6 Nov 2012

'Tragic hero'? Nonsense! - Hamann slams Spurs legend for committing the 'ultimate sin'...

In his recent book 'The Didi Man: My love affair with Liverpool', Anfield legend Dietmar Hamann criticised British football's greedy, self-obsessed 'Me' culture, and blamed the repeated failure of the England national team on the selfish mindset of the country's elite players. According to the Kaiser, England's players have had bad role models, and he's singled out Tottenham legend Paul Gascoigne as one of the major culprits.

Gascoigne was booked during England's 1990 World Cup Semi-Final with West Germany, which meant he'd be banned for the final if England got through. When the match went to penalties, Gazza originally intended to take the third kick, but when it came to the crunch, he declined to take the penalty, and this is something that irritates Hamann, who believes this act symbolises the all-pervasive selfishness that currently infects the modern game. He said:

"Players of today grew up watching '90 [England] team when Gascoigne committed the ultimate sin of not taking a penalty because he would have been banned in final.

"He got hailed as a tragic hero when he should have been vilified. The mindset has to change - football is a team game.

"I grew up watching Rudi Voller getting spat on, not react, still get sent off and win a penalty in the final. That's what I call a role model"


I think Hamann is spot on here; in England's hour of need, Gascoigne was only thinking about himself, and how he was affected by the night's events. If he'd put the team first, he would've taken the penalty, it's as simple as that.

As a comparison, consider the 2002 World Cup Semi-Final between Germany and South Korea: Michael Ballack got booked in the 70th minute, which meant he'd miss the final if Germany made it through.

There were no tears from the midfielder; no mental capitulation; no loss of concentration or focus - Ballack simply got on with the job, and five minutes after that crushing disappointment, he scored the goal that sent the Germans into the World Cup Final.

That is world class mentality, and this kind of mental strength and selfless dedication to the TEAM is an alien concept to most England players, which explains why the national team - continually derailed by the laughably labelled 'Golden Generation' - persistently fails at International tournaments.

Jaimie Kanwar


38 comments:

  1. Spot on! Nice one for Didi. I just can't understand how someone on that level of professionalism can be so selfish? It just doesn't work for me.

    I always felt the main problem with the English team was the highlight on the individuals and not the team. Things like "Will Lamps and Gerrard manage to play together?" ... "Will Rooney score?" ... "How to maintain the team in a good position until Rooney is back from suspension?"

    I just have a hard time swallowing those lines. Well it's another fine product of the FA, no wonder!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sacrificed? No, cheated.

    ReplyDelete
  3. EXACTLY! Then the FA spends millions on a new training facility as if that's going to make a difference.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ask his team mates what they thought of him am sure they would say different

    ReplyDelete
  5. Of course they would, they're his national team mates and therefore bias. Heck if Rooney done that the media would be praising him for his "self sacrificing spirit".

    ReplyDelete
  6. Spot on! Nice one for Didi. I just can't understand how someone on that level of professionalism can be so selfish? It just doesn't work for me.

    I always felt the main problem with the English team was the highlight on the individuals and not the team. Things like "Will Lamps and Gerrard manage to play together?" ... "Will Rooney score?" ... "How to maintain the team in a good position until Rooney is back from suspension?"

    I just have a hard time swallowing those lines. Well it's another fine product of the FA, no wonder!

    ReplyDelete
  7. personally i dont give a dam about england ever since beckhams little kick out against simone if he had got up and smacked him in the mouth i could have got over it but the little look up and girls kick and grin still riles me even till this day

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yeah this is spot on by Didi. Remember how Carra put his body on the line in 2005 for the team. That's how you do it!! I genuinely can't see England ever winning a tourney in my lifetime. I'm 32 and it doesn't even bother me. English footy died after our fail in Euro'96 for me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I agree on both sides! But TBH, most players in Suarez shoes at the moment could have made the same decision! It happens in a split of a second and that was his decision. I kind of understand his decision as I would might have done the same but at the same time it was bitter for the other team!

    I just feel Suarez plays with his heart on the palm of his hands, I understand him, he can't control it as if this game he is playing is a matter of life or death.

    But based on the way he is playing recently, I have nothing but respect and strangely for the first time in a year the media laid off his shoulders a bit!

    Hope he continues focusing on his game more and more!

    ReplyDelete
  10. and if a lfc player did it in the last minute of the last league game to win us the league i would be praising him and people on this post who say different dont want the glory enought over a season or competition the wrongs and rights even them selves out people who critisise suarez seem to forget he gets kicked black and blue every game with no protection whatsoever from the refs i think it must be a new fa mandate let them hack fuck out of suarez and after the tenth time someone has fouled him give suarez a card for complaining

    ReplyDelete
  11. italy 1990 for me still cannot understand how lineker missed barnes cross

    ReplyDelete
  12. rooney dose miles worse than suarez over a season its just washed away some of the tackles hes stayed on the pitch after are just laughable he must have been getting lessons of that other cheeky chappie schoals

    ReplyDelete
  13. Lool may be true, however Suarez definitely does not do himself any favours.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's true but I guess what annoys me was his attitude after that and his comments.

    I probably would have done the same although not on purpose but I would never try and excuse it and not show no remorse for it. But anyway...let's hope he continues his hot form, hopefully he will get a partner in Jan.

    ReplyDelete
  15. he did not take the pen because he was not is a fit mental state - he is an emotional man and knew he would probably miss - emotionally he was flawed, as a footballer that german prick is not fit to tie gazzas boots.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Is this the same Dietmar Hamman who ran up a 600 K gambling debt saying others are bad role models.
    I really couldnt give a flying F@@@ what a German thinks about English national players from over 20 years ago.
    Paul Gascoigne was a simple down to earth working class lad who was a brilliant footballer and who the average bloke was able to identify with. Sadlyonce his career ended he went into demise and off the rails.
    Hopefully he can still afford his speeding fines unlike the broke Ballack.

    ReplyDelete
  17. When Andy Hinchcliffe was called up into the England squad as the new lad he was roomed with Gazza as no one else would.
    When asked what was the worst thing about rooming with Gazza was, he replied, the turd he would leave in your bed.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Gazza was a flawed footballing genius, his flaw been that he was/is a complete idiot

    ReplyDelete
  19. Gazza was a flawed footballing genius, his flaw been that he was/is a complete idiot

    ReplyDelete
  20. Why should he show remorse? He did what needed to be done, i would do the same and would not feel any kind of remorse at all

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gazza was a car crash waiting to happen, he had no discipline around him and no guidance cos he didnt want it and wouldnt listen to anyone except himself, his ego got him to where he is today nothing else, when you look for a "tragic hero" as hamman puts it, then look no further then gary speed, a man who suffered in silence yet still chose to respect those around him and never once sold stories or did anything he could to get in the papers, nothing tragic about Gazza he brought it on himself.

    ReplyDelete
  22. sure it wasn t 1986

    ReplyDelete
  23. its 8 yards wide 8foot high if a fella cant put it away from 12 yards tough .luis took one for the team .had he scored no one would have remember it. cos its luis people jump on the bandwagon .like they did with the racist shite last season .get off his F&&KIN BACK

    ReplyDelete
  24. A calculated, deliberate, cynical foul by Ballack, which he called a tactical foul, committed to prevent a likely goal scoring opportunity that could have given South Korea a remarkable opportunity to appear in WC Final is deemed to be an indication of "world class mentality" and "mental strength and selfless dedication to the TEAM"

    Wow!!! It wasn't cheating? Remarkable about turn!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ditto, 96 was probably the last time the side looked good, played good and was enjoyable to watch....except for Southgate :(

    ReplyDelete
  26. Ditto. Think it was '86. The 'hand of God' game wasn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Spot on Simon! Ballack makes a "tactical foul" when South Korea were attacking four versus two and yet he gets praised on here!! I thought this site was against cheating??

    ReplyDelete
  28. yes it does make a difference its takes a 100 million away from kids football and mens amateur football. you should see so of the shit tips that football is beening played on in this city

    ReplyDelete
  29. The only person on here who cheats is Suarez did you not know that?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Didi..u r not fit to tie Gazza's shoelaces

    ReplyDelete
  31. I agree with VRM. Plus Gazza wasn't in the best state of mind. Gazza is just a normal guy who wore his heart on his sleeve. Rudi Voller? seriously? he was one of the most cheating, diving Germans i've ever seen. I have zero respect for this guy. This is a truly biased article by a German, sticking up for Germans. You Liverpool fans stick up for a player who was average at best, and forget about the man who was responsible for the best England World Cup challenge in our lifetime.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Ballack did not call it a tactical foul; Rudi Voeller made that statement.

    In any event, the nature of the foul is irrelevant, as it's not the issue. The point being made here is that Ballack got booked and was set to miss the final; the issue here is how he responded to that disappointment.

    Yes, it's not fair or sporting, but that's not the issue.

    ReplyDelete
  33. yes m8 your right just getting caught up in the gazza moment

    ReplyDelete
  34. So when it's for others it's not fair or sporting, for Suarez its cheating

    ReplyDelete
  35. I don't know why so many Englishmen and apparently Jaimie too think that England have some divine right to success in international football. They just aren't and haven't been good enough. Only one team can win each tournamnet

    ReplyDelete
  36. Is suarez the centre of the universe? why has he got anything to do with this post?

    ReplyDelete
  37. didi average ? best holding midfield in the prem from 1998 till2006 the kaiser was top draw

    ReplyDelete