An England fans view

Thank god 2006 is finally over as far as watching England is concerned. It's been absolutely pathetic and this was meant to be the year David Beckham lifted the World Cup in Germany. Our national team can be compared to the US Ryder Cup team. As individuals, the players are fantastic and turn in world class performances on a regular basis yet as soon as they have the ultimate honour of representing their country, they turn into the equivalent of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards although at least Eddie had the good grace not to attempt to convince anyone he was actually any good.

The last game of the year saw us hike over to Amsterdam for a friendly match and a new record was set. We managed to leave the game after just 25 minutes of slow, boring, passionless, lack of quality, diving (you get the idea) "football". The bars were a fair more attractive proposition. Apparently, the best player on display was Micah Richards who was making his debut at right back. Joe Cole was back (more on him later) and it was also good to see Rooney get an international goal after going without for a year. We couldn't hang onto the lead and the Dutch, who were equally dire (and a few players under-strength) scored late on so the game finished 1-1.

Overall, this year has been very disappointing to say the least in terms of results and also attitude and performance. The last time we played really well was 13 months ago against Poland at Old Trafford and for the players at our disposal, it's simply not good enough. I believe there are a number of problems:

1. The manager (past and present) has his favourites, usually at 'big', fashionable clubs and seems reluctant to give other players a chance. If Peter Crouch was at Charlton and Darren Bent was at Liverpool, does anyone seriously believe Crouch would have played so often ??

2. This in turn puts the players either in a comfort zone or a no hope zone. The regulars get picked regardless and the fringe players just don't get a decent chance. This is a serious problem and will harm our chances.

3. Players are more interested in their club careers than representing their country. Many of them see international caps as a bargaining tool for higher wages. They get pushed around by their clubs. If Wenger had told Terry Butcher or Stuart Pearce they couldn't play 90 mins for their country in a friendly, they'd have knocked him out.

4. We are turning into poofy foreigners. Too much diving and gamesmanship is infecting our game and it's just not English. Joe Cole is the biggest offender, he has so much skill and ability yet falls over like a 3 year old every time anyone goes near him. It wouldn't be so bad if we actually benefited from this gayness. Win at all costs is one thing but quarter-final failures at all costs isn't good enough. I'd sooner see us have less skill and getting stuck in, giving 150% effort.

Next up is Spain at Old Trafford (surprise, surprise). This will be a major shitefest. Dodgy latinos in a Manchester winter, it's a friendly against 2 of the biggest under acheivers in world football. Get your money on 0-0 now.....with an entertainment value of 0/10.

So thats it from me now for 2006. We can turn our attentions to the Barmy Army as they attempt to bring the Ashes back from the Convict Coloney. The lucky lads out there will get sunshine AND entertainment !!!!

// posted by Big Blue Marble @ 8:40 pm