Living The Dream

Ok readers, hands up, how many of you as kids used to pick your 'dream team'? We all did it, didn't we? I think my first would have included the likes of Joe Baker, Geoff Strong, and George Eastham (We had some good forwards when I was a nipper!). At the back I would have plumped for Gordon Banks and Bobby Moore. Pele and Eusebio would have featured in my very attacking line-up!

I ask only because it dawned on me as I was reading yesterday's match reports that probably the managers of 'the big four' in the Premiership are playing that game for real. Get a class of ten year olds today and one or more of them may wax lyrical about the players who only made it onto the pitch from the substitutes bench yesterday.

Doubtless with a bit of research I could have picked another week when the examples would have even more outstanding. Just look though at who was sitting and waiting for the call to action.

Arsene Wenger waited 64 minutes to introduce possibly our most consistent performer this season, Alexander Hleb, against Watford. Robin Van Persie, scorer of two goals for Holland since notching the 'goal of the month' at Charlton just a fortnight ago, had to wait ten minutes longer.

Our friends in West London lost Petr Cech in the opening minute and were able to field the impressive Carlo Cudicini in his place. Later the 'Special One' (yeah right!) introduced Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole as he sought to protect a slender lead.

Fergie and Rafa 'the gaffa' were able to tell Ryan Giggs and Xabi Alonso to 'get the trackie bottoms off' in their repective encounters.

There are so many reasons why I would not want to be ten today, but the quality of the football, and obviously the footballers, on display every week in the Premiership is not one of them. At ten I knew of Pele and Eusebio because they were clearly outstanding talents from the rare glimpses we got of them at the World Cup in England. I knew that players like Di Stefano and Puskas must have been superhuman because they had played for the Real Madrid side that won five consecutive European Cups, and until Celtic upstaged Inter in 1967 no British side had won it once.

How long will the money, and the attraction, for the top stars last? I don't know the answer to that, but I hope it is for a good while longer yet. Especially as Arsenal appear to be leading the charge towards the next step, which is to buy the worlds greatest players before they become great. Fabregas has established himself, Walcott took his first steps on that path yesterday, and the likes of Traore, Denilson, Merida, Barazite, Parisio, and van den Berg are being carefully nurtured.

Live the dream, at least until it becomes just that again.