Come on England!England head into their second game of the group stage of the World Cup on Friday evening looking to put a disappointing performance against the USA behind them.
A 1-1 draw with the States left an entire nation asking more questions about the various merits of the squad, and whether or not this England team would be able to live up to their label of third favourites for the tournament.
Since then a lot more football has been played, and it does appear that Englnad were not the only team who have failed to play to their potential thus far. That is not to say that the USA didn’t play well, but for a team that is supposed to be third favourites, England should really have been expected to win the game.
But that has gone and we now move on to Cape Town where we go toe to toe against the Desert Foxes of Algeria who face the possibility of their exit from the tournament being confirmed tomorrow evening if results earlier in the day go against them. Basically, if Slovenia beat the USA and Algeria lose against England then there is no way back for them and they will bow out of the tournament. (more…)
The wait is over!It’s here, it’s finally here. After months of anticipatioin, the World Cup is finally under way in South Africa.
This is great news as the world’s premier football competition becomes the focus of football fans across the country, and indeed the world.
As revealed yesterday, and perhaps in hindsight it was the worst kept secret ever, but I am backing England for the tournament for as long as we are in it. It also offers us Newcastle fans a welcome distraction from the apparent media blackout surrounding our club and gives them the opportunity to get along with things quietly. No change there then.
I can exclusively reveal that even before the first game has finished, them Vuvuzela horns are a massive irritation and should be forcibly removed from any fans who have one inside the ground. Culture schmulture, any thing that sounds like a fly stuck in your ear will eventually become annoying after a while, or in my case, a very short while. (more…)
Hoping for a bigger trophy?According to his column in the Mail on Sunday, Gary Lineker reckons Newcastle’s very own Steve Harper can be the next Steve Bull. Well not quite, but he does believe that Fabio Capello should cast an eye to the Championship doldrums, if he’s worried about his World Cup custodian as he faces a dearth in quality goalkeeprs.
While there have been other examples, Sir Bobby Robson notably selected Steve Bull to represent England in the 1990 World Cup despite him playing in the second flight at the time. And Lineker believes that Capello would do well to follow the example of not ignoring those outside the Premiership, provided they’re capable enough.
Lineker wrote:
“I wonder if Fabio Capello might take a leaf out of Bobby Robson’s book by casting his eye over a player who is excelling in the Championship while rivals are floundering in the Premier League.
“Newcastle United goalkeeper Steve Harper has been one of the main reasons his side are heading back to the top flight.
“Finding goalkeepers is a world problem because of the way the game has changed, particularly in the movement of the ball.(more…)
World Cup dreams alive?And I’m not just talking about spending some hard-earned cash to go and cheer on The Three Lions. Shola’s talking about actually playing in the World Cup 2010. I know, I know, this is a kid who could barely get in the Newcastle first eleven until this season and has repeatedly underacheived year on year.
However, after coming into good form at the start of this season, he’s been giving some thought to representing Nigeria, his country of birth and where he lived until he was six when he moved to Newcastle. Having played for England at Under-21 level, originally that’s where his international dream lay, but in giving himself a more realistic chance of making the finals, he’s turned his attention to his home nation for whom he is still elligible to play.
Although I was blissfully ignorant to the fact, or at least had forgotten it happened, the Nigerian FA chiefs have tried to call him up to represent Nigeria before but it is only now that Ameobi has expressed an interest in doing so. Ameobi said:
“It was a great honour for me to represent England at Under-21 level and my mum and dad were so proud of me.
“But they would love to see me play for Nigeria. I see myself as Nigerian, I was born and bred there.
“It’s not about changing allegiances. I’ve got Nigerian roots and I’m proud of my country, the country where I was born and spent the first five or six years of my life.(more…)
