As the England Team coach left their World Cup camp at Rustenberg for the final time, taking the England players to the airport for their ignominous return to Old Blighty, the “Pride and Glory” slogan on the side of the vehicle brought into sharp focus what was missing from the team’s performances throughout the tournament. What was really disappointing and disturbing to all England fans, was that the team’s play was devoid of any pride or passion. And that is totally unforgiveable!!

There will be great national debate and gnashing of teeth in the media in the coming weeks and months. Many questions and issues will be raised, not least the Domestic League v International team one – is the structure of the Premier League detrimental to the interests of the national team etc. It is commonly believed that the man in the street has a preference and partisanship for his domestic club, over the national team. This is patently not true. We want to see both our football club and our national team excel. The two are not mutually exclusive, otherwise Brazil, Italy and Germany would not have won twelve World Cups since the Second World War!! (more…)

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Brazil, Germany and Italy have won the World Cup on a  combined twelve occasions, losing the final seven times between them. This is no coincidence, because there  are three elements that combine to win a World Cup – technical aptitude, great skill and flair, and match play………………and Brazil, Germany and Italy have always possessed these attributes in bountiful amounts!! However there is a fourth element that is imperative, if you are going to win the World Cup………luck, luck and more luck!!

When it comes to injuries to key, talismanic players, Lady Luck has always turned her back on those that sport, and support “The Three Lions” in World Cup tournaments. And it has happened again in 2010, with injury ruling out England’s two quickest Central Defenders, Ledley King and Rio Ferdinand, not to mention David Beckham before the tournament began. The pattern started in 1970, when on the eve of the Quarter Final, Gordon Banks went down with a mystery stomach bug, believed to be food poisoning. Rumour and conspiracy theories later abounded, but the reality is that his deputy in goal, Peter Bonetti, had a howler and was responsible for at least two of the three goals conceded in a 3-2 defeat to West Germany. (more…)

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In the aftermath of the 1-1 draw with the USA, Fabio Capello needs to re-structure the formation of the England team, if we are to advance to the latter stages of World Cup 2010. There are two fundamental areas of concern – in central defence, and up front. To counter these frailties and deficiencies, I would advocate that England should utilise a 3-5-1-1 formation, using the sweeper system.

The substitution of Ledley King at half time exposed a complete lack of pace in his replacement, Jamie Carragher. The alternatives are not much better in terms of pace – Matthew Upson and Michael Dawson. However the latter is a smooth Rolls Royce of a player, and he or King would lend themselves well to the  sweeper role in a back three with Carragher and John Terry as the stoppers. Therefore the sum of the parts would make up for the whole in terms of a lack of pace. This way, Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson would be free-ed up as wing backs to do what they do best – attack down the flanks, get to the byline and put over crosses. Something of which they are both very capable. It would also mean that in the latter stages of the tournament, when we come up against technically superior teams, we can compete and swamp the opposition with a five man midfield. (more…)

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The BP oil spillage disaster is damaging on four levels. In order of priority, it is an environmental disaster, a financial disaster, a political disaster and a public relations disaster. BP now stands for “Bloody Pathetic”, “Battered Pensions”, “Battle Politics” and “Bad Publicity”!!

A recent survey has speculated that at least 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons) of oil a day may have been gushing out from a blown-out Gulf of Mexico well, before the oil giant successfully placed a cap on the well on 3 June. Oil has been leaking into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April and sank off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, killing 11 workers.First and foremost this is an unprecedented environmental disaster, the like of which the world has never witnessed before. The cost to wildlife and human communities in the vicinity of the Gulf is horrific and inestimable at this time!! (more…)

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