A recent trend in football has upset me greatly! That of giving players absurd squad numbers despite their rightful numbers being available - Khalid Boulahrouz, the clumsy Dutch defender Jose Mourinho recently signed, who frequently plays rightback, rather than taking the natural number 2 shirt (vacated by Glen Johnson) instead took Hernan Crespo's number 9 shirt and William Gallas, who as everyone knows can play left back didn't take the number 3 shirt vacated by Ashley Cole but rather the number 10 shirt of gooner legend Dennis Bergkamp! WHY???!

For me numbering is or at least should be something of an exact science. 1 for the keeper, 2 rightback, 3 leftback, 5 and 6 centrebacks, 4 holding midfielder, 8 central midfield, 7 right winger, 11 left winger, 9 centre forward, 10 playmaker forward. [NB. In South America, especially in Brazil, they have a separate tradition of numbering which is usually something like: remember, they usually play 3-5-2: 1. Keeper, 2. Rightback 6. Leftback 3. 4. and 5. centrebacks 8. holding midfielder 7. 10 attacking midfielders 9. and 11. strikers - that's why Romario wore 11.]

Within that system there IS flexibility - for example 4 can often serve as a centreback, as Steve Bruce famously did. And, conversely 6 and (more rarely) 5 can make the step up to central midfield - I believe Roy Keane wore 6 for Ireland, Claude Makelele wears 6 for France and, of course, Michael Essien currently wears 5 for Chelsea - this is "forgivable" as these players have a significant defensive element to their game. However, the case of Lee Sharpe, a winger, wearing 5 for Manchester United or of Zinedine Zidane wearing 5 for Real Madrid was more lamentable but at least there was SOME semblance of logic there, 5 is a little more flexible than 9 or 10, even so when Liverpool gave Milan Baros the number 5, I hurled abuse and vitriol in their general direction for besmirching the great traditions of the beautiful game.

And, of course, there are traditions of numbers above 1-11... and players invariably make a certain number their own - Henry 14 for Arsenal, 12 for France; Johan Cruyuff wore 14 as well; Roy Keane wore 16; Christian Vieri often wore 21; Gianfranco Zola wore 25 and so on... these are acceptable - they are part of the modern game and within themselves can create small traditions - the number 16, for example, is frequently given to central midfielders now perhaps in an unconscious homage to Keane.

But 9 and 10 being given to defenders????!! You just don't do that!!! Just like you don't give a striker number 2! This trend must be stopped!

Here are some related links:

http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,,1865353,00.html

http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,,1880604,00.html (read less)

A recent trend in football has upset me greatly! That of giving players absurd squad numbers despite their rightful numbers being available - Khalid Boulahrouz, the clumsy Dutch defender Jose Mourinho recently signed, who frequently plays rightback, rather than taking the natural number 2 shirt (vacated by Glen Johnson) instead took Hernan Crespo's number 9 shirt and William Gallas, who as everyone knows can play left back didn't take the number 3 shirt vacated by Ashley Cole but rather the... (read more)