West Ham vs. Tottenham Preview

Sunday the fourth of March 2007. If you’re tantalizing over our current predicament, consider the plight we were faced with in the season we fondly recall as; ‘The Great Escape’. On that Sunday, Tottenham travelled to Upton Park for what was to be one of the most memorable matches at the Boleyn Ground in recent history, an amazing feat considering it was ultimately a loss.
On that day, we had less than three months to save our season, today we have eight. On that day we had Nigel Quashie patrolling the centre of our midfield, today we have Scott Parker. And by the end of that day, we remained 10 points from safety, by the end of today; we could be trailing by mere goal difference. The fact is, despite our supporters’ unquestionable loyalty, we can elaborately request too much of our present team. We demand brutal passion, flowing football and obviously; points. All on a diminutive budget in comparison to the monstrous flexibility of rivals, including today’s visitors. Out of our three, admittedly ambitious lusts from those wearing claret and blue, passion is one which can be employed by a budding Lionel Messi or a hung-over, obese father of three on a Sunday morning at Hackney marshes. But it was the one obvious factor lacking in our disappointing performances earlier in the season.
What has changed is unknown to me, but something has. The term ‘battle’ is one which has rarely been used for Hammers teams of late, but we certainly battled for our point at the Britannia Stadium last weekend. Many a team of great quality has faltered at the intimidating home of Stoke City since their rise to prominence, and the fact we were able to gain our first point in such a ruthless fixture has convinced me that the writing is not yet on the wall. And it was with such irony that the poster-boy of this season, Scott Parker, was the man who managed to stab the ball over the line for the moment we will possibly look back on as the turning point.
And then, what can only be described as an outstanding victory at the Stadium of Light was celebrated during the week. The fact our first away win for over a year was against a serious Sunderland side sporting the key duo of Darren Bent and the new, big-money import Asamoah Gyan is certainly something to shout about. Maybe that will provide us with the confidence-booster we required to earn some valuable points today.
It could be argued that in 2007, it was the hiding fortune of our illegal Argentinian superstar, Carlos Tevez, who was the catalyst for our eventual survival. And I wouldn’t disagree. But who is to say that Victor Obinna can’t have a similar effect? Of course he hasn’t arrived in such a dramatic soap-opera of a welcoming, and he perhaps hasn’t got the same loveable dogged approach, or even the magnificent ability of the terrific Tevez, but he has taken a lot less time to open his scoring account, along with partner Frederic Piquionne, and he is unattached to the burden of expectation carried by the Argentinian. Today could be the day that our Nigerian forward cements a position as a fans’ favourite, a status his media appearances suggest he craves.
Tottenham Hotspur at home is one of them games our supporters’ instantly scan for as we receive the fixture list for the coming season because it can potentially hold such a wonderful atmosphere. The boisterous rivalry between the two sides always creates a lively occasion and despite the omission of the injured Jermain Defoe this afternoon, preventing us from our annual Jermain-jeering, it is certain to be a heated affair that could not have arrived at a better time. Whilst we have surfed backwards and forwards on a wave of mediocrity since our last memorable match, Spurs have enviably gate-crashed the top four and challenged for silverware, but, traditionally, these derby matches can launch the most unexpected of results at the fans. A win is certainly not out of the question.
Flowing football provides nothing more than self-indulged pride with occasional recognition from irritating TV pundits like Andy Gray. We must be patient, if today Avram Grant makes us subject to the most mundane of tactical performances we must understand that you have to earn the right to improve ‘the match-day experience’ with pretty football, and the way to earn that is by getting a sufficient amount of points on the board. Yes, today is about passion, but more importantly, it is about points. We have never been dealt a better time to beat Tottenham, so let’s get behind the boys, and who knows, perhaps one day we will be affectionately reminiscing on the twenty-fifth of September 2010. But this time, it was an unforgettable victory.

West Ham vs. Chelsea Preview

At this moment in time it’s very difficult to be a happy West Ham United supporter. It’s difficult to determine whether the recent transfer window can be deemed a stable success or an uninspiring, gutless failure. And it’s difficult to be optimistic with regards to gaining anything at all from today’s game against our frighteningly powerful and convincing champion neighbours, Chelsea.
Whether the transfer window slamming shut on that fateful evening proves to be an upward path for the better, or a slippery slope to the championship, one thing remains certain; it will be an evening of great significance for the future of the club. Whilst we held onto the talismanic figure of Scott Parker, much to the delight of David Sullivan’s ego, along with our, once, vibrant English core of Robert Green, Matthew Upson and Carlton Cole, we have received nothing in terms of the ‘David Beckham’s, ‘Thierry Henry’s or ‘Ronaldinho’s whose monstrous reputations were conveniently linked to our club at peak season ticket selling periods. Perhaps David Sullivan and his partner in crime, David Gold, should realise that, like themselves, West Ham fans are not idiots. Our persistent season ticket purchases are not in the wake of outlandish, fabricated rumours but unquestionable loyalty and the desire to see our commitment matched on the pitch.
Perhaps in the days of FA Cup finals, Carlos Tevez and Eggert Magnusson, we may have lost touch with reality and been drawn in by the exaggerated claims of Champions League dreams, but after recent seasons, our expectations have been sent crashing down to earth with such imbalanced periods of mediocrity or turbulence. Our support has become so cynical that even in the honourable situation of our player being called up for international duty, we’d bet good money on an injury being sustained. Or even if we destroyed Chelsea by six goals today, a loss at Stoke the following week would be a distinct possibility. The one thing we ask for is commitment. Even if we lose today by a comfortable amount of goals, if I see some display of passion I will the leave the stadium a much happier Hammer than when I entered. If I see, even one hard, meaningful challenge on Frank Lampard by anyone but Scott Parker or Mark Noble, or even something as little as Carlton Cole viciously shrug off John Terry as he advances in on goal, I will take some salvation and attempt to accept we have the foundations to remain in this incredibly competitive division, but at the moment I am struggling to see the passion we need to survive. There is an absolute lack of fight which was evident in our last great escape or even the eventual relegation in 2003.
David Sullivan has even conceded that some want-away foreign employees ‘couldn’t be bothered’ to play for us during the trading season in the expectancy of a move, but as these haven’t materialised, I hope he is right in saying they have no choice but to now pull up their socks and battle for the team, I don’t care whether that is to keep West Ham in the Premiership or to cement their place in the shop window, but it is in the best interests of the likes of Valon Behrami, who have flirted with brilliance but never quite achieved it, to make a name for themselves. Whether Avram Grant has the physical drive to fire these players up to do so, is debatable.
I was disappointed with the appointment of the dour Grant. His uninspiring nature and, in my opinion; inexperience did not make him the standout contender for the role of the Mr. Fresh the owners wished for. Although he has seemingly achieved some success in England, this was all handed to him on a plate and he has, effectively, created nothing of his own. But now we are stuck with him. We mustn’t take the lead of the ridiculously predictable, lazy ‘News Of The World’ story that he has ‘3 games to save his job’, as they attempt to destabilise us and foreseeably jump on the bandwagon of our failure. This is Grant’s chance to create his own dynasty and we must get behind him.
We could all see that this would be a difficult start to the season and although it’s disappointing; being pointless at this stage was always a possibility. It seems ridiculous that three games in to the campaign you are all subject to a worried, relegation-threatened article, but it is likelihood we’ve all accepted many a time, only to be proved wrong and reminded why we love football so much. This is a long season, and now we’ve selected a 25 man-squad, we are without the playing staff uncertainty previously suffered and are given the stability needed to mount some kind of form. So let’s enjoy today, there is no pressure for us to get anything from the game, it’s a London derby and who knows? We can be a funny old team.

Capello; he doesn't have a clue

With a lengthy spell away from blogging enforced by national football disappointment, you would’ve thought it was rejuvenated optimism which carried me back to this past-time activity. But in fact, it’s an increasing frustration that has led me to disagree with the ex-professional, optimistic, do-gooders in the media who claim Fabio Capello is a top coach who should be given time and who have pushed me to the edge of needing to release my own dissatisfaction in the same medium which once held all my optimistic world cup hopes and dreams.
Is it not clear to everyone that England need to start a fresh? Surely it is that blatantly simple for the most casual of followers. Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Frank Lampard should be ghosts of England’s past, ruing their missed opportunities from their elaborate Wembley box, not still haunting the fortunes of the national team on the pitch. By the time the next world cup is upon us these players will be 35, 33 and 36 respectively, they should be closer to a retirement home, or Serie A, than the field of play, battling to win sport’s finest tournament against a group of fresh Brazilians on their own turf.
I appreciate the next major tournament is Euro 2012 but the World Cup is English football’s main aim, and we must learn from previous winners and our past mistakes before we even think of bringing it home. Spain won Euro 2008, yes, they were blessed with an array of talent, but the squad was packed with a majority of young, vibrant players who were carefully blended together, don’t be fooled into thinking the individual brilliance of the likes of David Villa, Andreas Iniesta and Fernando Torres won that trophy. Of course it had an impact but we must go back to the cliché that football is very much a team game. And look; Spain went onto win the World Cup we had all dreamed of, with a very similar team, this is no coincidence, stability is key, a team must be built and not thrown together. This will be proved by Manchester City this season and we’ll unanimously agree it was inevitable without the appropriate team blend, but still people will make the same mistakes.
We constantly use the excuse that the England team doesn’t know how to play with each other because they don’t play together enough. Of course Spain were, again, blessed with the fact the majority of their players plied their trade for the brilliant Barcelona and therefore had a footballing connection before they even pulled on the national shirt, but if we attempt to pick our World Cup 2014 23-man-squad now, they will have 4 years to play with each other, they will have big tournament experience together due to the Euros, and they will have little excuse.
If we’re looking to emulate Spain’s success, then Mikel Arteta is certainly not the answer either. If he has never made it into a full Spanish national squad then he is not good enough for what we want to achieve. He is also 28, making him 32 for the next world cup, hardly a prime age, and categorically, he is not English! Capello’s lack of understanding of how the English public long to relate to their national team is again thrown into question and yet again it seems like an English manager is the most logical option.
I should be excited for a game of competitive international football heralding a new era for English football, but instead, I am frankly sickened by aspects of the squad and rumours of Capello dragging the likes of Paul Scholes out of retirement. Mr. Capello has proved to be as, dare I say it, naïve as I thought in my original anger following our South African adventure. First he disrespectfully dismisses the national hero who is David Beckham’s chances of regaining an England place. Of course, there is no way Beckham should play for England again in his aging state, but to broadcast it in such a manner so as not to consult Beckham first was a disgraceful and undeserved manner in which to retire one of our most loyal servants. But now, in the wake of his stupidity, Capello has backtracked on his claim in order to save his own reputation and hypocritically ended the fresh feeling of a much-needed new start. He’s even attempting to rip Scholes from his tranquil retirement. Of course there’s no doubt Scholes is an excellent player but a 35 year-old man should be nowhere near this England team, especially if he even refused to play at the previous world cup. All this does is put a model professional’s name at risk of being unpatriotic and shows Capello has no idea what he should do next or how to deal with players.
I certainly felt it was appropriate for us to see the back of the likes of Matthew Upson, Michael Carrick and, reluctantly, Peter Crouch in an England shirt with the hope of looking to the future but we’ve tracked back with these distinctly average squad players and all have been recalled. Why is Chris Smalling not in place of Upson? Sir Alex Ferguson obviously rates him and we can mould him into international football before he’s corrupted by the ‘different style’ of the premier league, as if these professionals are unable to adapt. Why is Jack Rodwell not replacing Carrick? Apparently the Everton youngster was the subject of a £10m plus Carrick bid from Manchester United, surely this shows he’s a better player than Carrick and he defiantly offers more going forward than the immobile former West Ham and Spurs man. A sure star of world football’s future and maybe even a potential captain. And why is Andy Carroll not replacing Crouch? With 4 premiership goals already to his name and the welcome return of an old-fashioned English centre-forward, why has he not been handed his chance ahead of our infamous plan B. Not to mention he should’ve got in ahead of Carlton Cole whose start to the season has been nothing short of awful as he has made a worrying return to his fragile lack of confidence. And that’s coming from a West Ham fan.
Other ridiculous decisions such as no Aaron Lennon in spite of the inclusion of Shaun Wright-Phillips, and the omission of our budding creativity, Jack Wilshere straight after his international debut add up to make this squad appear even more mundane and safe as I first feared. As Bill Gates says; ‘the future is now’, obviously not for Capello. He didn’t even attend the under 19s tournament despite his £6 million a year payment while he irresponsibly holidayed instead. The Italian has no intent to look to the future, he’s content to breeze through the qualifiers whilst collecting his bumper pay cheque while learning and preparing nothing for our patriotic dreams. The same old faces will return and yet again we’ll get to a major tournament with injury problems, the lack of a recognised starting eleven and a bunch of lads thrown together as the ‘wise’ old man continues to tinker with squad after squad. We’re crying out for a decisive leader, and Capello is certainly not the answer.

Wish farewell to 'The Golden Generation'. They should never return as, yet again, they deflate the nation

As I, as well as half the nation, enter into the early stages of depression, the jolly tunes of ‘World In Motion’ are drowned out by Oasis’ apt, ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’. England are defeated. Defeated and disgraced. The golden generation are over and there are so many unanswered questions rapidly meeting our ears as we sit and dwell on what could’ve been.

Sepp Blatter says “fans love to talk about wrong decisions”. This is his reasoning for not employing the much called for goal-line technology. Mr. Blatter is clearly not your average football fan. As he is pampered in his luxurious world of being the FIFA chief executive, he has clearly lost touch with reality. Fans hate these scandalous decisions. They hate the fact that, if the destroying decision to call Frank Lampard’s spectacular ’goal’ was rightfully given as a goal rather than the outrageous call of a “no goal”, we could be having yet another England barbecue in a few days time. They hate the fact that the media will talk about it until the premiership begins and something new, scandalous becomes the major talking point. They hate the fact it will be used as an excuse to paper over the cracks of a disgusting performance which insults them all. They hate the fact they’ll never know what might have been.

Because it was a terrible performance. As I look back, it’s rather difficult to understand why we invested so much optimism in this game. We always invest our belief in them, they beg for our support in their darkest hour, and they always let us down. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry. Names we will probably never see in an England world cup squad again. It was their last chance and they could barely pass the ball. Fabio Capello; tactical genius? No. Mr. Capello has let us down, “the best manager we’ve ever had” we bellowed proudly at foreign rivals. He stubbornly dismissed the option of playing Gerrard behind Wayne Rooney, he pushed Joe Cole on the pitch in the dieing minutes of our campaign to cover his own back and he didn’t even organise a decent defence. In fact; the defence was truly woeful as they constantly strayed out of position and desperately clambered to strengthen their laughably stretched back line.

Wayne Rooney. Admittedly he’s carried the hopes of our nation on his shoulders for some time now, but if he does want to fulfil his potential as the superstar he could become then he must take responsibility and produce the displays expected of him.

Numerous times I watched Manchester United last season, on so many occasions a shiver has rocketed down my spine as Rooney is clattered to the floor and I pray in hope that he gets up and is ok for the world cup. What a waste of time. Rooney’s performances have been nothing short of pathetic for England and I must say, I feel personally disillusioned with him. Every time he lethargically admired the ball as it bounced in front of him, “throw yourself at it” the nation would roar, frustration built as the goalkeeper gratefully cleared up with pleasure.

When the final whistle went of this Germany game, it’s likely the frustration thermometer inside the hearts of England fans finally reached boiling point as they internally exploded and their hopes and dreams for England spontaneously combusted.

All the goals were pathetically conceded with simple counter attacks employed by the Germans. To concede four in a game of such magnitude is simply a disparaging humiliation. When Matthew Upson scored that header and that regretful moment of Lampard’s ‘goal’ erupted onto our screens it genuinely looked like one of them landmark moments. That game you tell your grandchildren about. The time the British spirit was at it’s very best as the underdog battled their way into the lead and progressed into a latter round. It was never to be.

With England, it’s questionable as to whether it ever will be. In my life-time? Debatable. And I’m 16 years-old. That group of players were something special, for their clubs at least, and as you expected them to build international experience and adjust to each other’s playing style in time for a romantic tournament victory, they’ve simply deflated and succumbed to England’s worst world cup defeat of all time. The new generation; Jack Rodwell, Adam Johnson, Joe Hart. Good players, but they’re not Lampards, Gerrards or Beckham. But we must wish goodbye to these talismanic figures who’ve continually abandoned us and left us in a state of unbearable disenchantment.

I sincerely hope these men never play for England again. Yes; Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson and Wayne Rooney will. But we must look to the future. Perhaps be sensible and build a team who will play together and will forge a push for the championship we've longingly wished for, but admittedly, never deserved.

Uruguay and Ghana progress. Will England do the same? Yes.

Well that’s it. Before you could blink two countries have been ferociously eliminated from the tournament at the expense of two proud, progressing nations. Although the games have not been of such scintillating quality; the passion, commitment and ‘do or die’ attitude displayed in this ruthless knock-out phase had made these games an exciting advert for what is still to come.
With Uruguay going unbeaten and topping their, admittedly, rather difficult group, the South Americans would’ve fancied their chances when drawn against South Korea. The Koreans appear an organised unit with useful assets but the quality of the likes of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez would surely be too much for 2002’s surprise package. The efficient duo quickly got to work when a dangerous ball in from Forlan was hit low with power, the Koreans casually ignored it as their goalkeeper deliberated whether to clear it up or calmly watch it cannon past his goal-mouth. Mistake. The goal-scoring prowess of one, Luis Suarez should not be underestimated as he gratefully smacked the ball into a half-empty net to strike an early lead.
Uruguay’s attempts to crowd the box from a deep free-kick proved flawed as the Koreans happily bundled the ball home to gain the necessary equaliser and open the game once more. Chances to clinch victory came and went but as the tension built from a Uruguay corner, you could feel the sense of a landmark moment. The ball fell to Suarez who shimmied inside and whipped a magnificent shot curling away from the goalkeeper, onto the inside post and in. The expressive Suarez galloped around the pitch, attacking the Uruguayan badge with his thankful lips until, finally, he was met with an emotional embrace from his team-mates as the rain pounded on their grateful shoulders. This siege mentality continued until the final whistle and Uruguay were the first team to enter the quarter-finals.
Who they would face was, for now, a mystery until the decider began at the traditional 7:30. An early goal from artificial Ghanian, Kevin Prince-Boateng put the Africans on the front foot with the inexperienced Americans chasing the game from the word go. Boateng’s goal would certainly have pleased the Portsmouth administrators by adding a few millions to his price tag with Avram Grant, possibly waiting to pounce and transfer the midfielder to West Ham United. However, just after the hour mark, John Mensah, rather foolishly committed himself to a sliding challenge as Clint Dempsey advanced within the box, as the Fulham man pushed the ball away from the Ghanaian defender and forced the challenger to bring him to ground, their was no question as to whether it was a penalty. Landon Donovan dramatically blasted his spot-kick into the back of the net and in the words of Barack Obama, their was ‘hope’.
However; despite holding onto this position until the final whistle blew, extra-time proved, immediately, to be more decisive. In the 93rd minute, Ghana’s predicted hero, Asamoah Gyan managed an expert finish to win the match for the Africans. After the game, Gyan shrewdly dedicated the victory to his continent which will result in great support for Ghana from many match attendees and gives Ghana, a genuine, yet unexpected chance of victory. Only once has the world cup been won by a nation from outside the continent which hosted it, and it is, a distinct, yet momentarily ridiculous proposition to suggest Ghana could be lifting the trophy on the 11th June. Even without the unfortunate Michael Essien.
So now the frantic build-up is drawing to the main event itself. Germany vs. England. What a spectacle this has the potential to be, and hopefully, it doesn’t falter like many of the matches we’ve witnessed this term. Can England win? Yes, they most certainly can. Will they win? I hope so. We have better players, a more experienced team, I’m sure of it. Whether we can create the self-belief always displayed by the Germans with their winning mentality is debatable, and if England dwell on their typically cynical attitude it’s possible this could be the end. But believe; and we will win.

The Groups are finally decided. Will the knock-out stages prove to be the spectacle we expected?

In the famous words of Frank Sinatra; now the end was near. Round one of the illustrious world cup had been somewhat of a disappointment in comparison to it’s colossal expectations but as we enter what is seemingly ’where it get’s interesting’, it’s debatable as to whether this stage of the tournament is always an irrelevance which is rapidly washed from our minds and converted into fond memories of the knock-out stages.
When Paraguay only managed a goalless draw against the hollow side of New Zealand it’s likely they believed Italy had duly beaten Slovakia which would’ve accelerated the champions into first place. How wrong they were. The ageing Italians at least provided us with a good game from these rather fruitless group stages with their uncharacteristically awful defending which allowed Slovakia to net an amazing three goals. Famous for their defending; this performance would’ve left the Italian back-line as a national disgrace for un-doing the past generation’s good reputation of artistic defence. They did, however, manage to score two goals themselves and it’s debatable as to whether them or New Zealand can be more gracious in elimination. First instinct leads us to believe New Zealand can be proud for going through the entire tournament unbeaten but clearly they never believed they could get through. The entire campaign lacked ambition from their perspective and the tedious displays would’ve knocked the tournament’s integrity. Although much more expectation was placed on the champions in comparison to FIFA‘s engineered Kiwis, Italy at least attempted to win the game, perhaps this was what made them loose focus on their defending. When the manager, Lippi, returned to the helm after having a break between the world cups, he was hailed as somewhat of a saviour, but clearly he did not have the courage or fortitude to restructure the squad appropriately and stuck with his budding pensioners, leaving the unfortunate, troublesome duo of Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli at home, desperately watching their national team wither away into nothingness.
Holland duly gained victory over the pathetic Cameroon, despite the Africans at least managing to score a goal. Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie ingrained his name firmly on the score-sheet with a good finish which opens his world cup account and reboots his fancied chances of golden boot glory. The Dutch look an exciting prospect and with Arjen Robben yet to start a game, the potential best is still to come. In the other, more important, fixture between Japan and Denmark, the Danes succumbed to a 3-1 loss which ends their world cup and puts the Japanese through to the round of 16. They played some fantastic football and the likes of Keisuke Honda will have certainly caught the hungry eye of premiership managers.
Group G then climaxed with the most attractive game of the group stages. Brazil vs. Portugal. But frustratingly, yet again, the old cliché of the two best teams not producing the best games proved correct and a convenient 0-0 meant both teams qualified for the latter stages. However Portugal would have to take on the winner of Group H which would most likely be a glamorous, rival fixture against Spain. Ivory Coast smashed the North Koreans 3-0 in their game but following the astounding 7-0 win by Portugal, they never believed they would be able to qualify with goal difference being their only hope.
Spain emerged victors over Chile which meant they were set up for a tie against Portugal. David Villa continued his scoring run which leaves him chasing the golden boot and the Spanish national record, currently held by Raul. Chile would certainly have been worried that Switzerland would get a convincing win over a, so far insignificant, Honduran team but Wilson Palacios and his side admirably held the Swiss at bay in a game of pride which sends the reasonably impressive Chileans through to the next round.
So now we have some great fixtures on our hands. England vs. Germany and Brazil vs. Portugal are the particular stand-outs, but, as has been proved; it’s not always the best teams that make the best games. Hopefully games such as Uruguay vs. South Korea and USA vs. Ghana will be packed with thrill and excitement, out-flooding some of the dour performances we’ve been subject to in round one.

England thankfully through but Germany and Argentina wait as potential heart-breakers

The romantic tendencies of the world cup were almost resurfaced as South Africa gained a 2-1 victory over a French team who find themselves in utter turmoil. Following the South Africans taking a proud lead, Yohann Gourcuff was unjustly dismissed for what appeared to be a very slight, accidental elbow into the upper body of an African defender. Although France received little sympathy following the disgusting antics of the egotistic squad’s strike. And, when South Africa bundled their second over the line, the majority of the world would’ve been cheering. However; despite the possibility of an unlikely qualification for South Africa when Uruguay’s Luis Suarez scored his first of the tournament to ascend the South Americans into first place and leave Mexico’s place in the last 16 in a vulnerable state, South Africa were incapable of converting the flurry of goals they required, and as France escaped the tournament in disgrace, South Africa are able to hold their heads high and enjoy what remains of their prestigious competition, despite their own omission.
In the evening, Diego Maradona’s Argentina sported what was considered a second string side, however still included the illustrious names of first-time starters Sergio Aguero and Diego Milito, as well as the consistent inclusion of Lionel Messi. Greece continues to approach the game with a lack of ambition and appeared happy to depart the tournament on the back of a dour 0-0 draw with the South Americans. However, despite containing the virtues of Messi for the entire evening with a specific marker, the Greeks began to tire and the Argentineans eventually made the breakthrough via Demicheles blasting a shot into the roof of the net from a scrappy corner. Argentina went on to net a second when a Messi rebound poetically dropped to the feet of veteran, Martin Palermo who solidified Argentina’s position at the pinnacle of their group and left Greece with little positives to take from this tournament. At least we won’t have to face another hour and a half of their negative tactics this year. In the parallel fixture South Korea and Nigeria produced an exciting 2-2 draw which sends the Koreans through to the next round and leaves the Nigerians in despair, Yakubu in particular contributed one for next Christmas’ “Own Goals & Gaffs” DVD when he missed an easy chance which could’ve seen his side in the last 16.
It was then the nationally awaited turn of England as they engaged with Slovenia in a crucial fixture requiring a necessary win. The omission of Emile Heskey put many English fans in good spirits before the game had even begun and with a fellow goal scorer, Jermain Defoe, beside a rather depleted Wayne Rooney, the approach to the game was a lot more positive. James Milner particularly impressed as he consistently whipped efficient crosses into the box, eventually Defoe pounced on one of these in typical fashion, sending England into a one goal lead and the country into hysterics. A few scares were in store but despite a magnificent challenge from fringe defender Matthew Upson, solidifying his position in the squad, and an unusual miss from Rooney, England claimed a vital victory sending them into the next round. Despite this situation resulting in England topping the group for the majority of the day, Landon Donovan, incredibly, scored in injury-time sending the Americans into first place and leaving England with the likely scenario of a tense game against Germany against Sunday afternoon. If that doesn’t woo the Americans into falling in love with football, it’s questionable as to whether they ever will.
Sure enough, it was the impressive, Mesut Ozil who scored an astounding volley from the edge of the area for Germany, a worthy match-winner over Ghana, and setting up a charming tie between Germany and England packed with emotion, heritage and rivalry. The perfect match. The Germans have been impressive at times in this tournament but the defeat to Serbia will unveil loopholes in their brilliance to Fabio Capello and as they struggled to gain the win over the Africans, England certainly can win this match. However, the likelihood is that Argentina will be waiting for them in the quarter-finals and this would be an even tougher ask, however, again it would be a historical fixture which, with a victory, would capture the hearts of the globe.
Serbia couldn’t manage the win they required over Australia as the ‘Socceroos’ gave themselves a chance of a place in the last 16. However, with the two victories being as narrow as they were; Ghana sneaked through on goal difference to be a rare representative of Africa in the advanced stages of the competition. The tournament is beginning to heat up as it began with rather modest displays and as the knock-out stages close in, could this be our year? At the moment I’m still too afraid to say it.

Portugal and Spain re-emerge as contenders whilst France and England continue to descend into a destiny of disappointment

Paraguay look certain to advance to the next stage of the world cup as a rather comfortable victory over Slovakia and the reintroduction of star players Roque Santa Cruz and Oscar Cardozo evolved Paraguay’s general expectation as outsiders into a potential dark horse of the competition.
The south Americans appear to have prepared well for the tournament which is certainly a manageable task considering the extensive length of four years between each world cup, in which time you have a number of exhibition matches and opportunities to formulate your push for victory. Maybe England could learn from this. Fabio Capello has been paid an astronomical amount to sit at home or English football stadiums for the majority of his time, such is the situation with international management, over a period of two years. In which case; how has he gone into the two week pinnacle of his job without knowing his goalkeeper, his formation, his line-up or how to motivate his players. Capello himself has questioned the players attitude and singled out the likes of Wayne Rooney for individual criticism, this all goes against the fabric of football management. Surely this man has been paid that obscene amount of money to mould the attitude of his squad.
A similar situation has occurred in the French camp. Following the euphemistic dismissal of Nicholas Anelka; the players have staged a successful strike. Surely the French Football Association could identify the problem with Raymond Domenech’s reign and he should’ve been the man dismissed before this unfortunate epidemic. Four years to prepare for this and it’s unravelling after just a week! Incredible.
The world champions, Italy, are another side who’s preparations appear to have been flawed to some extent. Rather than realistically and sensibly admit the sorry fact that the previous world beaters including, captain, Fabio Cannavaro, would have taken at least a few steps too far over the hill for this tournament, they’ve enforced their legends to experience another gruelling campaign rather than moulding a fresh team who are able to compete with the physicality of the competition. The fact they could only take a 1-1 draw against an inexperienced New Zealand side packed with semi-professionals and fraudulent, artificial Kiwis proves that the modern game has advanced so far that genuine athletes can effectively compete with players of any skill if they’re not muscularly prepared.
Brazil are, rather frighteningly, prepared in terms of physicality and an unusually unstylish victory against North Korea proved the Brazilians could now win in beastly fashion. However, ‘the beautiful game’ advertised by legendary, Brazilian teams of old thankfully hasn’t slipped out of the South Americans at the expense of the muscular approach of the likes of Lucio, Juan and Maicon. Luis Fabiano’s lack of confidence was well and truly redeemed when he netted two goals in thunderous fashion against a potentially dangerous Ivory Coast side. Some incredible football also enabled Elano to casually convert a critical third and despite an unjust dismissal to Kaka due to the detestable play-acting of African winger Keita and a late consolation goal for Didier Drogba, Brazil held onto a relaxed victory which will strike fear into the hearts of fellow contenders.
With Portugal’s recent displays of great disappointment despite the inclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo, their match against North Korea wasn’t predicted a push-over. But it was the definition of demolition. Despite a modest one goal lead at half-time, the Portuguese went on to claim a rampaging 7-0 win which leaves Ivory Coast’s hope of goal difference qualification hanging by a fraying thread and reinvigorates Portugal’s hopes of tournament victory.
Later in the day Chile were able to claim a vital three points at the expense of the surprising, Spain-conquering Switzerland which practically qualifies them into the last sixteen. Despite the disastrous start to the tournament, Spain achieved a solid 2-0 win against a Honduras team who looked severely out of their depth. With Spain re-emerging as potential, eventual victors with a quality display from David Villa in particular, can England achieve a similar goal and will Wayne Rooney claim a victorious brace which not only wins the game, but wins back the heart of millions.

Opposing talismans shine whilst our's swears at cameras. Is Capello as inadequate as Domenech and Le Guen or will we see redemption?

A wretched, feeble, pathetic performance against Algeria means England’s hopes of qualifying to the knock-out stages of the world cup is unexpectedly in a great degree of doubt. The spineless showing attracted abuse from inside the stadium as well as living rooms and pubs across the nation and English football is at an extremely low point.
With Fabio Capello hailed as a tactical genius and paid six million pounds as year, as the highest-earning international manager in the world, you’d think the least he could do is set the team up correctly after years of preparation, especially as he appears to hold no motivational or man-managing value. The most casual of football fans in the country could identify the fact that chances were not being created and our formation simply wasn’t working, so why did Capello introduce Shaun Wright-Phillips as a like-for-like change for Aaron Lennon? This was clearly going to change very little tactically and replaced our frighteningly, quick winger with an arguably lesser version.
Surely Joe Cole should have been introduced. Any fan in the local pub realises that Cole has the ability to provide a moment of magic and contains the star quality and vitally, confidence which was required in that lacklustre situation. One man I do sympathise with is Emile Heskey. Continually branded as a scapegoat for England’s eternal failing, he is picked by the manager and has never let his country down. His patriotism and professionalism is something the squad certainly lacks and although, obviously not a top-class finisher, he continues to battle in attack in support of the essential Wayne Rooney. However, I’m unsure Heskey should actually play. As Rooney had been consistently outstanding for Manchester United last term as a lone striker and Steven Gerrard can naturally support a front man, surely playing Gerrard in a more advanced role in aid of Rooney is the rational option.
Capello’s hostile approach towards the squad is an increasing worry. With the Italian’s tactical knowledge thrown into question, it’s highly doubtful he’ll even have the ability and attitude to galvanize his troops, maybe even, the comical, yet inspirational speeches of James Corden would be a better option than Capello’s dour team meeting ahead of Wednesday’s game against Slovenia when England will either regain the faith of their excited nation or inconsiderately perish into possibly the most despised team in living memory.
Games the following day seemed to quickly pass as the intense interest of the competition was certainly hindered by disappointment and the repercussions of extensive drinking from the previous night across the nation. Holland managed to maintain their 100% record with a Wesley Sneijder goal and a sound defensive display. With Sneijder being the main talisman of the Netherlands, you certainly wonder why Rooney fails to emulate his ability to be a match winner for his team when his passion and ability has never before been in doubt. Perhaps it’s his fitness after a physically challenging season, or maybe financial concern is worrying him after he was forced to pay legal fees to his former agent, but most likely, it’s the fact Rooney has finally slipped out of touch with reality and is no longer the ‘working-man’s man’ he was formerly proud to represent. Mentally wrapped in theoretical cotton-wool by the ‘protectors’ who surround him and carrying the hopes and pressure of the nation’s chances on his, surprisingly young shoulders, Rooney’s mini rant as his exited the pitch in South Africa summed up his inability to empathise with ‘normal people’ and maybe, worryingly, he is evolving into the self-indulged narcissist many feared he would become. Let’s hope Sir. Alex Ferguson gives him a call before the next game to improve his attitude, as Capello appears incapable of doing, and he can turn this tournament around, becoming the legend we all wished for.
With African teams being tipped as surprise contenders in this tournament with a delightful array of talent in their own continent, two potentially successful representatives of the region failed to improve their trophy chances. As an Australian team, missing the influential Tim Cahill via suspension, took an early lead against Ghana, another disappointment for African supporters was on the card. Before the twenty minute mark, Harry Kewell was rightly, but rather pitifully, eagerly dismissed for saving an equaliser with the use of his hands. Clearly Mr. Kewell has a better grasp of the infamous ‘Jabulani’ ball than the goalkeepers themselves. Asamoah Gyan netted his second of the tournament, and Ghana’s equaliser from the spot, but; despite the numerical advantage, the sorry Ghanaians failed to convert a decisive goal.
It was the hopeless, overrated Paul Le Guen who engaged in battle later in the evening as his Cameroon team had to steal some kind of result against a decent Denmark team. Despite taking a lead, the egotistic Samuel Eto’o didn’t use any of his attributes to finish the game and the inadequate Le Guen helplessly looked on to see the Danish comeback to a 2-1 victory, making them the first side to be mathematically eliminated from the tournament.
Nicholas Anelka also retired from international football after “insulting” Raymond Domenech. Admittedly, if I was in Anelka’s position, it would be quite a struggle to retain myself from insulting Mr. Domenech due to his obvious incompetence. But judging by Anelka’s track record and his scandalous reputation as ‘Le Sulk’, perhaps we’ll regretfully, offer Domenech some sympathy.
It’s inconceivable that England won’t win on Wednesday. Surely it just can not happen with that squad of players. But upsets are consistently occurring as a number of major countries in the tournament are undergoing internal turmoil. It’s incredible that these organisations cannot use their years of preparation sufficiently as things always tend to disastrously unravel in the fateful two weeks for someone. Hopefully it’s not England who continue to deteriorate and they redeem themselves appropriately and unconvincingly squeeze through to the last sixteen.

Germany lose! And USA produce fight-back which leaves England in safe but vulnerable position

The second big shock of the tournament occurred this morning when Germany crashed to an astonishing defeat at the hands of Serbia. With the Serbs displaying a disappointing showing of themselves in their first game of the world cup and Germany smashing Australia in a rampant victory, which was arguably the most impressive performance of the tournament yet, a German loss was almost inconceivable. But the early games of this particular Friday featured many refereeing errors in comparison to exactly a week ago when the tournament begun, when the officials were receiving magnanimous praise, and this went some way to corrupting the purity of two unexpectedly, marvellous football matches.
With the colossal figures of the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Nikolai Zigic in the Serbian line-up, it was sure that they could match the Germans in terms of physicality but with a fresh, young, skilful spine including the likes of Mezut Ozil in the German side it was thought that there was no real contest. Until the referee got involved. From the moment he blew his whistle, Mr. Mallenco had his hand in his pocket threatening disciplinary action against any player who as even looked him in the eye for an extended period of time. A meaningless yellow card dished out early on set the ridiculous consistency Mallenco retained and in no time, Miroslav Klose was off the pitch following two minor trips in honest attempts to win the ball. Immediately after this demented decision, Serbia managed to take advantage of German sorrow by predictably pumping the ball onto the head of Zigic who fumbled it down to Jovanovic, who acrobatically flung himself in aid of the Jabulani’s advancement and left the keeper with no choice but to lift the ball from the back of the net and bellow words of disheartened encouragement.
The Germans were handed a lifeline when Vidic needlessly handled in the area, which is becoming somewhat of a bizarre, common occurrence for the Serbs. However; Lucas Podolski unusually missed from the spot and Germany failed to net the equaliser they desired, resulting in an a blow to Germany’s confidence and an increasingly exciting group D.
An important game for England followed as the USA took on Slovenia. The Slovenians were promptly in a surprising two goal lead against the favourites as half-time quickly emerged and appeared good value for their lead. A stunning strike, a neat finish and the half-time whistle was superb for Slovenia’s predicted, slim chances of qualification but America battled in traditional, patriotic spirit and emerged from the tunnel fighting as Landon Donovan reduced the lead early on with a cannon into the roof of the goal. The double change from American coach Bob Bradley clearly worked wonders and then, like a cheap Hollywood movie, his son, Michael Bradley lunged at a floating opportunity. The ball thumped past the helpless Slovenian goalkeeper and produced sighs of relief from England fans and uncontrollable, hysterical, yet predictable tears from American followers.
Yet another loathsome decision from a referee marred what would’ve concluded an astounding, emotional fight-back from the Americans when substitute, Edu’s volley rocketed into the back of net and was unjustly disallowed. Replays reveal at least two or three fouls during the scramble for a winning goal but all appeared to be to the detriment of the USA as Slovenians recklessly, attempted to wrestle them to the ground.
The fight-back should still be hailed by the American media and it’s likely the “New York Post” may even perceive it as they ‘won 2-2’ but the awful decision from Mr. Coulibaly would’ve left a sour taste in the back of American throats. However; a draw was perhaps the perfect result for England as they can encounter a weak Algerian side tonight with the potential to top the group. Anticipation is continually building with team selection speculation rife but one thing is for sure. If England don’t pull off an expected victory tonight they’ll have a tough battle on to even escape their group and the rather impressive USA and Slovenia will not hesitate to knock us out.

Argentina emerge as genuine contenders but the arrogant French wither away into disgrace

It was time for Diego Maradona’s Argentina side to engage in their second battle of the tournament. Although the South Americans were firm favourites, the game against South Korea was not likely to be an elementary task for Lionel Messi and his team-mates after the likes of Park Ji-Sung impressed in the earlier stages of the tournament.
Argentina invariably threatened to score from the moment the referee puffed on his whistle to signal the start of a potential buffet of world-class goals. With Lionel Messi attempting to firmly put his stamp on this tournament in the manner of Pele in 1970 or his own coach, Diego Maradona in 1986, it was he who forced the opening goal with a spinning free-kick which pitifully parried off of a Korean defender into the back of the net. Typical, admirable persistence from the bullish Carlos Tevez obtained a free-kick for the Argentineans in a dangerous position, link-up play between Messi and Liverpool’s Maxi Rodriguez resulted in a cross meeting the unmarked head of Gonzalo Higuain as he responsively knocked the ball in the goal to double the lead.
As an annihilation was in the reckoning, the game was swung in the opposite direction as the Koreans managed to undeservedly score a goal of their own. However, Argentina went on to seal the game as Higuain completed a hat trick of simple finishes, one being a Messi rebound from the post as ‘the best player in the world’ is struggling to gain firm recognition of his own. Higuain still managed to look unconvincing at times and with Argentina certainly progressing into the latter stages, it’s likely a better side will be able to deal with his threat more easily, perhaps signalling the introduction of Diego Milito, a much better striker in my opinion.
It was now the turn of the other two contenders in what was rapidly becoming ‘Argentina’s group’. With Greece looking extremely lacklustre in their opening fixture and Nigeria some how managing to hinder the threat of the Argentineans, I certainly favoured the Africans to take the three points in this game. Kaulo Uche’s early free-kick from great distance seemed to dance between bodies of defenders and attackers before settling in the goal itself, a very poor and frustrating goal to concede for the Greeks. However, the European side were handed a lifeline when a petulant attack from a Nigerian midfielder on a Greek was spotted by the referee and resulted in a red card. Greece then netted the equaliser on the stroke of half time, notoriously, ‘a great time to score’. Incredibly, being the first ever goal for the previous European champions, Greece finally appeared enthusiastic enough to gain a win, and they did just that when they scored with twenty minutes remaining and managed to hold on to their lead.
In what first appeared a predictable group, group A was quickly becoming an exciting prospect. With a rather dour performance by the French against Uruguay, Raymond Domenech’s men needed to put in a much better performance against a team of focused Mexicans. Mexico always looked the more likely to win as they played with passion, commitment, and most importantly, conviction whilst France arrogantly strolled to defeat. Perhaps Domenech will be regretting the omission of the likes of Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema as his preference for older players, lacking hunger and focus looks to be a huge mistake. Hernandez, who will ply his trade at Manchester United next term opened the scoring and an inconsiderate, careless challenge from Eric Abidal, summing up the attitude of the French, resulted in a penalty expertly converted by veteran, Blanco.
As the whistle blew, Patrice Evra aggressively ripped his captain’s band from his upper arm and smashed it down on the earth whilst Domenech remained casually leaning against the side of his dugout with his arms coolly folded. Clearly the French squad is in disarray with immature rifts within the camp and selfish, ambitionless performances from the likes of William Gallas and Thierry Henry, due to the fact they’ve already won sufficient trophies in their career, is ruining the likes of Patrice Evra’s and Florent Malouda’s chances of ever lifting an international trophy. Whether the international veterans will turn on the style for one more time is unsure, perhaps they will in aid of the fond memories of their own career but it’s unlikely they’ll do it for patriotic reasons as they seem focused solely on themselves and Domenech hardly looks like he has the ability to motivate this side of prime a donnas. Whether Evra can play his part in building up a non-existent team spirit remains to be seen but the sincere arrogance of the withering ‘class of 1998’ is clear as they continue to swim in self-indulgence and patronisingly look on at the younger generation and sneer at their attempts of success. I certainly hope this is the last time the over thirties in that squad play for France and have lost a lot of respect for a number of formerly,great players.
France must be rid of the unpopular Domenech and appoint a young, hungry manager, perhaps Laurent Blanc, or they will continually fail to fulfil their potential and the likes of a potentially new golden generation including Frank Ribery, Karim Benzema and Yohann Gourcuff will go to waste. It’s unlikely Uruguay and Mexico will play out a ‘convenient draw’ which would see both qualify as this would diminish the integrity of the competition but with South Africa certain to be fired up for potentially their last appearance in their own world cup, it’s certainly possible that they will out battle and admirably defeat the disgrace of this year’s French team.

The Swiss shock Spain and it's time for redemption as the second set of games begin

When Brazil’s first fixture’s opponents were identified as a team of semi-professionals in the form of North Korea, everyone expected an unquestionable demolition. But the underdogs showed they were no pushovers in this game and made the “group of death” appear an even more difficult prospect for the highly-fancied Ivory Coast, Portugal, and of course, the Brazilians.
The amazing spirit of the Koreans was infallible as the defence managed to shield the majority of attack bombarded in their direction. Brazil weren’t particuarly convincing despite their incredible squad featuring brilliant attacking options as well as an unusual array of defensive quality. The likes of Ronaldinho and Adriano were omitted from the squad with a strong message being sent out from manager, Dunga, that this years Samba stars will very much be a hard-working ‘team’, and not a bunch of ‘Galacticos’ attempting individual brilliance.
Robinho’s performance would’ve left Roberto Mancini scrambling for his mobile phone in order to persuade the high-maintenance star to return to Eastlands for another season at Manchester City as he pulled all the creative strings in tense conditions. However, it was Inter Milan’s Maicon who opened the scoring with an outlandish attempt from an incredibly difficult angle, resulting in an extravagant swerve from the ‘Jabulani’ ball as it nestled in the back of the net. Whether this was intended as a shot is ambiguous but with Brazil, anything is possible. The Koreans’ organised approach was slashed open with a killer pass from Robinho which resulted in another former City player, Elano, passing the ball casually in the bottom corner of the net.
It was all over from here and despite the admirable heroics of North Korea it was too big of an ask for them to equalise the match. But, incredibly, a burst of pace from the forward late on resulted in a fantastic consolation goal and a spirit-raising statistic which will worry Sven Goran-Erikson and Carlos Queiroz as they gear up for their ‘easy’ game.
Honduras then faced Chile in the opener of the final group of the world cup. As the Honduran star, Wilson Palacios was unjustly booked early on, his urgency and aggression was severely reduced in order to avoid further indiscipline and Honduras reluctantly accepted defeat. Chile looked like a very good side and performed possibly the most expansive, attacking display seen is this modest tournament (with the omission of Germany). Alexis Sanchez’s pace and skill would’ve caught the eye of premiership hawks, circling over the talented prey of this world cup, ready to snap them up for their club team. But it was a lucky goal which proved decisive as a Honduran defender slid the ball onto the side of a Chilean forward only to see it crash into the back of the net and ascend Chile into first place.
It was then the European champions and favourites for this world cup, Spain who finally took on a Switzerland side missing key-man Valon Behrami. With such an extended wait for their first game it was assumed that the Spanish would be totally prepared and have the added bonus of a fit Fernando Torres available from their selection roster, but a shock was on the cards. Despite capable, dexterous attempts from the unquestionably skilled Xabi Alonso, David Villa and Torres, Spain, incredibly, failed to hit the back of the net. However, to Spanish detriment, the Swiss did manage to score an invaluable goal as a combative goal-mouth scramble resulted in another former City man, Gelson Fernandes, nudging the ball over the line after a strenuous race with the defenders for the opportunity. Despite the obvious, evident attacking virtues of Spain, they failed to gain the equaliser and Switzerland held out for an astonishing win. It’s results like this that make you realise you’re not alone in the manner that your national team is continually an unexpected disappointment.
It was then time for the second branch of games to begin as the hosts, South Africa took on a Uruguay side who stole a point from France in the earlier game and at times, flirted with brilliance with the impressive front two of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan. It was Forlan who really shone on this occasion as the South Africans were stunned by his extravagant effort which cannoned into the back of the net with the aid of a slight deflection. However, like many who have had the benefit of taking a goal lead in this tournament, the Uruguayans did not plan to stop, as Suarez attempted to round the keeper an outstretching leg sent him crashing down to earth, resulting in a red card. The intimidating, focused face of Forlan was converted into one of a joy when he blasted a penalty into the back of the net. As the South Africans dwelled on their performance in dismay and disappointment, the Uruguayans went on to net a third meaning the romantic prospect of the hosts advancing to the next round were slimmer than ever.
Clearly the first round of games in this tournament didn’t live up to the hype of the tornado of brilliance, excitement and individual genius we were hoping for and maybe expecting, but a firm implication of each team is now ingrained within our brains and the best is yet to come. With Diego Forlan’s outstanding display against South Africa well publicised, perhaps this will provide the intent for all players in South Africa to really display their inventive, inspirational, imaginative powers on the biggest stage.

Could it be an unpredictable contender who overthrows the Italians?

As the world champions, Italy, couldn’t even beat a Paraguay team missing their major threats in the form of Roque Santa Cruz and Oscar Cardozo, there’s sure to be a power shift this tournament and a new king. Although notoriously slow starters to major tournaments, Italy lacked speed and strength and with this world cup appearing to be one of stamina and endurance it’s unlikely they’ll progress too far in to the competition.
Paraguay took the lead in a tedious first half, which tends to have been the case with most games since the opening day. However, Italy did manage to net an equaliser from a set-piece with yet another goalkeeping mistake. As the ball was graciously floated in, the South American goalkeeper, Justo Villar flapped at his opportunity to catch and helplessly watched the infamous “Jabulani’” advance past his body and connect with Daniele De Rossi for an easy goal.
It was soon the turn of Group F’s other two contenders, New Zealand and Slovakia playing what was probably the least anticipated match of the entire tournament. With Australia, unfairly in my opinion, drafted into the Asian qualifying system for being ‘too good’ for their continent of Oceania, the Kiwis were presented with a timid route to the finals and with the emergence of deceitful “New Zealand internationals” born elsewhere, searching for world cup glory, such as Tommy Smith from England, who conveniently lived there for a while; they also had a whole new team.
The Slovakians duly took the lead with a rare attack on goal finishing with a converted header. More opportunities were scarce and you were left wondering how the likes of Sweden, the Czech Republic and even the Republic Of Ireland were left out of the tournament at the expense of this team of non-leaguers and fake national heroes. Romantically, the Danish, Winston Reid scored a header in injury time to gain New Zealand a point sending their team into hysterical celebrations. Celebrated as their ‘best result ever’ you have to wonder whether the system is flawed and FIFA’s interference with geographical qualification leagues is hindering the quality of the tournament which is famous for sporting the best teams and players in the entire world. With Dimitar Berbatov, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Petr Cech absent, should the qualification process be reassessed? I defiantly feel there is room for improvement.
With such a lack of quality in that group, it was time for the “group of death”, group G, to display their unquestionable talent and their right for a presence in South Africa, perhaps with the omission of North Korea. Arguably the best African side, Ivory Coast, were hit with a group including Brazil and Portugal, diminishing their favourable chances of progressing to an honourable stage of the tournament. With the appointment of Sven Goran-Eriksson as manager, the Ivorians’ hopes were instantly raised and despite a potentially fatal blow in the form of an arm fracture for the incredibly powerful, talismanic hit man, Didier Drogba, the Africans played better than they were given credit for.
Drogba was handed a place amongst the substitutes but Ivory Coast still managed to field an impressive side including the Toure brothers, Salomon Kalou and the particularly credible, Gervinho. A typical Eriksson display limited the Portuguese to only one satisfying attempt in the form of some Cristiano Ronaldo magic as the outstanding player produced a neat turn and distant snap-shot resulting in the woodwork. It was mainly the Africans who flaunted an undeniable urgency, rarely visible in the dull nature of this tournament’s competition by causing the majority of the problems.
Drogba’s passion could not be questioned as he appeared, constantly animated from the sidelines and he was finally allowed to join the game with twenty-five minutes remaining. His involvement was minimal as all his team-mates appeared to be aware of his unfortunate situation and intended to save his brilliance for other games, with a point seemingly, already gained from a disappointingly sedate European team. However; Drogba did make sure his presence was respected with an outstretching leg to send the ball agonizingly wide on one occasion, but it was obvious that this is the best African team and could, in my opinion, be a real contender for the title if they manage to sneak out of their difficult group as the improbable advancers.
Attention now turns to the world cup’s most successful nation, Brazil. Against an unassuming North Korean side, it’s likely this unusually solid side of Brazil’s, still containing the predictable flair, skill and brilliance of always will do their best to dismantle, devour and destroy the Koreans. But football is made for moments like this and it could be quite a moment of national pride if the underdogs manage an unlikely draw or even an inconceivable victory.

Do we never learn? 'NEVER write off the Germans!'

As the world cup has progressed we’ve already seen the typical, predictable, yet rather fun circus of controversy, tears and ‘never write off the Germans’ slogan, which tends to show it’s face every four years.
Following England’s disappointing showing in the opening fixture of group C it was now time for the two lesser nations of the group to fight for some valuable points. Whoever lost this game would arguably find it almost impossible to qualify and whoever won would have a strong three points, go top of the group and genuinely be able to begin a solid quest for qualification. However; with the potential of the world cup knockout stages in store, neither side began with any particular strength, skill or determination. A very poor match by world cup standards, sporting only three to four players who could possible hope to even play in the premiership, was thankfully finished by a goal from former West Bromwich Albion midfielder, Robert Koren. Koren’s shot looked to be heading for the Algerian keeper’s grateful grasp when he suddenly appeared to forget he had the use of his arms and helplessly watched the ball fly past his chest into the back of the net. It appears it’s not only Robert Green having his problems and perhaps if these goalkeeping misjudgements continue to occur it will be the “Jabulani” ball who has yet more guilt to accept.
It was then the start of Group D where a reasonably strong Serbia side would take on last tournament’s wild card; Ghana. The Ghana side quite obviously missed the presence of Michael Essien in the middle, as any team would, following his heart-breaking injury and the lack of urgency in midfield became instantly apparent. The slow tempo in the middle of the park made for yet another poor game with a lack of attacking flair but Ghana will be pleased with the acquisition of Kevin-Prince Boateng as a Ghanian international as his flashes of quality proved decisive and he, himself will be delighted with his high stature in the team despite his easy route to the tournament. Despite a strong nucleus of Nemanja Vidic, Dejan Stankovic and the giant Nikola Zigic in the Serbian side they failed to advance from first gear and never really got going. An imbecilic hand-ball from a Serbian international in his own penalty area lost the chance to gain any points as Asamoah Gyan stepped up confidently for Ghana, in patriotic fashion to blast the ball into the back of the net resulting in wild celebrations of joy and cultural dance. However; despite the win, it was another disappointing display from an African side who I had expected to excel in this tournament.
With neither team a particular favourite of the Englishman, the majority of the nation did not mind if either side crashed and burned immediately. However; to see Germany beat Australia so convincingly was rather worrying as they put in, unquestionably, the performance of the tournament so far to smash the Aussies and place a gloomy cloud over group C, which of course includes England. Whoever draws Germany in the round of the last sixteen will have to do very well to advance any further in the competition. As we, in England, consistently moan how our players including the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney perform so magnificently at club level, yet fail to convert their form onto the international stage, it appears Germany have the complete opposite of that problem. With Miroslav Klose and Lucas Podolski only scoring three goals each domestically this season, they still managed to form a deadly partnership and opened the scored for Germany with a goal each. The third striker, the much talked about Mr. Muller, then aptly netted the third goal and to top it off, the introduction of Brazilian-born forward Cacau then netted the forth to complete the demolition.
Confident moves and comfortable passing from the Germans throughout made this performance more than convincing with the captain, Phillip Lahm just one of the stand-out players as he patrolled the flanks in aid of offense and defence. Mesut Ozil was another star who appears to have burst onto the scene and his effective play-making is likely to have taught England a lesson. We need Joe Cole. The young midfielders dribbling ability and eye for the killer pass, aswell as his own threatening runs towards goal made him a constant problem to the opposition. His position was clearly made for the slow tempo of this year’s world cup and the only players England have in that mould has to be Chelsea’s departing Mr. Cole. The controversial sending-off of Tim Cahill was a shocking mistake which sent the Australian into tears. Not only did it effectively kill the game off in Germany’s favour but it also broke the heart of a fantastic, honest footballer and again raises the question of video technology. The challenge should no where near have been deemed a red card offence and now Cahill’s tournament could be over due to the reckless, unnecessary antics of an irresponsible referee.
Holland’s game the following morning was of much anticipation with excitement building around this year’s team despite the absence of Arjen Robben. However, despite a relatively comfortable win, the side failed to live up to it's expectations of ‘total football’. An incredibly fortunate own-goal in favour of the Dutch saw a Danish defender, under little pressure, head the ball into the back of his own team mate only to watch it drop perfectly onto the post and in. Later on, as the game was becoming stale, Holland hit the post and the ball fell nicely for Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt who gratefully slotted home. Holland showed no where near the class of Germany the previous evening.
Japan then stole a deserved 1-0 win over another disappointing African side in the form of Cameroon. Despite the likes of Geremi, Sebastian Bassong and Samuel Eto’o, the organised unit of the Japanese drove out a grinding 3 points and increased their, before, slim chances of qualification to the knock-out stages.
Overall; the tournament is advancing calmly into one of potential excitement but has so far failed to hit the heights we had all hoped for. Apart from the Germans of course. Typically we wrote this off as their ‘worst team ever’, and yet again, typically they have proved us wrong with a stunning display of strength, skill and determination and emerged as genuine contenders. Tonight we can see the world champions, Italy with an ageing team against a Paraguay side without it’s two key strikers, Roque Santa Cruz and Oscar Cardozo. If the Italians fail to beat the Paraguayans then surely their chances of retaining their title is over. But then again; you never know in football.

A magnificent start with a desperate finish. Is the best still to come? It better be.

The first Saturday of the World Cup was a day of magnificent starts, encouragement and hope; only to see the excitement agonizingly fizzle out into a calm game of a cautious, tedious nature. Typical of an international exhibition match but not the World Cup.
The Korean Republic were rather impressive against an extremely poor Greece side with a distinct lack of ambition. As an organised unit the Koreans scored from a set-piece early on, which would’ve infuriated the Greek coach. They then became the first team of this world cup to kill a game off with regards to the scoring of their second goal. A weaving, speedy run from Manchester United’s Ji-Sung Park was completed with a neat finish. His creative threat throughout was a constant thorn in the sides of the Greeks and it’s possible Park has the potential to be a hero for his nation in this world cup. The likes of Georgios Samaras and Thomas Gekas up front for Greece showed little to suggest the European side could pull off another amazing tournament win, reminiscent of Euro 2004 and it was easy to tell why they’re struggling to sell tickets for games.
Argentina against Nigeria was probably the first game of the tournament that the neutral genuinely wanted to see, rather than simply being sucked in by world cup fever. Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi naturally impressed throughout but the Argentinean goal came early on from an unlikely source in the form of former Manchester United left-back Gabriel Heinze. Widely criticised throughout the qualifying campaign and resented by the Argentinean public for the omission of Champions League winners Zanetti and Cambiasso, Heinze began to defy the critics with a superb, diving header from a corner. Absence of marking and urgency from Nigeria practically gifted the opportunity to Heinze who couldn‘t believe his luck.
Nigeria’s poor performance in defence continued but Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain missed two superb opportunities which left Diego Maradonna rolling down the touchline in despair. Champions league final hero, Diego Milito eventually replaced Higuain but it was astounding to see a team sporting an advanced trio of Messi, Tevez and Higuain with the likes of Miltio, Martin Palermo and Sergio Aguero sitting on the bench fail to convert the second goal.
And then it was England’s much awaited, opening clash with the United States of America. Capello finally put a stop the infernal line-up speculation from the media by announcing Robert Green, James Milner and Emile Heskey would all start. England began in the best possible way, with Heskey displaying his link-up play to the audience in an attempt to justify his selection, he put Steven Gerrard, controversially starting next to Frank Lampard, through on goal who gracefully slotted the ball in the corner. The game looked as though it would practically die out in typically English fashion with the British scraping the 1-0 in a game involving nothing more than a few scares. Wrong. Clint Dempsey’s rather weak strike of desperation from 25-yards looked to be safely entering the grateful grasp of Robert Green when the West Ham keeper shockingly spilled the ball and scrambled in despair only to see it tortuously trickle over the line as a fortunate equaliser. As a West Ham fan, the feeling of Green’s embarrassment and incredible shame was shared by me. Like watching your son lose the relay for his team on sports day, I was met with a feeling of guilt and lust for the Earth to gobble Green up before he had the chance to re-show his face. However, I’m sure Green’s relaxed nature will mean he can bounce back from this and I hope Capello reselects him for the Algeria game so he has an opportunity to redeem himself.
James Milner’s hasty substitution on the half an hour mark heralding the introduction of Shaun Wright-Phillips must’ve been heart-breaking for the Manchester City target but his reckless fouling was a danger to England’s hopes and by displaying such indiscipline, as well as failing to assist Ashley Cole in dealing with Landon Donovan, perhaps it was the correct decision. The safety-net of Gareth Barry was missed by the defence and as Ledley King predictably left the field via injury a lethargic back two of Jamie Carragher and John Terry required his presence as they were continually skinned by the likes of Jozey Altidore. God knows what will happen when they’re up against the likes of Luis Fabiano, Didier Drogba or Fernando Torres rather than the former Hull City fringe player.
With immense pressure and focus placed on Wayne Rooney, he often found himself isolated by mass amounts of American defenders and had to come deep into midfield to collect the ball; meaning his new-found goal-scoring prowess for Manchester United this season was non-existent and he was relatively ineffectual. It’s worth arguing that with the opposition placing so much attention upon our young talisman it could open the way for other strikers to score. But when your other striker is Emile Heskey, what chance do you stand?
In fairness to Heskey he went someway to showing exactly why he is chosen but I stand by my theory that you need someone who will take your chances in the big match and by admiring Argentina’s awesome bench it’s obvious we don’t have the ammunition of our competition. However we do have a top manager in Fabio Capello who must do a better job than Diego Maradonna and despite a disappointing start on a national level, we can still go further in the tournament. Maybe the best is still to come.

The World Cup begins with a magnificent opener on South Africa's day of pride

The mood-reflecting, sun shone brightly down on ‘Soccer City’ in this illustrious day for the proud nation of South Africa. The delightful opening ceremony’s essence of Africa and celebration was as refreshing as any previous tournament’s attempts and despite the unfortunate absence of the iconic Nelson Mandela due to his great granddaughter’s shocking death, the display still managed to emit the positive message of diversity and prosperity amongst the proud continent of Africa on a colossal scale.
The first game of the tournament which saw the hosts, South Africa take on a Mexico team recently beaten by England was of little disappointment. Conveniently, it was the Africans who took the lead as the rather comically named, Siphiwe Tshabalala blasted an astounding bullet beyond the grasps of the Mexican keeper. The Kaizer Chiefs’ (a South African football team in case you were thinking the team had some kind of rock star) winger will have attracted European interest, which will come as a nightmare to John Motsen, with a performance which made him a constant threat to the opponents as he constantly advanced within Mexican territory with genuine pace and quality. The slightly embarrassing, yet meaningful, patriotic celebration involving a choreographed dance which followed is likely to be a cult image to be carried through generations and a famous picture resembling the moment Africa really, finally put it‘s stamp on the world of football on a global basis.
Moments of quick, quality, fluid football from the, so-called “Bafana Bafanas” will have pleasantly shocked viewers who considered South Africa’s presence in the tournament a mere convenience on a geographical level. However, the emphatic, monotonous drone of the controversial vuvuzelas was unexpectedly drowned out by disappointment when Barcelona defender, Rafael Marquez spoilt the party by equalising for the Mexicans. A late chance for South Africa agonizingly hit the post, but overall it was an encouraging, positive, commendable start to a tournament which has attracted such negative speculation.
France versus Uruguay, on the other hand, was much more of a disappointment. Arguably two giants of world football; despite the Uruguayan’s severe loss of stature in modern times, an exciting strike partnership of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan threatened to regain the South Americans’ respect and pride in the world of football and act as a catalyst in catapulting the team into an unexpected contender to enter the latter stages. Nothing of the sort. Tipped by many to overturn the French, a rather pathetic couple of shots from Forlan was all Uruguay could muster and France contributed little into making this the spectacle it had the potential to be.
The France manager, Raymond Domenech went some way to proving why he is so unpopular in his native country with a lack of tactical awareness, poor substitutions and a generally negative approach to “the greatest show on earth”. Florent Malouda’s introduction was far too late and after the Frenchman’s superb performances for Chelsea in attack this year, he should have been employed in a more advanced role. The straight swap of Thierry Henry for Nicholas Anelka lacked ambition as last year’s finalists cautiously, unimaginatively decided not to convert to a formation sporting a front two. Henry’s performance was nothing like the magical, majestic displays of his time at Arsenal and this once, world-class act appeared isolated as the lone striker and his physical attributes are slowly, pitifully withering away. His desperation for an impact even forced him to appeal for a handball, an extremely hypocritical and audacious action with regards to his Irish shame. It’s unlikely Henry will agree to David Sullivan’s bold attempts to sign him for West Ham as his legendry status in England would drop further down the drain with poor performances, a financially rewarding transfer to the USA would probably be the most sensible move at this stage of his career. Unless he sincerely believes, in his unquestionable yet rather admirable arrogance, he can still have a crack at the big time.
A late sending-off for an irresponsible, reckless, Uruguayan substitute was the only controversial action of the game, on a day when referees made some fantastic decisions in both matches. The much awaited 11th of June is finally over and the world cup is well and truly underway with the anticipation increasingly growing ahead of England’s game tomorrow evening. Despite a tedious match to finish the night, it would be acceptable to say that South Africa can be very pleased with their soccer introduction to the world.

Could the end be near for the deceitful Arsene Wenger and his hopeless Gunners

The stubborn Mr. Arsene Wenger today stressed how Arsenal wouldn’t “panic into spending big”. Is this sensible in today’s inflated market or just another excuse for a disappointing summer with a severe lack of signings? The Gunners are in danger of slipping out of England’s elite sides as the likes of Aston Villa, Manchester City and their bitter, north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur traditionally attempt to “gatecrash the top four”. With Tottenham making the breakthrough during the most recent campaign, at the expense of Liverpool, both them and City are showing little signs of slowing down in terms of spending and unless Arsenal react it won’t be long until they’re overtaken as well.

Wenger could certainly be accused of sporting an oversized ego in times of late with his constant dismissal of the transfer market. Acquiring youngsters at a young age and blending them carefully into a squad of capable footballers is an admirable plan and one which keeps the club financially sound (a certain priority in these worrying economical times for football). However, this does involve poaching young players from other professional clubs, a particularly controversial action. How stealing young prospects from clubs who employ scouts to complete the gruelling task of choosing a few out of thousands is ethically correct is beyond me and their should be a minimum transfer age.

An example of this is young, Fran Merida. Sneakily plucked from Barcelona’s academy (a similar transfer to that of Cesc Fabregas’) at the tender age of sixteen; he was gullibly enticed by the prospect of the premier league and signed a contract for the deceitful Mr. Wenger. This caused chaos in sporting law and it must have been an extremely stressful period for Merida as two monstrous clubs engaged in legal battle. Eventually Merida’s contract was deemed legitimate and all three parties could move on. This summer, Merida has been released at the age of 20, finding first team opportunities scarce (he made only 6 appearances for Arsenal), he’s now back in Spain with Atletico Madrid practically restarting his career with minimal experience for a player of his age. Surely Merida would have been better off remaining under the expertise of Barcelona? This is just one career that Wenger has arguably hindered.

Of course some moves do work out; step forward Cesc Fabregas. Fabregas is unique in the way he’s a genuine success story from Arsenal‘s bag of stolen goods, he’s matured into a player of superb ability, a club captain and a Spanish international. However, despite an arguably successful period at Arsenal on a personal level for Fabrgeas, the Londoners have only collected one major trophy (the F.A. Cup) during his, remarkably, 7 years at the club. After being promised a key role in a European giant on a number of occasions, Fabregas has become alienated by the club’s transfer policy and lack of immediate ambition and is finally forcing his way out of the club. With a return to his supported club, Barcelona a romantic proposition and the increased likelihood of trophies, no one can blame Fabregas for wanting to leave.

But Arsenal are continually denying him this right. Yes he is under contract and the Gunners have the right to hold out for as much money as they can grab but can’t Wenger see this is another prosperous career he is in danger of ruining? It’s embarrassing for Arsenal and risks destroying a decent relationship previously enjoyed by club and player. What’s the point of uncovering a rough diamond at a young age if you’re not willing to build a sufficient squad around him? Can’t Wenger see it was when he had the steal and determination of the likes of Patrick Viera in his squad that he won trophies? Why does he ignorantly waste opportunities for success by not emulating this and opening his wallet?

It’s clear Arsenal don’t even restrain from spending on experience in order to be the big boys in terms of youth investment. Cristiano Ronaldo recently revealed he “nearly joined Arsenal” and claims the reason he went to Manchester United is because “they gave me a better offer”. What an investment that was, and now Untied have had a number of trophy-rich, successful seasons from him and recouped an astounding eighty million pounds. Maybe if Wenger had dipped a bit deeper it could’ve been Arsenal who had enjoyed such success in recent years.

Admittedly last season was encouraging for Arsenal. Hotly tipped to drop from the top four, they were aided by a dismal display from Liverpool and some very good runs of form themselves. With a genuine shot at the title and the injury to key striker Robin Van Persie a major hindrance to these ambitions, it was obvious fire power was required in January. Nothing. Yet again, in typically arrogant fashion Wenger continued with the squad he had and his side withered away into nothingness as the premier league climaxed. Wenger’s worrying tendency to consider himself as ‘looking out for the club’ must be frustrating for Arsenal fans as they pay extortionate amounts for tickets in the hope of signing some genuine stars, only to find Wenger believes the answer to his undeniable defensive problems is freebie, Notts County veteran, Sol Campbell. How exciting.

Evidently the market of expired contracts is a level above that of recent years on this occasion and Wenger is likely to raid it. With Marouane Chamakh already added to the squad, it’s possible someone like Joe Cole will be acquired free of charge. But with high competition, it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will have the muscle to push the deal through or allow him to slip from their grasps as Ronaldo did all those years ago. I’m sure Arsenal fans would be delighted with the signing of Cole, not only because he’s an outstanding footballer, but also because he’s British. Wenger continually ignores the country’s uncomfortable stance with his exotic squad and at times it appears he restrains from purchasing British talent in an attempt to show he won’t bow down to anyone, unable to accept that perhaps it is he who is in the wrong. But with Campbell and William Gallas on the outgoing list in the department of contract expiries, Arsenal will need to strengthen their squad more than ever before in the defensive sector and if Wenger’s ambitions match that of a club of Arsenal’s stature, a quality goalkeeper is also required.

In my opinion, next season has the ability to make or break Wenger and it’s likely another season with an absence of silverware will see the Arsenal fans finally run out of patience with the Frenchman. If influential players like Gallas and Fabregas move on and are not replaced in addition to extra recruitments due to Wenger’s inexcusable vanity, it won’t be long until the pressure starts mounting. And don’t tell me he “did not see it” coming.

Why football should employ a salary cap

As Premiership clubs are warned about their wage structures and recent statistics reveal that top flight clubs were spending around 1.3 billion on player wages even before Manchester City’s big-spending summer, we are yet again faced with the inevitable, yet predictable question; should football have a salary cap? The sport seems to have taken one step to far in recent times with irresponsible, uneducated footballers such as John Terry and Ashley Cole making publicly visible life errors and arguably, mediocre players such as Kieron Dyer and Michael Ballack remaining on astronomical wages. Unless you’re as deluded as the Chelsea left-back’s women judgement, the answer is a categorical yes.
Clubs such as West Ham, Crystal Palace and most notably Portsmouth have been placed in severe danger of ceasing to exist completely; an eventual state which would be a bloodcurdling disaster for staunch supporters. Fans will loose their love, which they have cherished throughout generations and the integrity of the sport will suffer a major dent if clubs with any form of history and heritage begin to disappear off of the face of the earth. The reason for this; astronomical wages which are financially crippling clubs with any kind of ambition. More and more foreign owners are breaking into the premiership toy shop, playing with a club, demanding instant success, handing out ridiculous contracts to playing staff; and if all goes wrong? They simply walk away, find something new to play with and leave the broken toy waiting for a saviour, reminiscent of David Gold and David Sullivan picking up the pieces at West Ham after the outlandish, unsustainable Icelandic era, fronted by Eggert Magnusson - and as debt increases, less of these heroic figures are going to be able to save the plight of doomed clubs.
The job of a footballer requires little responsibility - as doctors, nurses and soldiers struggle to stay out of the red, these uneducated fools are splashing out on Bentleys without a care in the world - how can this be logical? When these men and women fight for our country and save our lives, it seems staggering that a young man who kicks a ball around for 90 minutes on a weekend can get paid double in a week in comparison to what these high-profile professions earn in a whole year. A salary cap must be enforced.
As a casual fan of America’s NFL, it’s obvious this system has worked wonders in making their league one of the best domestic sport leagues in history to date. Every year holds an exciting race for the Superbowl title, with even games, competitive players and eventually an unpredictable champion. It’s a tried and tested method. It’s worked extremely effectively; so why not use it?
However; I must stress that I’m only in favour of the salary cap it it’s enforced on a global basis by FIFA. Players would simply request transfers abroad if nations such as Germany, Italy or Spain had no wage restrictions and this would degrade the quality of the league completely, turning the English premiership from what I believe is the greatest football league in the world to a mediocre campaign.
You may argue that if a club has money, why shouldn’t they be able to spend it? That’s why giving each club a unique salary cap based on their turnover is a rational option - this would mean large clubs such as Manchester United, who work hard on increasing their stature throughout the world and make colossal sums each year from selling their brand would have the ability to hand out bigger contracts than the likes of say, Wigan Athletic, who obviously don’t make anywhere near the same profit as United. As success breeds popularity, each club would strive to reach the top in order to make money and gain a lenient salary cap, meaning clubs would be unable the simply buy success and would have to gain stature naturally before being able to spend titanic sums of money in order to sustain their success.
Of course there is the argument that with foreign owners giving mammoth wages to English residents, the taxes are coming back into the country. But, with the economy in the dire state it is, these taxes obviously aren’t doing much good. The reality is, the government will always spend out of their means, no matter how much money is coming into the country. Footballers taxes appear relatively ineffectual at this current state, so why not change it? Football will provide it’s fair share of money for the country anyway if is able to win the 2018 world cup bid.
Yes; football gives an opportunity for the middle-class to earn big money and achieve a dream of being ‘rich’, but, in this respect, football is more of a distraction from education than a realistic, potential career. An extremely limited amount of hopefuls make it as a professional, so if gullible youngsters unrealistically believe they can be the next boy wonder, their education could suffer through lack of caring and a poor attitude under the belief they don’t need the qualifications. If wages were capped, perhaps these students would work harder on their studies rather than following the “£” signs provided by football. For the uneducated boys who actually do move into the game, role model status is instantly their, as idols to thousands, a huge number of kids aspire to be like these players because of the money they earn. If they didn’t receive such obscene amounts, perhaps more suitable role-models would be selected such as attainable jobs like doctors and lawyers.
Obviously I am in complete favour of a global salary cap for football, it will keep the clubs safe, the supporters happy and take the game back to what it originally was - a working man’s game and no longer a corporate monster which sucks all the fun out of a game which is, after all; entertainment.

Why England's first game in South Africa must be considered a success

England’s first game in South Africa against local side, Platinum Stars will probably be deemed unconvincing by the British media, but, when you put the situation into perspective, the game was nothing more than a training session to the England squad and we’ve escaped with a reasonable, 3-0 win and, vitally, no injuries.
You could generously describe Platinum Stars as the equivalent of a lower league side in England, so imagine their delight and excitement at the task of facing an international side filled with stars of the calibre and stature of John Terry, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, especially as the nation is currently overwhelmed with the buzz of soccer pandemonium. With those men playing the game of their lives, England would’ve been happy to take a back-seat and gain a morale boosting winning whilst not loosing any more players to the curse of injury, which so cruelly stole Rio Ferdinand’s chance to lift the trophy.
Jermain Defoe’s early goal would’ve quietened moans fighting Darren Bent’s case for a space in the 23-man squad and reassured the public that despite his rather reserved end to the season, Defoe is a natural goal scorer and should disaster strike in the form of an injury to the talismanic Wayne Rooney, he is a suitable replacement. The game was encouraging for Rooney who ended a, for his standards, moderate goal-scoring drought for his country. Emile Heskey, on the other hand, knocked an opportunity, with his head, wide of the mark. No surprise there. As top-level international matches tend to be extremely tight, tense occasions, you must be efficient in the manner of taking your chances if you’re going to succeed. If England’s golden chance falls to Heskey, it’s unlikely they’ll be advancing to the next round and the Aston Villa target man’s low popularity in this country will decrease even further. However; it would be great for Heskey if he could defy the critics in his reserved, unselfish manner by allowing Rooney more freedom to play his game and finally gaining some recognition of his own.
An attacking, solo-run from Glen Johnson was promising in terms of his offensive ability but this has never really been in doubt for the pacey full-back. His defensive credibility, however, was again a dilemma for England as a misjudged header forced him to into conceding a penalty, which the local side, fortunately, failed to convert. You can be sure a player of the stature of Didier Drogba, Kaka or Fernando Torres would not have been so forgiving and Johnson’s unreliable performances in the defensive sector will be an increasing worry for Fabio Capello, enhancing the chances of Jamie Carragher adopting the right side of the back four for himself.
The expeditious break from England in aid of Joe Cole’s goal was hopefully an advert for the expansive play we will look to employ during the tournament and was the real highlight of an otherwise, dull and modest game. The fact Cole was the only player to complete the whole game means his fitness must now be unquestionable to Capello and that can only be good news for England who, with Cole, have a genuine footballer made for the big stage. His undeniable skill, technique and ability to produce a moment of unthinkable magic makes him one of our squad’s most naturally gifted players and his disappointing domestic season at Chelsea will be quickly forgotten if he proves to be the major asset to England he has the potential to be.
Whether the vacancy of David James meant he has nothing to prove to Capello or that he’s a non-starter will certainly be up for debate, but, the lack of Gareth Barry will be a genuine worry for England and the question as to why their seems to have been a lack of recognition towards Scott Parker in the 30-man squad will yet again be raised. The enthusiastic midfielder was said to have been the outstanding trainer in the Austrian camp and would certainly have installed his passion, determination and typically English spirit into the rest of the team, not to mention his conclusive talent and decisive, defensive ability. Capello will also be labelled a hypocrite after he began his reign as the national manager stressing the importance of fitness and form, a comment he may live to regret as he continually ignores it.
The reason for Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham’s presence is ambiguous to the outsider but seeing them sign shirts and converse with the natives during this warm-up game suggests they will be able to remove some of the untenable pressure provided by the obsessive media from the players and perhaps allow the playing squad to be fully focused on winning football matches alone. The fact Capello now feel they require this particular role reflects badly on our national media as they continue to convince us our world cup dreams will finally come true, only to send our hopes crashing back down to earth in a whirlpool of cynical stories and scandal. As the most powerful voice in our country, we must take it upon ourselves to support our team patriotically in the sincere belief that this really can be our year.