One Big Circus (From Swindon Advertiser)

One Big Circus

2:09pm Sunday 28th February 2010

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By Pencils Down »

In this blog I’m supposed to be talking about leaving university and entering the “real world”. But since being a resident of this place for several months now I’ve found it to be a little bit bonkers.

So I hope you don’t mind but for this instalment I’m going to be stepping away from uni matters to chuck my two cents in about a topic none of us can escape: John Terry and Wayne Bridge.

For those who have been hibernating these last two months, here’s a brief rundown of what has transpired between them: John Terry, a page three model and socialite, met Wayne Bridge, a failed singer with a Hercules-like figure, in the jungle. After immediately falling in love they rushed in to marriage, had children and settled down. They spent the next couple of years parading their love around chat shows and allowed cameras in to their homes, revealing how John would often put Wayne down and belittle him. Tensions ultimately grew too strong and their relationship collapsed. John told all the papers and magazines how Wayne was a terrible husband and Wayne tried his best to cry during every TV show and interview to get everyone on his ‘team‘.

As John’s public stock sank, after dating a controversial cage fighter, called Alex, he decided to return to I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, and made the clever PR decision to quit before he was booted out, declaring it triggered too many Wayne related memories, who was busy releasing a new album. John’s relationship with Alex was still not accepted by the public so the cage fighter participated in, and ultimately won, Celebrity Big Brother, thrusting him in to the lime light. With his new found fame he whisked John off to Vegas, got married and secured a TV show and a book deal, while Wayne wiped away tears in fear he’d never see his children again.

Oh wait… Have I confused that with another media circus no-one gives two hoots about? I think I may have.

Yesterday’s Premiership football news saw Zat Knight score his first goal for Bolton, and Bolton’s first goal in 505 minutes, administration suffering Portsmouth grab a confidence boosting win against relegation rivals Burnley, 19-year-old Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey suffer a potential career threatening broken leg and the man that caused his injury, Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross, get called up to the England team for the veryfirst time. Every reason to switch on to Match Of The Day.

However, I wouldn’t be surprised if football fans didn’t change channels and miss all this when highly respected ex-pros Gary Lineker, England’s second all time top goal scorer, Alan Hansen, a three time European Cup Champion and the Premiership’s record goal scorer, Alan Shearer, began embarrassing themselves by blabbering on and showing REPLAYS of an adulterous thug getting ignored in the pre-match handshakes by his victim, Wayne Bridge.

Of course Bridge wasn’t going to shake his hand; I could’ve told you that! Terry slept with the mother of his child, several times, while they were team mates and Bridge has pulled out of the England squad because of it, so was the snub really a surprise? And was it worthy of hours of attention?

Yes I know I’m giving it attention myself, but surely we can all see how farcical this has all become. I understand that it made excellent television, but I’m fed up with this England pantomime now. Six months ago we were candidates to win the World Cup but now Capello has the problem of choosing a number one goalkeeper, helping Rio Ferdinand back to fitness, finding replacement right and left backs after injuries to first choice Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole, get John Terry back in to form and find a suitable partner (cue Terry related pimp jokes please) for Wayne Rooney. Can’t all football journalists please focus on that now? The tournament won’t be off our screens or out of our papers for the next six months, so can we use this time to be constructive?

I don’t care about where and when John Terry puts what and with whom. I think we all have to move on. I’m pretty confident Wayne Bridge wants to. So, can’t we all just put on a brave face, sweep it under the carpet, grow up and shake han...whoops.