England Will Never Win the World Cup

I know a sweeping statement from someone who can’t predict the future, but I am quietly confident my prediction will stand. Why? Well for a number of reasons I shall go into here.

Every time a World Cup or European Championship comes around, the English nation assumes it’s going to win it. Admittedly I would say that belief was much dampened this time around. But for years we have had to put up with ‘Football’s coming Home’ or ‘Engerlund is gonna do it like ’66’. For some insane reason, because England won the cup in 1966, the English seem to think they are going to win it every time it comes around. Forget ’66, football isn’t coming home.

‘But the Premiership is the best league in the world’. Yes, it’s one of the best leagues in the world, along with Spain, Italy and Germany. It certainly has the most money thrown at it in the world, average Joe’s being paid £40 – £50,000 a week. How many of the players in the Premiership are English? The answer is 67 (2008) that is under 3 per club that started a premiership game for their club.  How can you build a winning England team from 67 players. Until clubs start increasing the number of English players in their teams, England can not even hope to win. One main problem is that it’s too easy for clubs to buy in foreign talent, to save them having to spend money trying to invest in young English talent.

‘English clubs do well in Europe.’ They certainly do, or least they have done in the past 6 years, but again we have teams full of European players, who can play the European way. But when a English club has done well in Europe how often have they had to beat a Premiership rival along the way to advance? Quite often. So many times, when the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have come up against Europe elite teams, they have often been out played.

England doesn’t turn youth players in to leading premiership players. It costs clubs too much and they don’t want to risk their money when they can buy foreign talent. With Aston Villa being the exception, no other premiership club gives enough chances to English talent. Manchester United used to, Beckham et al, but even they are now scouting for young foreign talent. Admittedly England have just won the Under 21’s tournament, so there could be some hope. But Germany and Spain have been winning the various youth catergories for years, they can pick from a huge number of young players, England can’t. Until the FA and the Premier League make youth football a major priority, England will never have but a small group of top young players.

Total Football. English players are so one dimensional, so many English players are one footed which is why England has always had trouble finding good enough players to play on the left wing. So many foreign players are taught from early age, that they have to have the skill in both feet. In English football, apart from the top 7 or 8 teams, so much of the football is kick and rush, kick and rush. No wonder England are regularly humiliated by smaller nations, England are not hard to combat.

Team, there is no Team England. In so many other countries, the national squad is picked from about 25 players over a 2 year period at least. Players no they have a long period of time to play as a team together, getting to work with each other learning each other’s ways. They don’t live in fear of getting dropped for the odd mistake or on the whim of a new manager or being persecuted by the national press. Look at Germany, Holland, Spain even Slovakia, those teams have grown together, they are a squad. They will be picked and will play together. They have a team ethos.

Look at the recent England team, they have too many captains. At least half the squad have at some point been club captains. Whether it’s England or a Premiership team, you have to have one team captain and players around him. England has too many chiefs, not enough indians doing the donkey work.

England can’t hope to win the World Cup until they start playing in a European manner as a team, and being given the time to play and grow as a team. Even if the FA, radically changed things now, England still wouldn’t see the true effects of that for another 20 years.

Blooming Typical

It’s just typical isn’t it. I seem to have a skill for predicting scores and so on when it comes to sports. My particular skill is football and the Grand National. Yet whenever I take a little punt on  a result, you can guarantee I’ll be wrong. In my time I have picked the winner of the Grand National 6 times, (Earth Summit, Party Politics, Red Marauder etc), yet when I have a bet the horse will trail in nowhere.

So with the world cup on, the wife, my boys and I have drawn lots on the winning football teams. I’ve said Spain will win the World Cup, my wife has gone for Holland, and the boys have gone for Brazil and Germany. Meanwhile my wife and I have been predicting results for each game, my wife is doing rubbish although she does tend to be over optimistic. But I’m been getting quite a few right. So I thought I’ll put a few £1 bets on scores for fun (last of the big spenders I know, but haven’t much money really.) So far out of the 6 bets placed, none have won.

So why is it I can tell everyone the right predictions,yet when I put a bet on the result, I nearly always lose. I think it might be life telling me to keep my money in my pocket.

World Cup Bore!

Unless you really can’t stand the football, I’m sure most of you have seen some of the football dominating the television coverage at the moment.  So that must mean you’ve been really enjoying the action packed games and all the high scoring quality play. Yes?

More likely it’s a resounding No! I’ve watched many football competitions and with each team playing their first games, this has to have been one of the most boring competitions ever so far. The teams that should have lit up the Cup, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Portugal etc haven’t. With the exceptions of Germany putting 4 past a woeful Australia and lowly North Korea giving Brazil a run for their money. The tournament has been very tame, boring and dull. All this and we haven’t mentioned those blasted horns in the crowds. Any part time football viewer will have turned off rather than having to put up with the blaring swarm of bees dominating the coverage. Let’s hope the rest of the tournament picks up, or else I’ll be turning off.

Top 10 Premier League Icons

Football opinion always stirs up debate and obviously there is never a true answer unless your basing on fact. This list in my opinion, is a list of the top 10 players who have dominated the Premier League with regards to the inspiration, centre stage, influence, style, flair and skill.

Number 10 – Dennis Bergkamp

Coming over from the Italian League, the former Inter Milan player looked to have style and class about him. Arsenal had always been a good team, but they did a boring reputation, especially for the 1-0. But Bergkamp brought style, poise, elegance and skill to Arsenal, but not just Arsenal, the Premiership.

Number 9 – Gianfranco Zola

The little genius, bought a flare and entertainment to Chelsea, worth the admission fee alone. The best thing that Zola bought to football though was his passion and enjoyment for the game. Which is why Zola is still held with great respect and admiration by all fans now he is in management.

Number 8 – David Beckham

Some might think Beckham should be higher up the table, and if he’d spent longer in the Premier League, he probably would be. Beckham bought flair, skill and determination to the league. What’s more, he was English. even at the end of his career, there are extremely few better from a dead ball situation.

Number 7 -Alan Shearer

One of the finest goal scorers England has ever produced. Right from his early days at Southampton to his later career as the messiah in Newcastle, having Shearer on your team sheet gave you goals galore. An excellent ambassador but also a player who would give as good as he got.

Number 6 – Steven Gerrard

A life long Liverpool player, Gerrard is quite frankly the heartbeat of a Liverpool team that has failed to live up to its high standards since the early 90’s. The attacking midfielder literally carries a constantly under achieving team, it little wonder he’s been strong enough to carry the same form through to the international team.

Number 5 – Roy Keane

What has been shown in the Premiership years is that to win and to keep winning, your team needs and engine that drives you forward. Roy Keane was this engine for Manchester United, with his commitment, guts, drive and  honesty. Roy Keane was one of the main reasons why Manchester United have dominated the premiership trophy.

Number 4 – Frank Lampard

Like the previous 2 entrants, Frank Lampard is Mr Chelsea. Where Lampard is a similar to Keane and Gerrard, Lampard comes out on top with more flair, skill and goals. A manager demands 20+ goals from a striker, when your getting that many from one midfielder, your already a step ahead of the rest.

Number 3 – Eric Cantona

Cantona bought appeal, excitement, skill, passion and drive to a Manchester United team. In many ways Cantona made Manchester United the team they are today. As it was Cantona that bought on and inspired the young players of Beckham, Scholes, Butt and the Neville’s. Cantona was the most dominant player in the first half of the Premiership years.

Number 2 – Thierry Henry

Clearly and by far the best striker to grace the Premiership. With his fantastic speed, skill and intelligent football brain, Henry has become one the strikers in Europe. Originally a winger, Henry with the help of Arsene Wenger has become a perfect striker.

Number 1 – Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs has to be the No 1 icon of the Premiership years for his dominance, skill, flair, intelligence, longevity and the fact that he by far is the most decorated player ever in English football. Giggs has not only played in every Premiership season, he has scored goals in every Premiership season. No other player can come close to Ryan Giggs.