FIRST we had Tubegate, then we had Colegate.
TERRY VENABLES
English football’s governing body has been going through a dodgy spell for far longer than that.
And it will continue to do so until it finally works out and makes crystal clear what its remit is, works accordingly within that, shows some support and solidarity with the England manager and allows him to get on with his job on getting things right on the pitch, regardless of events off it.
Phew! It sounds complex, but it should not be.
The main problem with the FA at the moment is that nobody really knows what its main job is.
Is the main priority the professional game or amateur one?
The Three Lions or The Red Lion? Can it control both?
The John Terry-Anton Ferdinand case and subsequent hearing has also raised the question: Is the FA above the law?
As ever with the FA there are more questions than answers. One thing we do know is that it is responsible for is the running of the England team — which has not exactly covered itself in glory this week.
But if the FA is not to become a totally toothless lion then it must let Roy Hodgson get on with his job as England manager.
That means if he wants to pick Terry, Rio Ferdinand or Ashley Cole he should be able to do so — even in light of recent events.
Hodgson must be able to have the major say in selection. Or else his job is practically worthless.
Now he has not had the best of weeks after admitting telling a commuter on a London Underground train that Rio’s England days are over.
The person I feel sorry for most in all this was Rio.
I have known him since I brought him to train with my squad ahead of Euro ’96.
Rio, Frank Lampard and a few others used to collect the balls and cones and make up the numbers in drills.
He went on to have an outstanding career as an England player. Hodgson has apologised for his out-of-school comments.
But I feel Rio has dealt with the siuation impeccably. He’s arguably the only one to emerge from it with any credit.
Not that Roy should be shot down in flames, either.
I have known him for many years and he has always used public transport.
But, after turning 65 in August, he must now accept it is time to chuck his Freedom Pass in the bin.
You can get away with riding the Tube when you are manager of Fulham. But when you are in charge of England you are on a much different track — especially in this day and age.
When I was England manager I only had to deal with the glare of TV and newspaper photographers’ cameras.
These days it is not journalists you must worry about when you are out, it’s the people in the street with mobile phones.
Roy has obviously discovered this to his cost. He is a decent guy who probably prefers to jump on the Tube. But for him now it is too big a risk.
That is why the FA provides him with a car and a driver to take him anywhere he wants anytime of the day or night.
Hodgson hopefully realises now he must use the company perks at his disposal. But we have seen this week mobile phones can also drop players in it, as well as managers.
Cole tweeted that the FA were a “bunch of t**ts” after his evidence at team-mate JT’s racism case was questioned.
He later deleted the post and issued a statement apologising for it. But I can understand where he was coming from.
He gave evidence at a hearing and was slaughtered for it. And surely if the hearing felt Cole was telling porkies to them, why did they not punish him?
The fact is they did not, so why rip into him afterwards?
Cole could win his 100th cap for England next week. That is a remarkable achievement.
In recent seasons he has arguably been the Three Lions’ most consistent performer.
There is talk Hodgson may be under pressure from FA bigwigs to leave Cole out following his Twitter tirade. This is not for them to decide.
I’m glad Hodgson phoned Cole yesterday to tell him he is still very much part of his plans. Righly, this is the manager’s decision.
If Hodgson wants to select Cole — or any other player for that matter — he should be allowed to.
If he cannot do that, then forget Tubegate, this really would be the end of the line.
