England Will Be Playing in Wales
I did’t know until the BBC pointed it out this morning, that Donetsk, where England play their first match on Monday, is actually a city founded by a Welshman called John Hughes in 1869. Everybody is taught at school, that the Welsh colonised Patagonia, but not The Ukraine.
Let’s hope that the dragon, the Welsh left behind is friendly! Except of course to racists!
Some Good News for Roy
England have gone up in the football rankings to sixth according to this report.
But is that ranking with or without the injured?
On the whole though, it’s good news. Which is a change!
The Racism Has Started
Why did the old farts in charge of UEFA take the tournament to Poland and the Ukraine, when they knew it might happen?
This incident involving the Dutch is actually in Poland.
I don’t think that the Dutch govenment will take this lying down.
The Netherlands are playing their first match against Denmark tomorrow.
I wonder what the odds are that we don’t through the first round without racist trouble.
And Now Defoe Has To Go Home!
Luck doesn’t seem to be going Roy Hodgson and England’s way! And now Jermaine Defoe has had to return home because of the death of his father. A report is here.
Let’s hope England will find strength in adversity.
And Now We Lose Cahill
What was it Napoleon said about generals? Something like?
“I have plenty of clever generals, give me a lucky one.”
I can’t find the exact quote, but you get the drift.
Roy Hodgson may be a good manager for England. But he is not blessed with good luck.
Especially now he’s lost Gary Cahill to a double fracture of the jaw.
He is now being criticised for not bringing in Rio Ferdinand or Micah Richards, but adding Martin Kelly.
Only time will tell if he’s right. But at the moment I think he is.
I don’t think I’d like either John Terry or Rio Ferdinand in my team and I think it’s one and not both. And he’s already chosen Terry. So for centre backs it’s Terry plus Jagielka or Joleon Lescott.
He may not have the best team in terms of playing skills, but has he chosen players, who might step up to plate and perform. Terry definitely has something to prove, what with the criminal case of racial abuse and missing the Champions League final. Jagielka might just like to win something.
So although, Roy’s luck may have deserted him, ~I think he’s using his brain to create a team with its own built-in ambition.
The defence doesn’t seem to leak goals and the attack seems to be able to score enough to win the game.
The crucial match is the game against France. I think, that both teams with half a dozen black players each and very few of their fans there to support them, could get a lot of abuse from the locals who turn up. I hope not, but if it does has England got the strength to weather the storm. I would hope so!
It’s Backs to the Wall Lads!
England at Euro-2012 are starting to look like the last time we fought a war in the Ukraine. And I mean after the Charge of the Light Brigade. At least though the medical services are very much better.
I was listening to Sportsweek on Radio 5 Live and John Barnes, who probably knows more about suffering racism than most, was advising the players to concentrate on the football if the chants got bad in the Ukraine, like they might do. He advised against what Mario Balotelli had said he would do and walk off. He said “Let the referee and UEFA decide.” It might be difficult, but there are some strong characters in the England team. Remember too, in the first match against France, both teams will have quite a few black players and all of the players probably know each other well and will all stick together, if it turns ugly.
One-Nil to Ing-Er-Land
I’m just listening to the 606 phone in on BBC Radio 5. Everybody is being so negative.
I’ll admit that Roy has a problem, but it isn’t of his making. How many people would relish being dropped into the scenario he found himself, just a few weeks before a major tournament. Only a complete masochist! Or a Leo pig!
I remember 1966, when I was just 18. Were we optimistic? Of course not! We were looking forward to a good summer of football as the World Cup was going to be held in England.
We’re looking forward to a big summer of sport with the Olympics. And judging by the way the torch has been received in the last two weeks the country is getting fired up. If the players we’re sending to Euro 2012 aren’t getting turned on by that, they shouldn’t be going. They’ve also got three Chelsea players and Steven Gerrard, who’ve tasted European glory in the Champions League.
Going back to 1966, if you look at the side that won the World Cup, some were virtually unknown before the tournament. Jimmy Greaves was expected to be the man to score all the goals and Jimmy Armfield was supposed to be the right back. So is Rooney setting himself up for the Greaves role? We need some players to step up and be counted. I’ll put my money on Phil Jagielka, John Terry and Theo Walcott.
They’re still being negative on the phone-in.
The only positive thing I’ve heard is someone saying, he’d take a one-nil win in every game.
Has Roy Hodgson Made a Good Decision Over Terry?
Let’s face it John Terry has a few problems. Except for the stupid red card, he got against Barcelona, none of these really concern his football.
Now that Chelsea has effectively won the European Champions League without him, he should be fired up to do well in Euro-2012, in a back four, that will contain, two of his club-mates. Only the right back is suspect, now that Kyle Walker is injured.
I suspect Roy Hodgson has told John Terry, that this will be his last chance to get a major honour by means of his playing skills.
So I think he called it right!
Germany v Greece
If things work out right, Germany will play Greece on June 22nd in Euro 2012 in the midst of a Greek General Election.
What fun?
Beware The Croydon Man
With all the fuss about Roy Hodgson becoming the new England manager, I thought I’d look up who else was born in Croydon, that much maligned suburb of South London.
The most interesting is that polymath and outstanding sportsman; Charles Burgess Fry, better known by his initials of C. B. This paragraph from Wikipaedia sums him up.
Fry’s achievements on the sporting field included representing England at both cricket and football, an FA Cup Final appearance for Southampton F.C. and equalling the then world record for long jump. He also reputedly turned down the throne of Albania. In later life, he suffered mental health problems, but in his 70s was still able to perform his party piece: jumping backwards onto a mantel from a standing position.
I think that if you look at Hodgson’s career, he hasn’t shirked any challenge and perhaps he just is the man to lead England in Euro-2012 and beyond. He’s not a polymath like Fry, but he’s a real polyglot, speaking ten languages with varying degrees of fluency.
Hodgson’s problem will be the press. Last night, the Manchester-centric Radio 5 Live commentators were saying it was a bad decision.
I disagree, especially he appoints Stuart Pearce to his team.
The Anonymous Widower 