The Script is Written...It's a Tale of Two Cliches

Before the World Cup finals start in June, I'd just like to plead with football journalists and commentators to learn to write and/or speak without resorting to tired cliche. You have six months...surely it can't be that difficult.

Thus we should have a World Cup free of thoughtless inanities like 'it's a tale of two goalkeepers/strikers/midfielders/delete as applicable', 'the script was written' and so on. Now wouldn't that be refreshing.

The constant mention of 'scripts' and 'stories' in football commentary particularly irritates me. It's a game not a bloody movie....it's not fate that something happens; there's no God-like presence invoking the nameless lesser demons to cause particular things to occur and there's no Shakesperian playwrite who has created a 'script' that will be followed by the players.

So just stop it, OK ? You've got six months. You have been warned.