Off & Running

So England have announced their candidacy to win the World Cup with a 1-1 draw against a side insistent on referring to the beautiful game as Soccer. The press are packing their bags and going home “they’ve seen it all before, they just know, they’re so sure.” Fabio Capello’s England were due to win their opening encounter and their failure to make good on such expectation has seen their credentials rubbished.


Trouble is, England have drawn their opening games in their most successful tournaments. 1966 England drew with Uruguay, 1990 England drew with the Republic of Ireland and in 1996 European Championships they drew with Switzerland 0-0. So if we are to learn from history then let’s be honest and assume that things are not so bad.

The tendency with the English is to be negative. As a nation we are duly pompous and conservative with a small ‘c.’ Robert Green will come under intense scrutiny from an ever negative press tomorrow morning for a mistake that gifted Clint Dempsey an equalizer for the States. It is the nature of his position that his one and only mistake is punished. Ledley King twice allowed America’s Onyewu a free header from crosses but his mistake went unpunished. John Terry twice allowed Jozy Altidore a free header in the box that went unpunished. And perhaps most fatally of all, Emile Heskey missed two glorious chances to score for England yet his mistakes have been papered over by Green’s blunder.

The enquiry will begin as to what went wrong for England. Was Green’s mistake really to blame for a failure to hit the ground running or does Fabio’s decision to replace Milner with Wright-Phillips instead of Joe Cole, offer more acuter justification? Should Darren Bent have been in the side to score a brace rather than sitting in his Durham flat watching 4,000 miles away? You may think I am labouring the point about Heskey a little too much, but for all his good play against Watford’s Jay Demerit, this was the scenario we all fearer wasn’t it? Heskey one-on-one in the World Cup finals but fluffing the shot. I say it again, given the season Darren Bent just had; do you not think he would have put that ball in the back of the net? And for those of you that argue bringing Heskey is not for him to score, I ask you to justify that? Are you seriously content to sit idly by as Heskey continues to get chance after chance for England but fails to score every time? Or would you prefer to accommodate two strikers both of whom can score to ensure victory? The choice is yours but by now, my feelings on Heskey are plain. Yes he held the ball up well and spread it nicely, but he was also caught offside needlessly 5 times, breaking up our flow and he missed two sitters.

What will come as the biggest disappointment was the performance of Wayne Rooney. I felt extremely sorry for the Manchester United striker tonight who was repeatedly fouled. Demerit and Onyewu could have quite easily been sent off for persistant fouling on the England front man, but given Rooney’s reputation, he failed to receive the proper protection from the card-happy match official.

When the inquests are finished, it is Fabio who must answer for his crimes. The truth is however; I am not overly concerned there is much to be wary of. The USA offered little threat. Of course, in a World Cup game you would expect them to force one or two chances but England were never in danger of losing the game to a lacklustre North American side. I previously wrote of England’s ability to prepare for their habitual injury and rushes of blood. Well now they have also had their habitual goalkeeping howler. The difference this time however, is that the mistakes, injuries and wrong-decisions, have all come in the opening 90minutes of games – a far better scenario then in the Quarterfinals of the semi-finals.

I say it once again, in Fabio we trust, and in South Africa 2010, dare to dream!


Gavin Callaghan