No walk in the Parks for Wales
Posted on 14/02/2010General theory is that, since the game of rugby union turned professional, rugby players have become about as interesting as a night-in with a dictionary. Outstanding quotes are by-and-large a thing of the past, but on Saturday Wales captain Ryan Jones proved they have it within them to produce when the stakes are at their very highest. Having just triumphed against Scotland after being 24-21 down with 20 seconds left, Jones commented “I put my **** on the block and I guess it paid off.”
Superb. But the Welsh should not be allowed to steal the headlines, not in James Corrigan’s eyes, who championed the cause of Scotland’s Dan Parks in the Independent...
Even allowing for the fact that this Wales team are like the culprit in an episode of Miss Marple – they never turn up until the 60th minute – Dan Parks enjoyed the finest hour of his career. When he stood in the 65th minute with his arms aloft, he must have believed this was his moment. He had just kicked a drop-goal from nigh on halfway and with the score-board at 24-14, glory beckoned.Parks has always put the "much" before "maligned". In the build-up even Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, had pointed to the Glasgow fly-half's selection over Godman and highlighted how limited the visitors' gameplan would be. Well, Gatland was right: Parks' tactical kicking was crucial to the Scottish performance. Yet so was every facet of Parks' game.
If his drop-goal might have been – probably should have been – the afternoon's defining score then his brilliant left-foot grubber kick to set up Max Evans' first-half try was just as spectacular. He is heading to the Cardiff Blues in the summer and there had been whispers of discontent in reaction to the signing. There were none last night.
For the Blues faithful, this was a win-win situation. For the man of the match, there was only agony. "There's no justice," said Parks. "To have it taken away from us like this... heartbroken is the only word."
“Heartbroken” may very well sum up Portsmouth fans soon as they limp from one crisis into another, prompting an entire nation to feel sorry for their plight as liquidation threatens. I say ‘an entire nation’, but that should exclude the Daily Mail’s Des Kelly, who appears to have no sympathy for the South Coast side whatsoever...
The Premier League are asking for Portsmouth to be given an £11million advance on their television income in an act of unfamiliar charity, a sum that would keep them out of the death grip of the tax-man for a few weeks more and stall the imminent threat of administration. What is a billionaire oligarch to do? Hand football’s equivalent of a few quid to a Big Issue seller, or politely decline in case this encourages more begging?On the face of it, chucking Pompey some loose change sounds a reasonable, even compassionate gesture. A proud and historic club will remain solvent and the ‘most popular league in the world’™ are spared the embarrassment of watching one of their own being dragged off to the poorhouse. But this solution is plain wrong. In fact, it is a disgraceful idea, an appalling, short-term botch that would set a horrible precedent.
Portsmouth have wilfully spent millions they didn’t have. For years they siphoned off cash that should have gone to the taxman and juggled funds borrowed from various offshore banks. Not to improve the facilities at Fratton Park or to build a new stadium, but to lure players to the south coast with astronomical sums of money.
They were shopping again yesterday, landing a Serbian defender despite their financial plight. But there has never been a workable plan to meet these ridiculous costs; nothing beyond a vague hope that a trophy, another loan or a dodgy benefactor might cover the debts one day. They are forever like the fool who buys a Ferrari and then heads to the casino hoping to win the money to pay for it.
However much sympathy anyone feels for their fans (there but for the grace of God, etc.), remember this is a club that earned £70m in their 2008 FA Cup-winning season and still managed to report a £17m loss. No supporters were complaining then. They were ‘living the dream’, just like Leeds United had.
But if Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore’s ‘ring-round’ to the other 19 clubs manages to whip up some temporary PompeyAid, it gives a green light to every owner to act just as irresponsibly, safe in the knowledge that their Sugar Daddy will step in if the credit card is too far over the limit.
Why shouldn’t Portsmouth suffer the consequences of years of mismanagement and misadventure? What is the point of a sensibly run outfit like Wolves trying to remain in the top flight with a reasonable wage structure when Pompey are blithely excused for running wildly out of control?