Filed under: David Beckham, England, England v. USA, Fabio Capello, Sven Goran Eriksson, USA, What the Balls?, World Cup 2006, football, football manager, meaningless friendly
I knew this would happen. I said it, you thought about it, and now it has happened. England manager Fabio Capello is handing the captain’s armband back to David Beckham for Sunday’s match against Trinidad and Tobago. Now before everyone comes over all outraged about this being a terrible sign or a step back in the wrong direction, we need to take a look at Wednesday’s match against the USA:
I was at that match, and while I did enjoy my time there and the majority of England supporters were incredibly friendly and polite, the live competition itself was only slightly more interesting than watching on television because of the pathetic abuse shouted at the few hundred USA fans from some younger England supporters. Seriously, a chant like “your mother is your sister” or “when have you won a world cup?” can and was easily deflected with,
“You think we really hate ya, but you couldn’t beat Croatia- huzzaaaah, England.”
or “Come on Macedonia!”
Even a simple, “Whatcha doin’ on your summer off?” was enough to make some of the England fans near us go quiet, look upset and then just call the whole lot “gay”. I was however very proud of the USA fans for refusing to take part in the Mexican wave, because a) it’s stupid b) if the ball is in play, your eyes should be on the field c)neither team had much to cheer about as they both played like shit.
Which brings me back to the original topic: why is Beckham captain again? The answer: Why the hell not? It has become painfully obvious that the England team still need his crosses, as they really are the exact same team from 2 years ago. Yes, Beckham was never particularly mobile, but as his teammates still lack the ability to pass to one another whilst running with the ball at the same time, that’s not really an issue. Also, the team was the “Golden Generation” with Beckham and the management of Sven Goran-Eriksson, so why not make Goldenballs lead out the team again? They’ve already gone back to the old English 4-4-2, and Peter Crouch is getting playing time- the only difference between now and World Cup 2006 is that everyone agrees that Owen Hargreaves is a really good player.
The Bottom Line: Capello is probably just doing this to show that Beckham will be a part of his upcoming World Cup campaign. Also- he’s demonstrating that he’s willing to do just about anything to make the other players work a bit harder during meaningless friendlies.
Hey folks,
Posting will be slow around here for the next few days, as I’m in London covering the England v. USA match at Wembley on Wednesday evening. My internet connection here is spotty at best, and my hotel has a wide range of sports on the telly and there’s a lot of sightseeing to do- so the likelihood of me posting anything other than pictures is quite slim.
I shall return soon, and if ESPN decides to take any crowd shots- look for the black girl with great hair wearing an England shirt and a USA scarf and screaming all kinds of goodnatured things about how no one cares about the War of 1812. I will probably also be wearing a cowboy hat. I can’t guarantee that I won’t.
Cheers,
The Shed
Filed under: Avram Grant, Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, Sven Goran Eriksson, football, football manager
So he’s gone, then.
As I’ve said before, I don’t think he has much to be ashamed of- it’s been an incredibly tough time for both himself and the players- but surely he also knew he’d be getting the sack after a trophy-less season.
So what’s next for Avram? …do you really care? I still like the man because I’m a sap who loves an underdog, but to be honest- I’m not bothered. He is now a very rich, jobless, and pressure-less man. I say, go to Miami and put up your feet for a bit, Avi.
I do care quite a bit about what’s next for Chel$ki. This rather alarming article from the Guardian says Jose Mourinho is being considered again for the position, and club owner Roman Abramovich has been attempting to woo the Special One with the lavish gift of a 2 million dollar Ferrari. Is there anything that man can’t solve with vast amounts of money?
…no, no there isn’t.
Nonetheless, it still appears that former Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard will take over the club, despite murmurs involving the usual names of possibly-soon-to-be unemployed rich people like Sven-Goran Eriksson or Guus Hiddink.
Chelsea fans (and anyone else)- who would you like to manage your club next year? Did you really despise Grant, or was that all paper talk? If you did despise him- was it because of Mourinho’s untimely exit, or did you really feel that he was just bad at his job? How would you feel if Mourinho came back- and do you think Abramovich would be off his case this time around?
Filed under: Champions League, Chelsea, John Terry, aren't they?, football, footballers are children
I know I wrote that somewhat emotional post earlier about what it means to be an athlete and a loser, but then I saw this…
…and all the vitriol I normally feel for John Terry (he will never be called “JT” on this blog) has made a sudden and swift return. Seriously- blowing snot on an opponent? Are you like, five?
I still maintain that it was a sad ending to the match for him, but I have a feeling that landing on his arse during what could have been one of the most iconic moments of his career still won’t take the snarly thug attitude away from him.
For those of you struggling with lipreading, according to a few news sources and bloggery he’s saying to Carlos Tevez, “F**king Argie C**t”. CLASS.
He’s a quality player! Why must he also do this?
Of course, he could just be wiping his nose so vigorously that he didn’t notice Tevez’ neck was in the way.
Care to see the England provisional squad? Click here.
GOALKEEPERS: Dominic Cervi (Out of Contract), Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton).
DEFENDERS: Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham), Dan Califf (Midtjylland), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford FC), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Jonathan Spector (West Ham).
MIDFIELDERS: Freddy Adu (Benfica), DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Michael Bradley (Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Eddie Lewis (Derby County).
FORWARDS: Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Nate Jaqua (Out of Contract), Eddie Johnson (Fulham), Josh Wolff (Out of Contract)
If you’re not from ’round these parts, you may be wondering- “Where’s Jozy Altidore?” He’s tired, folks. His coach says he needs rest. The MLS season is in full swing, so as with the rest of the year, Coach Bradley has to work around match schedules and club coaching to put out a side for a meaningless friendly. The squad still looks pretty solid!
I’ll be at Wembley, with bells on. Will you?
In the dying moments of tonight’s Champions League final, I began to feel something I’ve never experienced. It was a bizarre sensation, beginning in the pit of my stomach, and according to my coworkers- registering in my facial expression.
I felt sorry for John Terry.
Before smartass commenters come through reminding us all that he’s on between 131,000 and 135,000 pounds a week, he plays a sport for a living, and gets to have the summer off- I know, I know. I’m with you.
But he’s also a professional athlete, captain of his club team, and briefly- captained his country. Striding forward to take the penalty tonight, the look on his face was one of unquestionable authority. I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms, already somewhat happy for Chelsea’s silverware (as a true neutral, going into this match I was just one step above the “if only they could both lose” mentality), and writing leads in my mind to sum up the match. The storyline of Chelsea’s John Terry, their Captain Fantastic, who’d battled back from an injury just 10 days before, had an excellent performance throughout regular time, only to come through in the end for his team. The most incredible thing? He wasn’t even supposed to BE the 5th penalty taker. That spot was for Didier Drogba.
However, there can’t always be happy endings. The miss was slo-mo devastation. It wasn’t as if he had been beaten by superb goalkeeping. It wasn’t as if he were just off target. He lost his footing, slipped, and fell.
Watching him cry bitterly into Avram Grant’s shoulder may have been immensely satisfying for United fans and some neutrals alike- but that’s when my cynicism faded, and he looked like an athlete again. I’ve lost on the field, you’ve lost on the field, and Chelsea will lose again. Yes, where there are winners, there will also be losers- and sometimes, it’s hard to remember how much players have to lose for themselves.
When Terry fell, it was a long way down to the ground for a man who looked as if he were already on top of the world. That’s how quickly it can all happen.
Upside: He’ll be over it soon, and in a few months Chelsea fans, you will too. Care to re-live the tension? Watch the penalty kicks all over again, here.
To lighten the mood: One of my favorite radio personalities is BACK BACK BACK!! Danny Baker is returning to BBC’s 6-0-6.
Please. Let Avram Grant stay at Chel$ki, bless him. I like him, he’s done a fine job with Jose’s team, and has nothing to be ashamed of.
Also, congratulations Man U fans. I hope you also freaked out a little when Ronaldo had that bizarre stop’n'miss on penalties(I honestly didn’t see that coming), but the team has been superb, particularly after the Christmas break- so kudos.
