At last, let the fun and games commence

Olmpics? What Olympics?

With wall to wall coverage of Robin Van Persie’s move from Arsenal to Manchester United hogging the airwaves this past few days, football hasn’t even required the actual kick-off of the new season to unceremoniously shove London 2012 aside.

Still, the conventional wisdom has it that England’s national game has a job on its hands to reclaim the affection of a sporting public which fell head over heels in love with the Olympic Games. And self-styled opinion-makers have been queuing up to contrast unfavourably the joyful pride exhibited by the amateur competitors at London 2012 with the surly egomania of the professional footballers who make their outlandish living in the Premier League.