An Open Letter To The Board of The Football Association
by Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA
Dear Sirs,
27 June 2010: FULL TIME: Germany 4-1 England – South Africa.
“England’s World Cup is over. Slowly, blinking, we get back to our lives. Whatever you use to block out the pain and disappointment, just know that it can’t possibly get worse than this. Know that England were lucky that Germany only scored four. “- Daily Telegraph
“England’s worst World Cup finals defeat in history is sealed…. England was appalling. And anyway, when you boil it down, England played well for 54 seconds out of 90 minutes. A terrible show, an embarrassment, and an especially pathetic defensive performance.”–Guardian Newspaper
3 July 2010: Serena Williams df Vera Zvonareva: 6-3 6-2 – Wimbledon
“There’s Serena counting the number of times ‘Williams’ appears on the roll of honour board. They have won the title nine times since 2000: Venus with five, Serena with four. Not even Roger Federer can match that sort of dominance”
– BBC
The above comments from the press clearly highlights the contrasting fortunes of the English National Football Team (ENFT) and the Williams sisters, who are coached by their father Richard Williams.
Since Venus and Serena came onto the Grand slam tennis scene in 1997/1998, they have amassed a combined total of 20 Grand Slam single titles, 12 Grand Slam double titles and 3 Olympic Gold medals. During the same time frame, the English football team has not won any major football tournament in any part of Europe or the world, besides the Rous Cup (a discontinued competition that featured the Scottish and English football teams). One has to turn back the clock 44 years ago to England’s 1966 World Cup triumph before one can read, learn or watch any history of England’s success at the national football level.
Are there any explanatory factors for the contrasting fortunes of the English national team relative to the Williams Sisters? What makes the Williams tick? Are there lessons that the ENFT can gain from the Williams? Can the English team coach apply some of the coaching techniques of Richard Williams? Should the Football Association engage the services of the Williams in order to improve the performance of the English football team? These questions are worth considering and I will try to answer some of them in the subsequent paragraphs.
In order to put the successes of the Williams into perspective, it is important to understand where they are coming from. Legend has it that in 1978, after learning that the 1978 ladies French Open final champion Virginia Ruzici had received a pay cheque of £40,000, Richard Williams, who was amazed at the value of the prize money said to his wife Oracene “we need to have two more babies and turn them into tennis champions”. Within three years after making that statement, Venus and Serena were born in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Richard and Oracene who had no prior tennis playing or coaching experience were determined to learn the game of tennis for the sake of their daughters. In the midst of poverty, racism danger and criticism, Richard Williams, a self-taught tennis coach has been able to turn his daughters into multiple Grand Slam and Olympic champions.
Ghost of 1966
If English football is to move forward, it is important that the players, the public at large, the media and football authorities should put the achievement of the 1966 World Cup triumph behind them. Admittedly, the 1966 victory was quite a remarkable feat, especially when one considers, that since the inception of the World Cup in 1930, only eight nations have ever won the title. However, in the word of Apostle Paul it is time to “forget what is in the past and strain toward what is ahead”. In this regard, lessons can be learnt from Venus and Serena.
Despite winning titles year in year out, Serena and Venus never dwell on their past victories and accomplishments. Rather, they focus on winning their next match, next Grand Slam, or next tournament. For instance, Serena has always nursed the ambition of emulating her tennis mentor Billie Jean King. When Serena equaled Billie Jean King’s record of 12 Grand slam titles with victory at the 2010 Australian Championship, her next target was to surpass it. Serena worked hard at this and finally achieved it at the 2010 Wimbledon Championship. With that in the bag, Serena has set sight on other hurdles that need to be scaled. A couple of years ago, Serena said “I can’t become satisfied, because if I get satisfied, I’ll be like, “Oh, I’ve won Wimbledon, I’ve won the U.S. Open. Now can I relax.” But now people are really going to be fighting to beat me.”. It is only when the ghost of the 1966 triumph is banished, that can ENFT would be able to move forward and work towards achieving its desire to be world beaters.
Stage Fright
Another problem plaguing the English football team is its inability to perform at the highest level. The English team does well in qualifiers for major tournaments and also in the early rounds of tournaments like the European Championship and World Cup. However, as they progress further in the tournament and the weaker teams get eliminated, the ENFT are often unable to scale the hurdle once they are drawn against a top seeded football team. For instance, since the 1986 World Cup, the ENFT has been eliminated in the World Cup by top seeded teams like Argentina in 1986, Germany in 1990, Argentina in 1998, Brazil in 2002, Portugal in 2006 and Germany in 2010.
Furthermore, of the 19 FIFA World Cup Championships that have taken place around the world since 1930, the only competition won by the ENFT was the 1966 competition, which was hosted in England. The mark of true champions is their ability to win matches outside of their comfort zone.
In contrast, the Williams sisters even though they are Americans, have still been able to win 16 of their 20 Grand Slam single titles and 10 of their 12 Grand Slam double titles outside of their home country, the United States. In addition, the Williams are comfortable playing other top seeded players during tennis tournaments. On many occasions, they have won tournaments by defeating higher rated players. For instance, during the 2007 Australian Open, an unseeded Serena defeated the 27th seed, the 16th seed, the 11th seed, the 5th seed and the 1st seed on her way to winning the Championship.
Moreover, the sisters are accustomed to playing in hostile terrains and in front of partisan crowds. In 2001, Serena Williams still won the Indiana Wells tournament, despite being jeered by a hostile crowd throughout her finals match. At the 2003 French Open, the crowd jeered Serena Williams during her match against Justine Henin. One contributory factor to the Williams’ ability to overcome other top seeded players and win championship on courts outside of their comfort zone is due to their mental toughness resulting from their father’s teachings.
Consistency of Management
Another contributory factor to the Williams sisters’ dominance in the last decade is the fact that they have maintained the same coach since the beginning of their careers. This consistency has enabled the sisters to perfect their tennis style. In contrast, the English National Team has had 8 managers since the commencement of the sisters’ professional career in 1994. This translates to an average managerial change every two years for the English National team since 1994.
The Football Association, the press and the public needs to realize that frequent managerial change is counter productive as it results in frequent changes in football strategy and players could be confused with the different football philosophy that each new manager tends to bring to the team. Furthermore, when there are frequent changes in the management of the team, it often results in changes not only in the backroom coaching staff, but also in changes in the team composition and playing style. The Football Association should be patient with managers and give them enough time to develop the football team.
Professionalism vs. Celebrity Lifestyle
Like the Williams sisters, many of the English team players are celebrities who are known throughout the world. As a result of this celebrity status, it is not unusual to see these stars adorn the front pages of newspaper. However, it is important for sportsmen and sportswomen not to forget that they are professionals. Furthermore, as professional sportsmen and women, these athletes act as role models for millions of fans around the world, so they are expected to behave in a manner worthy of their status.
Though the Williams sisters have on some occasions failed to live up to the expectation required of a role model (like Serena’s outburst against the line judge during the 2009 US Open), by and large, compared to a number of the English team squad members, they have been able to properly align their professional career and status with their celebrity lifestyles.
For instance, despite being involved in committed relationships, Venus and Serena do not allow this relationship to affect their professional careers. During professional tournaments, their boyfriends take a backseat as the girls are focused on winning during these tournaments. Furthermore, during Grand Slam tournaments, the sisters do not attend social functions except for pre-tournament events organized by the tournament co-coordinators. Venus Williams in referring to her attitude during tournaments says, “I don’t come to tournaments to make friends, to go to parties, to hold conversations. I come to be the best, and I’m not mean and cruel and dirty.” Surely, this kind of focus is what makes these sisters worthy champions.
Unfortunately, this same level of professionalism is not adopted by a number of the English players. It is not unusual to read headlines in the press about English players engaging in appropriate behaviour. If the headline is not about a captain having an affair with his teammates girl friend, then it is about a player engaging the services of a prostitute; if it is not about a player dating an ex-lap dancer that looks like his wife, then it is about players going on a ‘booze bender’ shortly after a humiliating defeat. During the 2006 World Cup, members of the English team were allowed to bring their wives and girlfriends (WAGs) to the tournament. The WAGs presence at the tournament generated headlines in the press as photographers tracked their social and shopping activities. Some analyst, attribute England’s departure from the 2006 World Cup due to the distraction caused by the ‘WAGs’. If English football is to progress, the team will need to emulate the Williams professionalism and focus.
Conclusion
From the above comparative analysis, it is clear that if English football is to be saved from mediocrity, the Football Association, the manager and the players may have to study and employ some of the strategies used by the Williams. Perhaps, the F.A could contact Richard Williams and seek his advice on how to turn the English football team into a world-class team. I believe that Richard would be more than willing to help.
In case you are having second thoughts about engaging with the Williams, imagine what an English National Team comprising of say six Venus’s and five Serena’s and managed by Richard would achieve. Surely the World Cup and European Championship would no longer be a fantasy, but would become a reality.
So when Venus, Serena and Richard Williams arrive at Heathrow Airport next year for the 2011 Wimbledon Championship, please send a taxi to bring them over to Soho Square for a chat , before they head off to SW19.
Yours faithfully,
Ahmed Olayinka Sule, CFA
suleaos@gmail.com
Friday, August 13, 2010
Cc
Mr. Roger Burden- Chairman – The Football Association
Mr. Alex Horne- General Secretary – The Football Association
Rt Hon Hugh Robertson MP – Minister for Sport
Mr. Fabio Capello- England Team Manager
Mr. Steven Gerrard – England Team Captain
Mr. Richard Williams
Miss Venus Ebony Williams
Miss Serena Jameka Williams
THE ALATENUMO 