Back of the Net!

Call me English, if you will, but I just don’t get it.

Argentina - now managed by Diego Maradona - are playing a friendly against Scotland this Wednesday at Hampden Park.  There’s a bit of added colour thanks to former England defender Terry Butcher’s presence in the Scotland setup - he and Maradona locked horns in the famous World Cup Quarter Final in Mexico 1986, and Butcher came out second best on that occasion; but there’s more.

Guess what - Maradona’s a hero in Scotland.

It’s that bonkers, age old rivalry that the English and Scots have, of course - but I don’t get why they’re so jealous of the English.

Of course if they weren’t jealous, there would be no rivalry, and a talented footballer who threw his career away in one deft snort wouldn’t be a hero in a country that needs no more extra drugs.

So why are the Scots jealous of the English? I have no idea, frankly. Sure there have been awful crimes committed against the Scots in the name of the English people, but I’m certain that it is a historical fact that Kings and Queens aren’t voted in. And England is certainly good enough for the Scots to come and live and work here.

I’m digressing, however. Terry Butcher seems pretty sure Maradona will make an impact as coach of Argentina, his first management role.

“It’s not always about coaching ability,” he said. “He can be a focal point for players and he will be assisted by very able deputies.

“It doesn’t take a lot to organise a team like Argentina; they have a frightening list of players and a frightening list of guys who are not here - it’s an incredible football country.

“He can have a galvanising effect since it will be a case of getting instructions from one of the best players to ever play the game.”

It promises to be a fascinating game…

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