England & Beckham

Once again - sorry for the late post!

I had been meaning to post a quick entry about the England - Egypt game, which now seems like a long way away but it has been a crazy past few weeks.

Well, you could say it was a game of two halves. Egypt pressurised England in the first half and never really let them settle into any kind of rhythm. It was interesting to note that Lampard and Gerrard were playing together and that brought up the whole debate about whether they work well together in the centre of the park or not. Lampard had 2 good chances to score in the first half but didn't seem to be on form and Capello promptly substituted him at half time. I think Capello did well to keep a cool head, not panic and he made the right substitutions at the right time. Bringing on Crouch in the second half was a smart move - England needed some help up front as Rooney and Defoe didn't seem to be getting many chances between them. Crouch has been relegated to the Tottenham bench for much of this season but his consistent goalscoring appearances for England should definitely be considered by Capello when it comes to crunch time. England looked and played like a different side in the second half and as Egypt faded away, they took control. There are obviously still issues in the England side that Capello must be thinking about as he looks forward to the summer - particularly communication in defence and providing more service to the frontmen. Theo Walcott got a lot of stick following the game, but I think people forget he is only just 21 and recovering from a long time out on the sidelines. Following the international match, he answered his critics by scoring a superb goal against Burnley. The right-wing position is one that is being contended by several players, however, unfortunately, it will no longer be available for David Beckham to claim.

This brings me on to my next talking point - David Beckham. What a shame. I mean, you have to respect the guy immensely for his sheer effort and determination at trying to not only win a place and be on that plane to SA, but also to break the English record for the number of consecutive World Cup tournaments he has participated in. This year's world cup would have been his 4th, had he been fit. It's almost typical in a way that an England player gets an injury that rules him out right before the tournament - it's happened plenty of times before. Still, what makes it hard is the fact that Beckham is not getting any younger and this year's tournament would surely have been his last. Beckham was trying his hardest to convince Capello, who stated he would only consider taking Beckham to the tournament if he was playing regularly. It was only 2 weeks ago that he was back at OT playing for his loan side - AC Milan.

For the sentimentalists, DB's presence will be sorely missed on the pitch. However, his injury has left the right-wing spot open for another, perhaps much younger player to fill his big boots. Perhaps it's a sign of the times, as England moves forward with a more youthful side compared with previous tournaments. It's hard not to feel sorry for him even though had he gone to SA, he would most probably have been kept on the bench and used as a substitute. Still, he is one of those impact substitutes who has the experience to rally the team when things aren't going well and who can get the ball moving forward. There is still no one in the England team who can quite "bend it like Beckham" and sometimes in a game, you need someone to come on and just lift the whole spirit of the game. Beckham is certainly capable of doing that. But there is some good news - despite Beckham not being able to play in the tournament, Fabio Capello has stated that he will travel with the players and stay with them during the tournament, in a sort of semi-player/coach role. I think that this is a really nice gesture by Capello and it means that even if Beckham can't assert his presence out there on the pitch, he can certainly do so in the dressing room.

Sorry!

Just a little post to apologise about the lack of activity on the blog recently. I know a few of you have been checking it regularly and have not seen anything new for a while, so I am sorry about that! The past few weeks have been a little hectic what with deadlines and the like.

But...the good news is that I have quite a few ideas that I want to write about...so expect some new entries very very soon! I will try my hardest to get myself organised and get writing...

Please keep checking back and thanks for all the support! I really appreciate it!! :)

Wayne Bridge

So: Wayne Bridge has decided to not put himself forward to be considered for this year's World Cup squad. Shocked? I was. I just don't quite understand the decision.

I mean, I understand the fact that he's obviously very upset by what's gone on and it would be quite difficult having to play with someone that's had an affair with your girlfriend. But it's the WORLD CUP!!! Thought I should emphasise that point because someone needs to. It only comes around once every four years, that means an average player will only get to play in the tournament a few times if he's lucky. It's a golden opportunity to shine on the world's stage, compete with other world class acts and most importantly, play for and represent your country. Fair enough, we don't know what is going on in Bridge's head at the moment or how he's coping with it all, but it is still quite difficult to understand the reasoning behind the decision, he made last week.

According to Bridge, his position in the squad has become "untenable and potentially divisive". Well if we are honest, it has already become divisive. But it wasn't Bridge that caused all the problems in the first place. It was Terry. So why is it that Bridge feels the need to eliminate himself from the squad when he hasn't done anything wrong? It doesn't really seem fair that ex-captain Terry gets to go ahead and play whilst Wayne must sit at home. But it doesn't have to be that way. It seems that Bridge has been pressurised into making this decision and the atmosphere surrounding the two at last weekend's game couldn't have made things any better.

To play for the World Cup and to represent your nation is an honour and a privilege. It is these kinds of tournaments that professionals dream about and the competition for a place in the final 11 is always tough. With Ashley Cole (who is having his own personal troubles at the moment - spot a trend here?), currently injured, you would expect Bridge to be the natural replacement. His decision has now put Capello in a bit of a problem as he must decide on who can fill Wayne's boots. There is no doubt that this personal situation has definitely made its way over to the pitch and is really affecting the national team.

As the England team prepare for the friendly against Egypt on Wednesday night, Capello will be assessing all his options and using the game as an opportunity to aid him in the decision making process. Some players who wish to go to South Africa may not get the opportunity to do so, so for them it may seem like a kick in the teeth that Bridge (one of the players who had been expected to go to the tournament), has backed out of such a prestigious opportunity. You would think that as professionals, they could just get on with it, after all you don't have to like each other. Maybe it's because they play in positions that are close to each other on the pitch and they must communicate but it's not like they are going to be communicating about anything other than tactics. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on Bridge but this whole Terry-Bridge situation has been blown up to mammoth proportions and really needs to be resolved. We saw what happened at the weekend when Bridge refused to shake hands with Terry - the media seemed to be more interested in that than in the actual game itself!

Capello has already made the decision to permanently strip John Terry of the captaincy and despite his behaviour of the pitch, he is a good centre back (although as of late, he hasn't been as consistent as usual - perhaps the pressure is getting to him too?). England need their defence to be rock solid if they are to do well. Then there's that thing again - team spirit. Will it ever be as good as it was during the qualifiers? Although, at this moment in time, it seems that Bridge won't be there, there are still Manchester City players in that dressing room and others who will be made to feel uncomfortable and awkward by Terry's presence.

Capello has also stated his intentions to speak with Bridge and attempt to make him reconsider his decision. At the end of the day, it is his, and only his decision to make but you just hope that when he retires from football, he doesn't look back and regret the choices he made. A World Cup is such a big deal that Bridge really does need to spend the time thinking carefully about his options. Whatever happens now, it is clear that this long running saga has not come to an end quite just yet...