I got this great email on the weekend from my brother.
It was titled, "Did you see this on www.football.com?"
Football fans around the world were stunned late last week to hear of speculation that 41 year-old mid-fielder Andrew Staggs was considering coming out of retirement. According to a local player, the St Paul's Saints football club was engaged in discussions about when the Sydney-born play-maker might make his debut.
These discussions have been hampered to some extent by how Mr Staggs will fit within the existing squad of 16. However, suggestions that there was no room for the mid-fielder, who has been compared to Tottenham Hotspurs Glen Hoddle, were waived off by observers. "He is a class act, has a brilliant soccer brain, and will be a steadying influence in a squad that has been accused of not playing to their potential".
A spate of injuries have rocked the Saint's reserves bench in the first few games of the season and have added to concern that the Saints will not be able to defend their 2008 premiership title. These injuries have left the Saint's bench bereft of impact players who can add a much-needed 'shot in the vein' for the team.
According to one football expert, these prolonged discussions are a sign that the club may have lost focus. In a phone interview with Football.com they argued, “It is ludicrous that the club wouldn't continue on-going recruiting. It's a long season and every club, no matter who they are, must invest first and foremost in personnel. You look at some of the great clubs, such as Manchester United - they've stayed at the top year in year out with a big squad, a deep purse and hunger for new players, and good squad rotation".
St Pauls Saints last year won the Grand Final in a run of 5 successive victories and with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Championship victors, North Pine. Despite this grand final win, football commentators and fans alike have observed that the team often lacks discipline on the field with their passing and general control.
An enthusiastic supporter of the club said "They need to learn to keep the ball on the deck! They're not as young as they think they are so they've got to let the ball do the work- play smarter, not necessarily harder!" It is expected that if Andrew Staggs does suit up for the Saints, he will bring much needed depth to the squad.
Ironically, Andrew Staggs was spotted on the sideline of the Saint's grand final win, and also an earlier final between Saints and the Tarragindi Tigers. One observer, who requested not to be named, commented, "He was biting at the bit.. I mean salivating! It looked like he just wanted to be out there, controlling, turning, and having a ping at the onion sack (shooting at goal)".
This news of a comeback does come with great speculation about what number Andrew Staggs will wear if he was to join the club. His preference for the #10 jersey is well renowned, and this may cause some initial conflict at the club. This speculation has only been fuelled by the inaugural appearance last weekend of Andrew's son, Jethro Staggs, who also wore the #10 jersey. Jethro made his first appearance with the Western Spirit and he is expected to follow in the steps of his father.
While most commentators of the world game agree that Andrew Staggs has always played with the 'bigger picture' in mind and the jersey number will mean nothing, one critic remembers earlier incidents at Sunnybank Saints where it is alleged that Andrew had received a number of yellow and a red card. In what has been an exemplar career, much akin to the career of Gary Lineker, these alleged incidents perhaps suggest that there is a darker side to his game.
Responding to this criticism, a former team mate of Andrew Staggs retorted, "The media have to give the guy a break. Andrew was going through a tough time off the field. And, the media builds him up to be some kind of a super-hero so that when he makes a few mistakes are surprised that he's just a mortal man! I think that this latest news of a comeback is more his chance to answer these critics and set history straight".
There is also some speculation that Andrew Staggs, who in his retirement from football has gained his ministry credentials and busily establishing the Westlife Group in a Brisbane's outer suburbs, is keen to bring some added significance to the church league.
In a reported conversation with Andrew, one close friend (who also asked not to be identified) described how Andrew was interested in the origin of the church league and who were the original pioneers who began the league. "Andrew has always been interested in leadership and how a vision gets passed down or lost between generations", the close friend reported. "I think he feels that this league was set up with a great ideal in mind but without players, coaches, managers, and referees who carry this vision, it really suffers from neglect and will ultimately fall over".
The latest rumour to hit the Football.com's blog site is that Andrew Staggs will lace his boots for the Saint's training session on Tuesday night. It is expected that it will be a closed training session to avoid intense media attention.
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