Now they want goal line technology!

Is it not amazing that FIFA could not find it in their hearts to introduce goal line technology after England were denied a goal in the last World Cup but immediately the advantage favoured England then they are advocating change?

Goal line technology clearly has to be introduced because the pace of the game in this modern era is too fast for the human eye. Cricket has embraced it and so has Rugby and the effect has been to introduce a fair result.

Football must use it even more. So many referees are giving ridiculous decisions that the confidence of the public has been shattered. The game is being ruined because one man cannot possibly police a game when 22 men are trying to cheat! We must have a third official role when in hindsight decisions can be challenged. It does not destroy Rugby or Cricket so why will it destroy football?

On the practical side I am rather surprised that a plodding, uninspiring England team has won their group which in fact was a tough group to win. Perhaps that is what is needed in this modern era? The new manager is playing to the strengths of his team. He has  introduced a method. He is prepared to soak up pressure and await the odd chance on the break.

It is not attractive. It is not football for the purists but it is the modern game. Roy Hodgson is doing what he must do. We are difficult to break down and in the past that has won tournaments. Perhaps if we get into the later stages then he will unleash the more creative players but I doubt it. 

I get the impression that this particular manager thinks he can win the competition. I also think that he has organised his squad. They are working for each other. It is always thought that if a team has four world class players then they can win a major tournament. We have entered this tournament with Joe Hart, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerard. We now just need a couple more to rise above their normal game.


 My bet is that Glen Johnson, Scott Parker and just perhaps Wayne Rooney will decide to fulfil their potential. Then we need a wild card...a player to do something brilliant to change a game. We have Ashley Young, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and either of our three strikers. Don't rule out Defoe!


Heh it is possible you know. Italy are not as strong as in previous years. Fingers crossed that I have not hexed our progress.

Jack Wilshire

For some time now I, as an English football fan, have continually been disappointed at the grotesque attempts of the England football team to win any significant event. Time after time we have flattered to deceive and I have long since lost count of how many 'golden generations' we have had. I also suspect that our football writers have all had their fingers burned far too often to offer optimistic reviews but on Saturday I detected a sign that we have a real star burning brightly on the horizon.

OK it was 'only' Wales and they are not the strongest opposition but the performance of young Jack Wilshire Arsenal's 19 year old midfielder, was as promising as any I can remember for many years. His ball control and vision was more akin to someone raised in Brazil or Spain and allowed those around him the time to develop and demonstrate their own skills.

The understanding between Wilshire and Scott Parker in one game went way beyond anything demonstrated by Lampard and Gerrard in dozens of games. They allowed others like Glen Johnson and Ashley Young  to find the room to shine. It was most promising and hopefully could be a sign for the future.

England and Fabio....

Well once again England have pulled off a good start to their European campaign. They were, I thought, rather flattered because Joe Hart proved what most of us believed at the World Cup that he is by far the best goalkeeper available to us. His saves gave us breathing space and discouraged the Bulgarians but if they had gone in we may have seen a different game.

Fabio will soon have to make THE big decision because it cannot be a coincidenece that we looked a far better team without Frank Lampard. Don't get me wrong Lampard is a fine player but for some mysterious reason he disrupts the English team. the midfield doesn't function with Lampard in the team and in particular Gerard seems much more comfortable.

I am also concerned about Wayne Rooney. Something has happened to this lad and I suspect that the wealth is affecting his appetite for the game. He has lost that vital spark, the speed and the desire which made him exceptional. He is now workmanlike which is not enough and his lack of goals must be a concern for the England boss. Defoe on the other hand surprised me because I am not normally a fan.
However once Crouch is available then on the face of it then in my opinion it would be Rooney who would step down.

Of the rest Adam Johnson showed that he should have gone to South Africa and Jagielka and Dawson deserve further opportunities (pity about Dawson). I await the introduction of some of the younger brigade like Huddlestone. Walcott continues to frustrate me by the lack of an end product but overall we still need a potential world star...someone who will shake up the planet. We thought it would be Rooney but then we saw what the rest were producing.

I am increasingly of the opinion that a footballer's life is a very short one in the modern game. They peak in their early twenties and by the time that they are past 25 they have seen better days. Not perhaps with defenders but with those who take the physical puinishment up front then their shelf life is limited.

Who will be the next superstars?

So much to catch up upon but...England

I told everyone during the World Cup that Fabio Capello had to make a huge decision and drop Frank Lampard. Look back through my posts and you will see that I said it I said it at the time and not afterwards! Everyone and his dog knew that for whatever reason Lampard and Gerard could not work together. Managers like Capello are being paid huge amounts to make crucial decisions which bring failure or glory.

Capello failed when he was needed. He could not change the team, the culture or the mood in the camp when the going got tough. He chose the wrong squad, the wrong team and the wrong tactics. OK he was inititally worth a punt but he got it wrong so why do we not choose a guy who played in our culture, speaks our language and will reflect our approach to football.

Amazingly Martin O'Neill is suddenly available to manage England! Amazingly Fabio did not look enhusiastic tonight. Amazingly Stevie G saved his bacon after yet another unconvincing performance... but for how long?

England

The one feature of leaving these shores for a week is that it gives one a fresh perspective on life in general. Having just spent a week in a bungalow with only Sky News and Euro Sport for company it gave me a lot of time for reflection. For a news junkie like me the morning trip to the local Supermercado for the newspaper was probably the best part of the day although reading it in shorts and T-shirt in 26 degrees also had its advantages.

Gran Canaria seems to be home to more Germans than British, certainly at this time of year and my years in the former West Germany often pays dividends because there is little doubt at times that the Germans are better thought of than the British. To be honest I can understand why. Many of the elderly are of course respectable and well behaved but we are cursed with the ignorant,foul-mouthed, chain smoking, overweight, heavily tattoed yobs and that is just the women. Throw in the beer bellies, shaven heads and the out of control children then the overall picture is far from pretty! It therefore often pays to initiate the conversation in German and then let them discover gently that you are kidding them on.

Apart from that Gran Canaria is most of what England is not. It is clean and tidy, public services operate efficiently, the people are generally obliging (restaurant staff invariably speak three languages) and apart from sidestreets the roads are well maintained.

Having said all that I am always pleased to come home particularly when we are met by my grandchildren and their mummy who always has that little extra welcome for us.
I am sat here freezing as the house warms up but there are lots of little home comforts that I have missed. So much has happened in this week that I began to regret being so far from the blog. I will soon catch up though...now then where is that recipe for green custard?

Capello's England - same old ,same old

I am an ardent football fan. I passionately want England to do well and so when they appointed Fabio Capello I dreamed of a new approach from that adopted during the Ericsson/MaClaren eras. I am sick of watching the dreary chess match approach to football. We have players of flair and skill and yet match after match goes by and nothing happens.

Now I realise that France are a top quality team even though Scotland beat them but last night we went almost the whole game without really threatening their goal. It was so boring but not until Downing came on did we have a player prepared to run forward with the ball at his feet (the exception was one effort from Gareth Barry).

This celebrity cult which pervades the England squad has to be culled. Now Beckham has got his 100th cap that should be it - he is washed up as a top filght player and has been for some time. His delivery is still great but that is not enough. The same goes for Michael Owen.

There is a collection of young, ambitious, players knocking on the door and it is time they got a chance. I know that Gerard and Rooney play well for their clubs but they have lost their way internationally and results prove it. Where was the pace last night, where was the ambition, the drive and the creation. I lost count of the number of times that we moved forward, hesitated, lost momentum and then passed the ball all the way back to James because nobody could think what to do with it.

Get rid of them Fabio and start working with the kids! Walcott, Bentley, Ashton, Milner,Huddleston, Richards etc etc. Let's get someone in an England shirt who wants to play for the country. Get Joe Cole off that left wing and given him the conductor's baton, select wingers who want to attack the full backs and wrap Heskey in cotton wool until the England games and then find him a partner (Dean Ashton?). I know it is all a matter of opinion but something has to change.

Capello's England!

Well we won but I'm afraid I wasn't really impressed. I know it was only a friendly and I know it was therefore only experimental and I also know that there are no easy victories in international football in this day and age but...I also know what good and attractive football looks like. I can also spot a good player and I want to see the players who can take us into the trenches in the next World Cup.

So who did we see tonight? Well I reckon that David Bentley is nailed on to take the old 'Beckham' role on the right flank. I also think that Joe Cole is in the Victor Meldrew's brother World Cup team and at this stage I will stop! I really believe that, of his type, Gareth Barry will probably come through because he can spot a pass and control a ball but I am not convinced about the rest.

I have a soft spot for Peter Crouch. He battles all the time and his freak stature makes him a problem for defences but he can also score goals from all angles which brings me to Wayne Rooney. Wazza is not a target man who can play alone up front. He plays off a target man (Crouch/Heskey/Dean Ashton/Kevin Davies) and we all know that he is effective at Premiership level. He has yet to prove in my eyes that he is an international player. His first touch is still dodgy and for all his power I would prefer to see some intelligence!

The same goes for Steven Gerard. He is all power, passion and pride but he needs to take a step back sometimes and produce the right pass at the right time. Joe Cole will produce a pass and so will Bentley and Barry but when does Gerard produce that killer ball?

So there it is, in my opinion we have 2/3 players ready for the next World Cup! Am I right? Does anyone care? My blank wall remains blank but never mind, when the time comes I will have the proof that I said it first (I hope!).