Football sometimes produces moments that feel almost too good to be true.
On Saturday Darren Anderton enjoyed one of those ‘Roy of the Rovers’ moments that left him a final reminder of just how dramatic the game can be.
The former England international smashed home a last-gasp winner for Bournemouth in his last professional game before hanging up his boots.
It was the kind of fairytale finish that if suggested for a film would be dismissed as too unrealistic.
The final act of heroism served as a fitting reward for a thoroughly professional player who has given great service to the game throughout his career and, mercifully, to Bournemouth over the last couple of years.
It was Anderton’s moment and he was rightly the focus of attention on Saturday.
But Bournemouth as a team must move on without him now and it must be acknowledged that, Anderton’s rescue act withstanding, it was another very ordinary home performance from the South coast outfit.
We seem to have trouble breaking sides down when they obviously travel to Dean Court with the obvious intention of being solid and playing for a point.
We seem to have no problems scoring goals away from home (indeed, two 3-3 draws in our last two away games suggest conceding goals is our main problem on our travels) as teams come out and attack us and leave space in behind, but we seem unable to prise open organised defences who sit deep when we play on our own turf.
There is simply not enough invention and Anderton’s arrival from the bench only really served to highlight the lack of quality, especially in the final third, from the rest of the squad.
Dazza was a true gent and will be sorely missed by the wider footballing community and I fear the Cherries will feel his absence more than they would like to make out.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Friday, 5 December 2008
Sicknote signs off
I didn't know quite what to make of Darren Anderton's arrival at Bournemouth when he signed for the Dorset club a little over two years ago.
At the time I was still reeling from the news of manager Sean O'Driscoll's defection to Doncaster and it was hard to tell exactly what the former England international's motivation was.
It couldn't have been for the money, noone signs for us for a pay day, but we all knew Dazza lived in the area and there were fears that he might just come down and cruise through a final year of football while enjoying the short commute.
The response was emphatic, from his first start at Dean Court when he smashed in a long-range free kick against Scunthorpe, Anderton was a consummate professional who was totally committed to the Cherries' cause.
The former Portsmouth, Spurs, Birmingham and Wolves man even reached new heights in his first season with Bournemouth, claiming his career first hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Leyton Orient, and was instrumental in our survival.
His vision and the quality of his passing were simply at a different level as the former winger revelled in his reincarnation as a ball-playing holding midfielder.
He underlined his commitment to the club by extending his stay for another year but, as was so often the case during his peak years with Spurs and England, injuries began to take their toll again.
He played a limited role as the Cherries struggled early on and, although he played his part in their brave survival bid following a ten-point deduction for going into administration, could not prevent them sliding into the bottom tier of the football league.
Faced with the prospect of a season in League Two with a club starting the campaign on minus 17 points, few would have blamed Anderton for walking away in the off season.
But Anderton again took the professional approach and faced the challenge head on and at the start of the campaign he seemed to be playing with a commitment to match that of his international days.
However, as the team struggled with the rough and tumble nature of the basement division, Dazza cut an increasingly frustrated figure.
He seemed to let his head drop whenever we went a goal down, an away game against Shrewsbury a couple of months ago was a prime example, and his rants over misplaced passes from teammates became more and more demonstrative.
He still showed moments of pure class that you knew noone else on the pitch was capable of but, at this level and in our situation, the stomach for the fight is just as important as quality.
Anderton, completely understandably, had lost his fight and - rather than go through the motions for the rest of the season - he has opted to do the decent thing and call time on a great career, freeing up his wages for our cash-strapped club.
As a Bournemouth fan of over 10 years I rarely witness players of his quality and the fact he showed total commitment just about until the end spoke volumes for his professionalism.
Anderton was a genuine star name and perhaps the width of a post away from a true national hero (had his shot gone in in the Euro '96 semi-final v Germany).
I will always be grateful that he shunned a lucrative contract in the States or somewhere and chose to end his playing days in the unforgiving atmosphere of lower league football.
I can't wait to give him his send off tomorrow and I am delighted that, for someone with a reputation as perhaps the definitive injury prone player, he is able to leave on his own terms.
At the time I was still reeling from the news of manager Sean O'Driscoll's defection to Doncaster and it was hard to tell exactly what the former England international's motivation was.
It couldn't have been for the money, noone signs for us for a pay day, but we all knew Dazza lived in the area and there were fears that he might just come down and cruise through a final year of football while enjoying the short commute.
The response was emphatic, from his first start at Dean Court when he smashed in a long-range free kick against Scunthorpe, Anderton was a consummate professional who was totally committed to the Cherries' cause.
The former Portsmouth, Spurs, Birmingham and Wolves man even reached new heights in his first season with Bournemouth, claiming his career first hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Leyton Orient, and was instrumental in our survival.
His vision and the quality of his passing were simply at a different level as the former winger revelled in his reincarnation as a ball-playing holding midfielder.
He underlined his commitment to the club by extending his stay for another year but, as was so often the case during his peak years with Spurs and England, injuries began to take their toll again.
He played a limited role as the Cherries struggled early on and, although he played his part in their brave survival bid following a ten-point deduction for going into administration, could not prevent them sliding into the bottom tier of the football league.
Faced with the prospect of a season in League Two with a club starting the campaign on minus 17 points, few would have blamed Anderton for walking away in the off season.
But Anderton again took the professional approach and faced the challenge head on and at the start of the campaign he seemed to be playing with a commitment to match that of his international days.
However, as the team struggled with the rough and tumble nature of the basement division, Dazza cut an increasingly frustrated figure.
He seemed to let his head drop whenever we went a goal down, an away game against Shrewsbury a couple of months ago was a prime example, and his rants over misplaced passes from teammates became more and more demonstrative.
He still showed moments of pure class that you knew noone else on the pitch was capable of but, at this level and in our situation, the stomach for the fight is just as important as quality.
Anderton, completely understandably, had lost his fight and - rather than go through the motions for the rest of the season - he has opted to do the decent thing and call time on a great career, freeing up his wages for our cash-strapped club.
As a Bournemouth fan of over 10 years I rarely witness players of his quality and the fact he showed total commitment just about until the end spoke volumes for his professionalism.
Anderton was a genuine star name and perhaps the width of a post away from a true national hero (had his shot gone in in the Euro '96 semi-final v Germany).
I will always be grateful that he shunned a lucrative contract in the States or somewhere and chose to end his playing days in the unforgiving atmosphere of lower league football.
I can't wait to give him his send off tomorrow and I am delighted that, for someone with a reputation as perhaps the definitive injury prone player, he is able to leave on his own terms.
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Enfant terrible Cassano accepts his failings
Antonio Cassano has always had a special talent.
That much was obvious from the moment he announced himself on the Serie A scene as a fresh-faced teenager in Wayne Rooney-esque fashion with a wonderful solo goal for Bari against Inter Milan, leaving Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci for dead to secure a 2-1 win for his home town side.
A €28-million move to Roma followed before his 19th birthday and it seemed a matter of when, rather than if, he would be mentioned alongside the greatest names in European football.
But things have not quite worked out that way for the Italian as it soon became apparent that his singular talent was matched by a unique habit for self-destruction and an uncanny knack for falling out with managers.
Seven years on from his mega-money time Cassano has felt the urge shared with so many sportsmen nowadays to make some sense of his controversial career in print.
In a recent interview with The Times columnist Gabriele Marcotti, Cassano shared some candid insights that give a flavour of what to expect from his autobiography, the title of which translates as ‘I’ll tell you everything (and if it’s hot I’ll play in the shade)’.
The book will offer his take on his bust-ups with the likes of Fabio Capello and his love of binge eating, as well as his playboy nature and how he claims to have bedded over 600 women (not bad for someone who hardly shares the model looks of his former Real Madrid colleague David Beckham).
Perhaps the most controversial comments, though, are his claims that he knows he could have made it at Real Madrid if he had knuckled down and shown total commitment, but he is happy with his decision to move to Sampadoria, a mid-table Serie A team, where he plays at around 50 per cent.
He says: "The problem is that we live in a culture obsessed with success. We fool ourselves into thinking we have to do our best and make sacrifices to succeed. But why? Trophies come and go. Once you’ve retired, it will all be gone, they’ll just be numbers in an almanac.
"What is truly important is being happy now. I know I haven’t given 100 per cent physically or mentally to this game. At best, I gave 50 per cent. Maybe a tiny bit more in the good years. But so what? Thanks to my talent, I live like a king, I play football and I have a great time."
It has simply become accepted that footballers all want to get to the top of the game and win trophies with a big club, there is even a sense that they owe it to all of us less-talented individuals to push themselves as far as they can go because we would give anything to swap places with them.
But Cassano turns all this on his head. He claims he is a human with a right to be happy in himself.
He didn’t ask to be endowed with this talent and, having thought his way out of Bari’s tough back streets as a youngster, he deserves to be able to cruise along earning a living most of would only dream of.
It is a refreshing contrast to the normal drivel we are served up with from players who kiss the badge and pledge to give ‘110 per cent’.
There are many things to despise about Cassano and his attitude but you can’t fault him for honesty and if an English translation to the book is available I cannot wait to read it as I have no doubt it will prove a lot more entertaining than the usual drivel served up by modern stars and their ghost writers.
It seems we always get frustrated with players who fail to live up to their potential and imagine how disappointed they must be with themselves.
But in Cassano’s case it seems the person least concerned with his career trajectory is the former prodigy himself.
That much was obvious from the moment he announced himself on the Serie A scene as a fresh-faced teenager in Wayne Rooney-esque fashion with a wonderful solo goal for Bari against Inter Milan, leaving Laurent Blanc and Christian Panucci for dead to secure a 2-1 win for his home town side.
A €28-million move to Roma followed before his 19th birthday and it seemed a matter of when, rather than if, he would be mentioned alongside the greatest names in European football.
But things have not quite worked out that way for the Italian as it soon became apparent that his singular talent was matched by a unique habit for self-destruction and an uncanny knack for falling out with managers.
Seven years on from his mega-money time Cassano has felt the urge shared with so many sportsmen nowadays to make some sense of his controversial career in print.
In a recent interview with The Times columnist Gabriele Marcotti, Cassano shared some candid insights that give a flavour of what to expect from his autobiography, the title of which translates as ‘I’ll tell you everything (and if it’s hot I’ll play in the shade)’.
The book will offer his take on his bust-ups with the likes of Fabio Capello and his love of binge eating, as well as his playboy nature and how he claims to have bedded over 600 women (not bad for someone who hardly shares the model looks of his former Real Madrid colleague David Beckham).
Perhaps the most controversial comments, though, are his claims that he knows he could have made it at Real Madrid if he had knuckled down and shown total commitment, but he is happy with his decision to move to Sampadoria, a mid-table Serie A team, where he plays at around 50 per cent.
He says: "The problem is that we live in a culture obsessed with success. We fool ourselves into thinking we have to do our best and make sacrifices to succeed. But why? Trophies come and go. Once you’ve retired, it will all be gone, they’ll just be numbers in an almanac.
"What is truly important is being happy now. I know I haven’t given 100 per cent physically or mentally to this game. At best, I gave 50 per cent. Maybe a tiny bit more in the good years. But so what? Thanks to my talent, I live like a king, I play football and I have a great time."
It has simply become accepted that footballers all want to get to the top of the game and win trophies with a big club, there is even a sense that they owe it to all of us less-talented individuals to push themselves as far as they can go because we would give anything to swap places with them.
But Cassano turns all this on his head. He claims he is a human with a right to be happy in himself.
He didn’t ask to be endowed with this talent and, having thought his way out of Bari’s tough back streets as a youngster, he deserves to be able to cruise along earning a living most of would only dream of.
It is a refreshing contrast to the normal drivel we are served up with from players who kiss the badge and pledge to give ‘110 per cent’.
There are many things to despise about Cassano and his attitude but you can’t fault him for honesty and if an English translation to the book is available I cannot wait to read it as I have no doubt it will prove a lot more entertaining than the usual drivel served up by modern stars and their ghost writers.
It seems we always get frustrated with players who fail to live up to their potential and imagine how disappointed they must be with themselves.
But in Cassano’s case it seems the person least concerned with his career trajectory is the former prodigy himself.
Freddie and co put in a spin
You don’t often believe pop stars or sportsmen who have performed in front of thousands of people when they claim doing a foxtrot on Strictly Come Dancing is ‘the scariest thing I’ve ever done’.
We get it all the time and we are in the living room going: come on Matt Dawson, surely you don’t expect us to believe that you were more nervous than when you walked out ahead of the Rugby World Cup Final?
We may sit in disbelief but there may well be a large degree of honesty in the mega-stars whimpering to Tess and Brucie.
The fact is they are outside of their comfort zone and they know they have far less control over events, leading to an increased sense of helplessness and, hence, fear.
When Mark Ramprakash walked out to bat he knew he had faced millions of deliveries in the nets and had the ability to deal with almost anything that was thrown at him, this knowledge was a kind of protective armour against nerves.
When he hit the dance floor to jive or salsa or what-have-you in front of the judges all he had was a week’s training on the routine.
This week England’s cricketers are being put under the microscope as they face the decision whether to return to India in light of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The decision is made all the tougher because it is such a public one and the kind they so rarely have to make.
Andrew Flintoff is one of those rumoured to be wavering and he is a man who has shown his courage a hundred times over with bat or ball in hand, yet he faces the prospect of being labelled a coward if he decides against going back to the sub-continent and may even have his commitment to the England cause brought into question.
Flintoff is not a politician or a diplomat and he should not be put in a position where he has to choose between his commitment to English cricket and his commitment to his young family.
If it comes to it that he is left to weigh up the pros and cons himself and make a personal decision then there should be no judgements made about his valour or his devotion to the England cause.
I have no doubt he will prove many times over in the future just what it means to him to wear the Three Lions but the fact is the, even for the most committed sportsman in the world, sport has its place and - just as I will think no less of Austin Healey as a rugby player if he messes up his pasa doble - I will think nothing less of the England players who choose to stay at home.
We get it all the time and we are in the living room going: come on Matt Dawson, surely you don’t expect us to believe that you were more nervous than when you walked out ahead of the Rugby World Cup Final?
We may sit in disbelief but there may well be a large degree of honesty in the mega-stars whimpering to Tess and Brucie.
The fact is they are outside of their comfort zone and they know they have far less control over events, leading to an increased sense of helplessness and, hence, fear.
When Mark Ramprakash walked out to bat he knew he had faced millions of deliveries in the nets and had the ability to deal with almost anything that was thrown at him, this knowledge was a kind of protective armour against nerves.
When he hit the dance floor to jive or salsa or what-have-you in front of the judges all he had was a week’s training on the routine.
This week England’s cricketers are being put under the microscope as they face the decision whether to return to India in light of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The decision is made all the tougher because it is such a public one and the kind they so rarely have to make.
Andrew Flintoff is one of those rumoured to be wavering and he is a man who has shown his courage a hundred times over with bat or ball in hand, yet he faces the prospect of being labelled a coward if he decides against going back to the sub-continent and may even have his commitment to the England cause brought into question.
Flintoff is not a politician or a diplomat and he should not be put in a position where he has to choose between his commitment to English cricket and his commitment to his young family.
If it comes to it that he is left to weigh up the pros and cons himself and make a personal decision then there should be no judgements made about his valour or his devotion to the England cause.
I have no doubt he will prove many times over in the future just what it means to him to wear the Three Lions but the fact is the, even for the most committed sportsman in the world, sport has its place and - just as I will think no less of Austin Healey as a rugby player if he messes up his pasa doble - I will think nothing less of the England players who choose to stay at home.
Friday, 28 November 2008
Under-performing England lacking in pride of Lions
A lot can happen over the course of six months in rugby and many a reputation has been forged or ruined over the course of a Six Nations campaign.
But as England go into their final Autumn international against New Zealand tomorrow some players thoughts might just be looking ahead to this summer’s Lions tour to South Africa.
Judging by the side’s performances so far during this international series, most of those players will know they have a long way to go if they are going to be in the touring party.
Andrew Sheridan is perhaps the only shoe-in, fitness permitting, among Martin Johnson’s men and even his stock has taken a bit of a battering after he suffered at the hands of an Australian front row bent on revenge for their World Cup embarrassment.
Sheridan’s bulk and power will be essential against the South Africans though, and a steady Six Nations should see him handed a red jersey.
Danny Cipriani would easily make the trip if selection was based on talent and confidence alone but he is facing a crucial period in his young career after struggling to adapt to the pace and pressures of playing against the top Southern Hemisphere sides.
There are also plenty of other options at fly-half, with the ever-consistent Stephen Jones and Ronan O’Gara as well as the dashing James Hook all presenting strong cases for selection.
You would also be a fool if you expected a man as determined as Jonny Wilkinson to give up on the race for selection and the chance to absolve his 2005 nightmare without a fight.
In the back three Paul Sackey had seemingly established him as a top-class test winger but he has looked short on confidence recently and while, Delon Armitage has looked as comfortable as possible amid the chaos, Ireland have several promising young outside backs coming through and Wales’ Lee Byrne and Shane Williams are likely Lions starters.
Danny Care has showed potential at scrum-half but it is another highly competitive position and he is far from the finished article.
Matt Stevens may make the squad due to his ability to prop up both sides of the scrum but he is becoming in danger of being pigeonholed as an ‘impact sub’.
Against South Africa last Saturday James Haskell showed appetite and aggression to match the Springboks but is a case of ‘curb your enthusiasm’ for the Wasps flanker as he must work on his discipline to make sure he keeps his place in the England side, let alone earn a Lions call-up.
In other positions the side appears full of players who currently look distinctly average (I hate to single anyone out but Lee Mears at hooker is an obvious example) and are hardly putting forward a convincing case to be selected for the heightened test arena of a Lions series.
Wales and Ireland seem to have plenty of players putting their names forward and I haven’t seen enough of Frank Hadden’s improving Scotland to asses which players have Lions potential but Mike Blair’s selection in the short list for the IRB’s World Player of the Year suggests they can at least match England’s claim of one as-good-as-automatic selection.
Things look pretty bleak for England’s players if the squad was to be picked tomorrow but they have six months to prove themselves and what better way to start than with a strong showing against the world’s best side at Twickenham tomorrow.
But as England go into their final Autumn international against New Zealand tomorrow some players thoughts might just be looking ahead to this summer’s Lions tour to South Africa.
Judging by the side’s performances so far during this international series, most of those players will know they have a long way to go if they are going to be in the touring party.
Andrew Sheridan is perhaps the only shoe-in, fitness permitting, among Martin Johnson’s men and even his stock has taken a bit of a battering after he suffered at the hands of an Australian front row bent on revenge for their World Cup embarrassment.
Sheridan’s bulk and power will be essential against the South Africans though, and a steady Six Nations should see him handed a red jersey.
Danny Cipriani would easily make the trip if selection was based on talent and confidence alone but he is facing a crucial period in his young career after struggling to adapt to the pace and pressures of playing against the top Southern Hemisphere sides.
There are also plenty of other options at fly-half, with the ever-consistent Stephen Jones and Ronan O’Gara as well as the dashing James Hook all presenting strong cases for selection.
You would also be a fool if you expected a man as determined as Jonny Wilkinson to give up on the race for selection and the chance to absolve his 2005 nightmare without a fight.
In the back three Paul Sackey had seemingly established him as a top-class test winger but he has looked short on confidence recently and while, Delon Armitage has looked as comfortable as possible amid the chaos, Ireland have several promising young outside backs coming through and Wales’ Lee Byrne and Shane Williams are likely Lions starters.
Danny Care has showed potential at scrum-half but it is another highly competitive position and he is far from the finished article.
Matt Stevens may make the squad due to his ability to prop up both sides of the scrum but he is becoming in danger of being pigeonholed as an ‘impact sub’.
Against South Africa last Saturday James Haskell showed appetite and aggression to match the Springboks but is a case of ‘curb your enthusiasm’ for the Wasps flanker as he must work on his discipline to make sure he keeps his place in the England side, let alone earn a Lions call-up.
In other positions the side appears full of players who currently look distinctly average (I hate to single anyone out but Lee Mears at hooker is an obvious example) and are hardly putting forward a convincing case to be selected for the heightened test arena of a Lions series.
Wales and Ireland seem to have plenty of players putting their names forward and I haven’t seen enough of Frank Hadden’s improving Scotland to asses which players have Lions potential but Mike Blair’s selection in the short list for the IRB’s World Player of the Year suggests they can at least match England’s claim of one as-good-as-automatic selection.
Things look pretty bleak for England’s players if the squad was to be picked tomorrow but they have six months to prove themselves and what better way to start than with a strong showing against the world’s best side at Twickenham tomorrow.
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Sanchez misses the point
I'm not sure what Lawrie Sanchez has been doing since he was sacked as manager of Fulham last December but it would not surprise me to learn he has been spending time in the company of Sepp Blatter.
My first sighting in months of the former Northern Ireland boss and Wimbledon cup star was on Sky Sports news at the weekend putting forward a hair-brained scheme worthy of the blundering FIFA President himself.
Sanchez's bold new vision is to revolutionise the way points are awarded in the Premiership to give greater reward for teams picking up results away from home.
His view was that awarding four points for an away win and two points for an away draw, with still three points and one point on offer at home for wins and draws respectively, would encourage teams to play more attacking football on their travels.
First things first, like most Blatter proposals, it is a complete non-starter that is far too radical possibly to the extent that debating could be seen as a pointless exercise.
Allowing ourselves to entertain the thought of this actually becoming a reality, how many teams would look at the two points on offer when they travel to the likes of Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge and simply, to use a Jose Mourinho-ism, park the coach in front of the goal?
Such is the lack of ambition that has developed amongst clubs outside the top that four that few sides would ever look at the added bounty of points on offer for a win as enough incentive to try and attack the big boys.
I always thought that, despite his modest managerial record, Sanchez was quite a sensible and grounded bloke with a good grasp of the game – I wonder if that was how Mr Blatter started out?
My first sighting in months of the former Northern Ireland boss and Wimbledon cup star was on Sky Sports news at the weekend putting forward a hair-brained scheme worthy of the blundering FIFA President himself.
Sanchez's bold new vision is to revolutionise the way points are awarded in the Premiership to give greater reward for teams picking up results away from home.
His view was that awarding four points for an away win and two points for an away draw, with still three points and one point on offer at home for wins and draws respectively, would encourage teams to play more attacking football on their travels.
First things first, like most Blatter proposals, it is a complete non-starter that is far too radical possibly to the extent that debating could be seen as a pointless exercise.
Allowing ourselves to entertain the thought of this actually becoming a reality, how many teams would look at the two points on offer when they travel to the likes of Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge and simply, to use a Jose Mourinho-ism, park the coach in front of the goal?
Such is the lack of ambition that has developed amongst clubs outside the top that four that few sides would ever look at the added bounty of points on offer for a win as enough incentive to try and attack the big boys.
I always thought that, despite his modest managerial record, Sanchez was quite a sensible and grounded bloke with a good grasp of the game – I wonder if that was how Mr Blatter started out?
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Understudies play leading role in Walcott's absence
England’s back-up players took the opportunity to shine last night against Germany but I can’t help think that, long term, the most significant action to take place on the pitch at the Olympic Stadium actually occurred 24 hours earlier.
Theo Walcott’s slip on the turf in training on Tuesday evening resulted in a dislocated shoulder and, while he may well be fit for England’s next competitive game against Ukraine in April, it must raise serious concerns over the durability of joint that has constantly troubled the young winger in his short career.
He has a history of operations to his shoulder and played through the pain it cause him during a disappointing first season at Arsenal.
Let’s hope when Walcott returns the injury is completely recovered, as a player of his breed being held back by the slightest niggle results in a completely different footballer.
We have all seen how cumulative injuries caused Michael Owen, another player to star on the international stage at a young age, to lose his sharpness and it would be a great shame if Walcott suffered the same fate.
The timing of the injury blow could not be worse as the former Southampton man had just established himself as a key component of both the Arsenal and England first teams and was fulfilling his long recognised potential.
In Walcott’s absence though, it was a chance for others to shine and an experimental England team produced plenty of positives for Fabio Capello.
The likes of Michael Carrick, Stewart Downing, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Matthew Upson all seized the chance created by the withdrawal of more established names.
During his last two title winning seasons with Manchester United, particularly during the 2006-7 campaign, Sir Alex Ferguson was always quick to stress that his squad players were just as crucial to his side’s success as the big stars.
In their own way, he said, the likes of John O’Shea, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung were just as vital to the United cause as the Wayne Rooneys, Cristiano Ronaldos and Rio Ferdinands.
What Ferguson was saying was that over the season you will have injuries and it is important that the players who come in are committed and adaptable so the team functions just as well in the absence of first choice players.
All Ferguson’s favourite squad players are also noticeably genuine team players whose work ethic rubs off on others when they play and keeps them looking over their shoulders for fear of losing their place.
This is now Capello’s chance to create a back up team of talented committed players are capable of slotting in the side in big games to cover for injuries or even - sending a warning to Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney et al – if a first team player suffers a loss of form.
The fact is England will have injuries and suspensions in big games and you simply cannot predict what positions will be effected, the safe answer is to make sure you have a reliable back up to cover for every position.
The performances of the understudies last night would have taught Capello a lot about his options and, while the cupboard may seem relatively well stocked, there may still be one or two positions - such as goalkeeper – that he will want to look at again in future friendlies.
Theo Walcott’s slip on the turf in training on Tuesday evening resulted in a dislocated shoulder and, while he may well be fit for England’s next competitive game against Ukraine in April, it must raise serious concerns over the durability of joint that has constantly troubled the young winger in his short career.
He has a history of operations to his shoulder and played through the pain it cause him during a disappointing first season at Arsenal.
Let’s hope when Walcott returns the injury is completely recovered, as a player of his breed being held back by the slightest niggle results in a completely different footballer.
We have all seen how cumulative injuries caused Michael Owen, another player to star on the international stage at a young age, to lose his sharpness and it would be a great shame if Walcott suffered the same fate.
The timing of the injury blow could not be worse as the former Southampton man had just established himself as a key component of both the Arsenal and England first teams and was fulfilling his long recognised potential.
In Walcott’s absence though, it was a chance for others to shine and an experimental England team produced plenty of positives for Fabio Capello.
The likes of Michael Carrick, Stewart Downing, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Matthew Upson all seized the chance created by the withdrawal of more established names.
During his last two title winning seasons with Manchester United, particularly during the 2006-7 campaign, Sir Alex Ferguson was always quick to stress that his squad players were just as crucial to his side’s success as the big stars.
In their own way, he said, the likes of John O’Shea, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung were just as vital to the United cause as the Wayne Rooneys, Cristiano Ronaldos and Rio Ferdinands.
What Ferguson was saying was that over the season you will have injuries and it is important that the players who come in are committed and adaptable so the team functions just as well in the absence of first choice players.
All Ferguson’s favourite squad players are also noticeably genuine team players whose work ethic rubs off on others when they play and keeps them looking over their shoulders for fear of losing their place.
This is now Capello’s chance to create a back up team of talented committed players are capable of slotting in the side in big games to cover for injuries or even - sending a warning to Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney et al – if a first team player suffers a loss of form.
The fact is England will have injuries and suspensions in big games and you simply cannot predict what positions will be effected, the safe answer is to make sure you have a reliable back up to cover for every position.
The performances of the understudies last night would have taught Capello a lot about his options and, while the cupboard may seem relatively well stocked, there may still be one or two positions - such as goalkeeper – that he will want to look at again in future friendlies.
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