IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A DODDLE FOR HODDLE

It is dangerous to watch Sky Sport during a lazy afternoon, especially when the “Sporting Heroes” programme comes up singing the praises of a famous footballer. Glen Hoddle was the subject today and the series of tricks, passes and goals he produced during his career were shown in sequence and were of another world.

He played in a very decent Spurs side and won 53 England caps, not enough many would say. On screen he certainly got support from fellow players and pundits although there will be others who thought him being regarded as a “luxury” fair comment.

As a singer of Diamond Lights (with Chris Waddle), www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KEMMfV5-Qg

with a mullet, he might have been considered a bit flash, but he was a superb reader of the game and technically well endowed, however he had a lot to learn about people. Perhaps he held a grudge because he was not given the credit he deserved, especially from England managers, on the other hand he did not pick Gascoigne for his English squad which led to the famous room trashing incident ,when the Geordie was excluded from the final World Cup 22.

One player said about Hoddle, “If he was ice cream, he would lick himself”. As an England manager, he was draped in controversy, taking over the job from Terry Venables. He had a major success in the World Cup qualifier, especially the 0-0 draw away in Italy-do you remember when Paul Ince got bandaged and we fought like tigers.

The dodgy moments began with Eileen Drewery, who claimed to have a direct contact with the Almighty; she was a faith healer and self-proclaimed psychic. Apparently Glen had dated her daughter in the 1970s and he claims she had healed his hamstring injury, so he put his trust in her. One better cure might have been a leg-over?

Ms Drewery, who had her own room in the team hotel, was visited by players for emotional support and in the case of Darren “Sick Note” Anderton, hoping for ligament repair. The scousers in the squad were pestering her for horserace winners. Ray Palour, not a believer, when she put her hands on his head, asked for a short back and sides. He never played again.

It was not all right with Glen and when he said in 1998, “Michael Owen is not a natural goalscorer”, there was a feeling that not all was well.

After a series of gaffs, the statement he made to the Times newspaper in January 1999, about disabled people paying for their sins of past lives, was the final nail in the coffin. Tony Blair called for his resignation and Hoddle obliged.