At The Emirates Commentators Take English Bias Too Far
Watching the Emirates Cup match between Arsenal and Celtic, I was reminded of one nuisance that I must prepare myself for when the new season starts; the commentary devoted to English players. For it seems there is one rule for the analysis of their performances and another for anyone else. After the match I could only imagine how differently I would have assessed the game, if I did not possess the gift of sight. Both commentators persistence on exclaiming the quality being exuded from Theo Walcott almost made me doubt myself in the end, if not for the fact that at times he made me almost wish I couldn’t see.
Chants of ‘no-one else was on his wavelength’ or ‘that was a quality ball, if only someone had have been attacking it’ resonated continuously throughout the 90 minutes, which only confounded my disbelief. I’m sorry, but if you cross the ball into the box, it is the ability to find a teammate on the other end that is the most important skill. Crossing the ball aimlessly into the penalty box, while his glare is fixed on the ball, and not on who’s in the box, is not a skill to be applauded. It only succeeds in losing possession (which is one thing in particular Walcott has mastered). He lost possession of the ball more so than any other Arsenal player, and yet I could have sworn he was the maestro on the pitch if based on commentary alone.
However, this article is not aimed at underlining Walcott’s flaws but rather how his performance is analysed, and he is not alone in this sort of treatment. Almost every other English ‘starlet’ receives this same treatment when playing at club level in the Premiership, as if they can do no wrong.
Encouraging players to believe they are the finished article, rather than pinpointing the areas in which to improve, is not the way to create top class talent. And this is an attitude reflected in how Fabio Capello’s style of management ostracised the media, who could not get to grips with his disciplinary approach to management. So used to molly-cuddling English players, they could not fathom any criticisms that would be directed at their almost untouchable players, warranted or not.
Commentary is supposed to be neutral, and though I can understand a certain favouritism that English commentators possess towards players of their own nationality, what exactly do they think they are achieving in blatant bias? Encouraging players is one thing, but blindly ignoring mistakes they make on the pitch, solely because they are English, only succeeds in continuing a tradition of English players living in a bubble, unable to fully scrutinise their own performances.
Therefore I hope English players learn to ignore what is said of them, and luckily for Walcott, the analysis of his performance relies more so on his manager than the media, for I can only imagine their ineptitude in management, if that is the degree of scrutiny they are capable of.
Written By Darren Doherty