The Anonymous Widower

Truly Great British Sportsmen

Andy Murray yesterday showed patches of brilliance to show that he might end up as one of the great British sportsmen and women, who in addition to all that talent, have that killer instinct, where they never give the opposition an even break.

How very un-British!

Tim Henman had a lot of the talent, but you know he could have an upset and never impose himself like he should have done.  He would have beaten Ivanisovitch if he’d just a bit of killer instinct.

In my view there are very few, who had both talent and killer instinct.

The first I saw was David Hemery, who most will have forgotten.  He turned the 400 metres hurdles in Mexico into a precession and won by an enormous margin.  But he was unable to repeat it in 1972.

Seb Coe had both too and for many years he was the greatest middle-distance runner in the world.  He won two Olympic gold medals and set eight world records.  His 800 metre record lasted 16 years.  But perhaps he greatest achievement was winning the 2012 Olympics for London.  My late wife, who was a barrister, said it was the best closing speech she’d ever heard.  And she’s heard many.

You have to include two jockeys, Lester Piggott and Tony McCoy. We will never see the like of them again.

I won’t include such as Steve Redgrave, good sportsman that he was, as he competed in a sport against a limited number of teams.

But the last of my list will be a surprise to many.  Just as Seb Coe honed every skill in his life, so Sir Alf Ramsey honed every skill of what he did.  He was a very good Spurs and England full-back in his playing days, but it was as a manager for Ipswich and England, that he showed how he was the greatest British football manager of all time. Others have done better than Sir Alf, but no-one has done it with so little talent and so loved by his players.

It was good to see that his widow has finally been given a winner’s medal for the 1966 World Cup in Sir Alf’s name. Why did she and all the others who didn’t actually play in the Final have to wait so long?

Will Murray join those greats?

June 28, 2009 - Posted by AnonW | Sport | Athletics, Football, Horse Racing