"When not being stupid, is not enough" - Built to Spill
Saddest Day of My Career
For those of you who don't know me I think it is fair to establish one very important point about me. I am a nut for English Football. Most of the time if you hear me talk about football games I am talking about something that is happening five time zones away.
I don't know that I necessarily root for any team in particular, of course I want to see the United States do well; but I also root for Australia, and I root for England and Scotland and Wales... I am a footballing whore. (The advantages of my heritage I suppose.)
Wednesday night England was playing a game to determine their qualification for Euro 2008, which is arguably the second or third largest sports event in the world, and they lost. In a game where all they needed to do was to draw the game to go to the next round, they got creative, gambled and came up short. And the result is that the manager lost his job.
Normally I have sympathy when managers get sacked: not this time. Steve McClaren earned his sacking, by continuing a disastrous policy of team selection that his predecessor embarked upon and everybody that watches football knew. That the teams he was selecting was inadequate to win a clutch game.
I can't stress this enough. For McClaren to deviate in the most important position (goalkeeper) and give the start to someone who was largely untested at the international level is irresponsible. The fact that David Beckham had a resurgence at the international level and was replaced for another player lacking in big game experience is a grotesque lapse but not unforgivable. Wright-Phillips offered speed down the right side, which is something that McClaren must of have thought was necessary.
But the biggest gaffe on his part was the selection of both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the midfield role.
Gerrard and Lampard play the same role for their clubs, both are offensively minded, both dictate the flow of the game to the forwards and both are equally talented. Both of them have no business being on the field at the same time.
Arguably England's best displays in qualifying came while Lampard was injured. Gareth Barry was paired with Steven Gerrard and their partnership was reminiscent of some of the greatest pairings recently. The games they played together had hints of Keane and Scholes, Viera and Ljungberg, Makelele and Zidane.
I have to say that I am borderline relieved that England didn't qualify because it will give the FA two full years to think about what they are trying to accomplish with their national team. And I am hoping that the new manager will learn from his predecessors mistakes.
And now on to something else entirely...
For those of you who don't know me I think it is fair to establish one very important point about me. I am a nut for English Football. Most of the time if you hear me talk about football games I am talking about something that is happening five time zones away.
I don't know that I necessarily root for any team in particular, of course I want to see the United States do well; but I also root for Australia, and I root for England and Scotland and Wales... I am a footballing whore. (The advantages of my heritage I suppose.)
Wednesday night England was playing a game to determine their qualification for Euro 2008, which is arguably the second or third largest sports event in the world, and they lost. In a game where all they needed to do was to draw the game to go to the next round, they got creative, gambled and came up short. And the result is that the manager lost his job.
Normally I have sympathy when managers get sacked: not this time. Steve McClaren earned his sacking, by continuing a disastrous policy of team selection that his predecessor embarked upon and everybody that watches football knew. That the teams he was selecting was inadequate to win a clutch game.
I can't stress this enough. For McClaren to deviate in the most important position (goalkeeper) and give the start to someone who was largely untested at the international level is irresponsible. The fact that David Beckham had a resurgence at the international level and was replaced for another player lacking in big game experience is a grotesque lapse but not unforgivable. Wright-Phillips offered speed down the right side, which is something that McClaren must of have thought was necessary.
But the biggest gaffe on his part was the selection of both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the midfield role.
Gerrard and Lampard play the same role for their clubs, both are offensively minded, both dictate the flow of the game to the forwards and both are equally talented. Both of them have no business being on the field at the same time.
Arguably England's best displays in qualifying came while Lampard was injured. Gareth Barry was paired with Steven Gerrard and their partnership was reminiscent of some of the greatest pairings recently. The games they played together had hints of Keane and Scholes, Viera and Ljungberg, Makelele and Zidane.
I have to say that I am borderline relieved that England didn't qualify because it will give the FA two full years to think about what they are trying to accomplish with their national team. And I am hoping that the new manager will learn from his predecessors mistakes.
And now on to something else entirely...
posted by V. at 9:18 AM
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