Gordon Sharrock's World of Football (From The Bolton News)

Gordon Sharrock's World of Football

6:07pm Tuesday 17th November 2009

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JUST when I thought football could not get any more radical in its prevention and treatment of injuries, Robin van Persie tells us he is putting his damaged ankle in the hands of a Serbian doctor who uses placenta to massage her patients back to fitness.

The Arsenal striker, who faces at least six weeks on the sidelines after suffering ligament damage playing for Holland on Saturday, was impressed by the doctor’s success in treating PSV midfielder Danko Lazovic.

“She is vague about her methods,” van Persie admitted, “but I know she massages you using fluid from a placenta.

“I am going to try. It cannot hurt and if it helps, it helps.”

The Balkans doctor is reported to have used human placenta in previous treatments although reports suggest she will use the placenta of a horse or a cow on Van Persie. Whatever the treatment, it’s hoped the Gunners’ ace is back in action without undue delay.

He is an absolute joy to watch, in the same mould as Dennis Bergkamp — his predecessor in the Arsenal and Holland shirts.

For me, Bergkamp was the best of his generation, but van Persie’s talent, style, elegance and effectiveness put him above anyone of his ilk in today’s Premiership.

There are some Premiership games I wouldn’t cross the road to watch but I’d be prepared to take trains, planes and automobiles to Arsenal’s London Colney base just to watch van Persie in training.

IT is a sad state of affairs that commercial factors are threatening to force the transfer of the National Football Museum from Preston to Manchester.

The wonderful free museum, which boasts the finest single collection of football memorabilia in the world, has been a resounding success since it opened in 2001, attracting around 100,000 visitors a year. But it has always had a funding problem and its trustees reckon moving to Manchester’s Urbis exhibition centre is the best way of securing its financial future.

Better it have a future in another city than continue to struggle on at its current venue, so the argument goes.

But that argument is no consolation to the family of Tommy Lawton, who donated an urn containing the legendary England centre-forward’s ashes and are threatening to withdraw the exhibit rather than have it moved to Manchester.

Bolton-born Tommy was a proud Lancastrian and his son, Tommy Jnr, explained how the family saw it as a case of his father “coming home” when they took his ashes to Preston.

There is no doubt the exhibits — including the ball from the 1966 World Cup final and Maradona’s shirt from the “Hand of God” game between England and Argentina in Mexico — would be seen by a bigger audience if the museum was moved to Manchester.

But, if the same rationale applied to all such institutions, the big cities would crush smaller towns asunder and cultural heritage and identity would count for nothing.

Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council, justified the proposed transfer by claiming: “Manchester is renowned around the world for its footballing heritage.”

Excuse me, but where were City and United when Preston — founder members of the Football League — won the first championship in 1889?

City were only formed in 1894 and United as recent as 1902 after their respective predecessors Ardwick and Newton Heath went bankrupt.

Sentiment goes out of the window, though, when financial reality hits home, as Paul Dermody, chair of museum’s trustees, said: “While the museum has gone from success to success in Preston since it opened, the funding of the museum has always been a concern, but with the backing of Manchester City Council, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the football family its future will be secured.”

Manchester are said to be putting up £8m to fund the museum’s move to the Urbis, but Preston could still win the day.

Preston City Council have joined forces with Lancashire County Council and The University of Central Lancashire to put together a £450,000-a-year funding package plus a £3.5million refurbishment plan to keep the museum on Sir Tom Finney Way, Deepdale.

The Lancashire Evening Post is also running a campaign and petition at lep.co.uk that will be sent to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

THERE was a time when any Scot would have given his right arm to manage the national team.

But when you hear the reasoning for Graeme Souness ruling himself out as a potential successor to George Burley you can see the depths to which Scottish football has sunk in recent years.

I well remember the Jocks coming to Wembley in 1967 and beating England — the then World Champions — 3-2 with players of the calibre of Denis Law, Jim Baxter, Billy Bremner, John Greig, Bobby Lennox and Willie Wallace. Great players rising to a great occasion.

Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Martin Buchan, Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Asa Hartford and Souness himself came along later and similarly graced the world stage.

But, Darren Fletcher apart, I can’t think of a single member of the Scotland team thrashed 3-0 by Wales on Saturday, who could hold his own in such esteemed company.

It must have pained him to say it but Souness was dead right when he dismissed the current crop as lacking in quality and suggested the best managers in the world couldn’t have done a better job than Burley.

“It is a difficult job in the current climate simply because they don’t have the quality,” he said.

The Scottish FA clearly think someone could do better. Just as long as they don’t expect miracles.

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