It is a good rule in life never to apologize

THE SUGARMAN SAYS

It is a good rule in life never to apologize

It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sorts of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take advantage of them. I've been lying low this week after two articles caused untold controversy amongst the Bookiebusters’ faithful.

Firstly, I single handedly managed to upset the entire population of Newcastle with a scathing attack on the Geordies acquisition of Michael Owen. Secondly, The Sugarman leapt to the defense of under fire England boss Sven Goran Erickson 36 hours BEFORE the defeat in Northern Ireland. Sven-Goran Erickson

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it would be easy for me to return , apologize and embarrassingly retract all comments made about Owen and Sven. NNNNAAAAHHHH…. I don’t think so.

Everyone (presumably) who reads and writes on this site is a gambler. We all put our necks on the line day in day out. We win or lose based on the DECISIONS, STATEMENTS and JUDGEMENTS we make.

I wouldn’t insult the intelligence of anyone logged onto this sight by claiming I didn’t mean every single word of what I wrote. I did. I wouldn’t be so hypocritical as to build Sven up one minute, and call for his head the next. The same journalists desperate to see him go now, are the same ones who sang his praises from the rooftops after the 5-1win in Munich, the victory against Argentina, and who BEGGED him to sign an extended deal after Chelsea came sniffing around Soho square.

The latest attempt by the media to oust Sven from office is just the latest in a cycle of repetition that has plagued English football for years. Hoddle, Taylor, Robson, Keegan. Greenwood, Revie, even Sir Alf have all found themselves answering to the views of fat sweaty men in ‘Fleet Street’ offices many of whom have never kicked a ball in anger.

If Sven Goran Erickson is ousted from his job as England manager in the coming weeks, journalists in this country should hang their heads in shame.

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YES Sven has tinkered with his formation to such an extent nobody appears to know truly what the best system is. YES he seems to have ‘teacher’s pets’ in Owen and Beckham, and YES he does appear ‘strangely alluring’ to the ladies and is filling his boots at every opportunity.

But so what? Better to tinker with his system NOW, than in the world cup, who WOULDN’T pick Owen and Beckham, and who REALLY cares if he’s shagging Ulrika Johnson, Roxette, ABBA and Byon Borg so long as England qualify and we win the world cup?

Poet and play write John Dryden once said ‘beware the fury of a patient man’. Although over 300 years old, the quote should be heeded as a stern warning to all the tabloid hacks currently calling for the head of the Erickson.

Patience is the key in football. Manchester United currently has by far the most successful football manager of the last 20 years. By luck or by judgment Alex Ferguson owes much of his success to the PATIENCE of his employers. I genuinely believe England under Erickson could see history repeat itself. In much the same way.

The last time the tabloid media mounted such a sustained campaign to oust an England manager, they got their man after he’d only been in charge for 28 games.

He didn’t win the world cup at the first time of asking, and he was deposed largely due to non football matters despite haven’t the best win percentage of ANY England manager since Sir Alf.

Glenn Hoddle made the fatal mistake of ‘apologizing’ to the tabloid hacks for a quote taken WAY out of context, and with that his days as England boss were numbered. Sven must not go the same way. It serves no purpose and will only harm our world cup chances.

In fact, whoever is in charge of Sven’s media management, speech writing, spin or whatever, should simply tell the Swede to look the likes of Mark Lawrenson square in the eyes, face Martin Samuel, and all the other fat wasters in ‘Fleet street’ head on and simply borrow a quote from ‘Mike Bassett- England manager’……………..

”Next match, England will be playing 4-4-fucking-2”.