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THE ROCKLIFFE
FILES - EXCUSES FOR POOR "CHAMPIONS" 9-9-08
Toby Higgins
Every time Britain, or any one of the ‘home’ nations,
loses at something, an excuse is usually not far behind.
There was never any real question over Murray's fitness before
he went on court in the US Open Final yet suddenly, having been
totally outclassed to lose the first set 6-2, the commentators
are claiming he must be tired, he had to play Nadal yesterday,
this must have affected him and so on.
In the second set, a Federer backhand slice was called in (with
Murray at two break points) when replays later showed the ball
to be out. The Swiss went on to hold his serve. Murray whinged
and another excuse was born.
In the next game, Murray very deliberately showed signs of having
an injured knee as the match was starting to move away from
him. The commentators winced and recalled every injury Murray
has suffered since the age of about three. The list of excuses
goes on and on and on.
Michael Johnson eluded to this during the Olympics regarding
Tyson Gay, the 100m runner who failed to make the Final. One
of the presenters asked Johnson if Gay's poor performance was
down to injuries, or an illness he had reportedly had. Johnson’s
response was to the tune of, "No, he just didn't perform. In
America, if we don't perform, we hold our hands up and admit
we didn't perform. We don't make excuses about voodoo curses
or mystery illnesses - that's a British thing."
The same is going on with Lewis Hamilton and the GP on Sunday.
Hamilton broke the rules - simple as that. He let Raikkonen
past, having cut the previous corner, as the rules state he
must. However, in doing so, he had the momentum going into the
next corner. As a result, he passed Raikkonen again and was
rightly penalised.
Listening to the radio during the day on Monday, you’d think
someone had accused Hamilton of murder. The excuses were flying
– FIA (the body who regulate F1) are cheats, everyone is out
to get McClaren because they’re British, Ferrari bring in the
money so they get more favourable treatment, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Murray lost in the US Open Final because Roger Federer played
like the Roger Federer who dominated the men’s single game for
years.
There need be no excuses for his defeat because what he achieved
was truly magnificent, regardless of the outcome. There is no
shame in losing to the better player.
The reason Federer might have been sharper and fitter is because
he saw off his opponents in the tournament much quicker than
Murray did. No matter how good Murray was at Flushing Meadows,
Federer was better.
The best in the world earn that kind of respect. Federer is
one of the greatest Tennis Champions ever, whilst Murray was
playing his first Gramd Slam final.
Raikonnen is the reigning F1 Champion against Hamilton, who
is only in his second season. Champions make their own luck
and earn respect.
There will be time for Hamilton and Murray and both will surely
be champions themselves one day.
Making excuses only subtracts from what the other guy has done.
It’s no wonder we as a sporting nation often find ourselves
hated.
Since Croatia began playing football as a nation in 1994, they’ve
played 35 games at home in European and World Cup qualification
matches and have never lost.
You’d think John Terry had no idea about Croatia’s imperious
home form.
"I think we have got unfinished business with Croatia”,
he told the Guardian.
“This is a new campaign and we are going there to pick up three
points”.
Terry does know of Croatia’s record. But his “We’re England,
we’re the best, who the hell are Croatia?” attitude is exactly
the reason why the England squad is heralded as the rabble of
overpaid primadonnas they undoubtedly are.
It’s hard to tell who Terry is trying to convince; himself or
the English fans and media. If England win in Croatia, it will
be the greatest result since the 5-1 mauling of Germany; that
good, that impressive.
And yet Terry speaks as though we’re going to stroll into Croatia
and walk all over them whilst the Croatians rub their eyes as
they admire the many stars of the England team.
Terry’s words show no respect for Croatia, who are ranked fifth
in the world and are ahead of Brazil and Argentina. This is
compared to England’s miserable fifteenth.
Were England facing either of the South American sides away
from home on Wednesday, I doubt Terry would be so cocksure.
This is probably because he, and the rest of the England squad,
fear reputations as much as they seem to expect others to fear
theirs.
Croatia are bidding for a third win over England in two years.
They were seconds away from a place in the European Championships
semi-final before losing to Turkey in a penalty shootout. They
could well have gone on to beat Germany and given Spain a much
tougher test in the final than they ultimately faced against
the Germans.
When Liverpool, or Arsenal, or any of the Premier League sides
go to Terry’s Chelsea, they all go with the mindset that a point
is a good result. Nobody, not even Manchester United, are brave
enough to predict three points.
Terry’s problem seems to be that not only is he predicting them,
he’s expecting them.
Further on in the Guardian article, Terry likens the
trip to Croatia to that of his Chelsea side visiting Aston Villa.
Mid-table, no thrills, decent side but nothing special, Aston
Villa.
Even at a subconscious level, Terry looks at Croatia as though
they’re the Aston Villa to his Chelsea. Big, big mistake.
While Hamilton and Murray chose to let the fans and papers do
their talking, and excuse making, for them, footballers seem
hell bent on having the last word.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “We confide in our strength, without
boasting of it; we respect that of others, without fearing it”.
Maybe if Terry and his England chums walked a little closer
to this railing than they do, they wouldn’t keep falling.
England have to learn to respect their opponents and they might
have a chance of being respected in return. Once they’ve done
that, there’s the small matter of sorting the football out.
BACK TO THE ROCKLIFFE
FILES AND TotT INDEX
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