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Fabio should learn from THE DON!
Fabio should learn from THE DON!
Thursday, 24th Jun 2010 13:48 by Mark Monk

Chalk and cheese maybe - but the 1970’s were much simpler times after all.

I vaguely remember the 1970’s, what strikes me most is how much simpler life was in those days. For example, the Blackberry ™ which has troubled me ever since I opened the box two months ago, back in the 1970’s they used to frantically grow at the back of my Grandma’s house in the Autumn and we would pick them where they would be transformed into medicinal vinegar or delicious jam.

Our hulking black and white TV set had just three channels, BBC1, 2 and ATV (you could just about get Yorkshire with a blizzard reception), nowadays my channel numbers go into the 800‘s and there is nothing to watch! The music charts actually mattered whereby the discerning record buying public would have to get out and buy their vinyl of choice, rather than dumbly download whatever face book fad is going round or the latest bastard child from Simon Cowell‘s stable.

Don Revie’s Leeds epitomised the early 1970’s and if he was guilty of anything, it was being ahead of his time. His legendary dossiers on the opposition were laughed and chaffed at, yet I would bet a years’ salary that prior to this afternoon’s 1-0 win over Slovenia - Fabio had analysed the opposition from every angle on Blue-Ray.

It has emerged just like Revie, Fabio has found the relationship with his charges somewhat strained. There is a massive difference from being a club and a country manager, as Revie found out to his detriment. The paternalist presence he had at Elland Road was never going to wash at England level and many of the non-Leeds players of the era were less than complimentary about the methods he brought south from Yorkshire back in 1974.

It has been rumoured that the reason for England’s lacklustre performances against the Americans and Algerian’s was because they were bored of the luxury of their 5-star hotel! I am tempted to say that they should try swopping that privilege for say holding a rifle in Helmand province or trying to subsist on £65.00 a week Jobseekers Allowance. That is a flippant statement however. Listening to one of the many post-mortems last Saturday morning, it struck me that Fabio should have tried a leaf out of the Don’s book and entertained his players.

I’ve been to top-class hotels and they are often very sterile with regard to atmosphere. When I imagine luxury hotels in the 1970’s I think of cream and brown flecked wallpaper, fondue sets, the aroma of Oxtail soup boiling away and the ultimate in 1970’s sophistication; the prawn cocktail. Surely an establishment like this could be found in downtown Soweto?

Fabio could lay on games of bingo for the lads, Beckham could be put to some use helping Rooney with the old dabber - unless as I suspect Colleen used to drag him down the local Gala with her mam before he got famous? Don laid on group singalongs for his Leeds lads, Fabio could do the same as singing is very much out of fashion now we have the vuvuzela. There was carpet golf too! - that was a brilliant game, my Gran used to have a set we would lay out in the front room of her council house - John Terry would at last be able to get a “hole in one” without causing too much disruption to his team for once.

Billy Bremner and Jack Charlton even used to sneak off for a few pints, fags and a game of dominoes in a local spit and sawdust on a Thursday night before a Saturday match. Maybe that would be taking things too far but it worked in the 1970’s so why not try it now?

Photo: Action Images



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