“Unfortunately, with Jamie Redknapp playing out there for England, there were times when he had to drag the ball back on his right foot, which immediately made it easier for the defenders. Waddle used his right foot for standing on, which was just as well because he stood on it quite often. But just by standing still on the left touchline, Waddle provided England teams with a balance that Keegan’s England desperately lack.
“Balance. That’s the key word,” says Dave Richardson, head of youth development for the Premier League. But if Keegan could put back the clock a decade, Waddle would surely be near the top of his fantasy list for Euro 2000.

At the time, particularly in his more distracted moments, we probably did not appreciate the value of Waddle’s contribution. Tall, angular, with an ungainly, shuffling gait and an ability to deliver crosses to order, his name is Chris Waddle, once of Newcastle, Tottenham, Marseilles, Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland, Torquay United, and England’s last genuinely world-class left-sided player. IN HIS search for a footballer who can kick with his left foot, Kevin Keegan might not have noticed a fixture in the First Division of the Meadowhall League in Sheffield this weekend where, according to local reports, a tasty left-winger has been recruited by Brunsmeer Athletic. You might not get good odds at the bookies but you would in my household.”. Sometimes in football you have got to take a step backward to take two forward and if that is the bottom line at the end of the season – whether I’m still here or not – I hope the club will come back stronger because of it.”But I honestly feel we are still in a good position to get ourselves out of trouble. “What we need most of all is stability,” he said, “not just this season but over a five-year period.

Even his glory years with Rangers must be tempered by his poor results in Europe – not much help for an international manager.Brown has made a good job of working with limited resources, though they are better than many people – including possibly himself – give Scotland credit for. The truth, like the opinion polls, changes from game to game.With Scotland’s best managers, Alex Ferguson and George Graham, otherwise gainfully employed, it has been suggested that Graeme Souness should be given Brown’s job. England were not bad last Saturday but Scotland truly were, it was said Now it is England who are being damned. Judged on 180 minutes against England, they did not.Apart from the second half at Hampden, when England were able to sit back on the lead and Scotland looked incapable of changing the game, most of the tie belonged to Brown’s team. Only two fragments of poor luck – Kevin Gallacher’s miss after Scholes’s first goal and Billy Dodds striking the bar after the England player’s second – prevented the Scots going in at half-time at 2-2 rather than 0-2.A week is a short time in football. Enjoyable though the Wembley victory was, it cannot disguise the fact that Scotland’s qualifying campaign, even though it was blighted by a catalogue of injuries, was undistinguished: judged on those games, Scotland got what they deserved. By 10pm on Wednesday, of course, some floating voters had come over to his camp.The bottom line for Scotland, however, is that one result does not a new era make.

Brown, too, begged the journalists to “show some support” but there were few takers. (“You’re a nice guy, Craig, but nice guys finish second!” said The Sun.) Brown was smarting by the time he conducted his press conference.It was reminiscent of the moment Graham Taylor was captured by documentary cameras before England’s vain World Cup tie with Holland in 1993 when he pleaded for the Press to be as up as he was trying to be. However, there was no disguising the hurt the avuncular man felt as he cast his eyes over the Monday morning headlines at the Scotland hotel in Troon. (“Seventeen per cent is quite good because the same paper had a poll when I took the Scotland job and only eight per cent wanted me.”)What he meant when he tried to use statistics to back up his case was that he was often scornfully put down as a coaching “anorak”. He was not referring to the phone-in vote, although he laughed that off too. On Friday, the swing back to the Scotland manager would have left Peter Snow apoplectic: only 55 per cent now wanted Brown out, while 45 per cent said he should stay.”There are statistics, statistics and damn lies,” Brown said quietly last Monday as he tried to withstand the welter of calls for him to quit. The Daily Record poll after the first-leg defeat saw 83 per cent say that Brown should quit, with only 17 per cent defending him.

The Scottish tabloids had decided, by half-time last Saturday, that those two goals by Paul Scholes were enough to call a halt to Brown’s six years in the job.Wembley, of course, forced a few people to eat humble pie, though the Daily Record, Brown’s fiercest critic, is not giving up the fight, even though its own opinion polls prove Harold Wilson might have revised his thoughts about what a tough job he had, if he too had been prisoner to the dreaded phone-in. However, even Brown must have been taken aback at the speed of the ever- changing world last week. In the era of the quick sound-bite and influence of the electronic media, a day now seems a long time in football. How else is the Scotland manager to judge the rollercoaster events of the past week? Brown has watched his status plummet and rise again: from being in the stocks (after that 2-0 defeat at Hampden) to rising stock (thanks to 90 minutes at Wembley).
While the Scotland manager has not quite suffered a savaging on the scale of his England counterparts, there is no doubt familiarity has bred contempt.

When Harold Wilson was claiming what a capricious business he was working in, Brown was discovering an equally harsh truth of his own in the mid-1960s as he went, via a broken leg, from being part of a Dundee side who won the Scottish League title to a mere bit part at Falkirk. But you know if you do, you could regret it.” The concern is that, while he seeks to prove it, England football could regret it rather more as it sifts through the remnants of fallen stars.. CRAIG BROWN has been around long enough to recall that old adage about a week being a long time in politics. “You’ve all got the right to say that it’s a waste of time us going there [to Euro 2000].

“For us, there is little difference playing away and playing at home,” Beenhakker insists.”We are not a team that start a game looking for a draw and defending We play our own match. Up to now, there has been no reason to change that.”OPERATION EUROPE: PHIL GORDON’S GUIDE TO THIS WEEK’S ACTIONCHAMPIONS’ LEAGUEFIORENTINA V MANCHESTER UNITEDA SURVEY by a top “sexologist” last week revealed that most Italian men think about Gabriel Batistuta – with his kit on, celebrating a goal – when making love. Only when a team is playing well can a player with special qualities demonstrate what they can do.”Similarly, even at Stamford Bridge, Feyenoord will not radically alter their adventurous policy of deploying Jon Dahl Tomasson behind two forwards. “With all respect to Chelsea, I will not be looking to give special attention to any of their players,” he says. “In the past, say 15 years ago, one player could win a match, a Maradona, whoever But now more than ever football is about teamwork.

You can’t talk about Chelsea or Arsenal as being typical of British football now Also, football has no secrets any more. We all have TV, we all have video, we all travel to watch our opponents.”Beenhakker is a study of insouciance; a character who has only turned his thoughts to the challenge of Chelsea since Friday night’s domestic fixture, when Feyenoord threw away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at Maastricht. He has no plans to counter specifically any of Chelsea’s principal threats, even Gianfranco Zola. “It was useful when British football was British football,” he says. “But little by little, every country is losing a bit of its own football culture. But the venerable coach maintains that it is of no particular significance these days.

For 11 years now, the loyal Tynesider, a member of Wallsend Harriers and a floor manager at a Newcastle hotel, has stuck by his assumed identity. Even at his peak, when he stopped the clock at 11.6, he was never quite as quick as his hero – the Ben Johnson who won the 1988 Olympic final in 9.79.
It was in May 1988, four months before big Ben was first struck off the competition list for failing a drugs test, that Gary Smith, as he was known at the time, decided to adopt the same name as the Canadian sprinter. THE DIARY can reveal that Ben Johnson will be challenging for the coveted New Year Sprint title in Edinburgh next month. In an exclusive interview, Johnson revealed that he will be making his debut as a professional runner in the traditional handicap race meeting popularly known as “Powderhall” in recognition of the track where it was held until 1970. “I’ve been training with the `pro’ guys since February,” he said, “and I’ve been going pretty well.

At my age, 35, you stand a better chance running against younger guys with the handicap system.”

And time and the tide appeared to be catching up with Johnson last summer In two comeback races he ran 13.2sec for 100m. And yet he presumed to encroach; suggesting, as many Spanish commentators have inferred, that he committed hara-kiri, that he judged suicide to be nobler and less painful than death by a thousand indignities.John Carlin writes for the Spanish newspaper El Pais. In recent weeks he has been openly – and recurrently – criticising his players, in defiance of the warnings of the mighty Sanz.Criticising, bullying, threatening: this is Sanz’s province Toshack knew this. Toshack’s frustration, his increasing awareness that the responsibility his job carried grotesquely exceeded its power, made him bolshy. Had Anelka simply been omitted, thereby allowing the excellent strike pair of Raul and Morientes to do their stuff uncluttered, and thereby allowing space for an extra man in a notoriously leaky midfield, Real Madrid would very probably be playing with more assurance, in a more settled pattern, four or five places higher up the table.As it is, Toshack’s Real have been unpredictable, disorganised and torn with dressing-room dissent, offering only dim prospects – mathematics aside – of titles this season, either in Europe or in Spain. Bosses elsewhere can sack their employees, and the employees know it, which is why they do as the bosses say. The Real Madrid players, almost all of them, knew that Toshack had no say in determining their futures with the club.

Rain ruins Atapattu’s day
Heavy rain yesterday interrupted the Sri Lanka opening batsman Marvan Atapattu when he was 22 runs short of a double century on the third day of the first Test against Zimbabwe. “I’ve won prizes but never as good as this evening’s,” Ali said.. The three-time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali of the United States – who was given a standing ovation – was named boxer of the century, while four-time world Formula One champion Alain Prost received the motor sport award. The winners, chosen from a short-list of 91 athletes, all received a crystal vase “I am surprised and honoured,” said Pele.

It is sadly ironic that, as a gelding, he didn’t have a first fling never mind a last but, on the grounds that even horses want their dads to be remembered kindly, a small each-way bet is recommended.. SPORT AWARDS:

Pele and Ali are honoured
The Brazilian legend Pele was named footballer of the Millennium at the World Sports Awards of the Century ceremony in Vienna. Eleven of the world’s top sports stars were honoured by a 15-strong panel headed by the International Olympic Committee president, Juan Antonio Samaranch. We needn’t trouble ourselves with the details of this brief relationship but as soon as he had performed his duties to the satisfaction of all concerned, Avocat dropped down dead on the spot.The Last Fling, therefore, has a name more meaningful than most. In the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday runs a horse called The Last Fling who has an outsider’s chance and brings to the race a poignant tale.The chestnut gelding was born nine years ago as the result of an arranged assignation between a stallion, Avocat, and a mare, Highway’s Last. Nevertheless, he does have a stake in the success of their biggest rival.Perhaps we should take it as a foretaste of the footballer of the future who, when weighing his next opposition, asks:”Are they in my portfolio?”IN OUR eternal battle to get the better of the bookmakers, no sign or omen can be ignored, and very often the finger of fate is a more reliable pointer than the form book. And if that’s not a conflict of interests, I don’t know what is.Not for one minute do I suggest that Suker would allow his stock market investments to affect his game but if the FA are strict on betting why are they so casual about shares? Their spokesman denied last week that there was a contradiction in their rules if they permit one form of financial speculation on football but ban another.Arsenal, famed for their strict code of player behaviour, said it was “absolutely absurd” to suggest that Suker had compromised his commitment to them.

United’s shares are likely to be worth more if they win the Premiership than, say, if Arsenal do. The Wembley squabbles merely show how short of vision we are.IF DAVID SUKER, the Arsenal striker, had bet a large lump of money on Manchester United winning the Premiership this season, there is no doubt that the Football Association would have performed their famous impersonation of a ton of bricks. Rightly so, for Arsenal themselves are likely to be among the main contenders for the title and Suker could be subject to a conflict of interests.But the FA see nothing wrong with Suker purchasing pounds 20,000 of United shares, as he did last month Obviously, there’s a difference, but only of degree. It would be absurd to attempt to cure that failing by wrecking English football’s hopes of having a headquarters worthy of the name.If we are serious about bringing the Olympics here in 12 years’ time, or the World Athletics Championships in 2005, then we should create a stadium built specifically for that purpose Although a stadium is hardly adequate. We need a site that offers facilities for many sports and which can serve as a national focal point. Compared with most other countries our lack of facilities is appalling. It is shaming that a country of our size and range of sporting traditions doesn’t possess one already.

There may be grounds for an argument about where its replacement should be sited, but there should be no doubt that it should be an arena dedicated to the national game.In fact, the England football team don’t need a stadium, they need a fortress; a home that intimidates the visitors and where they can feel the crowd’s hot breath. A visit to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff would provide an inspirational example of what I mean. Wembley frightens nobody; apart, that is, from England.To saddle the new place with an athletics track would kill all possibility that there might be some interchange of passion between England and its followers. To introduce this dead-hand suggestion at this late stage is ludicrous and reveals only what an uncontrolled mess our sporting thinking is in.No one disputes our need for a major athletics stadium, but that has been apparent for years. At least we’re going to get rid of the old and soulless Wembley Stadium from this recurring nightmare.This would be a more comforting thought but for the controversy now ensuing about what should be built in its place. Physical correctness in sport is becoming as boring as political correctness elsewhere.So Keegan, hero of Hampden, becomes the wally of Wembley and the ritual chants for his head have been sounded or, worse still, that a coach should be appointed to help him. This sad scenario is all the more depressing for having been repeated endlessly for 20 years or more.

Revelations that the England coach and some of his players had stayed up late on Saturday night drinking beer and watching the Lennox Lewis fight were presented in triumph – as if that was the reason England lost, not that their resident experts had been hopelessly wrong. There has been the added bonus since of watching the acrobatic agility of somersaulting experts. “Tarts 0 Tartans 1″ was one headline on a page that had oozed patriotic patronage the previous day.Brown was swiftly removed from the dole queue and promoted to tactical genius while many found it easier to execute the volte-face if they used Kevin Keegan’s head as a springboard. A lifetime of watching England flounder at Wembley has equipped me with a cynicism that won’t be cured until the place is demolished.I didn’t quite win the bet but I had an exciting run for my money and the pleasure of watching an excellent Scottish performance pieced together by players I’d hardly heard of was ample return.

Gilly Handley, one of only four British women in the event, has strong views on taking care of No 132. Although this 5ft 4in, 28-year-old was almost born into motor sport, and is intimately involved with it through her job as secretary to the Benetton Formula One team, she feels that women are still not fully accepted in rallying and racing. SELF-PRESERVATION is not the most obvious priority for the drivers who hurtle through the forests and drive on after crashes that would give most of us recurring nightmares, but at least one competitor in the Network Q Rally Great Britain, which starts in Cheltenham this morning, will see it as a priority. His works-supported Toyota will certainly be up to the job but he must control the temptation to overcook on today’s first stage if he is to reach the Welsh forest tracks which on the last occasion, he says, gave him the thrill of his career.NORMAN FOX. He has previous rally experience, having driven the 1996 RAC event, but admits that road racing and spreading the dust and mud are vastly different techniques. He has always enjoyed the special demands offered by the event and, with nothing to lose, could be the foreign driver with the best chance of beating Burns and McRae.MARTIN BRUNDLEThe 40-year-old television pundit and ex-Formula One driver remains quick and alert enough to surprise a lot of people with a place in the top 20.

Now 37, the Spaniard has won 22 World Championship events and has twice won the British Rally. His attitude to this year’s rally is that it is almost certainly going to be a straight fight between himself and Richard Burns, especially on the second and third days. “When it comes to the Welsh forests, home advantage is definitely going to be a big advantage,” he said. No doubt his co-driver, Nicky Grist, is in for some “moments”. Ford have not won a domestic rally since 1979, but that could be about to change.CARLOS SAINZToyota, who will end their factory involvement after this closing event of the championship, have already lifted the manufacturers’ world title this season, but Sainz comes to Britain determined to avenge his frustrating memories of last year, when failure to finish cost him the world title. His confidence has never been in doubt and the Subaru has always reacted well to the demands of the British Rally.COLIN McRAEWith wins in the Kenyan and Portuguese rallies, the three-times winner of the British Rally has shown that while the Ford Focus has had teething troubles, in his hands it is fast.

But when both made errors at the eighth America drew level and then steamed away over the final nine holes. A three-putt by O’Meara at the last was the only time either he or Woods went over par.With the American birdie and eagle tally clicking up like a World Cup rugby score it is no wonder that all other contenders fell away in the oppressive heat and humidity. All credit to Miguel Martin and Santiago Luna of Spain, who have played alongside Woods and O’Meara these past two days, for staying in touch for as long as they have.
On Friday they actually out-scored the Americans to lead at halfway and over the opening holes yesterday briefly went further ahead. It took the Americans those two days to unlock the secrets of the Mines Course on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur but once they did they played flawlessly to record individual scores of 63 and 67.

AFTER TOYING with the World Cup field in Malaysia for the first couple of days, Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara yesterday raised their game and eased the United States into what should be an unassailable lead. With a round to go they are 23 under par, seven strokes in front of Spain with Argentina third a further six shots adrift. Cayard, whose AmericaOne team lie in fourth place behind Prada, America True and Team Dennis Conner, is said to be expecting much more from his new boat.The next question is when will AmericaOne, Prada, Nippon and Abracadabra decide to introduce their new boats and whether, when they do, the single boat America True and Team Dennis Conner teams will be able to hang on to them.. The French are simply slow and will need a miracle, while Young Australia and the Swiss FAST 2000 are surely without hope.And as the impoverished contenders contemplate Christmas at home, salt is rubbed into their wounds by the appearance out on the water of others with more luxurious budgets.While Paul Cayard was out dishing defeat to Young America yesterday, his B-boat crew were putting a brand new USA 61 to the test. They, like the Hawaiians, will need more speed if they are to make it past Christmas.In truth the Spanish and the Hawaiians will be the only teams in the bottom half who will be agonising over extending their hotel bookings. The Spanish, one place behind Young America, led the second-placed America True during their final race but could not eventually prevail. The team that were second behind Prada at the end of round one are now perilously close to the relegation zone in sixth place.But if Young America are struggling, they will take heart from the fact that they have still won more races than they have lost, a statistic that eludes all of the players beneath them.

They withdrew from two races and suffered two defeats as they gingerly coaxed their valuable asset around the course. The end of the round could not have come quickly enough after they were forced to commission their second boat earlier than they wanted. Kolius will be hoping for much more from his second boat if the team are to move the two places up the standings needed to make the cut next month.Sadly for Kolius it is familiar territory: the last time he was running an America’s Cup team of his own was back in 1987 when he represented the stuffy New York Yacht Club and humiliated their members by not making the semi-finals in Fremantle.The New York Yacht Club are facing humiliation once again unless Ed Baird and his Young America syndicate can turn round the poor run of form precipitated by the near-sinking of their first boat a week and a half ago. Since Chris Larson took the wheel and Kolius stuck his head out of the boat in a more tactical role, the team have showed more promise and even led the golden-boy Prada crew before the Italians finally restored normality and went on to win. While the leaders cruised easily into the final period of trialling and testing before the defining third round, after which five teams will go home, the scrabble at the cut has reached intensive proportions.
John Kolius made the ultimate commitment to the Hawaiian Abracadabra cause when he relinquished the helm in an attempt to improve his team’s ailing form. THE PAST week has been a time for drastic measures out on the Louis Vuitton Cup racecourse as the 11 America’s Cup challengers completed the second of three round-robins in the unpredictable waters off Auckland. But I wasn’t waterlicked after all, and my record book shows that for 14 days in India and Arunachal Pradesh, I had landed (and sportingly returned) two goldfish Best of all, without being caught myself..

We were all looking forward to having a good laugh and entertaining the crowds, which have been numbering up to 5,000. The All Blacks were packed with famous old names like Jock Ross, now in his 50s, Andy Haden, Wayne “Buck” Shelford, Terry Wright, Joe Stanley and John Bow, who is tipped to be the next New Zealand coach.It was great to meet old opponents from all over the world that I hadn’t seen for years. The Classic has become just as ferocious and defensive as any class of rugby.I was part of a British Lions team that included players like Mike Teague, Wade Dooley, Keith Crossan and Colin Deans. ALONG WITH a group of other doddery rugby veterans, I’ve been finding out how tough the modern game is – and we’re not fond of it.

We’ve been gathered in Bermuda and, while there’s no lovelier island, we’re all aching from head to toe after competing in the Bermuda Classic tournament. This is one of the most popular events in the rugby world among those whose boots are not only hung up but rotting. It is extremely well organised and managed and the social side is very enjoyable, but the rugby itself has become ultra serious.
The oldsters playing in it used to revel in the chance to play open and expansive rugby and although everyone wanted to win, the tournament was played in a free and easy spirit Not any longer. A win but little satisfaction.Northampton: N Beal; J Sleightholme, A Bateman, M Allen, B Cohen; P Grayson, I Vass; G Pagel, S Walter (C Johnson, 60), M Scelzo, J Phillips, R Metcalfe, T Rodber (D Mackinnon, 78), P Lam (capt), S Holmes.Neath: G John; S Williams, D Tieuti, T Davies, M Singer; M Pearce (C Rees, 80), R Jones; D Jones ( L Gerard, 70), M Davies, A Millward, M Turner (A Codling, 53), A Jackson, S Van Rensberg, R Phillips (capt), B Sinkinson .Referee: B Smith (Irl).. A beautifully balanced run took him to within a inch or two of the Neath line but when the final whistle blew it was Neath who were hammering away at Northampton’s line. Lam remained in a class of his own, the sole Northampton player capable of breaking through and lifting the monotony. Rough justice perhaps, following Mr Smith’s failure a few minutes earlier to spot some sly jersey pulling as Allan Bateman went charging through on a deftly placed kick.Northampton continued on their slipshod way, spilling passes, spurning chances and generally making life difficult for themselves.

He escaped on a number of occasions but sadly outstripped his support and too often found himself isolated.Pearce kicked his third penalty within two minutes of the restart and six points were all that separated the sides until Grayson converted his third penalty after Shaun van Rensberg was penalised a shade harshly for a late tackle on Ben Cohen. Perhaps the ease with which they had scored their points induced complacency. But Pearce, with a drop goal and a penalty, kept Neath in the game.Grayson kicked his second penalty before half-time, giving Northampton the prospect of a second-half cashing in on their dominance in the first It did not happen. Inexplicably, the Saints scrummage began to fade and Neath, sharper and unquestionably swifter in the backs, began to make room for their quicksilver winger Shane Williams. When he did his passing lacked sharpness and accuracy.With a comfortable cushion of 12 points midway through the first half, Northampton appeared to be coasting.

The position had been set up by Grayson’s mighty penalty kick from inside his own half but, overall, the fly-half was well below his best. He missed with three kicks at goal, a penalty, conversion and drop, and seldom had the confidence to move the ball wide. Good though he is, this is hardly a compliment to the Saints backs, who are simply not good enough as an attacking force.Without the corrosive power of the pack Northampton have little to offer and, when the forwards start to misfire, as happened throughout the second half, they are in trouble. It was ludicrous that with such an abundance of possession, Northampton should have been a mere six points ahead going into the final quarter.Northampton’s second try was scored by Simon Holmes following Metcalfe’s clean line-out take and a concerted drive to the Neath line. That was fair enough because Lam had been, by a country mile, the most penetrative player on the field and, despite the possession which flowed the way of the Northampton backs, he remained in a class apart as a runner. Furthermore, in their efforts to keep Northampton out they conceded 14 penalties in this period, Grayson choosing to kick two and using the others to set up promising attacking positions for his pack.Northampton’s first try came, almost inevitably, from a scrummage pushover and although Metcalfe arose from the debris with the ball, it was Lam who was credited with the try.

At the inevitable post-mortem the following day he would have said: “Last night in ze Respighi, at Claudia Cardinale, here was ze big spaghetti.” He would then rehearse something completely different Half an hour later he would return to the subject. This is echt Silvestri – a live performance (in the Colston Hall, Bristol) It’s all there in an astonishing 22 minutes. The terrified horn section hanging on by their evening dress tails; an even more terrified-sounding solo cello, and the piano starting the trudge up the Appian Way totally out of step with the Roman legion. This would have almost certainly been due to Silvestri’s beat, which at times could be euphemistically described as alternative.For a man so lacking in ego he was notoriously unable to admit culpability, except for the occasional tell-tale sign when his shoulders would heave with laughter. At least, too much material is better than not enough, and thankfully, for such a colourful subject, anecdotes abound, gleaned from an impressive array of personae – perhaps most tellingly from the orchestral players.Whatever the book’s shortcomings, the genius, humanity and humour of the maestro shines through, and its publication is a cause for celebration.The genius shines through most of all and more easily available, in his Bournemouth recording of Respighi’s The Pines of Rome. These often refer to similar incidents to those he is describing, but at another stage of Silvestri’s career Consequently the book is chronologically chaotic. We zoom from Bournemouth to Bucharest to Berlin to Bournemouth again, like David Attenborough popping up at random points of the globe just for one sentence in a wildlife spectacular.

Far from being wilful and eccentric in his interpretations, his insights and “quirks” were the results of endless study of the score. Every known edition, every known recording, was relentlessly scrutinised and documented – a process that lasted all night and every night. Critical hammering, often the result of ignorance, hurt him.Gritten makes this point by cramming the book with press reviews. In fact, he has almost tried to pack in too much information. Parentheses inserted into already long-winded sentences abound. He also worked at a time when critical reaction was suspicious of interpretative imagination and spontaneity.

For the waiting paparazzi, swapping cigarettes and shivering in the cold, it was the perfect photo-opportunity. As he left his £1.5m, five-storey Georgian home in Lord North Street and strolled towards St Matthew’s in the winter sunshine, the snappers couldn’t believe their luck. Looking relaxed in a long blue overcoat and jeans, the former entrepreneur turned Cabinet minister turned prisoner CB9298 appeared to be reinventing himself once again before their very eyes. For a company that has been built up, slimmed down and built up again via acquisition activity, it would prove a fitting finale.. For the waiting paparazzi, swapping cigarettes and shivering in the cold, it was the perfect photo-opportunity.

Two days after his release from Elmley jail, Jonathan Aitken had finally broken cover to attend the Sunday service at his local Catholic church in Westminster. “He always thinks he knows best and he doesn’t take criticism well. He takes it very personally,” one insider says.But any further slips are likely to force either management changes, or a bid. Also, they are all grouped together in the middle market, which is being squeezed by fashion chains like French Connection and Zara on one hand and discounters like Matalan on the other.Many feel that by buying those businesses, Arcadia turned itself into the new Sears, a lumbering, impossible-to-manage group, that has made itself a sitting duck for takeover.Analysts feel there is a management problem too. They say that following the departure of Terry Green (to run Debenhams) and Stuart Rose (to run Argos and now Booker), Arcadia has too few managers of sufficient seniority to stand up to Mr Hoerner when they think he is wrong.Mr Hoerner is an aggressive manager who fights his corner with a zeal likened to that of Margaret Thatcher. Mr Hoerner surprised the City last year when he acquired the Sears womenswear chains from Philip Green. The deal gave Arcadia Miss Selfridge, Wallis and Warehouse chains and a significant increase in its share of the UK clothing market.Unfortunately it gave Arcadia a huge managerial headache with 15 different formats, many of which are barely distinguishable.

Fund managers who subscribed to Burton’s rescue rights issues in 1991 and 1993 made a lot of money out of Mr Hoerner before the recent fall and they seem prepared to back him for now.The problem is that having dragged the group back from the brink then, he has now taken it back there. Now 61, the tough, fast-talking American has been chief executive of the company for eight years. He is still supported by many City institutions who credit him with rescuing Burton in the late 1980s when Sir Ralph Halpern’s grand expansion plans began to unravel. But this business is capable of being cash generative.”The company could be forced into a re-financing, or the sale of some of its most prized assets. These include the Top Shop corner site on London’s Oxford Street which could be worth £170m, or its stake in Zoom, its e-commerce business.Arcadia’s decline puts Mr Hoerner in a difficult position. Debts stand at £270m, and the company’s 2,100 stores (including concessions) are saddled with higher-than-average rents that leave the company exposed if sales fall.Arcadia has been close to breaching its banking covenants before, and this may become an issue again if the sales fall continues.

Nigel Hall, the company’s finance director, said: “There is a risk that if we took no action we would be in breach. Two years ago the shares stood at over 500p after the company had de-merged its Debenhams department store operation. Now they stand at 52p, after a 16 per cent decline yesterday In 1996-97 the Arcadia businesses recorded profits of £81m. Yesterday the company’s own stockbroker, Credit Suisse First Boston, downgraded his current year forecast to a £4m loss from a £15m profit expectations this year. We are going through a very tough time in a very difficult market and it is precisely at this time that you need a tried and tested management with a long track record of success.”Arcadia’s fall from grace has been rapid. However, Adam Broadbent, Arcadia’s chairman, publicly backed his beleaguered chief executive yesterday “There was never any question of John resigning. He got a great price out of Arcadia.”John Hoerner, Arcadia’s chief executive, has considered taking the company private though it is far from clear if he could secure the backing.

Other retail entrepreneurs are also monitoring the situation closely with the view to mounting a possible bid.There was talk that some of Arcadia’s major shareholders might use yesterday’s annual meeting to call for the removal of Mr Hoerner, who has run the group since 1992, when it was known as the Burton Group. Philip Green, who sold the Sears womenswear businesses to Arcadia for £150m last year, has contacted some of Arcadia’s institutional investors to assess their feelings about a sale which could value the enlarged group at little more than £100m. But Richard Hyman of Verdict Research, said Mr Green was unlikely to proceed: “He wouldn’t be able to sell it again. But this was outweighed by steep declines in some of the menswear formats such as Top Man, Burton Menswear and Principles for Men.The company is now regarded as a probable break-up target. “People must be looking at it after this announcement and with the share price down at these levels,” said one rival retailer “The business looks a complete shambles.”The vultures are already circling.