As we all sit waiting for a World Cup, from where our captain has returned and according to this morning's Sky report two more defenders are sitting out training, I wonder what it is about football that gets us all in this hyper-patriotic mode.

I love the game, I would play if I wasn’t so awful but instead I hold a season ticket at Ipswich, go to a good six or seven away games a year, help out when I can at my local club when not with Ipswich and hold an Englandfans membership. But more and more I find myself disenchanted with the antics surrounding the game.

In the last couple of weeks we have seen our local rivals both in football court arguing about Mr Lambert's departure from Colchester and arrival at Norwich, apparently Norwich made an illegal approach, and to the tune of several hundred thousand were penalised for it. As well as receiving a slap on the wrist and a warning about similar behaviour, an outraged Colchester chairman Mr Cowling is demanding a further punishment of a points deduction but was not so outraged as to refuse the sale of David Fox to Norwich for an undisclosed fee.

The points deduction would apply this season and therefore would in no way benefit Colchester, but I am sure there would be some satisfaction in it for the Colchester massive, although the real appreciation would come from 23 Championship clubs seeing one team on the back foot from the offset. Of course, as an Ipswich fan, I would smile a bit inside, but I think it is a silly idea really. I did wonder if any other profession would tolerate firms suing each other over employees, I am fairly certain there has been no high court action over my two career moves (albeit from Spar to a cabinet maker to a land rover dealership).

Another moment for the football world to shake its head at this week was when Mexico named their squad and omitted Jonathan Dos Santos, brother of former Ipswich loanee Gio. Devastated by the news that his brother wasn’t going to South Africa, Gio made a press statement regards his own position saying that as his brother wasn’t going he was considering not going either!

Now correct me if I am wrong, but being selected to represent your country on the highest stage is surely an honour, and to only do it on the terms of I will if my brother can too is ludicrous. If it was my brother playing and he turned to me and said I won’t go without you, I would give him a slap, I expect most of you reading this will agree that when we were about six years old kicking a ball about in the garden we were doing it because we wanted to and if we scored a goal we were happy, at no point does the six year old in the garden concern himself with a win bonus, wages, international honours or the like.

I consider footballing talent a gift, I made one league appearance for Wenhaston, it was woeful, I played 10 minutes as a left winger in a game where half the squad were away at a wedding, I did make a good pass or two, a good cross into the box, and a hideous tackle which if it hadn’t been so badly mis-timed and I had caught the man, I would with no doubt have been off, but I played because I wanted to, not because I was getting £80,000 and certainly not so I could play on the same team as my brother, as he plays for rivals Halesworth!

I think what I am getting at is the child-like mentality of footballers nowadays, I remember it wasn’t so long ago when players were humble when given an England cap, and in one case deserved it and never got it, Marcus Stewart. When the squad was cut this week, the papers went totally over the top, disgusted that Theo Walcott is out and claiming that Darren Bent's England future is non-existent. It's not over, we all thought when Darren missed the header against Japan, that if it was for Sunderland he would have buried, that was his World Cup dream over, not permanently but for 2010, as he is young enough to be considered in 2014 and at a push 2018 providing he keeps a scoring touch and fit.

As I sit here I have the cricket on, Ian Bell has just passed his century and I can’t help but compare the England footballers to the cricketers. I met several of the England players last year and some West Indies players too. The obvious difference is manners, the cricketers, with the exception of Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Bravo, were polite and happy to talk to anyone. Andrew Strauss laughed when I said we would win the Ashes 2-1 but we did. They all like a night out, don’t get me wrong, but none behaved like you hear the footballers doing, well apart from a couple of notable exceptions.

Maybe it's money-related or maybe upbringing, as football clubs claim the lads from about 10 years old and then all they do is football, so social skills get swallowed up. I think the cricketers are still in the 'playing because they want to camp' as opposed to the 'playing as it makes them rich camp', but that's just around the corner I am sure.

Parents buy their four year olds boots and a ball hoping they will be the next Wayne Rooney, not because they will be the greatest player but because they can get so rich so quick. Maybe they ought to buy them a bat and cricket gear and convince them that the way forwards may be to be the next Paul Collingwood, Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen or if you like the one football-esque cricketer Mr Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff, who fits the footballer's life around cricket. There had to be one didn’t there.

Vexorg added 20:24 - Jun 5 Why blame football? It's chavvy, less than bright people you are moaning about really
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BaltachaFanClub added 17:05 - Jun 6 I am not blaming anyone for anything, well apart from the pushy parents
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hype313 added 16:18 - Jun 7 Football is played by the lower class, look at the England team they have a combined IQ of 6. Its because when they realise they are good and will probably make it, they think sod this to studying and end up illiterate yobs. Give an 18yr old chav £50k a week what do you expect him to do? Cricketers get better with age, hence why they have time to get educated and have a bit of life experience. But Cricket is dull imo, it doesnt get the heart racing like football does, the passion, the suspense, the emotion. Unfortunatley we have to suffer the prima donna's in this time, but Football still makes us tick through the winter.

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StavangerBlue added 10:48 - Jun 9 Top footballers are spoilt brats. I was dining in a top London restaurant some months ago...award winning chef etc. The place was packed and to get a table is like finding gold dust. Anyway, in walks this "top" footballer. "I want a table" he says, not "have you got a table?" but he just blatantly says "I want a table!" Anyway, because it is this "top" footballer the maître d’ finds him a table and gives him a menu. The footballer tosses the menu aside and demands “I want hamburger and chips!”. The maitre d’ explains that hamburger and chips is not on the menu. “I want hamburger and chips! I’m [insert name here] and I want my hamburger and chips!” To add insult to injury he starts banging his knife and fork on the table. The maître d’ is losing it now and gets the chef who comes out of the kitchen. At first it was obvious this chef was up for a good rant at this so called customer but as soon as he saw who it was this "top" footballer and he played for his favourite club it was “no problem, just for you, no problem!” Now I’m not trying to tar every footballer with the same brush but if that is how our “top” players behave with their £100k+ cars, illiterate wives and chav bling I would not pay them a penny and if I could fine them every penny. Many of these players feel they have a given right to do what they want, when they want and beware anyone who gets in the way. I’ve known some “real” footballers in my time. Good footballers, who have played at a professional level, ok maybe not strictly at the top level. But they have supported their families, earned enough so their spouse can get a University education and even educated themselves…planning for the future. These players look at their opportunity as a gift, an opportunity to do something they enjoy and get paid for it but at the same time they realise they need to plan for the future. I guess we’ll find out which players are which in a few years. Like Mike Tyson, he earned $300m in his fighting career but is now practically bankrupt. Who’ll be the bankrupts in a few years time? The ones who planned for the future or the £50k+ a week yobs who deserve everything because they’re [insert name here].

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