Pompous Sunday League footballer explains why he should play in midfield (to most of London!)

Ollie Irish

31st, October 2006

A Sunday League footballer has become the laughing stock of London after an in-depth email outlining why he should not be played on the right of midfield was emailed to thousands of addresses. Mike Rolt, who plays for Radley College old boys team, responded to a short email from the team manager with an essay staking his claim for a midfield role.

This Is London reports that Rolt, aged 26, compared himself to Steven Gerrard in the email, and bemoaned the lack of a Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko to allow him to play a ‘free-role’! Click below to read a fantastic extract from the email. [Via The Offside]

"I’ve thought about this quite hard and I just think that it’s a waste of our fittest player. I know I’m quick and it would be useful out wide but unless George Mac or Tim were playing in midfield, I wouldn’t be very involved. Also pace is very effective in the centre as well – for intercepting passes/covering tackles/catching them on the break etc. I am also one of the better tacklers and headers of the ball and am also probably the most vocal. Sticking me out on the wing would lose us these attributes. I wouldn’t have much running to do and, although I’ll beat my man three or four times, the play will get over congested down the left or in the middle and I’ll end up starved. In an ideal world, with everybody fit and available, I would play on the right or even up front where I played with some success at Uni. Steven Gerrard has a good role at Liverpool on the right but with the freedom to roam. That ONLY works, however, because they have Sissoko and Alonso in the middle – two holding midfielders – one of which can spray the ball around. Unfortunately, we don’t have the players for this, although Tommy Hodge and Tim would be fantastic. Mark and Han in the middle just doesn’t work because they aren’t positionally aware enough, get caught forward and distribution suffers – the best example of which is Brentwood last season. We sucked."

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