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Celebrate good times! Former Arsenal striker leaves BBC

Here’s something to cheer everyone up. The goon that is Ian Wright has officially left the BBC, leaving us (relatively) free of inane comments during televised England and FA Cup matches. To be fair, he stuck it out for a number of years with little to no talent, struggling to put a coherent sentence together and banging on about his son, Shaun Wright-Phillips. The Daily Telegraph confirm this excellent news - now they just need to ship Lineker out.

“Times are changing,” said Wright. “I don’t know how long young people are going to want to sit down and watch that same old ‘jacket, shirt and tie’ format.”

“Fans want people who are dressed like them. They’ve got no one to relate to on TV and that’s why I’ve said to them I don’t want to do the England games any more.

“I feel like I’m just there as a comedy jester to break the ice with Alan Shearer and Alan Hansen who just do run-of-the-mill things. I can’t do that anymore. People want something different.”

Wright is now going to present Gladiators on Sky One, the very bastion of credibility. John Fashanu had the awooga shout, what will Ian Wright’s trademark be? Perhaps most viewers would prefer it if he said very little at all.

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El Mac Reveals Spanish Ambition

Whispy haired, umbrella caresser Steve McClaren appears to be, shockingly, lacking any clubs interested in his services. After successfully ruining the England squad you can only accompany his disbelief.

Such is his desperation to get back into management, Stevey Mac has been learning Spanish, in an attempt to make himself more appealing to teams abroad.

I have recently been doing Spanish lessons and getting private tuition and I thought about doing it when I was a club manager.

One of the things that I’ve never had the opportunity to do whilst managing was just to look abroad.

I went to Spain recently and spent a couple of days with Espanyol. Then I spent a day with Barcelona to watch them train and chat with Frank Rijkaard and that was very interesting to see the Spanish way.

Then I went to Holland a couple of weeks ago to watch PSV v Ajax and spent the next day with PSV manager Sef Vergoossen and his coaching staff getting an insight into Dutch football and furthering my own coaching education as well.

I plan on visiting as many of Europe’s major football leagues as possible.

Considering the only thing he’d be known for on the conitnent is getting spanked 4-0 in the UEFA Cup Final and being completely inept at International football, will anyone be willing to let him in their hot seat?

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Will Newcastle hotshot Michael Owen force his way back into England’s plans?

Michael Owen yesterday played ‘in the hole’ against Spurs, playing a large role in the 4-1 romp Newcastle enjoyed at White Hart Lane and prompting his gaffer Kevin Keegan to predict that he will get an international recall from Fabio Capello sooner than later. Keegan said:

“Fabio Capello needs asking why he hasn’t played Michael because only he knows.
“When the big games come, Michael will play.”

Owen is playing well, but he’ll have to do better than playing well against a sleepwalking Spurs team to convice Fabio that he should partner Wayne Rooney upfront.

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Liverpool captain asks more of Manchester United striker

England barely looked like scoring against France on Wednesday night. They may have had a few half-chances but it was hardly the sort of attacking performance that will be expected, nay demanded, from the fans. It’s early days in the Fabio Capello regime with the Italian keen on pursuing a 4-5-1 formation, utilising Wayne Rooney as the front man and Steven Gerrard in a supporting role.

The two didn’t exactly hit it off in the Stade de France, with The Guardian reporting a little bit of frustration coming from the Liverpool captain as he saw the Manchester United striker continually try and come deep to collect the ball. Indeed, Rooney has been culpable of this before at international level, carelessly giving away a penalty against Russia during a Euro 2008 qualifier.

“I think Wayne slightly has to adapt his game as well,” said Gerrard, “because for me to get space in there and for it to work, he has to play a lot higher and stretch the defence. I think that is why myself and Torres are having a lot of joy - because he is so direct and plays high up. With two holding midfielders behind us, the team are a lot more secure when they lose the ball. Wayne will have to adapt, but if anyone can do it it is Wayne.

“I’ve seen him do it with Manchester United. He destroyed us at the weekend [in a 3-0 defeat for Liverpool], with his direct running making it difficult for defenders. I am sure both of us can make it work. We’ve had two games together, four or five training sessions. It is a brand-new setup, not just the manager but the whole coaching side, so it will take time for us to adapt to each other. But I think there are signs of improvement there.”

It’s always been England’s problem that they have several top-class players but an inability to gel them into a world-class team. Will Capello succeed in moving these millionaires out of their club comfort zone by encouraging them to play a different style of football? Only time will tell.

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Will Rooney be a able to handle captaining England?

It looks like England manager Fabio Capello is going to continue his spin the bottle method of deciding proud England’s next football captain - and the bottle is pointing towards a young Wayne Rooney. This move will either be a stroke of genius, with Roon gladly taking on the responsibility of being captain and shrugging off his gobby youth - or it will go down like a turd in a swimming pool with Rooney coping about as well as Grange Hill’s Zammo at an Harvard entrance exam. This will be a real test for Rooney as England’s opponents will be the United States - a country that doesn’t really know the meaning of friendly, and is desperate to show the European’s that they are a proper footballing country and not a craptastic footballing backwater.
The Daily Mail reckons that on top of the seismic decision to let lunatic Roon follow in the footsteps of dozy Rio and take over the asylum, Fabio is also considering adding some classic English beef to the strikeforce - namely burly goal-getter Dean Ashton - Roon and Ashton up front - the classic blunderbuss strikeforce!

Capello receives Rooney praise - Final

New England manager Fabio Capello is rceiving all sorts of praise from his squad of players, which can only mean one thing, International week is amongst us once again. The Manchester United and England striker, desperate to not let his lack of (or non-existence of) club goals recently effect his England chances, has hailed the Italian’s training methods and passion for the game.

Rooney has also had kind words for the impact Capello has made instantly upon the players, whilst insisting he is the right man for the job and capable of leading the nation to glory for the first time in fourty-two years.

“He’s brilliant. You can see he’s strong-minded and wants to win every game.

“In training if you’re not doing it right he’ll step in and tell you and try to help you improve. He’s passionate, really passionate about winning, so I think he’s a good man.

“It’s exactly what England need at this moment and with a bit more work between him and the players we can go forward as a team.

“When we first met him he got his point across straight away about what he expected from us.

“We’ve reflected on the videos of previous games and he opened our eyes on a few things.

“He’s helped us a lot and pointed things out on the video about what we’re doing wrong but what we’re doing right as well.

“He’s come in and stamped his authority. I’m absolutely convinced he’ll be good for the future. He will be a really good manager for us.

“Playing for Sir Alex and Fabio Capello is brilliant. Hopefully I can add some more trophies to their CVs and also start adding to my own collection.”

The Sun claims that Rooney also said he is looking forward to coming up against his United-counterpart Patrice Evra in tonight’s clash with the French. Revealing he has been brave enough to tell Capello where he wants to be played. Oh Wayne, you were doing so well.

“I’ve been telling Patrice I’ve been asking to go wide right so I can play against him!” he told The Sun.

“Obviously there’s been a bit of banter and the lads want to do well when you play against each other.

“For those 90 minutes you won’t be team-mates any more, you’ll be playing for different sides and wanting to win and do well. It will be a difficult game because France are one of the best teams in the world. It will be a big test for everyone involved.

“France have got a brilliant team with a mixture of young and experienced players.

“The young players coming through for them have done well and it will be a big game with a big atmosphere. I’m sure they’ll make it difficult for us.”

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Fabio Capello copies the Americans with Rio captaincy!

Fabio Capello is clearly an admirer of that world superpower that sits across the Atlantic from us. The Americans clearly decided that it would liven things up by electing numbskull George Dubya Bush to two terms in office, and Fab Cap has taken a leaf out of their book by telling Rio “Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em” Ferdinand that he was going to make him captain of the England team. Although the sheen is slightly taken off this by the fact that Fab confessed - through the medium of his awful translator - that he’s going to be swapping the captaincy for each game in gloriously farcical musical chairs fashion. Nevertheless, Rio expressed his gratitutde by giving his opinion and making only one major grammatical pratfall; Rio said:

“It is a fantastic honour and an achievement in itself.

“As a kid you grow up wanting to play for England and lead your country out and I’ve been given that honour of being able to fulfil them dreams.”

All hail captain Rio!

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Arsenal captain expecting feisty ‘friendly’ with England

Will tonight’s match between France and England really be any different to the usual dross that accompanies friendly internationals? It’s not exactly great timing as far as the domestic season is concerned and surely Messrs Domenech and Capello will only be allowing certain players a small amount of time on the pitch as a result.

Nevertheless, William Gallas is insisting through the medium of Sky Sports that this isn’t just any old friendly, where the teams politely pass the ball around at a pedestrian pace and finish the game with a 1-1 scoreline which keeps everybody happy. The much-maligned Arsenal skipper instead expects both teams to go hell for leather.

“We know it is always a bit more tense between the English and the French,” said the Gunners captain.

“We appreciate each other but we always want to show that we are better then them.

“The stakes will be high, the stadium will be full - and in our heads, we can’t just consider this as simply a friendly.

“For players who have played in England or who are still there, it is always an added motivation.”

While it’s clear that the players in the England camp will be trying to impress Fabio Capello, it didn’t stop the team from churning out an average performance against Switzerland last month. Sometimes individual players try to do too much in these sort of games, ignoring the simple pass at the expense of something more spectacular. Who will emerge with flying colours?

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Is Manchester United defender the right choice as England captain?

Goodness me - who predicted that? It appeared that the England captaincy was a toss-up between Steven Gerrard and the thuggish John Terry, although Fabio Capello continues to warm the hearts of decent football-loving folk by giving the armband to Rio Ferdinand, once again drawing a line under the reign of Steve McClaren in the process. Sky Sports reports that the Manchester United centre half will lead out the team at the Stade de France for the Italian’s second game in charge.

Do you think that Rio is the best choice for England captain or doesn’t it really matter who wears the armband? Some might have reservations about Ferdinand’s maturity, especially after organising the ill-fated Manchester United Christmas party, failing to turn up for a drugs test and being banned, pretending to shoot off a gun when celebrating a goal and stitching up his team-mates in a You’ve Been Framed stylee.

Apart from that, there’s not a fly on the new England captain.

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‘Who hell Wheater?’ asks Middlesbrough team-mate

He may have been axed from the final 23-man squad to face France on Wednesday, but Middlesbrough’s David Wheater is having a season to remember. The central defender has been one of the outstanding performers for his club this season, attracting the attention of Fabio Capello who included him in the provisional 30-player group at the back end of last week.

The youngster has come a long way in a season, especially considering he was on loan at Darlington last term. Indeed, his meteoric rise is such that the Daily Mail report Boro team-mate Gary O’Neil didn’t know he even existed before arriving at the Riverside Stadium in the summer.

He said: “David’s had a brilliant season, he’s been fantastic for us.

“To be honest, I hadn’t really heard of him at all before I came up to Middlesbrough.

“He’s come through in a massive way and I think everyone in the country knows who he is now.”

It’s just a shame that Wheater plays in a position where England appear to be strongest, with Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Jonathan Woodgate and Joleon Lescott all ahead of the young scamp in the pecking order. Will he have to move on from the north-east to improve his international chances or is he better off staying put for now?

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LA’s Beckham and Arsenal’s Walcott in squad - an insult to England fans!

So England manager Fabio Capello started out like all the rest, making big promises amid feverish press speculation, but now the Italian’s true colours are coming out. Both ends of the craptastic spectrum are catered for with Capello’s 30 man squad to face France next Wednesday, with both young benchwarming speed merchant Theo Walcott and crusty Hollywood has-been David Beckham named amongst the thirty.

Theo Walcott is remembered as being Sven Goran Eriksson’s last throw of the dice (indeed the last time that Theo was in the squad), but taking a punt on him so early on in his England tenure smacks of desperation. Walcott is predominantly used as an impact player by Wenger, but to pick him on the basis of his speed is foolhardy, all of this pales into insignificance with the picking of Beckham though.

I remember how superior I felt when Ronaldo was ‘forcibly’ picked in the ‘98 World Cup Final - not thinking that could ever happen to my England, well it has - admittedly to a lesser extent, but at the same time Becks is plying his trade in LA - a place as synonymous with ‘football’ as North Korea is with ‘democracy’ - Beckham does not deserve 100 caps, and it is an utter disgrace that he is being allowed to do so!

Beckham Recalled To England Squad

England manager Fabio Capello has recalled David Beckham to the England squad in a 30-man provisional squad in preporation for next weeks friendly against France.

The 32-year-old LA Galaxy star is striving to win his 100th cap against the ex-World Champions.

19-year-old Theo Walcott has also been called up alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor and Jermaine Defoe, with oddly no place for Aaron Lennon.

Paul Robinson has been dropped in favour of David James, Chirs Kirkland and Scott Carson. Michael Carrick misses out as Frank Lampard returns from inury.

Oddly, Boro defender David Wheater received the call, despite this writer seeing him as a future Newcastle centre-back.

James (Portsmouth), Carson (Aston Villa), Kirkland (Wigan); Bridge (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea), Johnson (Portsmouth), Terry (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Lescott (Everton), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Wheater (Middlesbrough), Woodgate (Tottenham), Upson (West Ham); Barry (Aston Villa), Young (Aston Villa), Bentley (Blackburn), J Cole (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Jenas (Tottenham); Walcott (Arsenal), Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Crouch (Liverpool), Rooney (Man Utd), Owen (Newcastle), Defoe (Portsmouth)

The squad will be reduced to 23 on Saturday night.

Whether Beckham makes the cut or not remains to be seen.

Arsenal’s Walcott Set For England Return (Alongside Agbonlahor and Lennon)

People aren’t as stupid as you think they are. This appears to be a point that England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce has picked up on as he named his squad for a friendly against Poland. Pearce has “omitted” Theo Walcott, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Aaron Lennon from his main squad. Some may think this and odd move, but Pearce was quick to address this:

“You never know, there might be one or two names in Fabio’s squad that make you sit up and listen” - Staurt Pearce

Basically, he has been instructed by Don Fabio that he would like to try out these young lads in the senior squad when they travel to France and has to leave them out of his own squad. Yet, saying that isn’t as fun as making it seem all mysterious.

Walcott has not featured in the senior England set-up since his shock call-up to the 2006 World Cup squad. However, he has managed to get a few games for Arsenal, a great feat for an Englishman, and showed a few people in the San Siro what he could do.

Should Chelsea captain replace Liverpool captain as England captain?

Avram Grant certainly thinks Fabio Capello should reinstall John Terry as England captain for the friendly against France (providing the defender is selected), do you agree with the Chelsea manager? Sky Sports reports that the Israeli has been positively glowing about JT’s leadership qualities, but how can he compare them equally with Gerrard’s?

“England needs him more than he needs England,” said Grant. “It’s not my decision on the captaincy - I’m not objective.

“Steven Gerrard is one of my favourite players, but I saw JT as a captain here.

“In football, there are good and bad days. You saw the leadership of JT when we needed him.

“I don’t see why we need to see differently in terms of the captaincy. You saw how they missed him against Croatia. Look at his leadership.

“A captain like him you will not find every day. If he’d played against Croatia, England, in my opinion, would be in the European Championship.”

Many people are questioning why Terry didn’t play against Croatia, especially as he featured for Chelsea days later, along with the supposedly injured Ashley Cole! It’s slightly arrogant to suggest that he would have made any difference to the result at Wembley, with England outclassed all over the park, not just against the opposition strikeforce.

Who’s your choice for captain - Terry, Gerrard or someone else?

Is Portsmouth striker good enough for England?

He wasn’t deemed worthy of a place in the Tottenham team, yet after his brace of goals against Birmingham City on Wednesday, Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell has backed Jermain Defoe to start featuring regularly for England. The striker just couldn’t seem to get a sniff at White Hart Lane, whether it was under Martin Jol or Juande Ramos, although he’s grabbing his opportunity at Fratton Park with both hands. The Daily Star reports words of encouragement for the pocket dynamo.

“Jermain has got a good chance to stake a claim,” said the Pompey captain, who revived his own international career at Fratton Park.

“He’s come down here, he’s playing and he’s scoring.

“Now he has to grab his opportunity.

“He doesn’t necessarily have to be selfish, but he has to stake a claim for England because he has the chance now.

“He just has to believe he can really make a difference.”

Defoe has five goals in five matches for Pompey since arriving at the South Coast - will the goalfest continue this weekend against Aston Villa on Saturday? Surely Capello can’t avoid selecting a player with goalscoring form as good as this?

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