Tricksters Primed To Shine In Isolation

Pressure will be off without fans

- Paul Brown

New stars will emerge when Premier League football returns because playing without fans will actually suit some players.

The other day, Franz Beckenbauer (inset, below) said: “It is a chance for the training champions.”

He’s talking about players who are great in training but never turn up in matches, and I know what he means.

I won’t name names but I played with players who were absolutely brilliant Monday to Friday on the training pitch.

So much so that once or twice I even went to the manager to say: “Why’s he not playing? He’s brilliant!”

And the manager would say it was because that player couldn’t do it under pressure on a Saturday in front of a crowd of fans screaming their heads off.