Oh, Sol Lonely

So, Sol Campbell has found his distinguished career to be blemished over these last few years by major disturbances both on and off the field. In a bid to rectify his former glory he did what no right-minded man would do, and moved to the mighty Notts County.
Now, with Portsmouth, his previous club, in what can only be described as financial turmoil, the only prospect being relegation from the Premiership, one could assume that Sol’s decision to vacate Fratton Park was indeed a good move. I myself, am not denying that leaving the club is the best option, it is merely who he moved too that is a matter for ridicule. Notts County, with no disrespect towards the club intended but inevitably given, are rubbish. They play their football in the lowest division of English Football League, not a club that fields too many players with 73 caps for England all too frequently.
Yet, that is the calibre of player that Sol use to be. At the height of his footballing career he played for Arsenal, scoring the only goal in a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League Final. Campbell also had two goals disallowed, controversially, for England. One in extra-time against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup; the other in Euro 2004’s quarter final match against hosts Portugal. Both goals were disallowed due to infringements by other members of the team, yet if memory serves me correct, both were negligible.
However, things for Sol started to go downhill not long after he became the first high profile ‘Bosman transfer’ from Spurs to fierce rivals Arsenal. His plight of personal problems off the pitch led at times to disastrous dips in form, weeks away from the training ground and also a potentially, high profile incident in a toilet...But, whatever made Campbell unhappy in the past should not affect the idea that at Notts County he would be making a new start once more. It may even have sparked some life into him, giving Sol a fresh enthusiasm for the sport he has at times, so wonderfully played. It provided him with the opportunity to become a folk legend, the chance to be part of the reigniting of the oldest professional football league club in the world’s status. And he would be joining not only the new, vastly rich, middle-eastern owners, but also former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
So, Campbell walked out onto the turf at Meadow Lane against the height of Morecombe. Yet despite all of his experience, after playing against some of the best strikers in the world, Campbell could not guide his side even to a point, losing in his first game for the Magpies 2-1. There is a chance that life in League 2 was not going to be so cushy after all. His teammates would not have been up to his higher standard of playing, or thinking, the training facilities would not be up to his physically toned specification either, but then again this was all made up for by his higher wage packet. Yet, not even that could contain him, leading inevitably to his departure from the club after only one game.
So, Sol is once again on the downward spiral towards loneliness. His lack of ability to fit in surely played his part in his decision to end his contract prematurely. Yet, if a fellow player joined my team and was getting paid over four times as much as me, I am not sure I would go out of my way to welcome him either.