My first port of call has to be Spurs. I had a pretty bad day yesterday, but it didn’t dampen my anticipation of the Spurs game coming up in the evening. Then, Bobby ‘No Goals for Spurs’ Zamora stuck one away and I thought ‘here we go’…Fulham didn’t exactly play us off the park in the first half, but they did look resilient and organised. Duff’s throughball for Zamora to score was perfectly weighted, and it wasn’t the only time I had my heart in my mouth.

What pleased (and shocked) me the most about the game, was that ‘Arry actually made a bold substitution. Too many times this season, he’s preferred to stick with what he thinks is his best XI, and not chop and change if it clearly isn’t working. A double substition at half time, with Bale moving back into defence in place of Assou-Ekotto, and Bentley and Huddlestone coming into boss the midfield made all the difference.

People are saying in the media that Bentley has looked awesome ever since he has come back into the side during Lennon’s absence. I don’t totally agree with this. He’s the kind of player who looks good on tv, because he can put in the champagne ball and create something out of nothing. I saw him at Birmingham away (when he possibly lacked a bit of match fitness), and he didn’t work hard for the team and looked lazy getting back. None of that really matters though, if he can put in a good free kick and an absolutely exquisite ball to the back post like he did for Pavlyuchenko.

The Lane looked like it was rocking. Not only have we got through the semi-final of the FA Cup, but it also reinforced the idea that we have one of the best squads in the Premier League. In some ways, it’s actually better that we’ve had a few injuries, because it’s let some fringe players come in and prove their worth, as well as keeping people happy. If all 4 of our strikers were fit, at least one of them would be unhappy and ‘on their way to Villa/Moscow/Sunderland’.  At some point, everyone in the squad who is recognised as a first team player has come in and done a job for the team.

I’m not going to boast about how we’re in outright 4th place and are clear of Villa, City and Liverpool. I’ve seen the fixture list for April, and I don’t think it really matters who is where at the moment, because no doubt there’s a few twists in the tale before the end of the season. However, I do think the Scousers should be seriously worried, and Rafa should start to think logistics – just how is he going to get all those lasagnes served up to Spurs, City AND Villa?

The news surrounding football today is mostly about Tony Mowbray. I’m afraid I really can’t muster anything remotely interesting to say about Scottish football, so I won’t bother.

Also, poor Franco Zola. I don’t even think West Ham are that bad. It looks inevitable that he’ll get the chop before or during the summer, and I think this is just another sad case of a young manager not being given enough time at a Premier League club. West Ham actually play some good football, they just don’t score any goals. They’re not  Championship club, but then again, no one’s too good to go down.

I’m going to leave it there for now, but if you’re a football fan, I’d appreciate you checking out this link:

Football Fan Survey

It’s a survey for a mate’s dissertation, but don’t worry – it’s about your experience as a football fan, and if you like going to matches, then you’ll want to get your views on this across. Cheers!

I’ll be back soon to talk about German football, England, and the shambles that is the FA….

Early discussions between the Premier League and the 20 Premier League clubs have begun over the idea of a playoff for the fourth Champions League place. The acceptance of such a plan would see the top-three teams at the end of the season automatically qualify for Europe’s premier competition, with the fourth place being decided between the teams finishing in fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh place. If the current table was the one that finished the season, then Manchester City would face Aston Villa in a two-legged tie, and Liverpool would face Spurs, with the winners of each playing a final with a grand prize of the fourth available Champions League place. Of course this would be of great benefit to the teams who are regularly hanging around the top four (Villa, Spurs, Everton, and now Man City), but of great annoyance to those teams who may finish in fourth, namely Liverpool and Arsenal.

So it is really no surprise to hear both Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger come out against the proposal. For them, the idea of an established top four is currently keeping them financially afloat. Liverpool’s debts are no secret, whilst Arsenal’s new stadium has come at a price of limited spending. As a result, both sides have slipped behind both Chelsea and Manchester United in the fight for honours. Liverpool’s last taste of silverware was lifting the FA Cup in 2006, whilst Arsenal won the same competition the year before and have since come under increasing pressure to win at least one of the domestic titles if not the Premier League or Champions League.

Despite their lack of trophies in recent years, both clubs have consistently finished in the Champions League qualification places, and as a result their finances have stayed strong. The gulf in financial benefit between clubs in the Champions League and clubs in the Europa League is enormous. According to wikipedia:

“UEFA awards €3 million to each team that qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, plus €2.4 million for participating in the Group stage. A Group stage win is worth €600,000 and a draw is worth €300,000.

In addition, UEFA pays each quarter finalist €2.5 million, €3 million for each semi-finalist, €4 million for the runners-up and €7 million for the winners.^“

Not to mention the money gained in television revenue, which would seem to be on the rise considering last year’s Champions League final was the most watched television event of the year, pipping the Super Bowl by 3 million views (109m to 106m). Although I cannot find any credible stats for the Europa League prize money, it would appear that most unofficial sources seem to believe that Europa League teams will collect around half the amount, with undoubtedly less money given out in TV revenue.

So why would the top teams vote for this? It is of no benefit to them. You could possibly see Manchester United going for it, simply because they would on the one hand be confident of finishing in the top three every season, and at the same time to spite their closest rivals Liverpool (and maybe Arsenal and Chelsea, but at the same time benefitting rivals Man City…). However, I have very little doubts that at the very least 14 of the 20 clubs would vote for such a move, the minimum number required to pass such a motion.

So it may well be that the Premier League is given a shake up in the not too distant future. And I for one would be happy to see such a plan come in. Sure, my Villa connections mean that this would give Martin O’Neill’s side a better chance of getting into the Champions League – like most sides around the top four, they can beat any side on a good day – but I think it would eventually even out the playing field around the top four, providing more exciting competition between the top teams, and quite possibly forcing teams such as Liverpool to balance their finances more carefully, for fear that they may not be able to guarantee Champions League revenue to allow their debts to go unpaid.

But for 2010 (which, henceforward shall be known as ‘England’s year’), it’s only February and already we have a player all but ruled out.  As much as I hate Ashley Cole, he’s the best left-back we have, and possibly the best in the world. This is worrying, bordering on tragic news that he has probably a 10% chance of playing for England in the World Cup.

However, what annoys me more than the fact that we’ve lost a great player, is the way the tabloids will inevitably treat this. Within minutes of the story breaking that the injury was more serious than first thought, columns had sprung up reminding everyone (as if we need reminding) that Wayne Bridge is next in line.

Oh, but hang on, Bridge was caught up in that story wasn’t he? The one with John Terry? What? They might have to play together?

Top-notch journalism – I don’t know about you, but I for one would have struggled to come to that complex conclusion without the help of Fleet Street. As if they hadn’t tried to sabotage England’s year enough already, they now have an absolute gem of a story which provides them with so much scope.

I bet the editors on Fleet Street – probably rosey cheeked, flushed and slightly nauseous from all the champagne lunches they’ve been treated to since they started to maul John Terry, couldn’t believe their luck. Then again, they probably had the work experience kid working dilligently on a voodoo doll of Ashley Cole.

I think maybe my anger probably stems from the fact that England’s year is already starting to go tits up, when I thought this time (THIS TIME) it would be different. Anyway, there’s a simple solution to this problem: Capello should come out and say ‘I’m picking Leighton Baines, so do one’. That would shut the papers up, and there’d be no more rumours of dressing room divides.

And the work experience lad can go back to doing the photocopying.

Last night I went to Villa Park to see Aston Villa take on Manchester United, in a game that I not only expected Villa to lose, but also one which before hand I stated I’d bite their hands off if they offered a draw. Yet come the final whistle, I was actually disappointed to get a point against United, and it seemed like I wasn’t the only one. Of course there were no boos at the end of the game – such a thought would be absolutely ridiculous – but there was a certain frustration that rang around Villa Park after the 1-1 draw.

Let’s briefly review the events of the game. Villa took a deserved lead through a decent header from Carlos Cuellar, Villa’s best player on the evening, which was cancelled out minutes later, when Giggs’ volley went in off James Collins. Nani got himself ridiculously sent off for a two-footed challenge: he may have won most of the ball, but his follow through caught Stiliyan Petrov hard, resulting in the Villa captain being replaced in the second half. Despite the advantage, Man Utd posed more of a threat through the latter part of the first half, and the first twenty minutes of the second, but had little clear cut chances. From there, Villa started to press the opposition back into their own third, but never looked like scoring, and ultimately a draw was probably a fair result.

So if the result was fair, why was I left frustrated? Well, if anyone has seen the majority of Villa’s last performances they would have noticed that the Villans are missing something in attack. Since Xmas, Villa have lost 3-0 to Arsenal, lost 0-1 to Liverpool, drawn 0-0 with West Ham, drawn 0-0 with Arsenal, beaten Fulham 2-0, drawn with Tottenham 0-0, and drawn with Man Utd 1-1. In seven games, the Villans have scored just three goals, conceding five.

Now defensively, I don’t think there are any problems with Villa, far from it in fact. With four clean sheets in a row during that run, and conceding just one a piece against Liverpool and Man Utd, Villa have now conceded just nineteen goals this season, giving them statistically the Premier League’s strongest defence. In contrast, they have scored thirty two goals, eighteen at home and fourteen away. Even Hull have scored as many at home as Villa. And three goals in seven games shows there is something missing in Villa’s attack.

My personal thoughts on the matter focus on two areas. Firstly, the lack of a natural goalscorer. Neither John Carew nor Emile Heskey will ever get 20 goals in a single season for Aston Villa, and I’d be surprised if Gabby Agbonlahor ever did either. Come the summer, if Martin O’Neill does not spend big money on a striker, then Villa will continue to struggle scoring goals like teams of similar status (out of the six teams above them, Liverpool have scored the least goals with forty three, and that’s with periods of the season missing Gerrard and Torres). Man Utd have Rooney, Chelsea have Drogba, Liverpool Torres, Arsenal Van Persie, Spurs Defoe, Man City Tevez. All decent goal-scoring threats, who will at least go close to 20 goals every season.

But secondly, Martin O’Neill is not tactically a great manager, and the last seven games have shown it. O’Neill has recently decided to play James Milner in a more central role, which has meant that Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing have all been playing in a four-man midfield. For me, this is starting to show it’s weaknesses. You would have thought that with the flair of Milner, Young and Downing, defined as England’s future by some sections of the country’s media and fans, that Villa would be one of the most threatening teams going forward. But last night, Villa actually showed more promise in attack with three attacking midfielders supporting a lone striker. Yes Milner, Young and Downing were playing at the same time, but all in more advanced roles, allowing Petrov and the impressive Fabian Delph to hold the centre of midfield.

Take the Spurs game on Saturday. Both teams had pretty similar styles of play (which is why I found the chant “Boring, boring Villa” pretty ironic). Both teams had central-midfield pairs who were less than adventurous – Milner and Petrov for Villa, and Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone for Spurs. And both sides had two main forms of attack – long balls up to a target man (Heskey and Crouch), or threats down the flanks (Downing and Young, Bentley and Bale). Other than that, there was little to distinguish between the sides. Except for one player. Luka Modric. Nearly every ball Crouch won in the air, he knocked it back down to Modric who was found time and time again in the centre of midfield, just outside the box, completely unmarked. Unfortunately for Spurs, they were not at their attacking best. Neither Defoe nor Modric were getting much on target, and Villa managed to cope with what came Friedel’s way.

Villa have been missing an attacking threat from central midfield for a long, long time, and putting a winger into the middle is not going to change that. Milner will always work his socks off for Villa, but when playing in the middle, it seems as though O’Neill has made him more aware of his defensive duties. As such, he  pushes forward less than when played out wide. On those occasions he is found forward, it is usually out on a wing, helping either Young or Downing attack the fullback. Villa are still relying too much on their crosses to get goals, and without the fire power in the middle it’s going to continue to hinder them. What Modric did for Spurs last Saturday, what Lampard does for Chelsea, Gerrard for Liverpool, is drive through the centre of midfield, and provide another route to attack. Villa have absolutely no attacking presence through the middle of midfield whatsoever, and it’s extremely frustrating for the fans. Once Plan A fails (get the ball out wide and cross it), there is no Plan B to go to.

But it does seem in the Villa squad that there is some hope for the future, in the shape of Fabian Delph. After a slow start to his Villa career, recent performances have shown what the fuss was about when Villa spent £6m on him in the summer. He impressed first half against Blackburn in the FA Cup, really impressed against Brighton when he played 90 minutes, and last night against the Champions of England he was Villa’s best player until his substitution early in the second half, and it is safe to say that we looked weaker going forward without him in the team. Because of the three attacking midfielders in front of him, he did not push forward as much as expected from him, playing like a mirror image of Petrov next to him. But judging by his performance against Brighton, in a 4-4-2 he will give Villa exactly the kind of potency their central midfield needs.

He’s an extremely mature player considering he is just 20 years old. His attitude towards self-improvement really is remarkable. Despite what was probably his best showing in a Villa shirt, he made this comment in the post-match interview:

“I think I was tidier on the ball and I think that was down to having a bit more space. I saw a few things that went wrong though, like I played two diagonal passes which were a bit high and they got cut out, so that’ll be playing on my mind for a few days but hopefully I can work on that in training and get it right.”

How can a couple of misplaced passes be that much of an issue? Most people would just put it down to bad luck and move on, but he is desperate to improve and be the best he can, and that in the long run is going to be what the Villa fans love about him. I think this lad is really one to watch out for, and if you don’t believe me then check out these goals from last season whilst he was at Leeds. It may have been in League One, but I don’t think things would have been any different for him with these chances if they came last night against Manchester United.

For anyone who wants to read about John Terry (surely you’re not tired of this story yet?), then check out J’s post below – I couldn’t have put it better myself. However, I’d also like to point out that these tabloids who are attempting to sabotage England’s World Cup bid are the same tabloids who are going to moan if we exit it at any point. You’d think, in World Cup year, that they could put something like this aside for the good of the nation. My faith in the human race is rapidly deteriorating.

Also, J’s done an excellent preview of the mid-week fixtures, so by now you’re probably wondering what the hell I have to talk about.

Well, in my first ever post for Football Debate, I put forward my England squad list for South Africa 2010. This proved an excellent talking point, but now, with the World Cup around 4 months away, it’s time to reassess the situation!

Bowkett’s squad 15/10/09
Goalkeepers:

David James
Rob Green
Paul Robinson

This was a nice idea, but it’s just not going to happen. Robinson won’t go, although I could still make a case for him. It’s going to James, Green and Hart. Deciding on a number one is going to have to be a blog post by itself.

Defenders:

John Terry
Rio Ferdinand
Phil Jagielka
Glenn Johnson
Wes Brown
Ashley Cole

Notice there’s no Wayne Bridge – that’s why I was largely unconcerned about the Terry saga in the first place. I still think there’s no room for a player who is just a like-for-like replacement of Ashley Cole. Of course, if Ashley gets injured between now and then, Bridge would be in the mix along with Villa’s Stephen Warnock, but don’t expect them to go if he’s not. Picking a squad is about having utility players, and Gareth Barry could play at left-back, and so can Lescott. In fact, although I don’t want him anywhere near my squad, Lescott’s ability to play in another position could possibly push him ahead of Dawson, Shawcross and the unfortunate injury cases of Jagielka and Cahill in the pecking order, although he has been utter gash this season. Of course, I still think there’s a case to be made for Ledley King – I know he can’t play two games in a row, but let’s say, hypothetically, that John Terry or Rio Ferdinand are suspended for the World Cup Final against Germany (not outside the realms of possibility). Who would you rather come into the team for one game, King, or Lescott?

Midfielders

Steven Gerrard
Frank Lampard
Gareth Barry
Owen Hargreaves
Aaron Lennon
Theo Walcott
Joe Cole
David Beckham
James Milner

Now this section needs a bit of re-evaluation. Walcott hasn’t completed 90 minutes of Premier League football since November 2008 (shortly after his miracle-work in Zagreb). And when he does play, he might as well not be there. Aaron Lennon, on the other hand, has really made his case for inclusion, and if he was injury free, he would be most people’s number one choice to start on the right. I think the nation has to hope he is fit by then, because the alternatives aren’t looking great. Wright-Phillips has been pretty average, Bentley is just Bentley, and Beckham is unlikely to be given a starting role. Hargreaves has to be out. Not selected for the Champions League run-in, still without a game in almost 18 months, he is a tragic case of ‘what could have been’ for United and England. Let’s just hope he plays again, let alone gets in the England team. A replacement for him has got to be Carrick, although he can’t tackle, and I’d prefer to have Huddlestone. Cole will get better for Chelsea, although his performances since a return from injury haven’t been scintillating. He will improve with games and make the plane.
Strikers

Wayne Rooney
Emile Heskey
Peter Crouch
Jermain Defoe
Darren Bent

Heskey is rubbish. England fans will tell you, VILLA fans will tell you. But I still think he’ll go. It all hinges on whether he his value to Rooney is that much. If Capello thinks another player can play the way he does with Rooney, then he’d have him in. But I have a sneaky suspicion that regardless of Heskey’s form in the run up to the tournament, he’s going to go no matter what. I still don’t think you can argue with Defoe. He would bang them in against the lesser teams, and having Crouch in the squad means there’s a ready-made partnership to come on in case of injury or a radical change in tactics. Bent has gone off the boil somewhat, so it’s a toss-up between him and Agbonlahor. I’m going to tip Gaby to go, and for Bent to have last-minute heartbreak again. Rooney is fantastic. Our hopes hinge on him. I just wish there was a way of freezing him, and his current form, and transporting it 4 months into the future…Your homework has been set for this week.

Tuesday’s late game sees Fulham take on Burnley at Craven Cottage. After losing against Villa at home for the first time since losing to Arsenal back in September, and after only coming away from the Reebok with a point against struggling Bolton, Fulham will be desperate to get their season back on track. However, they’re struggling for goals at the moment, and will be hoping that loan-signing Okaka can start firing sooner rather than later. After a promising start to the season, Burnley appear to be slipping into the relegation battle, and it’s their away form which really needs the improvement. Their win over West Ham will give them heart, and new signing Danny Fox looks like he’ll give the Clarets an even greater threat from set pieces. But I think Fulham will have enough to win this one, and most likely with a clean sheet too.

Elsewhere, Man City host Bolton, in what should be an easy win for the big spenders. They may have lost to Hull at the weekend, but their home form at Eastlands is pretty impressive. Coupled with Bolton’s poor form (despite their derby win over Burnley), and the news that Gary Cahill will possibly be out for the season, I can’t see Owen Coyle’s side taking anything away from City tonight.

Portsmouth v Sunderland should provide some entertainment (here’s hoping). Both sides will see this one as the game to turn their season’s around. Pompey know Sunderland are on a bad run at the moment, and despite Darren Bent’s obvious threat in front of goal, their win in the FA Cup when both sides met will give them hope that they can win this one. Sunderland will also be just as determined to pick up all three points on the South Coast. They have a tough run in the near future, facing Arsenal, Fulham, Villa and Man City in four of their next six games. They’ll be using this game to try and kick start some form of their own, and as long as Darren Bent is given the chances in front of goal, they should come away from Fratton Park with the result they want.

Tuesday’s final fixture is Wigan at home to Stoke, which unfortunately has a bore-draw written all over it. Stoke have the better form, with two wins and two draws from their last four, but their home performances seem to be the key to their season. They’re also short of goals, with only Pompey and Wolves netting less this season. Wigan on the other hand have only won once in nine games (against Wolves), and have not won against the Potters in their last four meetings. Their defence is also leaky, but I think both Chris Kirkland and Thomas Sorenson will come away from this with clean sheets.

And on to Wednesday, where the game of the week is surely Arsenal v Liverpool. Both sides will find this one tough: Arsenal have the home advantage, but defeats and poor-showings against Man United and Chelsea will have done nothing for their confidence. However, Wenger is a great manager when it comes to instilling a positive attitude in his youngsters, and there’s every chance that Arsenal really come out firing in this clash. You’d also have to say they stand a better chance of winning with Nicklas Bendtner starting. He may not be the best goalscoring threat, but his presence amongst Arsenal’s shorter, technical players will add another option and keep the Liverpool backline on their toes. In comparison, Liverpool have been quietly making strides in recent weeks, and the win against Everton at the weekend could prove to be vital in the rescue of their season. They are still without Fernando Torres, but despite the lack of goals coming out from David N’Gog they have the potential for goals to come from the midfield. However, they will really need Gerrard and Kuyt to be on top form, and push their side forward. A win tonight will see them close the gap with Arsenal to just two points, and I’m sure Benitez will have made this point to his team. Overall, I just think this one will be too close to call, so I’ll sit on the fence and say 1-1.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa host Man United, and despite my love of the Villa, I just don’t see us picking up points against an in-from United, particularly if Wayne Rooney is having one of those days that seem to come along every week at the moment. We can offer a threat to United, but it depends which attacking side turns up. Against Spurs we did well to get the ball out wide, but offered very little on the final ball, and once that was stifled there was no Plan B. United on the other hand are currently going from Plan A to B to C: anything they put forward seems to be working. I don’t think it’ll be a walkover like Pompey or Hull, but I think 0-2 might be an accurate prediction.

Everton face Chelsea at Goodison tonight, and could well take a point from them. Excluding the weekend’s game against Liverpool, Everton have been performing pretty well recently, and after taking a point off Chelsea at the Bridge they’ll be confident in their ability to take the game to Chelsea. Landon Donovan has been a good addition for them, and will certainly strengthen their attack. However, Chelsea will obviously offer their own threats. Drogba looks like the same player before he left for Africa, and his form doesn’t look like dropping. I think this game will have goals, but I’ll take a risk and say 2-2.

Spurs travel to Molineux to take on Wolves, and if their attacking threat is similar to that against Villa then they should pick up some goals. Defoe was quiet at the weekend but always has the ability to turn out a performance, and Crouch looks like he’s performing really well at the moment. Spurs appeared more reserved against Villa, playing with both Palacios and Huddlestone in holding midfield roles, and maybe dropping one of the two, shifting Modric to the middle and bringing Kranjcar back into the side would see them really go for this one. Wolves on the other hand will gutted following their defeat at Birmingham, especially considering their lead. Kevin Doyle certainly offers Wolves’ best attacking option, but other than that they are in desperate need of some fire power, and look vunerable defensively. Spurs to win comfortably.

In the final two games, Blackburn take on Hull whilst West Ham host Birmingham, neither of which look like being particularly thrilling contests. Despite their win against Man City, I think Hull will face a more rigid test in the form of Blackburn, who will most likely play a more physical and direct game. Samba may be out for Sam Allardyce’s men, but I can see them holding off Hull to get three points.

More than can be said for West Ham however. They were unlucky to lose at Burnley, when they ball just never looked like going in a second time for them. McCarthy is a good signing for them, and should form a decent partnership alongside Carlton Cole. They have obvious talent in midfield, and looking at their squad they really shouldn’t be in the relegation zone. However, morale is a big factor, and tonight against high-flying Blues they’ll be really tested. I don’t really understand how Birmingham have gone on such a fantastic run, but it doesn’t really look like stopping at the moment. They are not like the other recently promoted sides (in that I’m including Burnley, Wolves, Stoke), where home form is the most important aspect of their season. Blues seem to be picking up a decent amount away from home too. I’m going to have to go for an away win here, but pray that at some point Birmingham’s second team can be slowed down.

So Fabio Capello has decided to strip John Terry of the England captaincy, which is sure to be a favourable decision with the nation’s tabloids who have had endless fun in reporting on his private life. Watching Mock The Week the other night really made me laugh when they discussed the subject. One of the show’s panelists made the point that tabloid newspapers are traditionally the ones that pile enormous amounts upon the England football team before any major tournament, yet at the same time, they cannot help but try their best to ruin the team’s chances by reporting non-stop on the affair of the England captain, and show how it’s going to ruin the England dressing room (the episode is on the BBC iPlayer now, I suggest watching it, some very funny comments re: JT).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not defending the guy. He had an affair with his best-friend’s girlfriend, it hardly makes him a saint. Morally, it seems Capello has done the right thing. In his own words, “What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice.”

To me, that’s fine. If it creates a better dressing room atmosphere, that’s fine. But there are two things that sort of bug me about the whole issue. The first is, will it really make that much of a difference? Wayne Bridge will very unlikely be going to World Cup, mainly because he’s a shit defender. Ashley Cole will undoubtedly by England’s first choice, and then from there I think both Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock are more capable in that position, and even Joleon Lescott would be a better choice if Cole was injured or suspended. Also, it will probably make very little impact on the pitch. Terry will still shout his mouth off, and people will still listen to his orders. He’ll still be the effective captain, but in the dressing room the team will have to try and understand a speech from someone even less intelligent than JT: new England captain Rio Ferdinand.

Which brings me to my second point. Nearly everyone who has been calling for Terry’s head as England captain are viewing it from a moral standpoint. “It is an outrage that John Terry had an affair, he is not a role model, he should not be England captain!” Fine. So Rio Ferdinand is made captain. Rio Ferdinand, who famously lost 8 months of his career because he “forgot” to take a drugs test, who has been convicted of drink-driving, and who called Chris Moyles a “faggot” on live radio. A fantastic role model for kids.

Or maybe it should be Steven Gerrard, a man who is incredibly lucky not to be in jail for punching a man in a night club, who simply would not let him have control of the club’s music. If Gerrard was tried in any other part of the country he’d be a guilty man, but luckily for him he is worshipped on the north-west coast. Another great role model, who has taught kids that an uppercut is in fact self-defence.

Or maybe Wayne Rooney. I mean, he was only caught having sex with an ancient prostitute. Or maybe Frank Lampard, who’s fiance left him because he was caught having affairs on two separate occasions.

None of this matters though, does it? I mean, these players have been playing for England for years, even though they have stains on their personal records. Has it affected their performances on the pitch? Probably not. Have they hindered England’s chances to win trophies? Probably not. Essentially, England have got very few role models in the national football team. So swapping one cockend for another won’t make much of a difference.

Simply put, John Terry just happens to be the tabloids’ target of the month, and he just so happens to be England captain at the same time. He’ll still play for England at South Africa, he’ll still do exactly what he’s been doing as England captain, and England will still lose to either Germany or Argentina in a penalty shoot out. The world keeps turning.

Firstly, I’d just like to say what a horrible tragedy it was when the Togo team bus was attacked. There are a couple of really stupid decisions involved in this story: first of all, why was a team bus being taken through an exclave (not even part of mainland Angola) which is riddled with terrorists, and secondly, after the president had withdrawn the squad for 3 days national mourning, why weren’t Togo able to return to the tournament? I think that really is poor tact on the tournament organisers’ part.

Rafa. Oh Rafa. Liverpool are a mid-table side. I’m afraid that’s it. Yes you won 18 titles (but none for twenty years), and yes, you regularly qualify for the Champions League (but didn’t get past the group stage), but you are in mountains of debt and your team is ordinary. I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you Rafa (I know he sits at home reading Football Debate – he’ll probably quote me at a press conference soon).

A lot’s been made of Torres and (eeeerrrrrm) Gerrard being out, but this will be from the same people who thought them superior to Villa when they robbed them away a couple of weeks ago, proclaiming “Villa don’t have a matchwinner, Liverpool do, that’s what makes a really big team!” (ahem). But guess what? One matchwinner doesn’t make an ordinary side great. And what’s up with Aquilani? He looks lightweight and unable to boss a playgroup, let alone a Premiership midfield (or Championship, seeing as they lost to Reading). And we’ve seen through Luka Modric and even Alonso that being small and skinny isn’t necessarily a barrier if you have the skill to match. Alberto looks like a fish out of water. Maxi Rodriguez must be wondering what he has got himself into.

Also, City leapfrogged Spurs into 4th this week. I was at the City of Manchester for this, and I was so disappointed. Blackburn just rolled over. The atmosphere wasn’t intense, and City had a couple of big players out (Lescott, Toure, Adebayor), so they had nothing to be afraid of. Typical Big Sam team, they didn’t go out and be positive, and City (or rather, Tevez) punished them. It wasn’t until they were 3-0 down that they started to play football. It was a real shame, because I saw Tevez at United a couple of times last year, without thinking he was that special. But on Monday he looked a cut above the rest, and part of me thinks that was just down to the weakness of the opposition. Is he another big-game bottler? Where was he away to Spurs when they lost 3-0? Hmm?

So, let’s take a look at the fixtures for this weekend! It’s nice to be able to do this in one big go again….

Stoke v Liverpool – Stoke can do ‘em. They drew 0-0 home and away last year, and Stoke will have a bit of confidence about them at the moment, after winning (just) against a good Fulham side. I’m not sure if I mentioned this previously, but Liverpool are a load of sh*t, so I hope they don’t choose this weekend to actually play well and surprise everyone. I’m not sure if you can tell, but I’m a bit bitter that they cancelled the Spurs game 3 days in advance when a big club like them should be able to put on a game with a bit of ice – Arsenal managed it.

Chelsea v Sunderland – Hmm. This one might throw up a draw. I know they still have Anelka, but Chelsea do look slightly ordinary without Drogba up front. The absence of Essien in midfield, who, I think, has been their best player this season, might also prove costly. I’ll go with 2-2.

Man U v Burnley – Owen Coyle jumped ship for some reason or other, so I’m not sure whether it’s time to start giving up on Burnley yet. Although they beat them at Turf Moor and you probably couldn’t be playing United at a better time, I still think United will prevail.

Portsmouth v Birmingham – Birmingham! What’s going on there? I can’t see their good run ending at Fratton Park either. This isn’t the same as Hull last year when you could tell their position was slightly false. Birmingham actually look the part, so this is quite intriguing. I think they’ll go 13 games unbeaten after this one.

Tottenham v Hull – We beat them 1-5 away, and Hull are pretty shaky on the road. I don’t think we’ll thrash them, because although they lost 3-0 to Arsenal, that was a bit of an unfair result. Hull might hold out for long periods, but we’ll stick a couple past them in between.

Wolves v Wigan – Yawn. I reckon Wolves might get a result this weekend, they deserved more against Man City, and Wigan are famously unpredictable. 1-0.

Everton v Man City – Nobody would have begrudged Everton all three points at the Emirates last weekend, and they look like the signing of Landon Donovan may have boosted them slightly. As I mentioned above, City aren’t up for the big games and going away to Goodison will be difficult. I think Everton will get all the points.

Villa v West Ham – I can’t really see any other result except a Villa win here.

Blackburn v Fulham – Blackburn are so, so ordinary, and Fulham are capable of winning. However, they went to Stoke and struggled, so going up to Ewood Park might prove a bit difficult as well. I’m going to say that Fulham will sneak it 1-2.

Arsenal v Bolton – Oh Sol. Have you no shame? After he petulantly stormed off at half time against West Ham 4 years ago after having a shocker, he comes crawling back. He may be able to do a job against the smaller teams, but it’s probably all about the money for him. I hope he gets made to look a fool (Defoe will make him look like a muppet later in the season, mark my words!). I know Coyle has come in at Bolton and a couple of players might be a bit rejuvenated, but they still lack technical ability and you can’t change that over night. If this was at the Reebok I’d say they have a chance. But it isn’t. So they don’t.

P.S. I was asked to go back on Russian TV the other day. Although this time it wasn’t for my football expertise, it was to talk about the Northern Ireland – minister- Mrs Robinson affair. Strange…

However, I thought I’d do a quick post about a couple of interesting stories floating round at the moment.

Firstly, Vieira to Man City. This is a strange one I think. He and Mancini have obviously enjoyed a good working relationship before, and Roberto has jumped at the chance to get him back on his side. But do they really need him? I’m finding it hard to see what he can actually offer them – they have De Jong or Kompany to break up the play in front of the defence, and the amount of attacking talent they have doesn’t warrant a proper box-to-box midfielder.
It seems like Mancini might have to totally revolutionise the way that City play in order to accommodate Vieira. And then there’s the fact that there was a reason that he left the Premier League in the first place. As much as I hate Wenger, he is a very shrewd operator when it comes to transfers. He knows when to buy, but perhaps more importantly, he knows when to sell – Toure being a classic example. Wenger knew when to let Vieira go: can he cut it in the PL anymore? In Italy, players have undoubtedly have more time on the ball, and the pace of the game would suit his ageing legs. I, for one, wouldn’t be surprised if he gets marked out of the game by any decent central midfielder in the league.

Secondly, Gary Neville might be on his way out of Old Trafford. Not much to say about this really, except I’d rather a great player went out on the top of his game. Unfortunately, for Neville, that was probably about 5 years ago.

And finally, I think if you’re at all interested in football, you should read this blog. You don’t have to admire the man, but I find it really interesting to see Darius Vassell pouring his heart out so candidly like this – it really is unique for a footballer to be doing this. Vassell was released by Man City in the summer, and made a risky move to a Turkish club, Ankara. Since he’s been there he’s been having a really tough time of it as the club seems to be in financial trouble, he was turfed out of the hotel he was living in, and he still hasn’t got a clue what’s going on most of the time because he can’t speak the language. It’s slightly sad to read, but also quite fascinating to see that a footballer is just a human being like the rest of us.

Anyway, I just thought I’d get that out of the way, because although everybody remembers the final every May, it’s also worth remembering the earlier stages. I think those contribute to the magic of the cup more than anything.

This round, in fact, threw up very few surprises. On Saturday, Villa, Bolton, Fulham, Everton and Spurs all came through ties against (arguably) inferior opposition, as did Chelsea on Sunday.

Liverpool have had their odds cut on winning the trophy. Speculation was rife that Benitez needs to win something this year, so he’s going to send the big guns out in this competition. Also, some notable rivals for the trophy also went out, so they’re in with a chance! You can see the boookies logic. However, drawing against a Reading side who currently occupy 20th in the Championship is poor. Very poor. And no Liverpool fans can moan about injuries because you had your magic duo, Gerrard and Torres both playing, both fully fit.

After last season, when some stats were endlessly trotted out about “when Gerrard and Torres both played together….”, it’s obviously been in the back of some people’s minds that all they needed to do was to get those two fit and ready and they’ll be back firing again. Wrong. Liverpool just have to accept that they’re just not very good. They just shouldn’t be pinning that much hope on two players. Yes, they are both match winners on their day. Every other team in and around the top 4 has a couple of excellent players, but it doesn’t matter so much when they aren’t playing well (or not at all).

When Rooney doesn’t play, Berbatov can conjur the magic. When Drogba doesn’t play, Anelka still bangs them in (something which will be proved right or wrong over the coming month). When Defoe doesn’t play, Keane can come in, or if Modric is out, Kranjcar can do the job. Liverpool are a joke at the moment, and I hope they realise this at the end of the season when they’re trophyless and Champions League-less.

Anyway, knowing the luck of the BIG FOUR, Liverpool will come through the replay against Reading (they’re probably glad of the extra games, it’s not like they’re saving themselves for the CL anymore), and they’ve got a nice easy tie at home to Burnley in the next round.

Anyway, moving matters away from Anfield, and along the M62, let’s focus on Sunday’s big ‘un for a moment. Everyone who’s not a Man United fan will be absolutely bloody chuffed at this result (me included). For a start, Fergie did actually put out quite a good side, so they can’t trot out that old excuse. Also, I find it funny how angry they all got – Sir Alex was absolutely apoplectic by the end. It is quite romantic that Man U discarded an old rival as past-it and no longer in the same class, and they came to Old Trafford and beat them anyway. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Also, before anyone mentions it, I am aware that these words may come back to haunt me in the 4th round, but I’m willing to take that risk.

So January’s going to be a good one I think – more FA Cup, Carling Cup semis, and we’ll definitely have a bit of talk about the African Cup of Nations!