Last updated 11:48, Wednesday, 24 September 2008

EVEN before the ego had landed in Valhalla, most people knew Nick Faldo was the wrong choice to be Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.

Cup of woe: Nick Faldo was spanked by the Yanks

A man as self-absorbed, vain and arrogant as Faldo could never put personal gain aside and lead a continent into battle against the USA.

His burning sense of self importance and lifelong insistence that he would always know best resulted in him becoming a driven champion who won six Majors and ensured he will go down as arguably the greatest British golfer of all time.

But it takes a special kind of man to be able to bind together a group of vastly different individuals and instil a winning mentality into them, and Faldo didn’t have those necessary leadership qualities.

His job was to garner team spirit and put the right names in the right order on the team sheet.

Faldo failed on both counts during his embarrassing, gaffe-prone reign.

His decision to ‘bottom-load’ his singles line-up proved catastrophic and gave his army of critics a field day.

The move meant matches involving three of his four star players became meaningless, and European dreams of a fourth successive Ryder Cup victory lay in tatters.

But Faldo probably wouldn’t have been damned half as much for those decisions if it wasn’t for the fact that he made himself so unpopular down the years.

The most poignant lesson for him is that he should have been nicer on his way up, and then he might have received more support during his moment of need.

Few sportsmen are as successful as Faldo and yet are given such little reverence – but he has only himself to blame for his lack of popularity.

Even before a ball had been whacked off the first tee in Valhalla, he proved he was an accident waiting to happen when TV cameras caught him studying a piece of paper with what was believed to be the foursomes pairings clearly written down for all to see.

His sneering, sarcastic response to questions from the waiting press showed he was a man unable to take responsibility for his own stupidity.

It was all down hill from there with his dealings with the media.

Narky Nick’s lack of charm and crass sense of humour were not becoming of a golf captain, and his permanent state of warfare with the press threatened to overshadowed the whole tournament.

In the end, many of us quite enjoyed watching the pompous prat getting his comeuppance.

The only correct call that Faldo has made is his decision not to continue as captain for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

His continued presence would only be a distraction Europe doesn’t need as they attempt to win back the Ryder Cup, and salvage some pride.

Yes, he was vindicated in his decision to pick Ian Poulter as a wild card and, yes, he was let down by some senior players with Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia pulling in a paltry two and a half points between them.

But the bottom line remains that Faldo made a mess of the big decisions and for that he should carry the can.