IMAGINE being a Welsh or Scottish football fan for a moment.
Now that you have put aside the urge to question your existence and stopped worrying about having no friends, just think what it must be like.
Wales will play either Ukraine or Scotland in the World Cup play-off finalCredit: REX FEATURES
Your national team is on the verge of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time since the Act of Union was signed in 1707.
These are exciting, optimistic days.
Then some bloody do-gooder comes along and suggests the players of both countries should step aside and wave Ukraine through to Qatar out of kindness.
Let the beleaguered Eastern Europeans stroll through the play-offs without kicking a ball and straight into the greatest football show on earth — as a noble gesture.
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It’s a lovely thought but it should end right there.
No nation on this planet is more noble than Ukraine at the moment.
No people holding its collective head up higher than the yellow and blues as they trade blows with Vladimir Putin.
And judging by the way the Russians are getting their arses kicked on the battlefield, Ukraine doesn’t look like it needs anyone getting all sentimental about it.
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The way president Volodymyr Zelensky told the listening world that his determined country needed weapons to kill the enemy, not sympathy, sums up the mentality which runs from top to bottom there.
And it will no doubt be the same with his football team.
Football and the war have become hugely intertwined in recent weeks, with Mad Vlad’s decision to invade the neighbours transforming Russia into the biggest sporting pariah in history.
It also had the galvanising effect of turning every Ukrainian into a walking Terminator, whether it be in a frozen trench or on a Premier League football pitch.
Just look at West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko for that.
Disregarded as a waste of space by some short-sighted fans before it all kicked off with the Russkies, the Ukraine captain’s every shot at goal is now the equivalent of a Stinger missile.
Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko spoke to Gary Lineker about people back home sleeping in bunkers with their lives being smashed all around them.
He said: “I am so proud to be Ukrainian. When you are watching the people, how they fight for their lives, there are no words.
“I know the mentality of my people — they’ll prefer to die than to give in.”
Ukraine’s foreign-based players have spoken of how tough it’s been to carry on working, mindful of what is going on back home.
But they have done and have given their best in dreadful circumstances. They would be embarrassed to get a favour from Fifa, Steve Clarke, Gareth Bale or anyone else for that matter.
As Zinchenko said, his people would rather die than give in.
Of course, two World Cup qualifying plays-off are a zillion miles down the ladder of importance compared to armed conflict.
But while sport is there to be enjoyed at the best of times, it also plays a role in the worst of them.
This country saw that with the clamour to get the Premier League back on during the height of the pandemic, when hundreds of people were dying every day.
With that in mind, it’s fair to assume that if football, in any way, can lift the spirits of a country fighting for its very existence, these guys would want to do it their way — either winning or losing but on a level playing field.
NO RUN-OF-THE-MIL SUCCESS
SNOOKER journeyman Robert Milkins spoke for a lot of us when he landed a first ranking title along with 50 grand.
The Bristolian, 46, plugged away for 27 years with little reward and a lot of mental challenges. The death of his sister was understandably troubling, leading him to drink excessively.
He then admitted that Covid, the war in Ukraine and not winning matches has ended up with him seeking counselling.
Snooker’s image of the 70s and 80s was of smoke-filled rooms, colourful characters, birds and booze that went hand in hand with sublime skill on the green baize. Money, laughter and late nights with no lasting effects on the soul.
These days it’s not quite so glamorous but people like Milkins still chip away and live for days like his on Saturday in Gibraltar.
With that commitment and honesty, in a weird kind of way he is more than a little inspirational.
Covid, the war in Ukraine and not winning matches has ended up with Milkins seeking counselling
NORN IRON MAN
HARRY KANE is closing in on the goalscoring feats of Wayne Rooney.
With 49 goals from 68 England games, the Three Lions captain is marking himself out as a legend of the international game.
And tonight, Wales keeper Wayne Hennessey will celebrate picking up his 100th cap in a friendly at home to the Czech Republic.
Both men deserve applause for their skill and longevity. But there is one player from the United Kingdom who deserves an ovation every time he steps out in the green and white of his home nation.
Last Friday night, Steven Davis scored his 13th goal for Northern Ireland in Luxembourg.
Nothing too amazing about that, other than he is 37 and it was his 133rd appearance for a tiny football country that has no hope of winning a major tournament.
In fact, it was virtually a national holiday the last time they reached a finals — at Euro 2016.
Kane can dream of maybe one day lifting the World Cup with England, Hennessey gets to play with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey.
Davis just does what he does out of love and loyalty to football and his homeland and it takes a lot of effort and determination to keep doing it again and again and again…
Kane is closing in on Rooney’s all-time England goal scoring recordCredit: REX FEATURES
POSH ‘N BOSHED
THE ENGLAND cricket team are in disarray and rugby was a big letdown in the Six Nations.
Meanwhile our football team are riding high and looking good to use this year’s World Cup to build on the success at last summer’s Euros, where they reached the final.
Such a shame to see the posh boys struggling and being shown up by the boys from the sink estates.
Can someone please get that chip off my shoulder?
England turned in a poor showing at the Six NationsCredit: REX FEATURES
