Category Archives: World Cup 2010

July 4, 2010

Suarez blackens name for good of country

By nearvana

It’s certainly not easy to care about Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, a man who spent the world cup tumbling every time I walked near the television.

But his controversial handball that effectively denied Ghana a place in the tournament semi-finals has mobilised a call to ban the player from the final/third place play-off and even extreme suggestions such as the introduction of  ’penalty goals’.

Suarez has thus far received a one match ban and John Leicester puts forward an argument for ending Suarez’s tournament all together:

So he’ll miss the semifinal. Suarez will be back, suspension served, for the final or the third-place match, depending on how Uruguay fares.  That is so wrong. FIFA should have sent him packing from the World Cup, deterred cheats by making an example of this one.

Suarez certainly hasn’t helped his cause by coming across as arrogant and remorseless.

I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training I play as a goalkeeper so it was worth it. There was no alternative but for me to do that and when they missed the penalty I thought ‘It is a miracle and we are alive in the tournament’.  Now we are in the semi-finals although I was very sad because no one likes to be sent off. The celebration afterwards was impressive, but very quiet because nobody gave us a chance but, with courage, we move forward.

If this odious little fellow had any self-awareness whatsoever he’d have kept his mouth shut, uttering only a sincere apology for what he had to resort to in order to win the game.  But, no.  The closest we get to sorrow is the announcement that is “very sad” because he didn’t want to get sent off.  Of course he will pay a price as the scandal will follow him around for a long time, something perhaps he hasn’t calculated yet because he is surrounded by team-mates and management who are thankful for his actions.

But there’s probably a fair argument to say that he will be judged in harsher terms because of his nationality.  I wonder, say, if the offending punch off the line had come from a Ghanaian.  I suspect that the international outcry would be more muted and the line “well he had to do what he had to do” would be certainly in rotation more frequently.

Leicester also dismisses requests for a penalty goal to be introduced – the award of a goal where one technically didn’t occur but absolutely would have.

t would be wrong in the wake of Suarez’s dishonesty to push FIFA for changes to the laws of the game so that referees could award goals that are illegally and deliberately blocked, even if they don’t cross the line. Basketball awards points for such eventualities, punishing teams for swatting away a ball that is already starting to go in. Ice hockey also allows umpires to declare in certain cases that a goalward-bound shot was a goal, even if the puck did not go in.  Asking similar of soccer referees is not the answer. They are already struggling to keep pace with all the action in the fast modern game. Asking them to also judge whether a goal would or would not have gone in had X, Y, or Z happened, or not happened, will guarantee bad calls. Instantly calculating ball trajectories and whether a hand stopped it from hitting the net is a job for technologies like Hawk-Eye, not overworked referees.

I totally agree – this is a road that FIFA would do well to avoid.  I’d feel as strongly about this in negative as I do about video technology in the positive.  Penalties, red cards and suspensions have been deemed sufficient sanctions for over a century so let’s not over-react to this isolated incident.  If the incident had happened in the 4th minute of the game, Ghana had missed the penalty and gone on to lose the game, it would not have been a talking matter. The fact that the feeling of injustice was amplified by it being literally the last kick of the game must just be put down to unfortunate circumstance and not used as a reason to start changing the fundamentals of a game that has far more pressing issues.

Leicester does outline the very simple solution:

A better solution is deterrence. Come down harder on cheats. Ruin the rest of Suarez’s World Cup like he ruined it for the Ghanaians and the millions of Africans who thought Adiyiah’s header was about to carry them to the first semifinal for an African team.

That’s always been the way the sport has worked.  We deter drug cheats, corrupt officials and badly run clubs by imposing long bans or a points deduction.  We’ve yet to figure out this deterrence for divers and those who feign injury but that’s another debate for another day.  In the meantime let’s punish those like Suarez by ensuring they won’t play football for quite some time.

But, as it stands, his nation are rejoicing because they are within 90 minutes of their first World Cup final in 60 years.

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June 28, 2010

What’s next for England’s ageing squad?

By nearvana

There’s always going to be some knee-jerk in the wake of a humbling tournament exit.  But as discussed in my previous post this is not just about getting caught on the break a couple of times and being victim of a gross officiating mistake.  Joe Cole, who originally predicted that England could win the tournament  (and told us that John Terry was the best centre half in the world), sums it up nicely as he shifted from his original position:

I am devastated. We just weren’t good enough. Plain and simple. We weren’t good enough from the start of the friendlies; the six games we played.  We will go away and start again but we have to address the problems that are there. It is not for me to talk to you guys about it but we need to step up. There are a lot of issues.  We got to the last eight last time so we need to improve. We came up against a team who were better than us. Good luck to them and we wish them all the best. No-one likes it but that’s life unfortunately. What can you do?

The difficulty for England’s management team now is that so many key members of this team are going to be over 30 by the time the 2012 European Championships come around.  So do you keep the faith with these players and allow them to see it through or do you start to move them aside at the beginning of the qualifying campaign and give the younger players a platform to prove themselves, win or lose?

This is how I see the futures of the 2010 World Cup squad.

David James (Age: 39)

At 39 David James has played in his last tournament.  He did the basics well against Algeria and Slovenia and did make a number of saves to keep the score down against Germany.  A few commentators suggest he was slow off his line for the first German goal, was caught at the near-post for the second and dived out of the way for the third – but this is David James not Lev Yashin we’re talking about.  James performance was about par for the course.

Games started (as sub): 3(0)

Rating: 7

Outlook: There really is no need for James to take up a goalkeeping spot any more.  Joe Hart is the heir apparent.

Rob Green (30)

Calamity struck him less than half way through his tournament as Green found himself discarded after one game for a mistake that would shame a park footballer.  Green is an ordinary keeper anyway who few people would have suggested was a number one pick.  This was Capello’s first of many misjudgements.

Games started (as sub):1(0)

Rating: 4

Outlook: May still find himself in the reckoning with the paucity of options.

Joe Hart (23)

Hart may not be the finished article by any means but he’s looked like a star in the making for a few seasons now.  His development is at a key stage if he’s to avoid becoming another Ben Foster or Chris Kirkland.

Games started (as sub):0(0)

Rating: -

Outlook: England’s number one, perhaps.

Glen Johnson (25)

Glen Johnson might be the best English right back in football but in his eight years in the Premier League the braided one has not mastered the basics of defending.  It’s one thing to put in a seven-out-of-ten performance against the relative mediocrity of Slovenia but his true worth (or otherwise) was shown when he was partly-culpable for two German goals and even when he was turned inside out by Algeria’s Karim Ziani.

Games started (as sub): 4(0)

Rating: 5

Outlook: Will probably keep his place because he plays for a high profile club (former top four side, Liverpool) and because there are no immediate contenders for his place.  But Johnson needs to up his game.

Ashley Cole (29)

They call him the best left-back in the world but this is a decidedly generous accolade.  Cole was not the worst offender of the tournament but his attacking threat was minimal and, like Johnson, the first time he was truly tested he failed the audition.

Games started (as sub): 4(0)

Rating: 6

Outlook: Cole has another couple of years left in him before a replacement needs to be sourced.  With Wayne Bridge out of contention (lucky guy), Leighton Baines short of quality, and Stephen Warnock only a year younger than Cole, a long-term option might be Cole’s club mate Ryan Bertrand.

John Terry (29)

It’s sad to see any player in decline before the age of 30 but questions have been asked of John “Brave” Terry for a few seasons now.  Is it a natural decline?  Is it what happens when a slow player starts to lose a yard?  Is it a case of him not being focused because of his indiscreet and lamentable off-the-field behaviour?  Hard to say and probably irrelevant.  There’s no point in JT beating his chest after he repels the Slovenians and then made to look like a mug by two German strikers who scored five league goals in 52 games last season.

Games started (as sub): 4(0)

Rating: 6

Outlook: Seems crazy to suggest that Terry needs to step aside but if he can’t do a job at the business end of a competition then maybe it’s time to groom Michael Dawson, Gary Cahill and even Man United’s new signing Chris Smalling.  Dawson is 26 and Cahill is 24. It seems absurd that they have no caps.  Gary Cahill can play for the Republic of Ireland but if he had any thoughts of doing so he may reconsider given the status of JT and 31-year old Rio Ferdinand.

Matthew Upson (31)

Upson v Gorman

It’s never a player’s fault that they are not good enough for the team they are selected for.  I’m sure Upson was proud to pull on the shirt even if his selection mystified most supporters.  It says it all when you consider that he was probably only in the squad because Wes Brown was injured.

Games started (as sub): 2(0)

Rating: 5

Outlook: As part of the defence that capitulated to the Germans (and in spite of being the only English player to get on the score sheet yesterday) the likelihood is that Upson won’t feature again for England.  If he does then it will be a sign that management has learnt nothing from the tournament.  He looks a bit like Dave Gorman too.

Ledley King (29)

Not the most successful tournament for Ledley King whose selection backfired on Capello.  King aimed to show he could go the distance by starting Tottenham’s final four games of the season but he lasted just 45 minutes before succumbing to injury.

Games started (as sub): 1(0)

Rating: 4

Outlook: King demonstrated his self-awareness by openly admitting he was not at his best in the pre-tournament friendly against Mexico at Wembley.  He’s the sort of character that England could do with on the field.  But at 29 and with a career blighted by injury this was surely his last chance.

Jamie Carragher (32)

Jamie retired from international football three years ago after becoming frustrated at being a substitute who was often played out of position.  It seemed strange that Capello would call on a 32 year old who had endured a torrid season and played no part in the qualifiers.  But in fairness to Carragher – inherent slowness aside – he put a good shift in.  Two yellow cards (predictably enough given his lack of pace) put a premature end to his tournament.

Games started (as sub): 1(1)

Rating: 6

Outlook: Carragher would do well to retire again and this time stay retired. He didn’t let anyone down but it’s time to build for the future and he should concentrate on prolonging his club career.

Michael Dawson (26)

As a Tottenham fan I speak with an insight/bias on/towards Michael Dawson.  I think he’s been excellent for three years outside of a loss of form in Martin Jol’s latter days.  He didn’t get a look-in here and was only called up as a late replacement for Rio Ferdinand.  Dawson won many fans inside and outside White Hart Lane last season and his continued involvement seems likely.

Games started (as sub): 0(0)

Rating: -

Outlook: Dawson’s positioning is sometimes questionable but he’s got that Tony Adams-like quality of being in the right place at the right time eventually.  Strong in the air, full of commitment and with an impeccable record, he thoroughly deserves to be in the shake up for the 2012 European Championships.

Stephen Warnock (28)

No appearances for Warnock who was only ever going to act as the utility cover for the back four.  Warnock is now with Aston Villa and finished sixth in the league last year ahead of his former club Liverpool.

Games started (as sub): 0(0)

Rating: -

Outlook: Warnock is highly-rated but is unlikely to get a regular spot in the foreseeable future, if at all.  At 28 his England career is likely to be restricted to a handful of friendly and substitute appearances.

Steven Gerrard (30)

The debate will rage on about Gerrard, a man accused of trying too many “Hollywood balls” and “Hollywood shots” during the tournament.  He got on the score sheet but only showed glimpses of the form he has shown for his club.  Having said that Gerrard has struggled for Liverpool without Xabi Alonso behind him and he cuts a forlorn figure, looking like someone not enjoying his career all that much.

Games started (as sub): 4(0)

Rating: 6

Outlook: I wonder how much Stevie has in the locker.  Having turned 30 just before the tournament he will go in to the European Championships at 32 and if his influence continues to wane he may have little to offer.

Frank Lampard (32)

Lampard was fairly horrible for the first three games but was brighter against Germany – certainly the best of a bad bunch.  But he struggles to impose himself on games and even against Algeria he was passed by with relative ease.

Games started (as sub): 4(0)

Rating: 6

Outlook: Time must be up now on his England career with him due to turn 34 during Euro 2012.  The only stay of execution might be if he re-invented his game in the same way that Ruud Gullit and Glenn Hoddle did by taking up as a deep-lying playmaker in their final years.  I’m not sure he has the talent for that though.

James Milner (24)

Milner had a strange tournament, hauled off after a half hour of the opening game and then dramatically recalled for the final two games as a replacement for Aaron Lennon.   He acquitted himself reasonably well as a hard-working wide player who lacks the creative subtlety to be a top class player but has enough energy and drive to be an influence.

Games started (as sub): 3(0)

Rating: 6

Outlook: Milner will be there or thereabouts, perhaps as the new David Bentley (who was, of course, the new David Beckham).  It’s my belief that England need to employ proper wingers so his future may lie in central midfield.

Aaron Lennon (24)

He has had a great 18 months for Tottenham but Lennon still doesn’t convince in an England shirt.  He wasn’t long back from injury and that might have played a part but in the 150 minutes he spent on the pitch, Lennon showed little sign that his final ball had improved much.

Games started (as sub): 2(0)

Rating: 5

Outlook: I think Lennon (with Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson) has a role to play on the wings for England.  But management and fans will run out of patience if he cannot create opportunities for his team mates.

Joe Cole (28)

I posed the question on Twitter today whether Joe Cole is a creative genius or injury-prone and over-rated.  I think the answer probably lies somewhere n between.  Cole was much-heralded by the media but he disappointed in his substitute appearances.  It’s not entirely his fault.  He plays on the left for his club, played on the right against Slovenia and hovered around ineffectually against Germany.  There was an incoherency about Capello’s use of Cole and it didn’t look like he had a specific role when he came on.

Games started (as sub): 0(2)

Rating: 4

Outlook: Cole has 56 caps for England but his progress appears to have been hindered more by successive management’s desire to accommodate both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard at all times.  Cole is a sparkling player when he’s on but those occasions have been very infrequent.

Gareth Barry (29)

It was a sad sight to see an unfit Gareth Barry left looking like a carthorse in the build up to Germany’s fourth goal. He also gave away possession in the lead up to the third goal.  This was a tournament to forget for him.  The song and dance made about Barry’s presence in the squad was a farce anyway.  It reminded me of the national debate in Ireland over Steve Staunton’s continued exclusion of Lee Carsley as his young side were battered by Cyprus.  Gareth Barry is Lee Carsley.

Games started (as sub): 3(0)

Rating: 4

Outlook: It amazed me when Liverpool battled long and hard to try and take Gareth Barry to Anfield a few years ago and then again when Manchester City deemed him to be worth £12m last summer.  Barry is a half-decent player who can do a job but looks out of his depth at international level.  He’ll anchor the midfield sufficiently in most qualifying games but will be found wanting at the top level.

Shaun Wright-Philips (28)

I’m sure even SWP was pinching himself when he was included in place of former teenage sensation Theo Walcott.  He appeared as a substitute on three occasions but just wasn’t good enough to influence games.  Nothing wrong with his attitude or work-ethic but he’s a player who doesn’t belong at this level either.

Games started (as sub): 0(3)

Rating: 4

Outlook: I expect Theo Walcott and Adam Johnson to jump ahead of him in the pecking order.  But he got 34 caps and a respectable 6 goals out of his England career.

Michael Carrick (28)

Unsurprisingly there was no look-in for Michael Carrick who has been so uninspiring in recent seasons even Tom Huddlestone was pushing him for a place in the finals squad.  I was never sold on Carrick at White Hart Lane and found Man United’s £18m offer to be extremely generous.

Games started (as sub): 0(0)

Rating: -

Outlook: Carrick turns 29 next month and while he may add to his 22 caps he’s probably pleased that Tom Huddlestone is so immobile and Scott Parker (a player considered by some to be his superior) turns 30 this year.

Wayne Rooney (24)

I’m one of those people who consider Rooney to be world class but, as already pointed out by the entire country, he was shockingly poor during the tournament.  His body language and attitude were suspect, his energy levels low, his first touch non-existent.  There was a resigned feeling about Rooney during the Algeria game, almost as if the US game had sucked the belief out of him.  He just didn’t look like he wanted to be there.

Games started (as sub): 4(0)

Rating: 4

Outlook: Maybe a rating of 4 is harsh for Rooney who was not that much worse than Gerrard or Lampard.  But this is a top class player we’re talking about and in relative terms this is without a doubt the lowest point of his career.  He’ll be back but not before there is a long conversation between himself, his agent and his club manager.  Something is not quite right with him.

Jermain Defoe (27)

He was perky against Algeria when he came on, scored the winner against Slovenia but once up against a quality side he never got a sniff.  His withdrawal when England needed three goals against Germany was not surprising but perhaps it was surprising as to who he was replaced by.

Games started (as sub): 2(1)

Rating: 5

Outlook: Defoe has been poor for the entire calendar year and while he might have been the pick of a mediocre bunch he didn’t do much to convince someone like me that he’s good enough for England.  Twelve goals in 43 games is a fair strike rate but it’s in the big games that Defoe just doesn’t look up to it.  There is competition amongst the supporting cast for that second striker role and Defoe is going to have to do a lot better.  As it stands I don’t think he’ll be ever more than a bit-part player.

Emile Heskey (32)

Heskey’s selection doesn’t polarise fans – few think he should be there.  Just like Upson, it’s not his fault he’s selected.  He seems to be a game lad and a good pro, and probably goes out on the pitch with a sizeable inferiority complex knowing that the majority of fans in the stadium are groaning at his introduction.  He could have scored against the US, was not great against Algeria and was introduced in the latter stages of the final game when England needed three goals.  Um…

Games started (as sub): 2(2)

Rating: 4

Outlook: I’m willing to bet Heskey will never play for England again.  When you consider that he’s played 62 times while Ian Wright got 33 caps, Robbie Folwer got 26 and Stan Collymore got 3, it seems to be a bit of a miscarriage of justice.  He has more caps than Jimmy Greaves, Stanley Matthews and Geoff Hurst you know.

Peter Crouch (29)

He’s not everyone’s cup of tea but most people would have taken one look at Crouch’s goal scoring record (21 goals in 40 games – best strike rate in the current squad) and considered him a strong contender for impact substitute at least.  But Fabio gave him 17 minutes in two substitute appearances and Crouch might wonder why he bothered.

Games started (as sub): 0(2)

Rating: -

Outlook: Not on the pitch long enough to warrant a rating but Crouch surely had more to offer this team than 17 minutes.  His introduction would have led to a big hoof towards his 6’7” frame but desperate times and all that.  He’s a useful weapon and probably has one more tournament left in him.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Comment, Football, International, World Cup 2010

June 27, 2010

Injustice can’t overshadow England’s failure

By nearvana

I said yesterday that England needed to produce a credible performance to match the bold claims made by the likes of David James and Joe Cole.  They didn’t.  What they produced against Germany was as bad if not worse than the display against Algeria.  The stats might show that England had more possession and more shots on goal but the gulf in class was obvious.

The early signs are that the media post-mortem is going to separate the absurd decision that denied Frank Lampard a perfectly good goal to even things up at 2-2 and the observation that England were comprehensively outplayed for large portions of the game.  In the grand scheme of things the Lampard “goal” is irrelevant.  For the good of the English game the strategists need to leave the official complaint to the bureaucrats and find out how they get to the root of  England’s serious problems.

Irish television pundits have been highly scathing of England’s efforts.  This YouTube video of their broadcast after the Slovenia game has become a breeding ground for anti-Irish sentiment from English fans who obviously saw the punditry as being anti-English.  As it turns out Johnny Giles, Ronnie Whelan and Eamon Dunphy were spot on about everything.

While Lee Dixon, Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker were highly impressed with Rooney, Gerrard and England in general against Slovenia, Dunphy called Rooney “a shivering wreck”, “could not believe how bad Gerrard was today” and labeled the performance as “shocking…absolutely incredibly bad…pretty awful stuff.”  Would you trust the opinion of the old boys club or a bunch of jumped up foreigners?  Well it depends on whether you believe that England did deliver one quality performance sandwiched in between three awful ones … or take what I think is the more reasonable view that the BBC pundits were employing a serious dose of hyperbole and trying not to upset anyone.

But what’s the harm in them acting as cheerleaders for the nation you might ask?  Well, while Fabio Capello was cementing this positivity and optimism by declaring that England were “back” in the post-match interview, Robin van Persie was announcing that the Netherlands needed to improve their performances in spite of impressively topping their group with three wins.

And maybe that’s a difference in mentality: England seemed to genuinely believe that their performance was good enough.  Well if they did then it was a short lived euphoria.  Today England came up against their first decent side and they were humbled.

James Milner is supposedly a £28m target for Manchester City.  If he’s worth that money then I can only think that Mesut Özil – who was part of the German U21 team that beat Milner’s England equivalents 4-0 a year ago –  is worth about £100m.  I don’t mean to pick on Milner who is a decent player but Özil (21 years old), Thomas Müller (20) and Sami Khedira (23) were a different class to anyone in an Engalnd shirt today.  Bastian Schweinsteiger is only 25 and he has 21 goals in 78 appearances.  He dominated midfield with Khedira.  These players have pace, technique, vision and passion.  Based on what we’ve seen at this tournament England simply have nobody with these qualities.

If we found out that Steven Gerrard, John Terry, Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard were all going to retire tomorrow (and unless they pull a Beckham they should be all out of the picture in 2014 anyway) who would replace them from the under 21s?  Sure, we can talk about prospects like Dan Gosling, Jack Rodwell (both of Everton), Micah Richards (Manchester City) and Lee Cattermole (Sunderland) but if they are simply shoved in to the same rigid system, are unable to find each other with passes or create chances then it could be a demoralising and humiliating experience.

It’s too late for the Golden Generation but let’s hope the FA’s Director of Football Development, Trevor Brooking, is able to push an agenda of radical reform.

4 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Football, International, World Cup 2010

June 26, 2010

English need credible performance to back up confidence

By nearvana

For a group of players that were highly fortunate to make it out of their “easy” group it’s admirable to hear how confident England are ahead of their second round World Cup clash with Germany.

First/second/third (delete as applicable) choice goalkeeper David James believes that England are the better team:

…I think we’re a better team than Germany. We played them in Berlin (in 2008) and beat them 2-1 in a game which we should have won more comfortably. They’re a strong side, ranked sixth in the world, but we are not fearful of them at all.

Joe Cole goes one step further and says England can win the 2010 World Cup:

You always think you can do it, but this time I think it’s our time and we can do it if the country believes.

Yes, England were much improved against Slovenia (a nation with a population equivalent to the West Midlands) and deserved to win but they were still one brilliant Matthew Upson block away from elimination. And the victory should not overshadow the fundamental problems that still exist: Wayne Rooney is struggling, Gareth Barry has looked a yard off the pace and Frank Lampard is still not delivering in an England shirt. Slovenia might let you away with those shortcomings but the Germans will not.

I’m sure England’s players – now that they are free of the Group C quagmire – are looking at the names on the German team sheet and feel confident in the knowledge that won’t be coming up against a Ronaldo, Maicon, Iniesta or Messi.

But the lack of name stars is what makes this German team so solid. In fact this is a classic German side in the making. The old guard are still there – Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Klose, Podolski, Mertesacker and Freidrich. But a professional crop of hungry young players – led by Mesut Ozil of Werder Bremen and largely unknown to those who don’t follow the Bundesliga – should provide a challenge a class above what Capello’s side have faced so far.

Demeaning Germany’s quality (as some commentators have) because they lost to Serbia is to put too much emphasis on the result. They had enough chances to win that game comfortably with 10 men and, under pressure, beat a good Ghana side to top the group.

England can talk about winning the World Cup when they put in a credible performance. As of yet they have not. If they overcome Germany then it will be time to take them seriously.

Prediction: England 1 Germany 2

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Football, International, World Cup 2010

June 18, 2010

Athletes versus Footballers

By nearvana

As a talisman they don’t get much more intimidating than Wayne Rooney.  But even England’s front man seemed to wave a white flag after losing yet another fifty-fifty in last night’s dire draw with Algeria.

Rooney "blasts" the fan's boos

I was set to put a tenner on the temperamental striker seeing red when it was obvious his side’s second half was developing much the same as their first – no inspiration, no energy, no conviction, and no belief.  But the resigned look in his eyes put paid to that.  Some commentators have called for Rooney to curb his untimely aggression but this wasn’t about that.  He looked jaded – his post-match criticism of the booing England fans perhaps underlining this.

England’s problems stretch far beyond arguably one of Rooney’s career worst performances.  Frank Lampard, who constantly surrendered possession, was a liability.  Steven Gerrard’s touch deserted him all night.  Gareth Barry laboured admirably but is clearly not fit.  Aaron Lennon has yet to perform in an England shirt.  Emile Heskey was game but moribund – that he’s anywhere near this squad is an insult to 24-goal Darren Bent. Glen Johnson struggled with the lively Ziani all night and the rest of the back four were employed far more than they probably expected to be.

We saw in the opening game that Algeria weren’t very good, backing up the pre-tournament impression that their poor results had given us.  But England made them look good as they displayed technique and a sense of adventure few could have expected.  Tactically their back three – well marshalled by Rangers’ Madjid Bougherra  - snuffed out England’s sporadic threat.  And in midfield England had no answer – they surrendered 52% of the possession to a side ranked 30th in the world.

Regardless of whether or not England advance – and the required victory over a mediocre Slovenia side would seem more likely than not – serious questions need to be asked of these highly paid players.  Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney were largely outplayed by players from Sochaux, Wolfsburg and Valenciennes.  Their impressive forward Karim Matmour, who gave John Terry problems all night, was signed by Borussia Monchengladbach for €2m.  They finished 12th in the Bundesliga last season.

England’s players are a team of highly-trained athletes coached to win.  Algeria – like most African, Eastern European and South American sides – are a team of individuals coached to play football.  The sight of relatively-limited players effortlessly stroking the ball around the pitch while England huffed and puffed, unable to string more than a handful of passes together, should have been embarrassing to the FA.  Are the players weighed down by the England shirt?  Are they too tired after their demanding Premier League season?  Are they just not as good without talented foreign players to bring the best out of them?

It would seem like basic logic-matics to say that English players + foreign players = good club team; but English players = limited international side. It’s far too complex a problem to sum up so succinctly but the evidence suggests that something is not adding up here.  This is not the first tournament where England haven’t performed – and this time there is no Sven Goran-Erikkson to blame it on.

3 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Comment, Football, World Cup 2010

December 29, 2009

Five things: Mancity, Zola, predictors, Henry, Hibs

By nearvana

After a few months off for ‘logistical’ reasons, Five Things returns with absolutely nothing new to say at all.

1. Roberto Mancity
Bloody foreigners, coming over here, stealing our women and jobs.

I’m not sure if Mrs Hughes was part of the deal but Roberto Mancini certainly did take Mark’s job at Manchester City. The spray painters were hard at work last summer making sure that all the writing was on the wall for Hughes – it was just unclear how many matches would be a match too far for the Welshman.

While on one hand it’s easy to have sympathy for Hughes I do recall some of his more crass behaviour last summer when attempting to lure players such as Joleon Lescott and John Terry from Premier Leauge rivals. As novice gardeners would tell you, you reap what you sew.

His downfall has been mainly about results (far too many draws more than watered down the fact that they have lost less league games than anyone else). But in spite of having one of the best goalkeepers in the league and spent around £50m on Wayne Bridge, Kolo Toure and Lescott , the defending has been shambolic at times.

His best signings have probably been Craig Bellamy and Shay Given, two moves that were given a lot less column inches than the more high-profile captures of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Toure. And now with Mancini at the helm one wonders what the January transfer window will bring: more reliable, home grown talents or risky imports from the Italian league?

2. Nice guy Zola to finish last?
Another defeat for West Ham today has left Gianfranco Zola’s team looking vulnerable in the bottom four. Today they managed 3 attempts on goal compared to Tottenham’s 21. That’s a hiding.

True, they are only a few days removed from a good home win over Portsmouth and three points from 11th position. But with an injury list that includes Mark Noble, Carlton Cole, Danny Gabbidon, Kieron Dyer and the retired Dean Ashton (and today Scott Parker and Herita Ilunga were added to it), Zola has a very limited collection of players to choose from.

Matthew Upson looks set to leave in January and the future of Scott Parker is also unclear. Losing one of them (it’s unlikely that both would be allowed to go until the summer) is hardly going to aid their survival battle, but the club needs the money.

Will nice guy Zola be jettisoned in a panic? History would suggest he might be if results don’t pick up in the next four weeks.

3. Schizophrenic predictors
A few months ago Chelsea were running away with the league, Arsenal and Liverpool were out of it. Then Liverpool were back in it – and now they’re out of it again – while Arsenal can now be considered contenders once more. Manchester United are struggling but Chelsea are struggling more so United might be favourites again. The tiresome habit of fans and pundits making premature predictions will be with us forever.

Many Arsenal fans suggested that they were out of the title race a month ago when they lost to Sunderland and Chelsea then hammered them at home. But often this is just the human way of dealing with disappointment – and football fans are not exactly known for their rationality or sense of perspective. If they win their two games in hand on Chelsea they will be just one point from the top.

Predictions are made in such a knee-jerk way these days that nowhere near enough analysis goes in to reaching the conclusions that pundits, fans and even professional players do. Excluding clubs like Arsenal and (to a lesser extent) Liverpool from the title race in November and December is complete folly.

Sure, it is unlikely that Liverpool will win the league but all it takes is a for Chelsea and Manchester United to drop 6 points in January and Liverpool to win four in a row and suddenly they are only two wins from the top again. Pundits can also ignore upcoming battles between the top four if they are not on the immediate horizon – it’s not just the bottom six that compete in ‘six pointers’.

Other factors like injuries and key players missing because of, say, the African Nations Cup, can also play a huge role.

For what it’s worth I tipped Liverpool for the title and I don’t think they do have much hope given that they have lost so much ground in the last four weeks. But it’s only now that pundits should be able to make that call – not back in October as many did. The fact they may have been right is irrelevant.

4. Cut Guilty Henry Some Slack
I was MIA during Thierry Henry’s Handgate drama in France’s World Cup qualifier against Ireland.

Yes, it was a hard pill to swallow for Ireland given that they should have been played off the park but against all the odds competed admirably against a laborious French side. Yes, it was an illegal goal. Yes, it was poor officiating and poor sportsmanship.

But why vilify Thierry Henry? If he had done this in a Spanish cup game when Barcelona were 4-0 up against Cadiz, no one would have cared less. Why should Henry suddenly become some bastion of righteousness because it was at a crucial moment in a crucial match.

It’s not Henry’s fault that the referee and his assistant failed to see it. It’s not his fault that the world’s governing body refuse to introduce video replays while making impotent changes such as introducing two extra officials.

Henry was guilty – but he’s not to blame.

5. Can Hibs turn two in to three?
Is the Scottish Premier League set to become a three horse race for the first time since the 1980s?

Rangers and Celtic are at the most insipid they have been for some time although the former has shown signs of life recently with five league wins in a row, scoring 19 goals in the process. Celtic have struggled away from home, losing at Dundee United and Hearts in the last month but have kept in touch with their rivals in spite of this. They can close the gap with a home win over Rangers next weekend.

But it’s third place Hibernian who should be stealing the headlines right now. They blotted their copy book with a 1-4 reverse at home to Rangers this week but before that they were 12 games unbeaten and find themselves within four points of second place Celtic.

A league challenge might be beyond them given the resources available to their illustrious rivals (which, while in decline, are still vastly superior to Hibs). But if they can cause one of the Glasgow giants a few sleepless nights (metaphorically – I don’t mean they should play brass instruments outside the player’s houses) then it might add a whole new dynamic to the title chase.

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October 21, 2009

Five things: Crouchy, Allen, Rafa, Boro, Rowlands

By nearvana

Luvfooty - Five Things

1. Return of the Robot

Crouch and WoodgateShould players never be allowed to party?

Tottenham players Peter Crouch and Jonathan Woodgate were pictured dancing to what looked like two complete different songs last weekend, leaving manager Harry Redknapp a bit miffed.  Redknapp does not mind players having a few quiet drinks but does not want them “rolling out of nightclubs at three in the morning“.

As a friend pointed out to me, it hardly seems fitting that a player who can’t get in the first team and a player recovering from injury should be out on the batter.  But the players – who were in a group with Robbie Keane, Jermaine Jenas and their significant others - maintain that they did not drink excessively.

So where should the line be drawn when it comes to young men enjoying themselves?  Redknapp seems a pretty fair bloke and, although somewhat rigorous, is not a total authoritarian a la Big Phil.  The players would do well to heed his warnings (which he made in the past after Ledley King got himself in bother) and knuckle down for what is a big season for all of them domestically and internationally.

Still, the picture is hilarious.

2. Martin Allen on gardening leave

Speaking of nightclub shenanigans, Cheltenham manager Martin Allen was asked not to come to work on Tuesday by the League Two club after a reported “incident”.

A doorman, who refused Allen entry to the Thirteen Degrees nightclub told a local paper: “There were racial undertones in the kind of language he was using and he referred to me as a black b******”

We’re not sure if Allen is alleged to have called him a “bastard” or a “bollocks”. Or a “bitch”. But either way it doesn’t sound very nice. The Cheltenham manager has not made any comment as of yet but if there’s any truth in the report then he’s in a lot of trouble indeed. There is no excuse for making racist comments.

Well there is I suppose – if you’re racist.

3. Results matter for Rafa

Angry RafaFour defeats in a row means that Rafa Benitez is under more pressure than ever at Liverpool.  He is looking increasingly resigned in interviews these days, relenting from his usual approach of lashing out at the referee, the linesman, the FA, his opponents or Alex Ferguson, and actually offering sincere, humble analysis of there being “too many mistakes” and much “disappointment”.

It’s no secret that his squad has some fairly ordinary players but most of these players played roles in the all-conquering Liverpool side of March-through-May last season and I didn’t hear many complaints then.

The unfortunate thing for Rafa is that his impressive spine of Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard and Torres has been decimated this season.  The absence of the latter two combined with the poor form of both Carragher and (a distracted?) Mascherano has weakened his team so much that their inherent weaknesses have become amplified.

There’s a lack of presence with the hard-working Dirk Kuyt, Yossi Benayoun and Martin Skrtel, a lack of quality about Leiva Lucas and Andrei Voronin, too much inexperience in Emiliano Insua and David Ngog and too many question marks over Ryan Babel and Albert Riera.

The only way Rafa can fumble through this season and regroup again is to win games.  But the fact that he really only has two top class players at his disposal after five years means that he is the architect of  the current precariousness.

4. Gibson to entice the crowds back

Sacking Gareth Southgate after a home win that left them one point off the summit of the Championship might seem like odd timing from chairman Steve Gibson.  But after seeing the lowest ever league attendance at the Riverside witness the victory last night it was clear that the notably-loyal Gibson felt he had to make a business decision.

A clearer picture emerges when you consider that they were the first goals and points in four home games.  In the eyes of many Middlesbrough fans, faith in Southgate waned well before relegation from the Premier League was confirmed last season.  The failure of big money strikers Mido and Afonso Alvez saw Boro net only 28 times in 38 games; that failure more or less sealing their fate.

Gordon Strachan is the favourite to take over but I think Gibson needs to follow the lead of Leeds United, Leicester and West Brom who put their faith in what seem to be smart, tactically-astute managers Simon Grayson, Nigel Pearson and Roberto Di Matteo respectively.

That’s not to say Southgate wasn’t a gentleman and a credit to football.  He was.  Unfortunately he just does not seem to have the “it” factor – or “X Factor” as they call it now.

5. World Cup play-off analysis

Patrice Evra, Bacary Sagna, Lassana Diarra, Franck Ribéry, Theirry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, Karim Benzema.

Kevin Kilbane, Paul McShane, Keith Andrews, Darron Gibson, Martin Rowlands, Glenn Whelan, Leon Best.

You get the point.

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October 13, 2009

Five things: Trap, Barnes, McParland, Rio, Rooney

By nearvana

Luvfooty - Five Things

1. “Disgraceful” play-offs for Ireland

I wouldn’t say Ireland particularly deserved to beat a tidy but unambitious Italian side at Croke Park on Saturday night but it was still a huge disappointment not to be able to hold on to a 2-1 lead for three minutes.  Mind you considering the luck that manager Trapattoni has enjoyed during the campaign it’s probably best to get hit with a sucker-punch now than in the 90th minute of the play-off.

Eight years ago Ireland went through the 2002 qualifying campaign undefeated against Holland and Portugal, winning seven of their ten games and conceding just five goals in what was an outstanding effort.  This Irish squad employs just five players from that era with the likes of Niall Quinn, Stephen Staunton (ahem), Roy Keane, Matt Holland and Mark Kinsella all having retired.  I think this underlines the scale of adjustment forced on subsequent managers in a relatively short period of time.

But at the same time Trapattoni has made a rock for his own back with his persistence in selecting all three of the limited Darron Gibson, Glen Whelan and Keith Andrews while ignoring Andy Reid.  I also am bemused that he has no time for Clinton Morrison (6 goals in 9 games this season – the same number scored by his Coventry team-mate Leon Best) while continuing to select Shane Long and Caleb Folan (0 goals between them).

Ireland have been turgid in this qualification group only really coming to life in the two games versus Italy and as much as I respect and admire the man I still have a huge question-mark over Trap.  Having said that the floating image of “The Gaffa” quickly remind me of where we’ve come from and that I should be thankful for small mercies.

2. Sacked: The John Barnes Story

I only ever saw John Barnes play in the flesh once, in Chris Hughton’s Ireland testimonial in 1995.  I had always admired him on the TV but to see this guy live was a real experience.  It may have been a friendly and distinctly uncompetitive but there was something quite poetic about the way he stroked the ball around and the presence he carried on the pitch.

However, his management career has been disastrous with both Celtic and Tranmere disposing of him very quickly ten years apart.  At Celtic he lasted for 29 games and although he only lost 8 of them (recording a 65% win rate), this is Scotland we’re talking about.  An embarrassing and infamous 1-3 reverse to Inverness Caledonian Thistle sealed Barnes’ fate at Celtic.  He recorded just 3 wins in 12 games at Tranmere with some fans claiming that the tactics were incomprehensible and he used his press conferences to blame the players.  He was sacked last week.

In between he had a nice little job as Jamaica national team manager where he won 7 and drew the rest of his 11 games in charge.  His gamble to walk away from the sun-soaked beaches of his hometown of Kingston for Prenton Park last summer might be the last mistake he gets the opportunity to make in management.

At some point you need to acknowledge that you may not be cut out for something.  Clubs make hasty decisions of dispensing with managers all too often.  But just maybe this time both Celtic and Tranmere got it right.  Not being privy to what goes on behind the scenes who knows what the feedback from players and staff were about Barnes? It’s about more than the results.

3. County making all the wrong noises

Also given his cards last week was Notts County manager Ian McParland.  From the moment Sven Goran-Eriksson arrived it was likely that the manager would be out on his ear sooner rather than later.  There has been understandable sympathy for him with commentators pointing out that County – 19th and 21st in the last two seasons – sit in fifth place just four points off the lead.

But with ambitious owners (whoever they may be) and a Serie A-winning manager overseeing the football management of the club, three consecutive draws against middling-to-poor sides in eight days was not going to impress the men upstairs.  The early season form that saw them thump Bradford, Macclesfield and Dagenham & Redbridge and Northampton had promised much but last week’s action seem to suggest that ejecting McParland was always on the agenda once they felt results gave them the mandate to do so.

Clubs like Hull and Wigan climbed quietly through the leagues in recent years and both have prospered in the top flight.  Notts County appear to be making all the wrong noises right now.  It would be a shame to see such a famous club flounder (David Platt??) and result in their wealthy backers losing interest.

4. Defensive concerns for Capello

It always seems to be a quiet football week when the internationals are on.  Hence the English media have been creating a bit of a fuss over England’s defensive and attacking options.  Phil McNulty discusses the disquiet over the form of central defender Rio Ferdinand following yet another of his all-too-frequent defensive errors against Ukraine.  Personally I think there is some truth in it but also no surprise.  Ferdinand is an accomplished, athletic player whose career copybook has been blotted by public relation misjudgments (parties and contracts) and similar misjudgments on the pitch.

He’s 31 next month and as his reliability continues to be called in to question, you have to wonder who is going to step up as an able replacement whether a Rio absence is enforced or by design.  Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King can’t be relied upon due to fitness issues and Matthew Upson, who seems to be next in line, has not yet proven his international credentials.  Incidentally he is also 30.  The next World Cup may see John Terry grooming Gary Cahill or David Wheater if they progress enough in the next four years.  In the meantime Capello does have a weakness in the backline to address.

5. “One man team” dilemma for Capello?

Not every commentator is using such strong language as Paul Wilson in the above piece but Kevin McCarra makes a similar point in his piece this week – without Rooney England are just not as good.  While It’s true to say that if you take out most team’s best player then they will suffer but perhaps it is more true for this current England team.

There are still people who argue that Rooney is overrated and not world class – an opinion that I find utter garbage.  Many football opinions are tainted by over-subjectivity: Frank Lampard is accused of being both a fatso and world class while Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world and a big-game bottler.  People see what they want to see.

But I think you would have to be a little myopic not to acknowledge that Rooney is a far superior player to any other English striker.  Michael Owen is the last top class striker that England had but his best days seem to be behind him.  Emile Heskey, Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch are useful players but not in the same class as Rooney.  Outside of the Manchester United forward (and leaving aside the currently unselected Michael Owen) none of the current England strikers have excelled in top European competition or international football.

I think Wilson and McCarra’s point is that if you’re lining up against France in the World Cup semi-finals and you’re bringing on Defoe or Carlton Cole to find you a goal while top European players like Henry, Benzema and Anelka lay siege at David James/Ben Foster/Robert Green/Paul Robinson, then there is certainly some food for thought.

England better hope he stays fit … and keeps his cool.

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October 7, 2009

Five things: County, Sol, Wiley, Rafa, FIFA

By nearvana

Luvfooty - Five ThingsLuvfooty brings you what we hope will be at least a new weekly feature where we make a brief analysis of five current football stories out there.  We’re good like that.

1. Notts County reveal the man who wasn’t there

Pakistani businessman Anwar Shafi has denied any involvement with League Two side Notts County in spite of being quoted on their official website ten days ago as confirming his “significant holding”.  Today the club released a statement – ignoring Shafi’s denial – on behalf of the Hyat and Shafi families who are part of the Qadbak trust who own the club.  They spoke of “distorted and misleading stories” and “salacious nature of the intrusive inquiries”.  They also said they would continue to conduct their affairs with “discretion and privacy” – which is hardly going to help.

Their executive chairman Peter Trembling (insert own joke) described the media attention as “scandalous”.  He said the owners are “extremely angry” and found the attention “demoralising”.

Well it’s a pity about them.  Rightly or wrongly, when a mysterious investment group pours money in to a fourth division football club, hires one of the most highly paid managers in the world and invests unprecedentedly in players (although we’ll get on to that point next), eyebrows are going to raise and the media machine have every right to poke their nose in and find out what is going on.

Trembling talks about the possibility of a “vendetta” and “maliciousness” in the media.  But all the club have to do to put an end to it is reveal who the investors are.  This is a takeover that still hasn’t been ratified by the Football Association and until it is then there are still questions to be answered (even after ratification the stories will continue – look at Chelsea).  In the midst of numerous investigations about corruption in football these are very valid questions.  If they have designs on climbing through the divisions in the next five years then they better get used to the attention.

2. The Solman – Money grabber or just demented?

My Spurs-centric views will probably always colour my opinion of Sol Campbell.  The pragmatic and unemotionally involved will always say he was entitled to string Spurs along in 2001 before joining rivals Arsenal for nothing.  That’s one view.  The other view is that the anger and vitriol that remains to this day at Spurs is fully justified.

In isolation one might be willing to glaze over those events.  But in 2006 Sol walked out on Arsenal during half-time of a 2-3 defeat against West Ham following a very poor first half performance.  At the end of that season, in spite of making a comeback and scoring in the European Cup final, he announced he was leaving for a “fresh challenge” and publicly spoke of his interest in playing abroad.  In spite of signing a three year deal in 2005, Arsenal released him from his contract at the age of just 31.

He didn’t quite get as far as France, landing instead at Portsmouth.  After three relatively successful seasons there he left last summer when his contract expired with talk again of interest across Europe.  His decision to join his old England manager Sven Goran-Eriksson Notts County for a reported £40,000 a week (£33,000 of it relating to an “ambassadorial role” it says here) raised eyebrows – not least because Campbell had spoken of his desire to play a part in the 2010 World Cup finals.

Anyway the point is that Sol Campbell has been portrayed by some as being disloyal, a trouble-maker and a money grabber.  I don’t think this is the case at all.  I think Sol is quite the opposite.  Yes, he a little self-absorbed but this is amplified by a highly sensitive disposition which has seen him “lose his nerve” a few times.

He never moves very far from his comfort zone.  He wanted to win trophies but wasn’t going to do it at Spurs.  He would have had his pick of top European teams in 2001 but chose to move to a club a few miles across town.  In one way it was brave but in another it was cowardly.

He left Arsenal after the West Ham shambles (perhaps indicative that he was never captain material) but, again, rather than picking a top European club where he would have continued to play European Cup games, he chose the comfy bosom of Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth.

He got one game in to his five year Notts County contract before walking out, citing unkept promises, saying that big names such as Roberto Carlos were promised but never materialised.  Oh, and Benjani.

Sol has continually made life difficult for himself with questionable decisions.  I don’t think he is especially greedy but he certainly seems a bit demented.

3. Alex and the “unfit” ref

There was much mocking of Rafa Benitez (more on him in a bit) when he whipped out his spectacles last January and read a list of charges from an A4 sheet of paper detailing Alex Ferguson’s constant bickering and undermining of referees (which anyone with a modicum of impartiality would agree with).  Ferguson added another line to the charge sheet this weekend when he criticised referee Alan Wiley as being “unfit” after United drew 2-2 at home to Sunderland.

While he did have reason to be critical of Wiley for not adding on a minute or so to compensate for United’s injury time equaliser, it did seem somewhat disingenuous for him to publicly berate a referee who has passed all the fitness tests that were put in front of him.

Ferguson could have chosen to have his point recorded privately by the fourth official but obviously the comment was calculated to deflect from his own side’s disappointing result.

I’m all for banning managers who undermine officials but at the same time it should apply across the board (albeit with repeat offenders being more heavily punished).  Sam Allardyce attacked referee Peter Walton for not giving his team a penalty in their ludicrous 2-6 reverse at Arsenal and he apparently will not be charged.

While he did somewhat self-righteously say that he is “100% right” he also added that he had to make the point in public because “unfortunately the system is not working so I have to be heard”.

He’s right…the system isn’t working.  But I’m not sure that diminishing the role of the referee is going to fix it any time soon.

4. Liverpool owner blames the manager

Rafa Benitez put on a brave face after back-to-back defeats against Fiorentina and Chelsea.  The results not so much damaged their challenges in the European Cup and Premier League but more so damaged the credibility of his team.  It’s way too early to say that Liverpool won’t challenge for the title or the Champions League but it has done the fractious relationship with his board no favours.

Co-owner George Gillett said of Liverpool’s progress: “Now if it’s not getting better, it’s not Gillett and [co-owner] Hicks, it’s the manager, it’s the scouting. You have to make sure you balance out your analysis. There was plenty of money, so if you have any complaints, take a look at the ins and outs.”

Liverpool fans loyal to Benitez will dispute Gillett’s claim that £128m has been invested in the last 18 months (he could be including wages, catering and goldfish in that total for all I know).  But at the same time they have to be somewhat unimpressed with the transfer policy that the manager now apparently has sole control over since the departure of chief executive Rick Parry.

Questions continue to be raised about the form of Jamie Carragher, the failure of Ryan Babel to perform and the quality of Lucas Leiva and Emiliano Insúa.  Benitez’s team look very beatable if Gerrard and Torres are off colour and it seems that the latter is still easily bullied out of a game (compare his performance against Chelsea last week to his two-goal triumph last February).

It’s too early to say there is a problem at Liverpool (although they have already lost more league games than they did throughout the entirety of last season).  But this year Rafa (like Arsene) has the billionaire-shaped shadow of Manchester City peering over his shoulder and failure to finish in the top four is unthinkable – never mind winning the league.

5. Shay no fan of “disgusting” FIFA

On radio last night Shay Given was not backwards at going forwards when he said that FIFA’s “u-turn” on the World Cup qualifying play off system was “disgusting”.  Given the poor performance of nations like Portugal, Czech Republic and France (with even Germany under pressure to win their group) it does seem that the scales have been belatedly tipped in favour of the larger nations with the news that the top four ranked teams will be kept apart.

The 2006 play-offs were played on a seeded basis (six teams in two pots) but this time around FIFA had left their options open for some unknown reason, indicating that the draw would be open.  This late change will endear them to the money men in Zurich, Frankfurt, Paris and (ironically) Lisbon but maybe not the players and officials in Dublin, Sarajevo and Oslo.

From my Irish point of view it is a disappointment (but not as much of a disappointment as Trapattoni’s insipid Irish midfield is).  I would certainly feel sympathy for lower ranked teams like Bosnia and Slovenia who have put themselves in with a shout of reaching the World Cup Finals.  Nations like them they must feel like Homer did in that Simpsons episode where, fuelled by the Power Sauce bar, he thinks he has climbed to the top of The Murderhorn mountain only to find that he’s actually got another few thousand feet to go.  D’oh!

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Comment, Football, International, Premier League, Premiership, World Cup 2010

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