England's Legacy Conundrum

I know what you're thinking....here we go, yet another article lauding over Harry Kane. I too am growing pretty tired of the seemingly endless parables of broadsheet that have hailed the young Englishman as god's gift to the premier league. That said...I'm going to make a pretty bold statement here....he could be the most important player in the future of English talent. Where Kane's career ventures will in large part be down to his ability to maintain the blistering form he's recorded thus far, & no doubt this will be of benefit to the England national team should he continue this trajectory. Yet I see the bigger picture being his hallmark & legacy upon future generations of English players. I've spoken in the past within this blog about the archetypal English footballer being one of the "blood & snotters" variety; marauding into tackles with sleeves rolled up and seemingly more interested in 2nd balls & channel runs than 1v1 battles & intricate link up play. Kane however is the complete antithesis of what his national caricature would portray, as he represents a small portion of English players that one could regard as quintessentially "European." While I'm sure his style of play is far more aesthetically pleasing than most, many would question my statement of his importance to the future game based purely on skill sets. So let me tell you why I have formed this opinion.

It would be redundant to suggest that English football has cultivated a long list of truly elite level footballers through the years, yet there has been a few shining lights we can draw upon. Glenn Hoddle is the 1st that springs to mind. He rose to prominence as a Tottenham & England regular in the early part of the 80's, wowing audiences on a weekly basis with his laser accuracy passing & exquisite 1st touch. His move to Monaco in 1987 was in large part down to UEFA's ban of English teams competing in European competition after the Heysel disaster, however his move would also service his ambition to experience a more suitable footballing culture. His departure should've heralded a boom in English creative playmakers, yet it served as nothing more than a relief to those opposition midfielders who so often chased after him for 90 minutes. The Tottenham link could further extend itself to Paul Gascoigne, a true magician of a footballer. As the World Cup in Italia 90 drew to a close, a host of suitors were lining up to capture the signature of Gascoigne. As a central midfield player he had dribbling skills that rivaled any top wing wizard, and had an eye for goal that very few strikers could match. Although Gascoigne's prevailing career was nothing short of turbulent, his qualities as a footballer were unquestionable. Why then didn't his upraising off spring more mini-Gascoignes? His likes have scarcely been seen since, which leads me to question why those who grew up in this time weren't able to emulate his talents or indeed cultivate a skill set remotely in the same mould? In more recent times a footballer that could be regarded in the same echolons as England's elite would be Paul Scholes. Often ridiculed for his lack of size & physical attributes as a striker in the Manchester United youth team, this inconspicuous Mancunian would blossom into one of the world's best attacking midfielders of his generation. His diminutive frame allowed him to link play quickly & fathom attacking patterns with what seemed like an effortless display of class. What continues to baffle me about Scholes' career was that his energies weren't truly represented until he retired from the game. As Ballon D'or votes & UEFA player of the year gongs were dished out to his european counterparts, Scholes was continually regarded as "the best" by his peers, yet amongst the media.....and certain Swedish England managers....his efforts often went un-noticed.

Where I see a lineage between Hoodle, Gascoigne & Scholes is that all of them shared something special. Not only were they all truly magnificent footballers, but they were players that our game cast off into time never to be seen again. The greatest compliment a footballer can receive is often not in the achievements & accolades he picks up, but it is the impact he has on others & future generations. These players lived in a time when English football was dominated by box-like tactics of rigidity & stern adherence. Sure they played their part within their line ups, but they represented freedom & self expression. They were the delightful pangs of color that dashed glowingly against a backdrop of grey mundane brushstrokes. Our game tolerated these players but could not trust any form of re-birth or new incarnation, simply because our coaches weren't capable of programming them. These men have served as the focal point of change within the British game yet in each instance we have chosen the easy out, the safer more liberal choice. Today there is a young man in Harry Kane who embodies everything the modern game requires in a footballer. Athletically developed, tactically astute, technically clean...Kane is the very proto-type of what British footballers can become if we open our minds & allow fluid and creative players to populate our game. As coaches our impartment of knowledge cannot be misconstrued as concrete instructions or mandates that MUST be adhered to. We have to provide a platform of freedom & an arena of open thinking. Only then will the Harry Kane's of tomorrow truly start to flourish.

Should Kane move on from Tottenham & attain a multitude of caps for England, then good for him...he deserves it. Should English football de-value what this young man's game can do for our future stars.....then shame on us, we deserve all we get.