Where do we go from here

An hour after England's rather Abject performance against a rather average European Qualifying opponent (albeit one with some form and no small amount of determination) the inquest is in full flow. Capello must go. Crouch is Rubbish. Kevin Davies isn't good enough. But frankly you can say what you want and nothing much will change.

We had a Swede in charge - he was critisised for his stubborness and lack of plan B. Unhappy with the foreigner in charge we give the job to an Englishman. He was inexperienced. Was this the best Englishman the FA could find? Back to European managers and the Italian then. 6 million a year we pay him yet no demands to learn to speak our language. I'd be an expert in Italian for even 600k per year Fabio. Now some want to give the job back to an Englishman.

Truth is it's the players that generate the results on the pitch and at the moment we look like an old comfort blanket. Much loved but fragile and threadbare. There are still good patches here and there but in many other parts we are in need of serious repair.

Why are we here.
The Premier league was set up with the vision of helping the English FA have a good national team. It has failed miserably. The managers continually moan about the lack of a winter break; stupid international friendlies a week before the season starts and players often limp off "injured" before international matches only to return fully fit when the EPL resumes. It's a joke and a farce. And then there is the ludicrous sums of money paid in transfer fees and wages which mean Man City Chelsea Manchester United Spurs Villa Birmingham Liverpool and others can buy in players from all over the world; limiting the opportunities for English players. The home grown rule is pathetic and pays lip service to the objective. It won't change the focus on the elite picking better players from other countries.
The other thing that the wages have created is a breed of footballers whose love for the game has been lost. There are too many matches in Europe. The Europa League or Champions league added to the League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and no winter break makes the international footballers' calendar already too busy. These are games he will have to play in under contract to keep him employed or to seek a move upward. When England comes knocking too many of them see it as an unwelcome obligation. They may love their country but they are burnt out and tired.
How many of them are currently injured. Terry, Upson, Walcott, Bent, just to name a few. And their clubs are the ones who pay their weekly wage - their primary obligation from a fitness point of view will be to club not country.
If we want England to be a serious challenger at international level then the structure of the game in England needs a drastic change. NO to foreign owners. Salary capping. No to the league cup - at least for Premier League teams - and with that an End to the pointless paint cup. A two week winter break between FA Cup 3 and FA Cup 4 in January. Possibly even a reduction in the number of teams in the Premier League.
It can be done but the FA are now the dog being wagged by the Premier League tail. Football is more about the businesses off the pitch, and with that England's national team has become a side show to the main event of making money. In addition to that the working class game has been stolen from the working class by ever increasing ticket prices against the backdrop of a recession, needed to pay greedy mercenary players and satisfy the debts or profits required in the shareholders and the boardroom.

In reality football as we knew it has changed. England has got a great league but we haven't got enough English talent at the top table or a path for it to be uncovered and developed. The England national team will always come second until the current model is broken. And with more and more fans prefering club to country the will for that to happen is fading fast.

In the current climate I don't have much optimism. Time for others to wake up and smell the coffee. It's brazillian of course.

From Hull and back

There was something of the unexpected at Fratton Park on Saturday. Portsmouth without Dindane (just to save a cool 4 million) coming from behind to kick Iain Dowie squarely where it hurts in a game which did nothing to help the survival hopes of Portsmouth and must have given Dowie a long hard think on that journey back to the North East, with no points and no shortage of defensive issues.

To sack Phil Brown in the week was a move I and the women's institute could have understood for the guy had clearly lost control of the many issues he had in the dressing room. However when your in that much trouble at the wrong end of the table with only a handful of games left changing the guard is akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Dowie was appointed by Hull in the week and within 7 days his hopes of achieving the first objective of his brief are looking bleak indeed.

This was a game that Hull without an away win all season needed to win because not only did it represent their best chance of the elusive win, the cost of defeat in terms of points and morale will be irretrievable come May. So when Jamie O'hara scored with his inch perfect free kick in the 88th Minute you would expect Jimmy Bullard and Co to dig in and at least hold on for a draw. But no. They simply switched off. Maybe the O'Hara strike had been such a hammer blow after they had nearly held out for the win they simply lost all hope and focus.

Whatever happened to eventually lose a game they needed so much to win will ensure that Dowie's task has become twice as hard as it was just 4 days earlier. At least then the players would have felt that by now they would have been closer to safety.

One defeat does not make the probable a dead certain guarantee but if Hull City survive from here then Dowie will have more than earnt a contract extension - he will have to change his name to Houdini!

Following up

Well Gillingham didn't win at Carlisle but I'll bet they fancy their chances at lowly Stockport tomorrow...
Also what is it at Arsenal - now Bendtner is doing what Walcott did on Saturday. On Saturday he couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo but on Tuesday night the same chances were put away with confidence and he looked a different player. Oh and Sol Campbell is getting clean sheets again. Write Arsenal off for the title - not just yet....

A wish away

Poor Andrew Strauss must have been watching Alistair Cook this morning and wondering if he really did make the right choice to stay home rather than join England's tour of Bangladesh.
True the opposition are not at the top of the cricketting ladder but when you struggled like Strauss did over the tour of South Africa then you will surely be eager for runs at the next opportunity. This tour always looked like it would provide just that.
Cook (or "Chef") as Kevin Pieterson called him lost the toss and was rewarded with the opportunity to bat and his 158 today can only have done him good.
Strauss may be a little burnt out and tired and I'm sure in one way it will have cheered him to see his colleagues racking up runs and finding some form. However in another way I'll bet there is a part of him that is wishing he'd gone now.....

Race for the World Cup

Is it me or does this happen every time we encroach on a World Cup?
Wednesday night Theo 'fish out of water' Walcott put in an England performance that was full of energy and pace but devoid of any quality when he received the ball. Wright-Phillips came off the bench and looked useful pocketing a goal in a decent of the bench performance. Beckham sat on the bench not even needing to kick a ball to remain a favourite for the finals in South Africa.
Then we get to Saturday. Arsenal v Burnley and all of a sudden Walcott looks the business; scurrying runs delivering dangerous balls into the box and scoring a sublime goal which put him back in the forefront of Fabio Capellos thoughts. Its infuriating but I guess that's football. It's a nice problem to have for England.
On the other hand there are other players like Peter Crouch who can not do hardly anything of purpose for their club (ask Liverpool fans as well as those at White Hart Lane) but somehow get selected for the national team and if you blinked you will have missed it but he now has 20 goals for England. Hands up if you saw that coming five years ago? Thought not. It's a funny old game....

Shaking Hands - or not

Now there's a surprise - or not.
You've lost your missus to the England Skipper who already had one. As a result you also have decided for the good of your country's moral not to join with the England squad possibly missing out on the world cup. And so the moment comes. You have to face the said skipper in a game. He offers his hand at the start of the game. "Let's be friends again". Erm hang on here....
You take my missus; bring shame on me and my kid and what's that - bygones... I don't think so. Terry should be thankful he doesn't have to spend the match marking him. Can't imagine what Rooney would have done to him for 90 minutes (well the 10 or so before a red card got issued).
Respect to Wayne Bridge, not just for not shaking Terry's hand (goodness knows where it's been- I wouldn't shake it!) but more for not dropping the nut on him. I'd be sorely tempted.
Interesting too Terry gets the full backing of the Chelsea brand, a paid holiday in the sun to patch things up with his missus; while Ashley Cole gets told off for tarnishing the Chelsea image. Mr Ambramovich meanwhile on his 3rd wife goes back to his love nest. Mmm the phrase pot kettle and black spring to mind.

True suffering football fans

We all like a good moan from time to time when our teams don't play well. We all take pride in the fact that we were there when this or that time occured. As a West Brom fan I still bear the scars of being at the Hawthorns when Tim Buzaglo scored a hat-trick as Woking beat us 4-2 back in the nineties. I can remember when we went on a long losing streak and nearly got relegated. Even Wednesday's defeat to Reading hurt.
But right now this season I would like to offer up my sincere heart felt sympathy to Gillingham fans who have not seen their team win away this season. Just 4 points from 16 away games. I have a friend who lives near me who supports the Gills and watches them away as most of the away games are closer to him than to go to the Priestfield Stadium. He says he knows of a fellow Gills fan who has not seen his team win in 50 away games he has seen them. To travel away from home is costly and time consuming, not least when there are teams as far away as Carlisle, Hartlepool and Exeter are from Gillingham. But for the small band of fans who travel away with the Gills it must be tiresome this season. I bet there are some who are tempted not to go to the next game but they will because what if they miss the unthinkable - an away win at last. It would be a rich reward for those suffering fans if Gillingham beat Carlisle United on Saturday - one of the longest Trips they will have all season.