TIME FOR RFU TO SHOULDER RESPONSIBILITY.

It appears that the investigation into the dismal performance of the England team in the recent Rugby World Cup has determined that a number of the players were effectively out of control and more interested in their pay than anything else. By implication, manager Martin Johnson, now departed, must have been ineffective and has also been criticised.

Where the ultimate blame should rest is unclear but it is clear that the Rugby Football Union has failed quite miserably to establish a framework within which English rugby can flourish. Martin Johnson and his players were at the sharp end and obviously failed to deliver, but what of those behind and above them ? If the RFU wants to put its house in order it will have to take a long, hard look at itself as well as throwing stones at others, something which history suggests will not happen.

AWESOME FEDERER STILL A FORCE

As Andy Murray, our perennial nearly-man, makes yet another early exit from a major tournament, the seemingly ageless Roger Federer storms on.

Federer's ruthless demolition of Rafael Nadal in the World Tour Finals yesterday demonstrated just how wrong are those who've written him off as a major force in world tennis. He may not be the player he was 5 years ago but he's en-route to a return to the top 3 ranking, overtaking the hapless Murray, by the end of the season.

Whether or not Federer ever wins another Grand Slam event, he has been an awesome presence in the sport for a decade and no one can ignore the continued threat that he presents. What price for him to win the Australian Open in January ?

WHOOPEE ! ENGLAND TO WIN WORLD CUP !

So, the English football team has won a couple of matches including one against the current world champions, Spain. This seems to be real headline news and, no doubt, will encourage die-hard supporters to believe in the impossible dream, that England will win the next World Cup tournament.

Of course, these matches were friendlies and have no relevance in the real world of true competition. What little I saw of the games told me that England were pretty much as toothless as they've now been for 15 or 20 years, and that their opponents weren't terribly interested in playing at all.

The sad truth is that the top English clubs have no interest in developing home-grown players when they can import ready-made foreigners to help them win leagues, cups and whatever. Our domestic league may be the best in the world, but it's built on foreign talent; when it comes to putting a national squad on the field, it's a very different matter. How many of England's current squad would even be considered for a place in a World XI, let alone actually get in to one ?

The chances of England winning the next World Cup are next to nil. They may progress through the 'Group stage' but once they have to compete against real talent, it'll be curtains. They aren't good enough and never will be until we stop treating third rate players like superstars, stop lauding their every 'near miss', and 'unlucky shot', and stop paying them ludicrous amounts of money for playing a childrens' game.

POPPIES DEVALUED BY SPAT WITH FIFA.

What on earth is this drivel about whether or not a football team or two can have a poppy on their sleeves at the weekend ?

There are times when I despair of everything and this is one of them. Yes, the poppy is a symbol of remebrance and particularly so at this coming weekend, but what this can possibly have to do with what footballers wear escapes me entirely. It is even more astonishing that this issue has drawn the serious attention of our Prime Minister at a time when the economies of the western world are in melt-down.

Cameron clearly wanted an easy victory over some foreign power and FIFA provided a convenient adversary that could be seen off with minimal fuss; the incident is reminiscent of the manufactured 'Euro-sausage' fiasco that eventually propelled Jim Hacker to the Premiership in the final episode of that magnificent comedy satire, 'Yes Minister'.

Is this really something that is newsworthy ? Is it a worthy cause at all, or is it just another way of marketing a devalued sport and a devalued brand, politicians ?

RFU : A NATIONAL DISGRACE

Ever since England's dramatic win in the Rugby Union World Cup of 2003, their performances have fallen short of expectations. At the same time, the governing body the RFU, has been in increasing turmoil, never more so than in the last few weeks. The dismal performance of the English team at the World Cup tournament in New Zealand has left the most serious question marks over the future of the team manager, Martin Johnson, and over the entire make-up of the RFU.

Today it's been announced that the Acting Chief Executive of the RFU, Martyn Thomas, is to stand down in mid-December. Thomas only took over the post last June when the previous Chief Executive, John Steele, left after less than a year in post, having commissioned reviews that revealed deep seated problems in the whole organistaion and administration of the RFU. It would appear that Steele's approach, and proposed actions, did not find favour with the rest of the RFU's board, and he was forced out; at that time, Thomas was Chairman and he subsequently assumed the role of Acting Chief Executive as well. A review of the surrounding events, conducted by Judge Jeff Blackett, was highly critical of the RFU and by inference, Thomas, and made many recommendations, however, many of these seem to have been ignored. Thomas did resign his position as Chairman last July, but has remained as Acting Chief Executive until now while the turmoil has continued, unabated.

Given this backdrop, is it any wonder that England performed so badly at the recent World Cup ? Martin Johnson must have been left almost completely to his own devices as the RFU's management squabbled and bickered amongst themselves like a gaggle of old crones waiting for the next execution, with Thomas in the middle of it all. Now that he's going, perhaps there will be an opportunity for the RFU to begin to restore some order to its activities and to establish a structure that will ensure England will be a contender at the next World Cup, to be held here in 2015. Or is that expecting too much of this closed-shop, 'old boys' club' ?

TERRY POLICE WAY OFF THE MARK

I've read with some amazement that the police are investigating allegations of racial abuse made against Chelsea's footballing superstar, John Terry. Have they nothing better to do ?

Football was once referred to as the 'gentleman's game played by ruffians', and that is precisely what it is. The assorted yobs and thugs who adorn our national game, who foul and cheat whenever they can and hurl violent abuse at the referee with shocking regularity would surely consider a bit of racial abuse as merely another part of the game. Even if they don't, the day-to-language of such low-life is splattered with terms such as nigger, nig-nog, wog, wop, spik, dago, towel-head, honky, chink, nip, frog, kraut and all of the rest. Go into any pub and have a chat with some of the locals and you'll hear words and opinions that will make your blood curdle.

That the police seem to be so unaware of this that they're pursuing some uttelry insignificant allegation of so-called abuse against any footballer, while doing nothing about the sometimes vicious physical violence perpetrated on our football grounds every week, speaks volumes for the way in which our society has been subverted in favour of treating what are no more than 'thought-crimes' as being far worse than what most of us would consider true crimes.