of course the misery of failing to qualify for Euro 2008 is still relatively fresh in people’s minds and whilst you could argue that England have come on in leaps and bounds since that <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaBvsqUlMsU">horror show </a>in 2007 – ironically also against Wednesday’s opponents Croatia – it could be argued that international football is steadily falling down the interest radar. Of course everyone loves the World Up but the whole qualification process? It just seems inconvenient particularly to fans of the Bloated Four although it must be said but when it is their teams that are pretty much decimated by international call ups you can maybe see their point. 
There was a time when England games seemed to really matter and they&nbsp;would capture the imagination of the English public in as much as they seemed to unite the football world but now they seem nothing more than a little sideshow than needs to be gotten out of the way before everyone can back to the real deal of the EPL.
With two huge games coming up on September 12th (Man City v Arsenal; Spurs v Man Utd) when the league resumes it is sometimes hard to get too excited about the international scene&nbsp;but come next summer no doubt even England’s biggest critics will be on the bandwagon&nbsp;although it is fair to say that the EPL has become the be all and end all of football in England and sadly that seems to include international football as well.
As far as Capello is concerned, well all he has done really is take the same group of players and taught them how to win again in a not too dissimilar way that one of his predecessors Sven Goran Erickson had England playing. It’s not pretty but it is effective – albeit against mediocre opposition it must be said. &nbsp;Indeed, perhaps one of the biggest reasons for England’s recent winning streak is not necessarily the new manager but the standard of opposition in their group. You can only beat what’s in front of you and England has obviously done that but without really making anyone sit up and take notice. There’s still questions about the left side of midfield, there’s still doubts about Gerrard and Lampard in the same team and whilst those issues have been part and parcel of the England set up for years it seems there’s now doubts about just who is the first choice goalkeeper and just who should partner Rooney up front if there is to be a partner for him at all.
The warm up game against Slovania on Saturday will merely be a taster for the big event on Wednesday with Capello hoping above all to avoid any injuries to his squad so he may play his first team.&nbsp; Looking at the team that faced Poland in 1989 what Capello wouldn’t give for the likes of Shilton, Bryan Robson and Gary Lineker to be lining up for him.&nbsp; Indeed it makes the mouth water doesn’t it?&nbsp; Gerrard and Robson together in the middle of the park?&nbsp; Rooney and Lineker up front?&nbsp; Maybe England would even progress beyond the Quarter Final stage and maybe even…nah, it wouldn’t be the same without&nbsp;a heartbreaking penalty shootout loss would it?
<a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8kOsi51Sf0">Poland</a><a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8kOsi51Sf0"> 0-0 England 
</a>11 October,1989 
Stadion Slaski, Chorzow 

<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Shilton" target="_blank">Peter Shilton [Derby County]</a> 
G<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Stevens" target="_blank">ary Stevens [Glasgow Rangers]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Pearce" target="_blank">Stuart Pearce [Nottingham Forest]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Walker" target="_blank">Desmond Walker [Nottingham Forest]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Butcher" target="_blank">Terence Butcher [Glasgow Rangers]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rocastle" target="_blank">David Rocastle [Arsenal]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Robson" target="_blank">Bryan Robson [Manchester United]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_McMahon" target="_blank">Stephen McMahon [Liverpool]</a> 
C<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Waddle" target="_blank">hristopher Waddle [Marseille]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Beardsley" target="_blank">Peter Beardsley [Liverpool]</a> 
<a href="http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Lineker" target="_blank">Gary Lineker [Tottenham Hotspur]</a>

England On The Brink Of 2010 World Cup - World Soccer Talk

England On The Brink Of 2010 World Cup

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England On The Brink Of 2010 World Cup