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.

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.