Friday, April 20, 2007
Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Brazil and the Chosen One
Israel - what a great place. I really wish I'd been there longer. The international airport is very modern an despite all the security, is pretty efficient at moving passenger through....and I'd got a business class upgrade on the way over.Our hotel was near the sea front, next to the US Embassy. As with all away games, it's best to avoid the regular Irish/English bar gathering points. Instead, we went off to find a place called the MASH bar located a short taxi ride away. A 10 beer discount card was the sensible approach and we just got drunk for the whole day. Such a shame the trip was over so quickly
Oh, I nearly forgot. We drew 0-0. The game was so crap, we left at half-time and went back to the pub. Still, it was a point more than I expected.
Next it was on to Barcelona and the dirty gypsy pickpocket haven if Las Ramblas. After signing in, it was again, move back a street to a quiet little boozer and pay half the price for beer than it cost on Las Ramblas. For some reason, the games in Spain always seems to kick off really late. Due to Andorra have a stadium capacity on a par with my living room, the game was moved to the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. It was here that Sally Gunnel won the 400m hurdles and Linford Christie won the mens 100m spirity in the 1992 Olympics. Sadly, heroics from the modern sports 'stars' were sadly lacking....apart from Steve Gerrard.
The exact reasons for fatty Frank's exclusion are a point of discussion but what is not in doubt is that moving Gerrard to the centre won the game for England. The anger of England fans has been building for a while. Just look back at his blog to see my opinions on the level of performances we have been subject to. Days earlier, the Israel game was another pathetic performance with ridiculous tactics so when we hadn't scored or even looked like causing Andorra problems, the booing starting building to a crescendo of anger directed mainly at the manager. At half time, we were being held 0-0 by Andorra who are essentially a ski-resort.
In the 2nd half, Gerrard, as he has done for Liverpool so many times in the past, took control and scored 2 tremendous goals. It showed exactly why he has to play in midfield and that he is the player we must build the England team around. The final score was 3-0 with David Nugent scoring on his debut. Yes, we got the 3 points but there were plenty of negatives from the game. Israel's 4-0 win against Estonia saw us drop to 4th place in the group. The performance was pathetic and now the knives really are out for McLaren who stormed out of the press conference. In addition, Rooney got booked and will miss the Estonia game. However, based on recent performances, he hardly warrants a place in the side. A quick look at the fixtures and tables shows how perilous England's position is. Failing to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals is a real posibility.
Euro 2008 Group E results, fixtures and table
In the meantime, Wembley is open for business and the first opposition for England will be Brazil. God, we are going to get hammered !!!! The game is scheduled for Friday 1st June, just 5 days before the crucial away match in Estonia. Tickets went on sale today and there was a massive scramble. I managed to get us some nice cheap tickets up in the gods for just £25 (including my £5 members discount).
However, an embarrassing defeat could be just what we need. Due to the massive cost of the stadium, the FA need plenty of sold out matches to help pay or it. I can't see us having another away friendly for about 5 years. However, the way the team is going, who is going to want to go. The novelty will soon wear off so it could prompt a change of manager. But who is available ?? Well, if rumours from Stamford Bridge are to be believed, the Chosen One, Jose Mourinho could soon be on the dole. He is one of the few people in world football with both the knowledge and personality to deal with the pressures of managing England and if he is available, the FA should do anything they have to in order to secure his services.
Sadly, the FA is run by idiots so it will never happen.
