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Will Manchester United striker make a good England captain?

Rio Ferdinand captained England on their latest outing, a disappointing 1-0 defeat to France. However, the Daily Telegraph report that his Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney could be the national team’s captain of the future, if Fabio Capello’s comments are anything to go by.

Much uncertainty surrounds the current England captaincy, with Steven Gerrard, Ferdinand and John Terry seemingly in line for the armband. However, there’s no doubt that when it comes to showing passion for the jersey, one player seems to stand head and shoulders above the rest.

“It is an interesting question. Wayne Rooney is very young but I believe in the future he could be captain of England one day,” Capello said.

“He’s a leader. He sets a good example on the pitch. He is very young so we need to give him a bit more time to get some more experience and mature.”

‘Wazza’ has certainly come a long way already. It would have been unthinkable to have linked him to the captaincy two or three seasons ago when he was flying into challenges, swearing at referees and telling fellow team-mates to back off (or words to that nature) when they tried to calm him down. It’s clear that he’s possibly the only player who is guaranteed a place in the starting XI for years to come and Capello looks like he wants to build a team around this precocious talent.

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Is the Portsmouth goalkeeper the best in the world?

England fans on Wednesday night might beg to differ but it’s clear that David James is having an astonishing season for Portsmouth, which could result in them winning the FA Cup and landing a place in the UEFA Cup. Just when you thought he had hit the peak of his form, the performance against Wigan on Saturday was nothing short of sensational.

The ITV website reports that manager Harry Redknapp couldn’t be happier with the 38-year-old, who was arguably more of a match-winner than Jermain Defoe, despite the latter scoring a brace of goals against the Latics. After saving Ryan Taylor’s penalty and then continuing to keep the visitors at bay throughout the second half, his gaffer has drawn comparisons with a certain Manchester United winger…

He said: “James is fantastic. Without a top, top keeper you are nothing and he’s the best one around at the moment.

Redknapp added: “For me he’s the Ronaldo of goalkeepers, someone who does that little bit special.

“The England thing was difficult. He was caught in no man’s land and it was virtually a collision between him and Nicolas Anelka. But I don’t believe it has upset him. He just moves on now.

“When I knew there was a chance of signing him last season I jumped at it. A lot of other silly names were thrown at me but he was always the one.

“He does fantastic things even in training, saving one-handed after diving full length, things like that. He moans on and on when we’ve conceded from a free kick but that’s because he is determined to get it absolutely right.

“He’s more concentrated now. Sometimes at Liverpool he used to make mistakes because he lost concentration and came flying out for crosses that he could never get. I think he used to get fed up and want to get involved in the action, but he’s learned from that now.”

Surely even the respective managers of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and James’ former club Liverpool would love to have James between the sticks for the rest of the season? Although it’s clear that Ronaldo will win countless player of the season awards, surely the Pompey keeper should be selected in the team of the season. It’s just a shame that it’s taken until this stage of his career for him to become outstanding, although he can kick on for a number of seasons providing he keeps himself fit.

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Where’s our Gazza?

Dazza gives us his opinions on Gazza, and the current crop of ne’erdowells.

Well I have just watched England toil to a 1-0 defeat to France. It was interesting on several fronts namely Beckham’s 100th cap, the camaraderie of the French and English with Sarkosy in Buckingham Palace and most obviously Capello’s lack of bravery in naming the same old formation with the same old attitude . . .

Watching England is like watching Pimp my wheels - you have the Rio who as captain sounded like Frankensteins ineligible twin , Ashley Cole - pea brain extrodinaire with a diamond in his ear worth more than my house and let’s not forget our top player Rooney - how outstanding was he? We do not want it enough - we lack passion and we are scared to succeed.

We simply do not have the bollox or the know how at international level to achieve anything and who can blame any of them for having no pride, fight or momentum when on £100K per week is a minimum. We may have the premiership but we also have the dipshit of all FA’s who continue to allow our home game to be dominated by excellent foreign talent who increase share prices, deliver entertainment but fail hand over foot to help any of our talented kids gain the opportunities that perhaps they need . . .

Play the kids , blood them, build for 2010 afresh. Give them the freedom to play, to experiment, to make mistakes, take the long term view. Stop being the same and being left behind - we need more than ever a manager with the bollox to see this through and an FA who can stop medelling and allow young English talent to learn their trade - then and just then we may have a chance . . .

Class in permanent - bling lasts as long as it does not rust…..

Owen: The French defeat was a lesson for us

England were convincingly beaten 1-0 by France in Paris in the international friendly between the two sides and while there have been a few whispers that even Fabio Capello wouldn’t be able to restore the England jinx, striker Michael Owen says that they do have certain positives to take from this defeat.

Owen came on as a substitute in the match but failed to contribute much. The Newcastle United centre forward says:

Once a team like that is 1-0 up it is really difficult. I suppose we could learn a thing or two about how to close a game out and the way they pass the ball - they are a classy team.

Capello knows all about closing down on the opposition and stifling space but maybe the England players don’t and they certainly need to learn that pretty fast!

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Becksie wants more and more and more!

David Beckham exhibited and ineffectual and somewhat indifferent performance against France (like most of his team mates) on Wednesday as England lost 1-0 to the French in Paris in an international friendly but the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder says that he is not at all eager to hang up his Golden Boots(or Balls!) anytime soon.

Becksie insists:

I’m very honoured. Straight from when I started playing for England I never dreamed I’d get 100 caps, and hopefully beyond.

I’m happy, but like I said during the week I want to carry on. Of course things can change but I want to carry on playing for my country.

But alas, not many England supporters would subscribe to the notion of Beckham playing on for the national team!

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Capello praises his players’ personality

England fans might not be impressed with their team’s performance against France on Wednesday in the international friendly held at Paris which England lost 1-0 and lost convincingly but England head coach Fabio Capello is.

The Italian hardliner says:

I’m actually quite happy because I have seen improvements. We played against a top-level team and I think we did well.

The way we played, we didn’t let the opposition play too much and especially, the way we played with personality.

We did especially well in the first half, but unfortunately we conceded the penalty.

Improvements?? Yeah, England did play with the ball more on the ground than whizzing past on the air but they were utterly depressing against a top quality team and that too when they had all their top players available. Capello has loads of work to do.

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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Becks confident of playing against France

David Beckham might be struggling to claw himself back into the England set-up but the 31-year old LA Galaxy midfielder is confident that he can win his 100th cap for his nation against France in an international friendly later this month.

Becks was dropped by new England head coach Fabio Capello for last month’s friendly against Switzerland in spite of the fact that Goldenballs was training with Arsenal last month.

But Becks is certain that he will play for England this month:

Fitness-wise, I’ll be perfect.

But it’s about performing and hopefully I’ll do that.

That’s what Capello said to me.

I knew that from the conversation I had with him.

He said that once I’m back playing and if I’m fit and playing well enough, then he’ll pick me.

With the first game after he took charge, I hadn’t played any games and he explained that to me.

I’ve played three games so far now and got through them all.

I believe I can play for my country for a good few more years yet. I believe that I can still play at that level.

The standard is slightly different in the US but it’s not as low as everybody thinks.

We’ve got some very good teams and very good players and we play some really good football so we’ll just have to wait and see.

But I believe I can play for my country for a good few years.

Well, maybe Capello wouldn’t like to keep Beckham in his plans for too long. He has already hinted at his wish to watch more and more England youngsters crop up and this is clear indicator that he wants to commence on a new era minus the old guards.

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Beckham to play against France?

A small window of opportunity opens up for England star David Beckham. Last month he was dropped from the squad by new England coach Fabio Capello for fitness reasons, but the hardline Italian coach says that should Becks be in full match fitness, then he will certainly feature against France later this month in another international friendly.

Capello says:

Los Angeles Galaxy play in Dallas on 14th March and (assistant manager) Franco Baldini or I will go to see him and assess his fitness.

He is in contention for France. We will check on him in Dallas and then we will decide whether he will be fit for that squad.

He will get his 100th cap if he is fit and in form.

I know Beckham very well from Real Madrid and I hope David will play the 100th game and get that cap.

I understand from reading his last interview that at this moment his fitness isn’t good and I will phone him because I want to know exactly what he thinks about his fitness.

Becks is desperate to get his magical 100th cap for England but doubt remains on how many caps he shall get after that. After all, Capello wants to take England into a new era and Beckham is one of the old guards.

Capello impressed by Manchester City keeper

Joe Hart has been earning rave reviews for some of his Manchester City performances this season, and it appears that the new England manager has been sitting up and taking notice. The Guardian report that Fabio Capello has spoken about two goalkeepers that have really caught his eye since the Italian was appointed in charge of the national team. Is Hart the answer to England’s long-term goalkeeping problem?

“Only 38% of the players in the Premier League are English, so the pool is reduced,” said the England manager. “I have had to reinstate a 37-year-old goalkeeper but I have spotted one in the Under-21s who is very interesting.”

The 20-year-old has been a regular for City since September and it’s his form, along with Micah Richards and Richard Dunne, which have ensured Eriksson’s team have been relatively watertight all season. Indeed, it was only recently that the Citizens lost their unbeaten home record in the league. Hart for England anyone or is he not ready to make the step up yet?

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McClaren: I am looking for better offers

Steve McClaren might have been ridiculed by the England supporters after he failed to lead the national team to the Euro 2008 finals, but he is still a wanted man in the football community. Rather, he makes us believe so.

The former Middlesbrough manager and assistant to Manchester United’s Sir Alez Ferguson says that he has been offered several jobs since he received the sack from the English FA but is still looking for the best offer. He says:

My next job will be about the person employing me as much as anything, he has to have vision and be ambitious. It’s got to be a challenge. That might be abroad or in the Championship. Before I went to Middlesbrough, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told me ‘pick the chairman, not the club’. I was lucky I picked Steve Gibson, who believed in my philosophy and gave me time. Given time, if you have got the right philosophy, you will succeed. I have had offers, mainly from abroad, but none that have really excited me.

But can we believe the clown who couldn’t manage to take a talented bunch of players to the Euro finals? Maybe there have been offers for him but please let us not get the impression that some big Spanish or Italian clubs would like to hire him. Maybe some club from Malta did approach him…..

Owen not arguing about Capello’s decision

Newcastle United striker Michael Owen is very much a realistic and practical man and even for one of his massive reputation, stays calm and humble even under the most trying of circumstances. The former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker was left out on the bench for Fabio Capello’s first match in charge as the England head coach against Switzerland last week but Owen accepts his boss’ decision easily.

Owen wrote in News of the World:

Fabio Capello’s first England team was picked on in-form players, and I fully understand why I was left out. Four months with one goal mainly because of injury has not given me the opportunities to show the new manager what I can do.

Now this is some character. Owen accedes that he isn’t in the best of form at the moment but is ready to try harder and claw his place back into England’s starting xi.

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West Ham manager pleads patience from Ashton

At the start of the season, many were predicting this would be Dean Ashton’s breakthrough campaign, although injury has halted the West Ham striker’s progress so far. The Press Association report that his manager Alan Curbishley wants him to forget about the possibility of playing for England right now and instead try to rediscover some form for the Hammers.

“Deano just has to keep going. We have been easing him in, and it is difficult getting fit in the first team, but there has been no other way,” said Curbishley.

“He had the injury and it took a year to recover from it. He had another set-back once he got himself going and I think you can see that he has a bit to do.”

He said: “The games are watched every week and Matthew Upson got himself in there, so it is performances I think, nothing else.

“First things first, Deano has got to get himself absolutely right and he will know when he is absolutely right.”

However, many Hammers fans would argue that reserve matches would be a better bet for the former Crewe and Norwich striker right now. His recent performances have been poor and Curbishley’s insistence of partnering him with Carlton Cole is not yielding the necessary results.

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Capello hints at Beckham recall

A ray of light bleeds in for David Beckham as Don Fabio Capello decides to relax his tight muscles. The new England head coach left out the LA Galaxy player for England’s friendly international against Switzerland in midweek but has hinted that he may just include Becks for next month’s match against France.

Capello says:

Surely he will have played friendly matches and those will be important. If he is fit and ready to play then he will be part of my team.

Becks is just one game short of collecting his 100th cap for his nation and he needs to wait for some time to do that.

Rooney hails Blackburn winger as ‘new Beckham’

But will the old Beckham get another look-in for England? It’s generally acknowledged that Blackburn’s David Bentley was the stand-out performer for England on Wednesday night, with the Daily Telegraph reporting that Wayne Rooney is full of praise for his international team-mate.

“I think David Bentley did really well; he is like a young David Beckham; the vision and the confidence he has are brilliant,” Wayne Rooney reflected.

“You’ve seen the way Becks has played; over the years he has been fantastic for England but, if you see Bentley, he is always looking for options, always looking for someone to cross to. He created a couple of chances for me and, as a forward, that’s all you can ask for.”

It doesn’t appear that the Manchester United striker is overly bothered that Fabio Capello decided to leave Beckham out of the provisional 30-man squad. Will the rise of Bentley continue to keep the LA Galaxy winger out of the squad or will he end up earning his 100th cap somewhere down the line?

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