Sports Letters

Wrong song

for England

From Mr CR Pollard

Sir: With the rugby Five Nations' Championship once more well under way we have the annual nonsense of English teams and supporters singing the British national anthem and Wales and Scotland singing their own. Why does this idiocy continue?

I can well understand most of the crowd at Cardiff Arms Park jeering at "God Save the Queen". They have two excellent reasons: a) the presumption that only the English are truly British; b) it's an awful dirge anyway.

Please leave the national anthem for teams representing Great Britain, when it really means something.

What about an English anthem? My suggestion for acceptable words and tune is "I vow to thee my country."

Yours faithfully

CR POLLARD

Billingham, Cleveland

Major step forward

From Mr J Clutterbuck

Sir: The current difficulties of the Football Association in filling the job to be vacated by Terry Venables have so far met with an unenthusiastic response from likely successors. There would, however, appear to be one candidate who, until now, has been sadly overlooked and who may shortly be available for alternative employment.

A keen soccer supporter, he is a man who has had much experience of dealing with a fractious team and an often hostile media. He also has an embittered predecessor and an indifferent track record in Europe. Should John Major be interested in the job, it will of course be necessary to change the England strip from white to grey.

If the matter of Venables' successor is decided otherwise, Mr Major need not despair. In view of their current form, there could yet be a vacancy with the England cricket team.

Yours faithfully

JOHN CLUTTERBUCK

Chorleywood, Herts

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