Season 2012-13 
Opinion Talking Points
The Queen picks her Everton team...
Comments (11) jump to end
Her Majesty met an Evertonian last week – club photographer Peter McFall, to be precise. She gave him an MBE, which was nice. I’m not making it up, it was on the Official Site: (http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/2013/03/02/peter-s-day-at-the-palace)
Peter said “Her Majesty was not only knowledgeable but very pleasant and easy to talk to.” What, knowledgeable about football? Blimey, who’d have thought it! I have it on good authority that their private conversation went something like this...
HM: "I hereby do declare that the way forward is for the Everton team to consist solely of British-born players, augmented with foreigners who have lived here for at least 10 years and can pass the citizenship test. OK? So, I’d plump for: Howard, Stones, Jagielka, Distin and Baines in defense. A midfield of Coleman, Phil Neville, Gibson and Osman. Then young Ross playing behind Big Vic. Subs: Springthorpe, Hibbert, Duffy, Garbutt, Kennedy, Naismith and McAleny. What do you think?"
PM: "Er, it’s a bit..."
HM: "What, racist? No, I’ve got Sylvain and Victor in there. It’s not about skin colour – it’s about Britishness."
PM: "No, not that, it’s just a bit..."
HM: " What, controversial? I know Ireland is not, strictly speaking, part of Britain but I think we can get away with it. The British Lions rugby union team includes Irish players, doesn’t they? Well then..."
PM: "No, not that, it’s..."
HM: "What, disappointing for Duffy? I know, I know. He can’t even get a game when we take out all the unfairly talented foreigners. Unlucky, Shane."
PM: "No, what I was going to say was that it’s a little bit..."
HM: "What, mediocre? I know what you mean, it doesn’t set the pulse racing, does it? Still, relegation can be a godsend in the long run. Anyway, like it or not, that’s the way it’s going. I’ve put forward a proposal to the PM. Oh, and another thing: we’re going to cap footballers’ yearly salaries at £100,000. That’ll teach them, the overpaid posers."
PM: "Overpaid? I thought the monarchy kept out of politics?"
HM: "Yeah, right."
Kev Johnson, Posted 06/03/2013 at 16:11:58
Reader Comments
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912 Posted 06/03/2013 at 18:32:54
Can see the Paddies kicking off about Coleman being involved, not to mention Gibbo, who's still a year away from having his decade.
975 Posted 06/03/2013 at 21:28:44
978 Posted 06/03/2013 at 21:29:45
979 Posted 06/03/2013 at 21:30:29
981 Posted 06/03/2013 at 21:47:29
997 Posted 06/03/2013 at 23:02:13
Could she be a red?
If so, an anus horribilis indeed.
998 Posted 06/03/2013 at 23:07:49
030 Posted 07/03/2013 at 06:16:48
071 Posted 07/03/2013 at 12:28:40
To be fair, she did say her blurring of the distinction was "controversial". But it's all a bit of a lottery when Welsh teams play in the English leagues and we compete in the Olympics as a conglomerate of four nations.
Personally, I'd be happy to have a rule whereby at least half of the match squad had to be British or Irish. It would be a nightmare to manage and will never come to pass, but I would like it. If there was less money to be made from playing over here then less players would come from abroad and more home grown talent would come through. It would also have a beneficial knock on effect on the national side. I know many people on TW don't care about the England team, but I do.
These things tend to go in cycles. Who knows, the current situation - whereby football is all about the money - may change in future. I hope it does.
073 Posted 07/03/2013 at 12:57:40
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884 Posted 06/03/2013 at 17:04:41