Most soccer commentators have already compiled their winners and losers for the 2010-2011 soccer season, but in the interests of not being part of the regular crowd, I wanted to wait until the first couple of games were on the books before I stuck my neck out too far. We’ll look at the English Premier League, the Football League Championship promotion teams, the UEFA Champions League and maybe I’ll have a shot at the MLS before we close out. So what do we see in soccer’s crystal ball ?

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Champions – Manchester United
I know what you’re all thinking that I’m a homer with United, which is true, but I believe that they have really stabilized their squad this year. They bought a direct replacement for Wayne Rooney should he get hurt, in Javier Hernandez, and with Paul Scholes showing renewed vigor, the team has more balance about it than in past years. It might just take a break out year from Dimitar Berbatov and don’t misunderstand me, it will be close with Chelsea again, but I think their squad chemistry will be the edge this season.

Runners-up – Chelsea
Always a powerful team, they had the beating of United last year especially after their win at Old Trafford. I don’t read too much into their opening two games against pretty feeble opponents, but they did all they could and won handsomely, but I think they have lost some depth in their squad with losing Michael Ballack, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho. I think the sheer number of games will weigh heavily on this squad this year which will cost them in the League.

3rd place – Liverpool
I think the Anfield side will be back to their old self this season with Roy Hodgson holding the reins. I would have picked them for runners-up except their squad does not go deep, and they will have no money, given the nightmare that’s going on with the possible sale of the club. Hodgson has made some intelligent signings but Alberto Aquilani’s loan move suggest that all was not well when he arrived at Anfield. Steven Gerrard will be back at his best and a fit Fernando Torres will get his goals. A definite improvement over last year.

4th place – Arsenal
Arsenal’s propensity for shirking the confrontations with United and Chelsea I don’t think will change. They play the most technically proficient football in the League but get nervous and jittery when confronted with physically superior teams. Arsene Wenger simply has to find a solid, holding midfielder who can protect the back four and challenge physically in the middle. They have never successfully replaced either Patrick Viera or Gilberto Silva and until Wenger learns to hold his players accountable for bad performances, the current trend will continue.

5th place – Tottenham
Harry Redknapp has certainly produced an entertaining team which had a great season in 2009, but as with many Tottenham teams of the past, they promise much but produce little. I thought they were unlucky against Manchester City but their total collapse against Young Boys in the Champions League last week suggests they have a way to go before having the stones to break into the top 4 consistently.

6th place – Manchester City
Probably the most difficult team to predict right now, City could win it all or implode on themselves, and I favor the latter of the two. Against Tottenham, they looked just like the team they are, a collection of expensive names that have no clue how to play together. Roman Abramovich was successful doing this at Chelsea because he had Jose Mourinho, but Roberto Mancini is not in his class and will have a torrid time putting all these players together successfully. I wouldn’t be surprised if this team had been revamped again by the end of this season along with a new coach.

Relegated – Blackpool, West Brom, and Wigan
There are some really weak teams in the Premier League this year but I think these three will be holding up the rest at the end. My hometown team Blackpool just don’t have enough quality players to be able to withstand the rigors of 38 games in the top flight. They will have some great moments along the way as manager Ian Holloway certainly believes in playing attractive football, but they will run out of gas and take some beatings along the way.
West Brom seem to be the yo-yo’s of the football world, consistently up and down between the Championship and the Premier League. I think they will be the best of these three teams and will run it close with the likes of Wolves, Bolton, West Ham and Stoke, but I predict another drop for the Baggies.
As for Wigan, they will be down by the beginning of February. They can’t defend, and what’s worse is that they don’t appear to want to either. Already conceded 10 goals at home in 2 games, without scoring one, and Roberto Martinez still wants to play the game “the right way”. A laudable attitude, but one that will get you fired and relegated. I think he’ll be gone within another 2 weeks but not soon enough to save them from the drop.

FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

Promoted – Ipswich, Cardiff, and Leeds United
A tough division to predict so early in the season as parity exists all over this League except for one or two teams that gallop away in mid-season. I think Roy Keane will finally get some reward for his hard work with a smaller club at Ipswich and Simon Grayson will continue his progress at Leeds although this is my wild card choice to go up. Cardiff promised so much last year and were only upset by a torrid Blackpool team who had too much passion in the play-off final, that they will finally make the jump to the top.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Winners – Real Madrid
It’s hard to bet against the Portuguese maestro Jose Mourinho wherever he goes these days. Regarded as the best coach in the game, at least by me, I think he’ll guide the Madrid club to the title in his first season, along with La Liga. His clashes with Barcelona will be classics to watch and he will have their number again as he beat them over two legs last season with a weaker team when he was at Inter Milan.

Runners-up – Chelsea
The Stamford Bridge club will make the final but Mourinho will be too strong for Carlo Ancelotti again and Chelsea will fall at the final hurdle in the big one. Sorry Roman, but buy all the top players you want, but unless you get the best coach, the Champions League will evade you for the near future.

MLS

Winners – Los Angeles Galaxy
I think finally we’ll see that the combination of a talented squad with a coach that knows what he’s doing will see the Galaxy through to lift the MLS Cup. The old adage that defense wins Championships is true here too, and the fact they have conceded fewer goals this year than anyone, coupled with the quality of Landon Donovan, makes them simply too strong for even the Crew and the revamped Red Bulls.

Of course, my picks could become a laugh by the time the season winds down, but I’d be interested what you all think and why. Leave me a comment and we’ll talk.

Under normal circumstances, I don’t usually pay much attention to the press releases that emanate from FIFA Headquarters in Switzerland, mainly because a lot of it reminds me of how our politicians talk these days. It usually sounds good at first but once the fancy wrapping is stripped off, it usually has no substance. However, this past couple of weeks, a couple of announcements made me raise an eyebrow, especially taking into account FIFA’s recent reluctance to do anything to improve the way the sport is officiated, reserving the right as “caretakers of the sport” to not change the flow of the game.

I’m pleased that FIFA is finally rolling up it’s sleeves and getting to work on some of the broader issues that concern the game right now. I can only pray that they come up with the correct decision.

Since Aston Villa of the English Premier League received the resignation of their manager Martin O’Neill last week, writers from all over the game have been speculating as to who might be the Irishman’s successor. With the timing so close to the opening of the new season in England, Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner is keen to bring someone on of quality in double quick time. Amongst the candidates appears to be current USA National Team manager Bob Bradley. The question being asked is if Bradley is up to the job.

I believe he will be passed over but that given a chance to manage maybe a lower level team, either in the Championship or a bottom half Premiership team, he will learn his trade and get the respect he deserves and maybe one day, get a chance to have a shot at the top teams. Finally, I think his days as USA coach are winding down as USSF seeks to appease it’s supporters by changing up the team leadership.

I have made it very clear in many posts on different blogs over the last 9 months or so, that I was a committed fan of Fabio Capello, England’s Italian manager, and that I was confident that he can finally bring success to a squad that has struggled to achieve. The World Cup definitely tarnished the shine but seeing is believing, and even though I would not have kept him on as coach after South Africa, I was prepared to wait and see. However, today I’m done.

Frankly, Beckham deserves better, even though at the age of 35, his days are numbered. We know that and so does he, but this was an idiotic way to handle the whole affair.We all know that the players were as much to blame for the shambles that was World Cup 2010, but now it starts to appear that maybe the real faults lay elsewhere. Sorry, Fabio, I’m outta here.

Following England’s poor showing in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup, many people, including myself, questioned whether he had enough gas in the tank to continue to manage the England national squad. Rumbling from the dressing room suggested that his regimental style of coaching had worn thin with his players who had switched off when it came to game time. Coupled with a lack of talent and supposedly “tired” players, disaster was never far away. Fast forward now to today, just 48 hours away from England’s first game since their 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany, and the signs are not good for the Italian’s future.

It remains to be seen whether Wednesday signals the end of another era in the fast growing exclusive club of ex-England managers.

1. BEST TEAM
SPAIN without a doubt. Once they got through their hiccup against Switzerland in the first Group game, they were off and running. Dominated throughout without destroying anyone with goals, but many of their games descended into training ground sessions as opponents chased the ball all around the field. As I explained in Part 2, they would not be in my Top 5 exciting teams

2. BEST PLAYER
Difficult category as some players are more valuable to their teams than others. Andres Iniesta from Spain and Thomas Mueller from Germany were great, but I think DIEGO FORLAN was the most consistent performer throughout the tournament. Promised a lot after his season at Athletico Madrid but over achieved when the tournament kicked off. Helped by his coach Oscar Tabarez who played to Forlan’s strengths by sitting him behind two strikers. Are you listening, Fabio ?

3. BEST YOUNG PLAYER
Mueller again a contender and Golden Boot winner but for me, GIOVANI DOS SANTOS from Mexico was the most exciting prospect. He looked like a young Ronaldinho in his full stride and was a nightmare for defenders. An obscure pick, I know, but nevertheless a hugely impressive player.

4. BEST GOAL
Unfortunately, not a lot to choose from here. Siphiwe Tshabalala got the host country off to a great start with his screamer against Mexico in the opening game, but I think CARLOS TEVEZ‘s goal against Mexico (not the offside goal) in the quarter final took my vote. A quick turn followed by a powerful strike that was unstoppable.

5. BIGGEST UNDERACHIEVERS
Quite a few to choose from here with France and England topping the charts. Italy also were a big disappointment but we knew they would struggle before the show got started. Ivory Coast never came to play either, but I think ENGLAND take this award as expectations were so high after dominating their qualifying Group.

6. BIGGEST OVERACHIEVERS
Definitely the realm of the South American countries with Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chile all having strong Group showings. Japan and an unbeaten New Zealand team also figure in this award, but I think I’d go for URUGUAY, just because they were long odds to make it to the semi-finals. Well coached and prepared, they punched over their weight until facing the Netherlands where they found they can’t play without the ball either.

7. BEST SAVE
I feel compelled to introduce some cynicism into this post so I choose LUIS SUAREZ for his game winning save against Ghana. I know, he’s not a goalkeeper but it was a classic instinctive reaction which got the poor lad in a ton of trouble. For those of you that insist a goalkeeper gets this award, probably Noel Valladares’s save for Honduras against Chile was as good as any. I thought the goalkeeping was pretty good in fact once Robert Green got through clowning around.

8. BIGGEST GAFFE
Robert Green comes to mind again immediately of course with his fumble against the USA in England’s opener, and Asamoah Gyan’s penalty miss for Ghana against Uruguay that would have sent them through to the next round, but this award I give to FIFA for not helping the officials out to make better calls following Maurice Edu’s winning goal against Slovenia being called back, and of course, the now legendary missed goal from Frank Lampard in England’s last 16 game versus Germany. Nice going, Sepp.

9. BEST REFEREE
I know most of you must be thinking “huh” ? I actually believe that the refereeing wasn’t that bad, even taking into account the missed calls. I was very worried before the tournament started that this time around, the diving and histrionics would get out of control, but we saw very little of that, and generally speaking, FIFA seemed to have been right on top of the refs. My pick was RAVSHAN IRMATOV from Uzbekistan who refereed 2-3 high profile games without incident.

10. OVERALL TOURNAMENT GRADE
No more than a C+ I’m afraid. Teams afraid to lose, dominating defenses, under performing star players, vuvuzela hampered supporters and boring high profile games, all for me at least, contributed to an average tournament that failed to impress. Watched the Community Shield game today that had more excitement in the first half than a whole month of World Cup games put together.

The World Cup is always a favorite time in the sports calendar every four years, and despite my reservations, the tournament always retains it’s ability to capture the imagination of all sports fans around the world. With the emergence of HD TV, you felt as if you were in the stadium watching the game just like the real fans, but time erases our memories fast, and in years to come, the 2010 version will be remembered more for what didn’t happen on the field than what did.

6. KAKA, MESSI, ROONEY AND RONALDO .
One of the most disappointing aspects of South Africa 2010 was the poor performances from some of the world stars who were expected to light up our lives with their skills. We were told about how these guys would terrorize defenses and score spectacular goals that would be highlight reels for months afterwards. Well, folks, it didn’t happen and we should ask why. Many observers have blamed the ball, the altitude, tiredness, and just plain petulance, especially in Rooney’s case. I subscribe to none of those explanations and choose to defer to two reasons which I feel hits a little closer to the mark.
Soccer is a team game more so now than ever. There are no slouches anymore, particularly at this level, and with the emergence of the “complete” athlete, it becomes more difficult for star players to shine. When you couple that with the considerable improvement of the tactical approach of defenses in the modern game, players like Messi and Ronaldo get no room to perform. Consequently, we saw double and triple-teaming from defenders in many situations involving key attackers. Personally, I enjoy all aspects of the game so I’m not bothered by that development, but I know the BooYah’s of the SportsCenter world just gag on that stuff. Tough.

7. FRANCE.
What an enjoyable, shambolic sideshow this circus became, if you are English or Irish. Anelka throwing his toys out of the stroller, with Domenech looking on like a frustrated babysitter who couldn’t control his charges. Follow that with Patrice Evra marching his players off the training pitch in protest just made great drama from a vastly demoralized squad. The French are the poster boys for the roller coaster performances. Remember 2002 when they crashed out in the Group stage having come into the tournament as winners from 1998 ? I think they’ve made a shrewd move in nominating Laurent Blanc as manager who did a fantastic job at Bordeaux this past season so look for the French to bounce back at Euro 2012.

8. SOUTH AFRICA
It probably wouldn’t be fair to write a summation of a World Cup without mentioning the host team at some point. Pilloried in many circles within the country in the months leading up to kick-off, the squad gave a creditable account of themselves even though they were ranked 85th in the world. Suffered terribly from not understanding Coach Parreira’s tactical philosophy, and lacking confidence against Uruguay, they still almost got out of a Group which was seen to be impossible, and with a better performance from Steven Pienaar, they may have surprised us all. Now, with a new coach, I would expect them to rise up the rankings over the next 2-3 years.

9. THE FINAL
Poor game littered with fouls which ruined potentially a great spectacle. Many blamed referee Webb’s approach but he was in a no-win situation. The only way the Dutch could beat Spain, at least in their minds, was to get physical, and when the Orange take that route, trouble isn’t far behind. It’s not the first time that games involving the Netherlands have deteriorated into an ice hockey match, but they forgot an old rule of competition – “the best way to defend is to attack”. Granted you have to be in possession to do that, but Spain are vulnerable at the back just like anyone else, but the Dutch chose to kick lumps out of them instead. Frankly, a sad end that really summed up the whole tournament for me.

10. THE USA
Being based in the US, I could hardly not pass a comment or two about Bob Bradley’s squad and it’s effect on the sport of soccer in this country. Only in the USA does that second question get asked. The sport is constantly being compared and contrasted with other, more established pillars of life like baseball and football. Frankly, most soccer people over here could care less about that. Most of us were energized by a team that constantly fell behind early, but through ability, tremendous effort, and a little luck here and there, had a great tournament. Their demise against Ghana was disappointing but there were no rabbits left in the hat. When you see the pubs and sports bars filled with soccer fans watching the national team, it tells me that as time moves on, fans in this country are becoming more passionate and more involved. A huge step forward in entertainment.

11. THE WINNERS
I’ll probably take a ton of flak about what I say now about the Spaniards, and I might be way off in my view, but as you all know, I like to think “out of the box” sometimes, so here goes. As good as this Spanish team is, and I think that they could be up there as one of the best teams ever, I think their style is killing the spectacle of soccer. This team is as close to perfection as you can get. They hardly ever give up the ball, and have proven goalscorers in their line-up, but it’s what they do when they don’t have the ball that is, to me, the most impressive. They relentlessly harass and hurry the other team into mistakes which logically allows them to regain possession constantly. The problem, is that perfection, at least in sport, is not great to watch, every game. It becomes boring. Look at Spain’s record at the World Cup. Eight goals in seven games. All four of their matches in the knockout stages ended in 1-0 victories with none of them entertaining at all, and three of the four games touted to be a classic. They had 60-75% possession but failed to convert that into goals. Obviously opponents will adjust as they always do, but for now, watching them play is no longer entertaining. I’m a golf fan, and watching Tiger Woods win by 7-8 shots every week isn’t enjoyable.

12. ENGLAND
I’ve saved the worst for last because this is where I lose my mind. This England team was a joke from the moment they qualified and no-one wanted to listen. I was castigated on many blogs for my opinion that they were bad, and so it proved. They were simply awful. I think the most frustrating part for me was the effort put forth, which was plainly missing. It appeared that they just didn’t care, and we’ll never know the truth in that regard. Many commentators have rolled out the same song and dance about the why’s and why not’s, such as tiredness, lack of talent, the Premier League, winter break and also Fabio Capello, so let me give you my humble view.
I believe it all started in the qualifiers. England were never stretched in a Group that was weak to say the least. Croatia were a shadow of the team that knocked them out of Euro 2008 two years ago. Goals were plentiful and it appeared then that we were strolling along to South Africa. During that time, we had the Terry/Bridge/Perroncel affair which cost John Terry the captaincy. I don’t think the players ever forgave Capello for that move despite the fact that I was behind him 100%. Then came the injuries. Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Gareth Barry, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Ledley King, and Aaron Lennon all had time off which affected preparations before and during the tournament, and when you combine that with the loss of Owen Hargreaves, who was our best player in 2006, the effect of losing such key individuals was immense. The final nail in England’s coffin was the Capello effect. Definitely, one of the best coaches in the game today, but he’s old school and hasn’t changed his methods in years. During qualifying, his regimental style was bearable in short bursts spread out over two seasons, but for two months straight with him driving the ship, it was just a matter of time before the inmates rebelled and the ship ran aground. No doubt that the English methods need an overhaul, but nothing like what is being presented, and a winter break for the Premier League is probably worthwhile, but the FA bungled things before, during and after the tournament. Despite being a fan of Capello, I would have let him go right after the Germany game. He cannot function now with this squad of players unless he fires the lot and starts afresh, and let’s face it, that isn’t happening. I would have grabbed Roy Hodgson, BEFORE Anfield came knocking, and started to wean the younger players into the squad.
It remains to be seen whether things can improve now unless Capello fundamentally changes his approach, not to the tactical side of the game, but in his man management skills. You would like to think that if Sir Alex Ferguson can change, so can he.

OK. Part 2 over with but as I said, a part 3 is possible which I will post tomorrow. It will be a short “Top 10 of World Cup 2010″ and then next week we’ll be into the 2010/2011 season.

We’re almost a month down the road from the final whistle of the 2010 World Cup which took place in South Africa this summer. Personally, I have been quiet for a few weeks to try and collect my thoughts, and quite frankly, to take a break from the game and recharge my batteries ready for the 2010-2011 season. The time off also allowed me to put the events of the tournament into perspective and be a little more analytical, rather than relying on emotional reactions that tend to take over immediately after such tournaments conclude. Consequently, I’ve put together a few thoughts and impressions that I had about what happened, and I’ll try to be brief as possible, and then we’ll move on to the new season.

1. THE TOURNAMENT
Many people prior to kick-off in early June were critical of South Africa’s preparations for the month long extravaganza. Security, lack of ticket sales, and disinterest from the host nation supporters were all forecasted to be legacies of this year’s edition, but as is the case with most Domesday predictions, it all proved groundless. Security was tight for the most part, although David Beckham might disagree. Ticket sales were healthy although empty seats were visible at some games, more so because of the sheer size of the hosting stadiums which all had capacities of 40,000 or more. The host nation provided a very vocal atmosphere which was friendly to foreign visitors and supportive certainly to their own team. Goals were hard to come by in the opening round of matches but that went away as we moved through the knockout stages. Excitement and drama although were in short supply as defenses controlled many of the games but there were moments to look back on. Generally, I thought a successful production from the South Africans.

2. THE VUVUZELAS
Almost unknown even after the Confederations Cup in 2009, the vuvuzela became the most talked about subject in South Africa. A loud, shrill scream was heard at every game, to the point where broadcasters found a way to tune out the noise for the commentators. FIFA even debated whether they should outlaw the horn instrument They were not just brought to the games by South African fans either. Supporters from every country had a bunch of them to blow on and someone sure made a ton of money selling them. Personally, I hated the darned things. I felt they made the crowd noise too monotone, and so the ebb and flow of the game was lost in the drone of the horns. Definitely an African cultural icon but thankfully many Leagues around the world have banned them from stadiums, following the lead from other sports. Sorry, but they were an annoyance.

3. THE BALL
The word Jabulani became almost as controversial as the vuvuzela. The new Adidas match ball was seen as a devilish development that haunted players and goalkeepers especially. Seemingly passing through the air with an unpredictable flightpath, the Jabulani was blamed for several goals which may or may not have been the case, but for me, the main drawback was the ball’s effect on passing. Long passes were almost extinct as the ball flew out of play on the first bounce, and the total disappearance of goals from free-kicks suggested that the players were right. Next time, FIFA need to leave well enough alone and just rename a ball that flies true, straight, and still puts money in the coffers of the fatcats in Switzerland.

4. NETWORK COVERAGE
Obviously being stationed in the USA, I can only pass judgment on what we were offered here, but I thought that ESPN did a tremendous job. They had some early hiccups with their presenters but once they found their feet, they all shined. Chris Fowler was excellent as studio anchor and although Bob Ley struggled at first he gave a good account of himself. Mike Turico knows exactly what covering an international tournament takes and was solid. The combination of Steve McMananan, Roberto Martinez, Ruud Gullitt, Shaun Bartlett, and even Alexei Lalas, did a superb job in discussing games, preparations and tactics and the whole broadcast effort would have been top class even in Europe. The weakest link, I think, surprisingly enough, was Martin Tyler. He sounded disinterested and monotone. Even with the educated Efan Ekoku at his side, their broadcasts paled into second place behind the passionate calling of Ian Darke and John Harkes. Time for Tyler to hang it up maybe even though I think he’s already signed for 2014.

5. OFFICIATING
I tend to disagree with the common view that the refereeing was poor.Definitely better than expected in my view despite some howlers that were more due to the system rather than the individual. FIFA clearly knew who their top referee teams were and consistently went back to them throughout. Offenders were weeded out quickly and the possibility of a plethora of diving and “gunshot” tactics never materialized. The biggest controversy was Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal in England’s quarter final against Germany which hopefully results in a change in the rules. The officials were not to blame as they all followed the regulations to the letter. I would not have given the goal either, as you could not make a definitive decision on whether the ball crossed the line unless you were level with the goal-line, or if you slowed down the video, neither of which were possible under the current rules. As for the final, I think Howard Webb and his team did what they could to control the game, maybe choosing to throw the yellows too early, but based on the tactics of the Dutch, he didn’t have too much of a choice.

In Part 2, we’ll look at some of the teams that performed, and some of those that didn’t along with some player evaluations too. Stay tuned !

Following England’s miserable 0-0 draw with Algeria in the second phase of Group C games at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, fans and media alike turned on the participants of that debacle with a ferocity rarely seen at England games. Striker Wayne Rooney was seen to mouth an attack on the fans in the stadium who were rightly booing the insipid performance that had just been served up. Back home, the fans lambasted the coach and players and expressed their disgust at what seemed to be a total lack of desire to give 100% effort. Coupled with a fan entering the England dressing room and supposedly confronting David Beckham, the disastrous night probably went down as one of the worst in English football’s long history.

As always, it seems that once you hit the bottom of the barrel, the only place to go is up and today certainly seemed to herald a new attitude in the England camp. It started with the appearance of John Terry at the first scheduled press conference since the Algeria game. His forthright comments outlined a level of frustration with manager Fabio Capello who seems to have dropped several levels in popularity since the tournament got under way. Top of Terry’s list was the indication that the players want to see Joe Cole back in the team, and I can’t say I blame them. He has a level of intensity that we haven’t seen yet in South Africa and it seems that Capello’s reluctance to play him might be part of some of the issues between team and manager. During the press conference, Terry said that there would be a meeting of the squad and management team to “clear the air” and commented that, if Capello wasn’t happy with some of the comments, then “So what. I’m here to win it for England”

An interesting conclusion I drew from the press conference today was that it looks like John Terry is still the natural leader of the squad, despite his removal from the captaincy. His status does not look to have been affected by being replaced as captain, and it could be that the players themselves were not happy that Terry was stripped of the role by Capello following revelations in the press about his affair with Vanessa Perroncel. Terry looked comfortable today in front of the cameras and was very insistent that his role within the squad had never changed.

Other players have voiced displeasure at some of the Italian’s methods, in particular, the goalkeepers who feel that they have no preparation time when Capello insists on waiting until two hours before kick-off before naming his starting line-up. David James, when asked about when he was told he would be playing, said “Five minutes before I got on the bus. Usual standard”. Another bone of contention has been the roles of Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard. Capello has a lot of faith in Emile Heskey playing as a target man with Rooney as the second striker, which appears to generate a high level of frustration in the Man Utd forward, who seems to drop deeper and deeper in to midfield as the game progresses, just to gain some possession. What the players appear to want is Steven Gerrard playing behind Rooney who would be the lone striker. There is no doubt that all this displeasure creates an area of mistrust in Capello as a manager, and he is definitely not the type of character to take this on the chin and not react angrily. He has a history during his days as a club manager at Real Madrid, and AC Milan of being a harsh taskmaster, just ask David Beckham. However his methods seemed to have been successful during the qualifying phase.

The real issue I think is that during the qualifying rounds, the players and Capello were only together for short periods, so his methods were accepted, but since preparations for the World Cup began, they have been living out of each others pockets for the last 30-40 days, which has taken it’s toll on the players. The previous two World Cups were led by Sven Goran Eriksson whose training camps were run more like country clubs. Capello’s camps are more like boot camps in the military and it’s been a hard road for the squad to follow. I like Capello’s methods, but in retrospect, I think it would have made more sense to have drawn a happy medium between country club and boot camp in order to strike the right blend of surroundings where the players could feel comfortable, but where there would be a strong level of discipline.

Let’s hope that’s not the case.

Normal service will be resumed as soon as we get a football team.