Who will embrace the zimmer generation?

If it is possible to be such a thing for a sport that is played in the depths of winter, I am a fair weather follower of football.

I can get surprisingly involved when we are in the World Cup yet as the wife, daughter and daugher-in-law of West Ham United supporters I am used to an agonising roller coaster flirt with relegation each season. Along with most other people in the country, I cannot but marvel at the sums of money now involved in the beautiful game.

As I was belatedly taking down the Christmas decorations, however, I was completely caught off guard by a couple of chirpy chappy comentators on BBC1 trying to take the mickey out of Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United.

Now, I have to say, Ferguson has always seemed to me a highly objectionable character. He looks mean, he seems to have a limited sense of humour or tolerance of criticism, I tend to believe the tales of his temperamental behaviour in the dressing-room and he chews gum with an open-mouthed zest that most sane people would find totally repugnant.

He is, however, clearly one of the best football managers around today and probably (though I lack much historical knowledge to back this up) for quite a long time. Manchester United is a global brand of amazing power and even ranged against the Russian billionaire Abramovich's deep pockets at Chelsea, the Reds are way out in front in the league.

So I was somewhat taken aback to hear the BBC's match commentators start to try to have a laugh at his expense. At a minor setback, one said: 'Well at least he'll be getting his fuel paid for this winter.' Wittily the other added: 'Of course, he's had his bus pass for several years now.'

The action then picked up depriving the Beeb's pin brains of the opportunity for more 'oldist' jokes at the expense of Ferguson who has just turned 65, thus qualifying him - regardless of his talent and achievement - as the worthy butt of any assinine barb from a younger generation.

Now, our broadcasting corporation may not yet have informed its staff that since last Autumn new regulations have come into force on the issue of ageism. And I'm sure Ferguson would shrug off comments about him getting the government's winter fuel payment for older folk.

But the fact that Ferguson's continued presence on the bench is seen as something worthy of a snigger is potentially disturbing.

The contrast between someone in their mid-sixties and a field full of fit young men may be seen as amusing but Ferguson is, after all, only just at the standard retirement age for men. With concerns over the funding of pension schemes because of increased longevity, it will not be long before people routinely work well past Ferguson's likely deadline.

The major worry is, however, not that young people will find it funny that you and I are still knocking around the workforce when we are in our early seventies but that they will be the ones we need to rely on to give us employment.

And for all the anti-age discrimination legislation, for all the increased understanding that we will all have to work til we drop, few employers will really embrace the idea of staffing up with the zimmer-frame generation.

- Lisa Buckingham, Editor, Financial Mail on Sunday

>> See the archive of Lisa Buckingham's Financial Mail column

Comments

[M Tyler]

With improving health and work conditions working until 70 will become the norm. It stands to reason.
Retiring before that will seem odd/lazy. I think people are going to enjoy work more