What we can learn from the World Cup....

And whilst I’m on the subject, it isn’t just the chef world that is struggling with work ethics.  What I saw of the England team this World Cup clearly demonstrates the issue there.

In fact, we can hardly call England a team, they play as individuals, earn too much and the highest earners only seem interested in their own little fiefdoms.  Unlike some other countries I’ve seen, our England players show no passion or acceptance of the reason why they’re there and they play without a game plan or work ethics. In contrast, the German team has been built and nurtured over many years. Its young players are humble yet passionate and play beautifully as a team.  It is a credit to German football training that they have improved at every tournament, peaking so triumphantly in Brazil.

The premiership is a great spectacle but it does nothing for English football. I’m not alone is saying that there’s far too much money at the top of the game and the infrastructure of the Football Association needs to wake up to training and nurturing talent.  A percentage of the wages paid to premiership players should be spent on training and paying the wages of the best youth coaches for the future of the national team. I don’t believe that I’ll ever see an England team win the World Cup in my lifetime unless these changes are made now. 

The sport has lost its way and is now far removed from its working class roots and for that I blame the vast number of sponsors for throwing too much money into the game. The education system also has to accept some of the blame, after all it is these establishments that should be producing the workforce of the future. The England football woes and the recruitment woes felt by chefs and restaurateurs stem from the same lack of work ethics in many young workers. Before they even consider which options to take, pupils should be taught the philosophy of work and have an understanding of why we should pay taxes and contribute to society. Unless young people appreciate the personal and social reward of working hard to build a career, we will always be up against those who believe that a comfortable life is deserved, not earned.