In those circumstances, there are no linesmen (as we called them then), no referees and no point in pretending that the off-side law was a feasible part of the game. And thus the strategy of someone hanging around near the opposition goal, hoping for a ball to be hacked upfield to them, with only the goalkeeper to beat, was a very viable option.
Mr Corbyn might play football but the term was used metaphorically to describe his Brexit position which seems to be hanging around waiting for the government to implode. It’s not an unreasonable strategy given that the government is trying very hard to implode. It may result in some sort of a win for Labour, but nobody really likes a goal hanger and many of Mr Corbyn’s supporters (I guess that includes me) wish he’d get on the pitch and start playing a blinder. Trouble is, we’re not quite sure which way he’d strike the ball.
Here’s a list of famous footballers who are regarded by some as goal hangers – one of whom is the highest-paid BBC TV presenter these days.
But goal-hanging is not such a good strategy when the other side is playing pretty well. Labour is so, so, so quiet on environmental issues and Corbyn himself still hasn’t got on to the pitch (or made an environmental speech). We’ve seen a good animal welfare plan but precious little on nature conservation or other environmental matters. Where is it? Gove makes an announcement every few days it seems – and some of them are pretty good really so …where …is …the …radical …alternative?
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Hello Mark, Surprised the great (best English and Spurs striker) Jimmy Greaves wasn’t on your list of ‘Goal Hangers.’ We also referred to them as ‘Goal Moochers.’ Regarding Corbyn, I suppose his crisis of faith inhibits him declaring his hand on Brexit. May voted Remain, and this is always brought up as her inhibitor. But Corbyn is a life long hard core Euro sceptic. Now he finds himself paying lip service, (because his party demands it,) to a soft Brexit, and not completely severing links with the EU. I agree Gove needs to up the legislation on environmental matters. Also needs to strengthen the legislation on hunting. Hunts are regularly committing acts of cruelty on wild animals that supposed to be protected under the hunting legislation.
Good analogy Mark. I just don’t get any sense that Corbyn understands or actually cares very much about the environment, and I suspect that goes for many folks at the same point on the right/left spectrum around him. I think that has been the case for many years. Set that in the context of his undoubted Euroscepticism, and I don’t think he or the most of the wider Labour Party (with one or two notable exceptions) have any idea of the gaps that are likely to open up on protection of the environment post Brexit. Given the way that things appear to be going post Chequers, the outlook appears even more bleak than it did a month or two ago. Everything crossed!
Alan Clarke. Once saw him score a hatrick away at Burnley but he seemed to be only in the game for 10 minutes! As for Corburn that is all he needs to win the next election as there is no other party out there. Have you checked how much your private pension has fallen in the last few months with this Brexit mess!
‘Sniffer’
Marvellous isn’t, small boys on the park despatch boxes for goal posts, whats that David Cameron has taken the ball home and we have to play with a tin can, endearing image , isn’t, but don’t quote me on that.
In the East Riding playing in front of the tenanted farm-house at Leven in the 40s and 50s, we called it “goal-scrounging” which I feel is a much apter description.
We called it poaching in our part of Ayrshire, and the problem with being a poacher was that it relied on the other team screwing up big enough to get a chance. It almost never worked because most muck ups never let the ball get close enough to the poacher to get it in. The same will happen in Brexit, as effed up as the Tories are they are sufficiently committed to the party line to not actually implode the way left wing groups do.
Left wing groups are committed to their principles, the right wing are committed to the party line. Poaching didn’t work in the 80s for Kinnock, and it won’t work for Corbyn now. He needs to do more than react, he needs to act. Although how he can do that when some of his own MPs seem to prefer the Tory Pary and the Tory Party line to him is also going to be a problem.