Euro Trash

Team GB?


Obviously this is a little bit early, but its a massive summer of sport this year! All the talk is about the Olympics and the pointless notion of the GB football team. I feel for the athletes a little bit, as they work tirelessly for years building up to an olympic games. It's their world cup finals and a special event for them. The last thing they want is a last minute decision to be made to whack a "British" football team in there made up of players who are past their best, or from countries that aren't good enough to qualify for the major competitions and are going to treat it like a bit of a kick about. It's like a pub team turning up at the European championships. You can hear it now: "This years final is contested between Spain and...The Dog And Duck!" Don't get me wrong, the idea of a British team is fairly mouthwatering. The dream of Bale and Ramsey being English has been talked about in pubs up and down the land. If, back in the day, we had the Manchester United midfield of Giggs, Scholes, Keane, and Beckham, the France World Cup in 1998 may have ended up in our trophy cabinet. The problem is, we are going to have toddlers and old, fat A list celebrities in the side. It's going to be like a charity game, and the kit; don't even get me started on the kit!

Rooney's Replacement


Apart from the London (fun and) games this year, which half the country couldn't give a rats arse about, there is the small matter of the European Championships. Our talisman and arguably our best player, Wayne Rooney, is out for the first couple of group games which means someone has to step up. I look at our list of strikers and it doesn't fill me with much confidence. Jermain Defoe; one of the best finishers about, but can't get into the Tottenham first team to save his life. Andy "womanising brute with feet shaped like Toblerones" Carroll who looks less like £35million every second he plays. If someone bought him for £3.5million they would feel ripped off in the form he's in at the moment. Darren Bent is looking fairly tidy this season but I feel his goal scoring ratio could be better. He has never quite looked 100% comfortable in an England shirt. There is also Peter Crouch, who has always looked like he couldn't play football at all and would be more at home as one of the giant papier mache characters in the rio carnival. Whenever he has played for England he has always delivered, but will Capello take a punt on him? My bet is either Welbeck or Sturridge, who looks the complete player if he can sort his head out. I could see him playing with Rooney just off him when his suspension is over. The thing is that Rooney and Welbeck have the understanding of having played together all season, which could be the key when the scouser is back in the fold. Also, keeping Hernandez out of the side takes some doing and he's proved he can score goals!

Taking "The Ox"


Without the surge of goals we need it could be a real struggle, but I am ready to be proved wrong. The italian post man pat look-alike came out in the press this week and said he may take Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain as his "wild card". I think it would be a super addition to the squad. He looks twice the player that Walcott was at 17 when he was hauled across the world to basically watch a world cup by Sven. He has also made Champions League appearances and played against the likes of Manchester United and held his own. He seems to have no fear, and could be the difference if he comes on in the tight games you anticipate at a major championships. Another name that is a must for me is Micah Richards. For me, he is the perfect footballer; Big, commited, quick, great touch, good passing range and has been known to finish like a striker at times. The fact that he is one of the only survivors of the old Manchester City team and has managed to hold his own when the gazillions brought in from the far east has meant he could be replaced at any time by any right back in the world. He has been "Mr Consistency" all year and hopefully he won't burn out and can carry it on to the Euro's. With Cahill and Terry playing together at some point in Chelsea shirts it could give us the extra stability at the back that we need.

I do rate our chances this year, and I know there is a long way to go until the summer, injuries and suspensions can all appear in the run in at the end of the season, but if we can keep everyone fit and healthy you never know!


The Dave Capello "Without Rooney"starting XI:

                                                       Hart

                Richards             Terry              Cahill              Cole

               Walcott               Parker      Lampard               Young

                                 

                                                 Defoe

                                        Sturridge/Welbeck

Some controversy I know, but that my opinion. What would your team be? Feel free to comment below!

Quiet Monday after the Super Sunday

So, it turns out that I am no Mystic Meg when it comes to predicting football results but who could have foreseen the events that unfolded at the Etihad yesterday afternoon? A spurs side who are full of confidence up against a team without their captain, who has been the rock of their defence this season. It had all the makings of a classic, and in some respects it was.

I was in the pub, slightly hung over and eating a roast with friends which meant my full attention wasn't on the first forty five minutes but even so, I could tell that it wasn't setting up to be the rocket fuelled battle that I was expecting. How wrong I was!

The second half kicked off with our stomachs full of beef and the chit chat out of the way, eyes glued to the big screen. The players seemed to have gained that little bit of extra umph to kick the game into over drive. We commented on David Silva having a quiet match, and as soon as the words exited our mouths he slotted an inch perfect pass to Nasri who fired home with style. My spurs supporting friends didn't seem too worried and I definitely felt they could get back in to it, but with what seemed like seconds it was 2-0. A scruffy goal by Lescott. Now, I have never been to the Etihad, but I know some Man City fans and they can be proper mental, and I can imagine the atmosphere at this point was like 40,000 of the soldiers from 300 shouting and screaming encouragement at their team (but obviously without the tiny pants) which could have put spurs necks firmly in the sand. Wrong again!  Within a minute a big hoof upfield is flicked into Jermain Defoe's path by the truly awful Savic. The small striker showed his class by rounding Harte and finishing calmly in the empty net. I couldn't hear the commentary too well but I can imagine it was the point when Martin Tyler shouts "Game On!" A phrase over used on tv but does charge up the listener for what is set to come.

Five minutes later and up stepped Gareth Bale, valued at £150million before the game, whose monkey like ears gleamed in the sun light as he curled a shot past the finger tips of the City keeper. By this point I thought they could have pushed on and maybe snuck a winner, just for my predictions sake, but Harry Redknapp took off Van Der Vaart and brought on Jake Livermore to try and hang on to the point.

Next came the controversy. Mario "Why always me, I don't know what all the fuss is about, what do you mean I'm in the papers AGAIN?" Balotelli had come on the pitch and seemed to get in a tangle with the perfect 1950s footballer Scott Parker. The replay showed not only had he kicked him in the head, but then stamped on it which, in my book, should have been a red card but as it happened so quickly, Howard Webb didn't spot it. This turned out to be a catastrophic point in the match for Spurs. With 10 seconds of injury time left to play, Ledley King decides to play "paper, scissors, stone" with Balotelli with his legs as the scissors and the italian as the paper. When playing this game I tend to advise people not to do it in a penalty area at the very end of one of the biggest games of the season in the Premiership. Webb gave the penalty. Who was involved in the incident and then stepped up to slot home for the win? Of course it was Super Mario. How does he steal the headlines week after week?

There were tears, tantrums and looks of disbelief around the pub. We were half time in our super Sunday and another big game was about to start. Ten years ago this match would have been massive. Yesterday it seemed to lack that excitement and interest that it has lost since Wenger's men started not being able to get their hands on a trophy and United seem to have become a bit hit and miss in recent times and are dangerously close to being knocked from their mantle at the top of the league by their closest of rivals.

With Vermaelen back for Arsenal, the back four looked like a solid unit for a change and with the inclusion of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for his first start of the season it was starting to look like a more exciting day for the Arsenal fans. It was a real battling performance from both sides throughout, but after seeing so much drama in the first game, little could come close. the atmosphere wasn't quite as electric and the biggest cheer was when someone sitting behind us called Nani a "vagina". Very odd terminology to describe a professional athlete!

As expected, the manchester side dominated the first half and just before the break got the goal they had been striving for, set up by the 89 year old Ryan Giggs, who has one of the highest pass completion ratios in the league. He sprayed a fabulous cross which was despatched tidily by the head of Valencia. The Emirates crowd did not like that. Boos rang around the stadium as their team trudged back to the dressing room. All this grand new stadium has seen in it's short years has been disappointment it seems, apart from the obvious Thierry Henry moment against Leeds.

Just over half way into the second half the game opened up and Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was fantastic all afternoon and put Theo Walcott to shame on the other wing, slotted a ball to Van Persie who finished beautifully off the post. I was amazed that the Gunners were back in it, after thinking there was a danger of a repeat performance of the Old Trafford mauling before the match.

This encounter too, had a turning point. Three minutes after the goal and Arsene Wenger did something that a whole stadium, everyone frequenting a bar and pub,  people at home  and even Arsenal players disagreed with. He took off "the Ox", an 18 year old flair player who can create chances at the drop of a hat and seems to have no fear, and brought on the wet blanket that people call Andre Arshavin. I do feel sorry for the guy. He came to Arsenal with the reputation as one of the worlds best, and has somehow ended up as a shadow of his former self and unfortunately an easy scapegoat for already frustrated fans. In the 81st minute the little Russian tracked back as best he could and defended, how can only be described as a blind man running with fake legs on ice. Valencia almost walked passed him as he flew across his path and disappeared off to somewhere near Camden. After a one-two with Park he gave the ball back to Welbeck who scored another nice goal to add to his growing collection. Even with ten minutes still to go, I could already hear the commentator in my head screaming "Game Over!" and so it was.

It was an emotional Sunday afternoon filled with lovely food, great company, drama, excitement and goals. Almost all the best things about watching the Premier League.

The title is now in City's hands, and with Dirty Harry's court case and imminent imprisonment an unwelcome distraction, it looks to be down to which end of Manchester the trophy ends up this year. But, all can change in a second. That's the beauty of football!

MADCHESTER!

I know that there are some great fixtures today, notably Everton Vs Blackburn, Sunderland Vs Swansea, and Chelsea are in action against Norwich, but surely all the focus and excitement this weekend is going to be on the North London/Manchester title shattering games tomorrow.

It's going to be a classic 'Super Sunday', even if they both end up 0-0, which is unlikely to happen with Arsenal's "leakier than a bum after a night out on the curry and beer" defence, and Man City's unstoppable strike force. To be honest, the fact the forwards cost about £8gazillion you would expect them to bang in a few goals. My girlfriend claims that her Lois Vuitton bag is tougher, more beautiful and well made than her normal hand bags. The fact it cost a fortune, I totally agree with her, but I don't understand paying that much for something you just have on your arm when you go out and  keep your keys and tampons in! I feel the same about expensive strikers.

I don't necessarily agree with Arsene Wenger's philosophy of plucking a guy from the Ethiopian league, who has just come out of primary school and has no eyes but "potential" and cost three lima beans, but paying £20million as apposed to £60million makes more sense. Although, there are players such as Messi and Ronaldo that are probably worth the heavy fee as they can run a whole side consistently, every week.

Spurs have managed to forge a team that is playing the best football in the league at the moment and Harry redknapp hasn't spent a ridiculous amount of money. He's been sensible and, yes he's dodgier than the Mitchell brothers put together, but he's managed to get some real bargains in his side. To pick up a player of Adebayor's quality on a season long loan is a fantastic coup. To get last season's writer's player of the year for £5.5million in this day and age is quite something and to have Modric, Van der Vaart and Bale in your side (all be it two of them bought by Ramos) and not even paying £30million for the lot is pretty good business in anyone's book. The only real weakness I can see in the side is Assou-Ekotto. After his wonder goal the other week you can see he can succeed going forward, but defensively I think he can be left wanting far too many times. Aside from that, Harry is "Mr.Motivator" (obviously not the crazy lycra clad fitness freak of the mid 90s) and I think the way spurs are going, they can sneak a win and totally blow the title race wide open.

Manchester United are going through a bit of a weird spell at the moment. We aren't talking Harry Potter style weird, but something isn't quite right. It's a big period of transition for Sir Alex's side, with the Giggs' and Scholes' of this world finally dying out after what seems an age in the starting line up and youngsters like Smalling, Cleverly, Welbeck and Jones coming into the side. Don't get me wrong, these are all future star international players, but I just think that they lack the cool heads that a player gains from a few years battling it out for titles in big games. The thing with Ferguson is that he has been through these types of seasons before and always seems to come out the other side smelling of roses, and don't get me wrong, United are not far off the top of the league and you can never rule them out.

With Arsenal still blighted by injury and United fresh from beating Man City I can't see anything other than the win being taken by the northern side. The way the gunners played against Swansea was the worst I have seen them since Bruce Rioch was in charge back in '95. Swansea were fantastic though, and are most definitely recreating the respect that was forged for Blackpool last season. Let's hope for them that it doesn't end in the same way!

Dave's predictions: Arsenal      1 - 3       Man. Utd.
                               Man. City  1 - 2       Spurs

January Sale!

January is upon us! That's right; fat bellies, empty bank balances, cold weather, and THE TRANSFER WINDOW! 


This time of year is one of the juiciest in any football fan's calendar. I spend my time trawling the backs of newspapers, blogs, websites and of course Sky Sports News! Harry Redknapp is surely going to be sitting in a Range Rover next to his, somewhat, mute assistant manager giving the cockney spiel to some freezing reporter who has been waiting for hours for some meaty gossip! The glamorous news readers will be pouting their way through the next month ready to give the story that will shock, astound and delight people around the country!

The biggest coup so far has to be Gary Cahill's move from Bolton to Chelsea for an understated £7million. A player who could barely hold down a starting birth at Aston Villa, but has come into his own at Bolton single handedly dragging them out of the dirt it seems and after getting his first few England caps will be a super defensive partner for John Terry that the blues have been craving since the departure of Ricardo Carvalho in 2010. The way Arsenal tore them apart earlier in the season was so uncharacteristic and was a far cry from the unpenetrable team of Mourinho's reign at the Bridge.

Staying with Arsenal, I can't even begin to decide who, what and where needs strengthening this January. They have been decimated by injury but it seems that the squad as a whole just cannot cope with even a slight crisis. I bet Arsene Wenger would happily take Messi on a free, or Neymar for £2million, but will probably end up buying a 2 year old Belgian attacking midfielder, who is "the next big thing"!

I do love the whole excitement of it all. I get the same feeling that I felt at Christmas in the late 80s and early 90s. One of wonder, excitement and even magic. The last minute dealings of last year with Torres and Carroll moving on was fantastic. Totally worth being sat on the couch all day with supplies like I was locked in some sort of panic room.

I can't see Manchester City doing that much business to be honest. The team is flying and even the loss of the Toure's to the African Nations cup, will just be absorbed by their outstanding squad. Maybe they could grab that big name in central defence that can partner Kompany, who is looking like a Premier League great already, years before the big guy reaches his prime.

Tottenham will spend their time trying to hang on to Bale, Modric and Defoe like rabid dogs on leads chasing a cat with Harry flying along behind, leads in hand. My bet would be Defoe moving to somewhere, maybe Liverpool. The reds looked like world beaters on paper at the beginning of the season but as the old cliche goes; "the game isn't played on paper". The Suarez situation was not dealt with very well and has been an untimely distraction for the team, with a £35million Andy Carroll looking like a sunday league thug that couldn't hit a banjo with a cow...or something like that.

With Manchester United waiting quietly in the wings to snap up the next Phil Jones, they are always dangerous at this time of year. Somehow they pull out the millions of pounds even though the club are in massive debt. Not being proficiant in accountancy I'm not quite sure how that works, but Ferguson seems to get away with it time and time again. The lower teams in the division will be scrounging for that bargain and I think january 31st will be one to watch this year!

Here's to crisps, big bottles of Coke, pouty presenters, helicopters, drama and of course Jim white. The silver haired, scottish, transfer deadline day GOD!! Bring it on!