THE continuing exclusion of English clubs from European soccer is hurting the game in ways nobody expected when the ban was announced following the Heysel Stadium riot in May, 1985,

There is the question of money, of course, Liverpool, whose fans precipitated the ban by attacking Juventus supporters atthe Brussels match, estimates it is losing 1 million pounds « year by being kept out of the three European club competitions.

Clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurand Everton also can assume they fare losing large sums in potential revenue. But these are organizations that can sustain such losses.

Where the ban is particularly painful is for less glamorous teams like Coventry, winner of the FA Cup last season, whose only reward was a ‘weekend of national glory.

The absence of such names as Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, West Ham, Ipswich ‘Town, even in the not so distant past Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have performed stirringly over the years is a blow to these clubs’ financial prospects and a threat to their players’ future.

Hardar to quantify is the effect on the game in England of the lack of contact with European clubs, bt it is certainly deleterious.

Continental methods, coaching techniques, experimental strategies in covering, passing and kicking, exciting new talents all remain a closed ‘book to players who week after week run the same patterns on the same itches with the same opponents.

Since British TV carries only minimal coverage of foreign soccer, the fans too — including great numbers of young professional to be are confined to identical incestuous suffocation.

Attendances may have gone up in England last season, but this was mainly due to the new playoffs system, and there are inescapable signs that the game is suffering seriously, from lack of oxygen.

The list of close season transfers indicates that either for money or exposure or both, top players and managers are moving out of the English games in a way it has never known,

No manager was more successful last season than Howard Kendall of Everton and the end of it all he went to Spain.

Clearly the 130,000 pounds a year, 150,000 pounds signing on fee and 700 pounds  month allowances that Alletico Bilbao are paying him constitute a persuasive temptation.

But there seems little doubt that the ‘manager of the English League champions would have thought twice it Everton had been allowed into the European Championships’ Cup.

Kendall was quoted as saying: “It has been a tremendous body blow to Everton to be denied European competitions.

“Playing in and winning the Cup winners Cup (in 1985) was a fantastic experience for Everton and it has been terrible disappointment not to be able to have to go for the Champions? Cup after winning the First Divs ‘twice in three seasons”.

Kendall, who took Everton to three FA. Cup Finals, a Milk Cup Final, ‘two League championships and the (Cup Winners’ Cup in six seasons, should not feel homesick in Iberia, Already in Spain or Portugal are stich manager/coaches as Terry Venables, John Toshack and John Mortbal was highlighted by Peter Robinson, Chief Executive of Liverpool, when he said, “The European clubs are taking their pick of our top players and managers, and there is nothing we can do about it”

Gary Lineker went from Everton to Barcelona in 1986 for 27 million pounds, along with Mark Hughes of Manchester United for 2.3 million pounds.

Now Liverpool’s star striker Ian Rush is with Juventus for 3.2 million, Tottenham’s highly gifted Glen Hoddle is with Monaco (1 million pounds), and English players already overseas such as Mark Hateley and Ray Wilkins have moved to other continental clubs rather than return to England.

There’s no doubt some players, like John Barnes of Watford, actively sought a European move before setting for another season in England in Bamers’s case, with Liverpool.

What may be only a sign of the volatility of the British soccer market fs the stream of players north of the border to Glasgow Rangers Mark Falco of Watford was the seventh to Join Graemo Sourness’s squad from an English club.

But Rangers, as a Scottish club, does play in Europe, and it is undeniable that the exposure and potential earnings from a European run constitute an additional attraction to any player contemplating a move.

The fact that such a decision further weakens the game in England must be attributed not just to the louts who caused 39 deaths at Heysel but 10 the English hooligans over the years who brought Europe’s soccer officials to the point of saying “Enough is enough”.

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 2, 1987