As the sun rises on a new World Cup day we are forced to face the reality that England’s campaign has not started well.
Doubtless the Sunday Papers will be full of scathing criticism angled towards Mr Green and the flames of the goalkeeper debate that has plagued our World Cup preparations have been well and truly fanned.
There is no doubting that the negatives outweigh the positives on a frustrating and emotional evening but this is not to say that there are no positives to take from the game.
The first and most glaringly obvious negative is Rob Green’s howler. Opinion was unanimous going into the Tournament that the goalkeeping department was our weak link and unfortunately so it has proved.
It is difficult to legislate for a mistake of that nature, these mistakes will happen to every goalkeeper at some stage in their career but you just hope it happens in the last minute of a Carling Cup game where you are already four nil up.
Was it the pressure of the big occasion? Was it difficult to mentally prepare when you only find out you are included two hours before kick off? On both counts the answer is possibly yes but the most important question is; Where does Rob Green go from here?
If David James is fit should he come back into the side?
It is very possible this would have been the case even with a blemish free performance from Green. If not is Rob Green mentally strong enough to brush off the error and regain the focus that is required.
Regardless of Capello’s decision the fact remains that England do not have a top class goalkeeper that has been tested and is experienced at the very highest level. This is a problem and unfortunately it is a problem that is not going to go away.
Another big worry coming from yesterday evening is that Ledley King could only complete 45 minutes of football. He was replaced by Jamie Carragher who is an undoubtedly capable defender but his shortcomings were there for all to see as Altidore burst through with seeming ease with only Rob Green and the inside of the post saving us from disaster.
Capello brushed off Kings injury as a minor problem saying he should be available on Friday but again on a night where England wanted to put these debates to bed, incidents on the pitch have served only to magnify them.
Similarly there will be many “I told you so’s” from people regarding Emile Heskey’s performance. Rock solid stuff from big Emile he did everything that was asked of him, dominant in the air and a handful all evening.
However when through on goal with the chance to silence his nay-sayers he can only shoot limply into Howard’s midriff. Another debate that will have to rage on.
The other major disappointment of the evening was James Milner’s dismal showing. Credit to Capello for his decisive decision to remove him after only 30 minutes before the referee made the decision for him.
It was certainly not the James Milner we have seen all season and one can only hope it was the effects of the virus he had been carrying rather than big game nerves that effected him.
But this too begs the question, if he was not one hundred percent what on earth was he doing starting the game? Plenty for people to talk about with regards the midfield then.
So apart from our Goalkeepers, our shaky defence, unsettled midfield and having no-one to partner Wayne Rooney we can feel very good about things.
Of course I am being flippant with such doom mongering but the weeks papers will all be looking at these things with a far more critical eye than I have cast.
The fact is we have to move on. The World Cup is underway and we now have a platform from which to build and move forwards. The USA were never going to prove a walkover and there were elements of our performance which were encouraging.
We produced a dominant second half performance and one should give some credit to a resilient and athletic American display.
Steven Gerrard has started well and his goal was expertly taken, perhaps lending weight to the argument he should be moved into the hole allowing Rooney to get himself into the box more often.
Both full backs put in a good shift, with America able to pose threat from wide areas and both looked dangerous going forward. Particularly Glen Johnson, although Ashley Cole sensibly restricted himself in order to blunt the influence of Landon Donavon.
Aaron Lennon showed glimpses of why he is in the team but more will be expected. Rooney and Lampard had slow starts but surely there is more to come from both players as the tournament progresses.
A disappointment yes, a disaster no. In a game that threw up more questions than it answered we have come away with a draw and should still finish our group on top.
The road to the final was never going to be smooth and last night was merely a taster of the emotion and drama that lie ahead of us in the next few weeks. It wouldn’t be fun if it was easy!
Sunday 13 June 2010
Friday 11 June 2010
Too Much Hype??
Once again the hype surrounding the World Cup has gotten a little bit out of control. Each long day that passes is another day for our media to create stories and speculation to fill the void before the action kicks off.
It is hard to judge the effects this hype has over the England team itself. On the one hand you can argue as top class professionals the England players are used to blanket press coverage and having to fend off and ignore the stories that the press generate.
However, there is nothing quite like the World Cup and the England team seems to attract more attention than most- if not all- other nations.
We saw earlier in the week Fabio Capello reprimanding some reporters for over stepping the mark. This was followed by ridiculous stories that Capello was ‘showing the strain’. Utter nonsense. The reporters were out of order, Capello told them so, end of story.
This small event became the big news story of the day and was the topic of much debate. One would hope that the England team do not allow such attention to ruffle them. We will never be sure of any negative effects this has but we can be positive that nothing positive will come from it.
As the press conferences and interviews have rolled on this week one thing has become apparent in the demeanour of the England players; they are absolutely itching to get going, to finally thrust themselves into competitive action and finally halt the banal repetitive questions they are facing on a daily basis.
As I write this the World Cup is just 20 minutes away from kick off and yesterday as I walked through Borough Market I could handle the anticipation no longer. I had to find out what will become of England this World Cup.
I pulled a pound coin from my pocket, turned to my friend and said ‘Heads England win The World Cup.’ The coin went up, landed on my palm but bounced away into a bag of cheese I was carrying. Upon inspection of the inside of the bag I found that the coin had wedged itself upright in between a Spanish Blue and some goats cheese.
The coin proved inconclusive and unfortunately I- like everyone else- is just going to have to wait. Not long now though. Best of luck to Bafana Bafana and of course England.
It is hard to judge the effects this hype has over the England team itself. On the one hand you can argue as top class professionals the England players are used to blanket press coverage and having to fend off and ignore the stories that the press generate.
However, there is nothing quite like the World Cup and the England team seems to attract more attention than most- if not all- other nations.
We saw earlier in the week Fabio Capello reprimanding some reporters for over stepping the mark. This was followed by ridiculous stories that Capello was ‘showing the strain’. Utter nonsense. The reporters were out of order, Capello told them so, end of story.
This small event became the big news story of the day and was the topic of much debate. One would hope that the England team do not allow such attention to ruffle them. We will never be sure of any negative effects this has but we can be positive that nothing positive will come from it.
As the press conferences and interviews have rolled on this week one thing has become apparent in the demeanour of the England players; they are absolutely itching to get going, to finally thrust themselves into competitive action and finally halt the banal repetitive questions they are facing on a daily basis.
As I write this the World Cup is just 20 minutes away from kick off and yesterday as I walked through Borough Market I could handle the anticipation no longer. I had to find out what will become of England this World Cup.
I pulled a pound coin from my pocket, turned to my friend and said ‘Heads England win The World Cup.’ The coin went up, landed on my palm but bounced away into a bag of cheese I was carrying. Upon inspection of the inside of the bag I found that the coin had wedged itself upright in between a Spanish Blue and some goats cheese.
The coin proved inconclusive and unfortunately I- like everyone else- is just going to have to wait. Not long now though. Best of luck to Bafana Bafana and of course England.
Monday 7 June 2010
Smithy Meets The England Team
I think this clip is quite old but I watched it for the first time today. You may have seen it already but it made me chuckle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq_cwwWcyqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq_cwwWcyqQ
The Final Countdown
The countdown is nearly over and the days of idle speculation will soon be behind us. The last ten days have certainly given everyone much to ponder upon though and it just wouldn’t be a World Cup if there were not one or two twists in the tale.
Firstly there is the matter of Capello’s squad selection and the farcical way in which it was announced. For me the squad selection held nothing that was of any great surprise. Of course the main subject on everybody’s lips was the omission of Theo Walcott which was perceived as unexpected by some. I however do not understand how a player who has not played well or has ever really consistently performed is expected to be in an England World Cup Squad. I for one was happy at Walcott’s absence and such a commonsensical decision is a far cry from Sven’s inclusion of Walcott four years previous, I feel we are in safer hands than ever before.
Obviously there is probably an argument for each of the other six players who missed out that they are a touch unlucky. Bent and his supporters must wonder what else he could possibly do to get the nod, but the truth is at international level he will always come up a fraction short. Scott Parker is an outstanding professional whose work effort is second to none, but it has been argued, I believe correctly, his aggressive style may not suit the World Cup arena. Tom Huddlestone must have thought he had a chance after some limp performances from Michael Carrick this season, but Capello once again plumped for experience. The same must be said of Upson’s selection over Michael Dawson, going strictly on form you would have to say Dawson should get the nod. Lastly Leighton Baines dug his own grave to a certain extent with subpar performances in the friendlys followed by airing his homesickness anxiety to the press.
The general theme of those close calls is experience has been given priority by Mr Capello and its hard to argue with the rationale. Ultimately though, whether we win the World Cup or not will not hinge upon these tough decisions the manager had to make. The main heart of the team picks itself and keeping these players fit and working together in a system that suits the opposition we are up against will provide the key to our success. Yes the squad has a good depth to it, but any more injuries to key players will be felt much harder than the recent loss of our captain.
That brings me nicely on to the big news of the week, the loss of Rio Ferdinand and the drafting in of Michael Dawson to replace him. At first this news came as a real shock and my initial reaction was that our World Cup hopes had been dealt a severe blow. One thing is certain, losing your captain a week before a major tournament is far from ideal preparation and a big worry is how it could potentially unsettle other players. Looking at the practical problem Rio’s injury throws up it certainly could have been a lot worse. In Ledley King we have a top draw replacement who has always distinguished himself when he has pulled on the three lions in the past. His knees are a worry, but it is a problem King has learnt to manage so we must put our faith in England’s physio and coaching staff that he can come through unscathed. There is also the fact we have lost our captain, but let’s be honest, John Terry may not wear the armband any more but when that whistle blows he does not need an armband to marshal and inspire his troops. Doubtless losing Rio is a blow but when looked at in the proper perspective I don’t think we are really that much worse off. It has left us on a bit of a knife edge however and as I mentioned before if any more of our high profile names suffer injuries the consequences will be far graver.
Firstly there is the matter of Capello’s squad selection and the farcical way in which it was announced. For me the squad selection held nothing that was of any great surprise. Of course the main subject on everybody’s lips was the omission of Theo Walcott which was perceived as unexpected by some. I however do not understand how a player who has not played well or has ever really consistently performed is expected to be in an England World Cup Squad. I for one was happy at Walcott’s absence and such a commonsensical decision is a far cry from Sven’s inclusion of Walcott four years previous, I feel we are in safer hands than ever before.
Obviously there is probably an argument for each of the other six players who missed out that they are a touch unlucky. Bent and his supporters must wonder what else he could possibly do to get the nod, but the truth is at international level he will always come up a fraction short. Scott Parker is an outstanding professional whose work effort is second to none, but it has been argued, I believe correctly, his aggressive style may not suit the World Cup arena. Tom Huddlestone must have thought he had a chance after some limp performances from Michael Carrick this season, but Capello once again plumped for experience. The same must be said of Upson’s selection over Michael Dawson, going strictly on form you would have to say Dawson should get the nod. Lastly Leighton Baines dug his own grave to a certain extent with subpar performances in the friendlys followed by airing his homesickness anxiety to the press.
The general theme of those close calls is experience has been given priority by Mr Capello and its hard to argue with the rationale. Ultimately though, whether we win the World Cup or not will not hinge upon these tough decisions the manager had to make. The main heart of the team picks itself and keeping these players fit and working together in a system that suits the opposition we are up against will provide the key to our success. Yes the squad has a good depth to it, but any more injuries to key players will be felt much harder than the recent loss of our captain.
That brings me nicely on to the big news of the week, the loss of Rio Ferdinand and the drafting in of Michael Dawson to replace him. At first this news came as a real shock and my initial reaction was that our World Cup hopes had been dealt a severe blow. One thing is certain, losing your captain a week before a major tournament is far from ideal preparation and a big worry is how it could potentially unsettle other players. Looking at the practical problem Rio’s injury throws up it certainly could have been a lot worse. In Ledley King we have a top draw replacement who has always distinguished himself when he has pulled on the three lions in the past. His knees are a worry, but it is a problem King has learnt to manage so we must put our faith in England’s physio and coaching staff that he can come through unscathed. There is also the fact we have lost our captain, but let’s be honest, John Terry may not wear the armband any more but when that whistle blows he does not need an armband to marshal and inspire his troops. Doubtless losing Rio is a blow but when looked at in the proper perspective I don’t think we are really that much worse off. It has left us on a bit of a knife edge however and as I mentioned before if any more of our high profile names suffer injuries the consequences will be far graver.
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