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Kevin Ratcliffe: Revive Home International Championships
Tuesday 22nd March 2011, 6:22PM GMT.
Footballers do get their hands dirty - ex-Shrewsbury manager Kevin Ratcliffe keeps an eye on Glenn Johnson as the England star kept busy ahead of the big match with a visit to the Vauxhall factory in Ellesmere Port
Former Wales skipper Kevin Ratcliffe has called for the resurrection of the Home International championships.
The tournament was scrapped in 1984 when it was decided only England and Scotland would continue facing each other on an annual basis.
Even that was abandoned eventually, though, since when meetings have been restricted to the qualifying tournaments for major tournaments.
However, Vauxhall’s new sponsorship of all four countries has seen the idea resurface, if only as a one-off to celebrate the Football Association’s centenary.
And ex-Shrewsbury Town manager Ratcliffe is certain it would be welcomed by supporters, especially if matches were moved away from the traditional venues.
“Hopefully the Home Internationals come back one day,” he said.”I doubt whether it could be at the end of the season but maybe they could do something through the season.
“It was always nice to be involved in the matches, and England might be able to take matches away from Wembley to give other people a chance to watch them.
“If there is a problem, it will come from the club managers because they are the ones who keep telling the players they are playing too many games.
“For the money they are getting paid they should be playing 100 games a season, not just 40.”
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