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.

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.

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.