Colchester United’s FA Cup legend, Ray Crawford, has revealed his take on England’s World Cup chances in South Africa to brand new football E-Zine, Row-Z, and why he would have made space for Theo Walcott in his 23-man squad.
Speaking in Issue One of the Essex County FA’s new online publication, the 300-goal marksman who scored a brace for Colchester when they shocked Leeds United in 1971, explained how his squad selection would have differed to Three Lions Manager Fabio Capello’s, adding that West Ham United midfielder Scott Parker could also feel unlucky not to have boarded the plane to the Rainbow Nation this summer.
“I’m not sure I’d have taken Emile as he’s got the weight and size but you need more than that at international level,” explained Ray, the bearer of two England caps himself. “I’d have taken Theo Walcott instead or somebody like the boy at West Ham, Scott Parker. But, as Bill Nicholson once said to me, everyone’s got an opinion and just because we’re managers it doesn’t make us any more right than anyone else!”
Now aged 73, Ray’s involvement in the game is purely in an observational capacity and, despite his caps, he’ll be tuning in to England games on the box like everyone else this summer. He continued: “When we get back from our holiday I’ll be watching the games while my wife goes out. She’s not really a football person and probably won’t like it when I’m controlling the players on the screen and shouting at them!”
Crawford’s recollections of running out at Wembley in front of nearly 100,000 spectators and his achievements under Sir Alf Ramsey at Portman Road were included in the feature story of Row-Z, which the Essex County FA hopes can bring a new dimension to the media output from the County Office in Springfield, Chelmsford. Press & Publicity Officer, Chris Evans, explained it was the first step of a progressive plan.
“We’ve had the launch of an E-Zine on our agenda for years and hope this first edition is worth the wait,” Evans claimed. “Row-Z is a work in progress and its development depends hugely on reader feedback and interaction. Our Magazine and Website have their own properties but I believe Row-Z can become the most efficient way to communicate with the thousands of individuals across our football-rich county.”
Row-Z will initially be produced on a bi-monthly basis and contains special features as well as information on past, present and future events at the ECFA. Chris added: “The format of Issue One represents a mere fraction of the proposals we have for Row-Z in the future. We have a number of potential ideas to gradually feed into the E-Zine and once it’s become established we could look to make it available more regularly.”
The debut edition of Row-Z is available to read and download from 'Related Documents' and contributions towards the next issue, due out in late July, are welcomed on (01245) 393085 or at info@essexfa.com. You can also be added to the distribution list for future editions via these means.