Was Fabian Delph right to leave the World Cup to be at his child’s birth?
THAT great old football manager Bill Shankly once said laconically: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death – I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” But that was what seems like an age ago when society held clear views of the very different roles that should be played by men and women.
Men were cold and unemotional, went to work and drank in the pub. Women were warm and caring, stayed at home and had babies.
Today we have a more enlightened view, thank goodness, and as the gender roles have become blurred the emphasis has moved to being part of a team, sharing burdens, sharing joys, facing life together.
And so it can only be right that Fabian Delph has flown back from his World Cup duties to be at his wife’s side as she prepares to give birth.
There are plenty of other players in the squad who can easily take his place. But from Natalie Delph’s point of view no one can replace the man she loves as she goes into labour. When childbirth is a shared experience it fosters a powerful link between man and woman, and man and child.
IWAS present at the birth of all three of our children and wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Not just for the overwhelming emotional rush of seeing new lives beginning – lives created by my wife and I – but also because of the wonderful satisfaction of achieving something marvellous together.
“Together” is the important word which those who criticise Fabian should bear in mind. Parenthood takes two at every stage from the moment of birth onwards. If he’d stayed on in Russia he would have missed a great experience which could never be recreated – however there’ll be another
‘Childbirth fosters a powerful link between man and wife, man and child’