FOOTBALL IS COMING HOME » England

England’s World Cup Ambitions Depend on Rooney’s Health

Peter Alegi — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:02:32 +0000

When people ask me ‘Who will win the 2010 World Cup’ I tell them either Spain or England. Loaded with talent in the middle and up front, Spain have been magnificent in the past 3 years, as the Euro 2008 crown and the subsequent winning streak demonstrated. Meanwhile, Capello has resurrected an English side that didn’t even qualify for Euro 2008, mixing tactical acumen with more traditional Anglo attributes and an experienced player corps.

But my World Cup final prediction hangs on Wayne Rooney’s health. His severe ankle sprain suffered in the dying seconds of ManU’s last-gasp defeat to Bayern Munich not only complicates my future career as a pundit (ha!), but threatens the Red Devils’ title chase and England’s quest for World Cup glory.

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The Black Princes of England

David Patrick Lane — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:23:22 +0000

(Davy expects African sides to edge traditional Latin and Continental powers, but fancies England for the Cup. Below he discusses the likely England squad, highlighting what he expects to be the historic contribution of England’s black players.)

To be King in Africa, a useful prerequisite is to be a Black Prince. Africans have high expectations in 2010. Prince Michael of Ghana is regal. Didier of Orange, deadly. Other African Princes will soon have noble claims.

European and Latin Princes will not relinquish supremacy easily. Castilian legions led by the Boy Prince Fernando occupy the high ground. The colours of the canary have been sighted. Animals grow restless at the approaching beat of the Samba. Caravans of dancing distractions cannot be far behind.

England’s Princes are now schooled in the Florentine art of obtaining and maintaining possession. Possession is power. The tongue and territory will be familiar. Their opponents fattened at the premier table.

A procession of pretenders will threaten England’s pomp and circumstance. It will feel like Carnival, littered with cheekiness, Danes with red faces, disguises, elaborate costumes and systems, flags and whistles, a few inflatable kangaroos, Honduran dark horses, outrageous moves, outrageously unbelievably beautiful Brazilians in bikinis dancing and drinking ice cold Castle in tepid game time temperatures, tight formations, sloppy formations, Serbs, Slovaks, thundering thighs, sombreros, swinging elbows and shots heard all over YouTube.

Ultimately, Africa’s Football Princes may rival or edge Latin or Continental forces, but history suggests only the ignominious can disrupt a worthy succession such as that of England’s Princes. Knaves no longer, England can be Kings in 2010.

Why England? Why now?

In all key areas, England can be industrious, intricate, and irresistible. Imposing, intuitive gatekeepers. Ugly, brutal defending, when required. A penetrating and visionary midfield, mercurial and marathon-like. Flying full backs. Tricky in the transition. Everyone a locksmith. Forceful along the forward line. And fearless in front of goal. Even the new threads are majestic and superfly. England project imperiousness.

The names of Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney have been written and will be ubiquitous in replica, official and illicit. Yet, such larger than life names cannot conceal a new England reality. England’s conquering football Princes promise to be black, mostly. It is this remarkable contribution from the African Diaspora that will soon transpose itself from the back page columns and blogs to the front-page consciousness of England.

England’s Black Princes are familiar as individuals. But those Black Stars have never been classified together in one global English football galaxy. It has taken F. Capello, a cagey Italian football astronomer from the small commune of San Canzian d’Isonzo to structure their collective attraction and power.

Their projected visibility and victory at a period of dark realignment in the English body politic will be timely. Folks in Barking, Essex, need not adjust their television sets.

Who are England’s Black Princes?

Goalkeepers

Capello has a bunch of capable, if occasionally flawed flappers to choose from. Carson, Foster, Green, Hart, Kirkland, Robinson have all had their moments. Yet David James who has had more moments than most will almost certainly be awarded the No. 1 jersey. He probably deserves it, though I personally prefer Chris Kirkland and Joe Hart.

Full Backs

For the No. 2 and No. 3 shirts, there is no looking past Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole. There will be more than a few housewives having a flutter on those two brothers being among the goals. The race to back up Johnson and Cole is interesting, if less colourful. Neville is an able, though stale deputy. There is more competition on the left. Baines, Bridge and Warnock all possibilities. (Ryan Bertrand, Kyle Naughton and Kieran Gibbs will all probably have to wait until Brazil 2014.)

Centre Backs

It is conventional wisdom to assume Rio Ferdinand and John Terry will marshal the back line, though a connoisseur such as Capello could be tempted to try Ledley King. Capello has a long established his preference for the Tottenham captain. In reserve there are a multitude of mangling, dangling defenders: Cahill, Collins, Dawson, Jagiekla, Shawcross, Upson, Wheather, Woodgate to name but a few of the latest, great white hopes. And not a new Bobby Moore among them. The versatility of the Manchester players, Wes Brown and Joleon Lescott, should ensure their presence in South Africa.

Midfield

Barry, Gerrard and Lampard are pivotal players, each capable of turning a game. But the World Cup is not one game, it is a tournament, and star performers tend to be telescoped and guarded more closely than ever at the big dances. It goes without saying a midfield requires balance, depth and width. England have an abundance of players who bring all that and can also slip into the boots of the big stars. Crucially, England can also call on unheralded players who can produce the unexpected. It is the transitional contributions of such players that win tournaments. England have four cats that fit that category. Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Young. At least two or maybe three of those four should be in the mix. Ashley Young tops the list for me, followed by Theo Walcott, then Aaron Lennon. For some reason, James Milner is flavour of the month, though I don’t see him as a cat among the pigeons type of player.

The usual suspects are favoured to fill out the rest of the midfield roster. Beckham, Carrick, Cole, and Hargreaves are known big club competitors. The inclusion of most of the above makes sense, yet based on recent squads, it would not be a surprise to see Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone preferred. Strong cases will made for hard cases like Cattermole and Parker, while others will advance the merits of selfless midfielders with a nose for a goal such as Bullard, Johnson, Murphy or Noble. The prospect of injuries and patchy form will keep folks guessing until the summer, by which point precocious youngsters like Fabian Delph, Jack Rodwell, Danny Rose or Jack Wiltshire may have matured into reserve grade luxuries one cannot do without.

Forwards

Rooney gives the Pele-like impression he could win the World Cup all on his own. It is Capello’s job to complement the boyhood Evertonian. He seems to be vacillating between Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole. Crouch has an enviable England record, but his tap ins against inferior opposition should not fool anyone. A second line of poachers seems likely to be drawn from Gabriel Agbonlahor, Darren Bent and or Jermaine Defoe. My preference would be for the Aston Villa player. His speed can unsettle defences in ways the others cannot. There seems to be no room for Michael Owen. It would be foolish to discount him just yet. It seems he may have to prove himself all over again. And even then Capello may well be keeping a young blood like Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Daniel Sturridge, James Vaughn or Danny Welbeck up his sleeve.

The Symbols of Victory

Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard may score the goal that wins the World Cup. John Terry may be the Captain that lifts the World Cup. They will be forever symbolic of an England victory. David Beckham, whether he plays or not, too. But another all together more compelling symbol of England’s crowning on African soil will be their constitution. A majority of England’s new football Kings promise to be Young, Gifted and Black.

*Disclaimer: Davy was raised in England. Like many English folk he has had a history of dismissing England’s World Cup prospects. He supports Uruguay.

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R.I.P. Bobby Robson

David Patrick Lane — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:36:28 +0000

I met Bobby Robson once. It was a Tuesday night in the late 80s. I noticed him in the carpark at Anfield. He was fiddling with stuff in his boot. He was England’s manager at the time. England were awful as usual.

I was of the mind that England needed a centre half with pace, one with the added ability of being able to string a few passes together. Mr. Robson, I said. “You’ve really got to get a grip of your backline…it’s crap.” He looked up. Startled. I continued, “You’ve really got to give this lad Des Walker of Notts Forest a go.” He was gobsmacked. You could tell he hadn’t given Des Walker a moment’s thought before. I closed saying, “We know what we’re talkin’ about round here, mate. ” He replied, “I know.” And then off he went to the Directors entrance for a cup of tea and another 90 minute Liverpool clinic. I forget which poor bastards we destroyed that night. At the time, there had been no clamour in the press for Des Walker to be introduced into the England squad. It was a closed shop of fat cockeneys playing the position at the time. But soon enough, Des Walker was called up.

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Fruity Finals

David Patrick Lane — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:59:30 +0000

[Charged with breaking down the European qualifiers, David Patrick Lane takes a moment to tell us what he really thinks. Next Group 7. Serbia, France, and yes, our Austrian friends will soon make an appearance.]

The 1970 World Cup was a watershed moment for the modern game, if for no other reason than it was broadcast in color. Color TV sets were a newfangled invention then, though many folks have continued to watch World Cups as if they were taking place in snowstorms.

There have been 10 World Cups since 1970. That’s 40 different semi finalists. Yet only four have come from outside Europe.

Argentina, Brazil, South Korea and Uruguay.

The beautiful game. The global game. Call it what you will. It is all of the above. But World Cup finals do tend to be very European affairs. They may be not as white as the World Swimming Championships, but they could certainly do with a little more fruitiness.

Nine African and South American places at the 2010 World Cup is not fair and balanced.

Such limited access has not stopped black or mongrel nations from winning or producing the greatest players. Brazil has won more World Cups in this period than any other nation. And who can imagine football without Maradona? Yet the B Roll continues to be dominated by Europe.

I am not looking to discount the great achievements of perennial powerhouses like Italy and Germany, the marvelous contributions of the Dutch or French or the plucky performances of the likes of Poland and Sweden, but I fear I would rather watch paint dry than most of the likely 13 UEFA qualifiers in this World Cup. Spain do have the promise of an Almadovar script. And England, for once, also look like they’ll be an exception. You won’t find anyone anywhere more Mongrel than Wayne Rooney!

Let’s hope the switch from Analog to Digital that seems to be cascading around the world will herald some real color from South Africa in 2010. I am close to being bored of brutal looking European center halves hoofing long balls forward while being blankly cheered on by their fellow country folk with their crucified face-painted national symbols. It’s time we had millions of Algerians, Hondurans and Zambians pixilated across our screens cheering as their teams tackle the commanding heights of the football world. It’s time we had some fruity finals.

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The end of an era at Manchester United

Editor — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:14:19 +0000

The transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid is not the only end of an era at Manchester United. An Educated Right Foot blogs on the passing of another era at the club:

It has for years been the axis around which Man United have flourished, but it looks like the end is nigh for the stars of [the] 1992 FA Youth Cup. David Beckham left for Real Madrid in 2003, while Nicky Butt went the other way, to Newcastle in 2004. Meanwhile, with lesser clubs interested in their aged legs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville look set to follow this summer. That leaves Ryan Giggs, who somehow won Player of the Year this season, but whose performance in the Champions League final, more or less, made him look better suited to the Welsh team than ever, and essentially epitomised his form over the last few years: slow and wasteful. I wouldn’t expect him to play much of a role in next season’s campaign. Goodbye, then, lads. We hardly knew ye.

[An Educated Right Food]

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Goal of the Week

Editor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:58:25 +0000

English fans want to quickly forget the 4-0 loss to Germany in Monday’s UEFA European Under 21 Championship Final in Sweden. And Sandro Wagner, a 21-year old former Bayern Munich midfielder now at another German Bundesliga club, MSV Duisburg, played a big part in the unraveling of the England team. Wagner scored twice for Germany in that game. (It’s not clear whether the Bundestrainer, Joachim Löw, has plans to take him to South Africa next year). This was his second goal. The German commentator loses it.

[By the way, this is a new weekly Friday feature on this site. Send us your votes for Goal of the Week]

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David Beckham’s American misadventure

Editor — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:05:41 +0000

In two weeks time the ageing David Beckham has to return to the United States and play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS (against the New York Red Bulls at Giant Stadium outside New York City). In January this year, Beckham left the MLS mid-season to go play for AC Milan in Italy’s Serie A. Blasphemous to the MLS. Not surprisingly, Beckham has not been very enthusiastic about returning to the US. In 2007 Beckham had arrived, with much fanfare, at the Galaxy. His salary about 10 times that of the average MLS player. Sports Illustrated’s football writer, Grant Wahl, has been following Beckham for the last two years and his book on Beckham’s time at the Galaxy is coming out this month in the US (on July 14). As part of the hype, SL today published a lengthy excerpt from the book on its website. (It’s also in the latest issue of the magazine.) Among other things, Wahl writes about the cold war between Beckham and the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan (over who was the bigger star, as there is any comparison here), describes Beckham’s time at the Galaxy as “an epic disaster” and a “soccer fiasco,” that Beckham was a “cheapskate” (he did not pick up the tab after a night out with his much poorer teammates), reveals the process behind who appointed disastrous coach Ruud Gullit, and Beckham’s deficient captaincy skills. This should be fun.

Read here.

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Would you buy real estate from Michael Owen?

Editor — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:51:24 +0000

With his top-flight football career coming to a slow end, most football pundits writing him off and most of the big clubs not interested in his wage demands (the only English Premier League clubs interested in his services at this point, are also-rans Hull and Stoke), Michael Owen must have wondered about life after football.

He could always sell real estate in Dubai. But he may have to improve his presentation (and acting) skills if this 9-minute video for Dubai-based British real estate conglomerate, The First Group, is anything to go by. (Note: The Dubai real estate market is currently down).

BTW, The First Group also use Andre Shevchenko (for their Russian clients) and rugby player, Bryan Habana, to sell their wares.

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