englandtilidie

A thigh strain means that Frank Lampard will not play for England in the Euros.

It was Lampard who “equalised” to make it 2-2 forEngland against Germany in the 2010 World Cup.  When that goal was disallowed for being only 2 metres over the line he then smashed a free kick against the bar. Inevitably England will miss him.

When Germany broke with speed and power there were no young legs in midfield capable of doing the hard fast yards. Barry, who is also out, was one spectator as the Germans swarmed forward and around the stationary John Terry.  Jordan Henderson is being called up and perhaps the vitality of youth will be an asset to the 30 plus year old engines of Parker and Gerrard.

Perhaps also there will be a clarity of direction without the seniority of Lampard confusing the issues and perhaps we will see Phil Jones in midfield as soon as Parker is injured or suspended.  The excellent Welbeck is still not fit.

More England flags are appearing everyday and the first game againstFranceis only just over a week away.  Every game is a tough game and one bad result will heap the pressure on the new England manager and his squad with the disaster of an early exit looming.

A cold rational eye could take a look at the job in hand and say there should be nothing to fear in Englands group.  But football is not like that, Uefa are always keen to get rid of the English, the Ukraine will be playing in an inferno of home support, and Swedens professionals know our every strength and weakness.  A short while ago France were World and European Champions.

This is a strong powerful England team. After the first ninety minutes things will look different.

Come OnEngland.  Winning the Euros in 2012.

Londoners lie around the city parks and green spaces under a scorching late May sun. Outside the city the countryside is full of bursting green hedgerows and now lush woodlands. Cricketers adorn village pitches and lanes are suddenly full of horseboxes and horse trials. The white sails of yachts speck our coasts.

In Oslo, Norway, the national team England, are playing Norway. After nine minutes Carroll flicks the ball to Ashley Young who shapes to pass to Gerrard but instead ducks inside the defender and puts the ball inside the far post.

One nil to England and that is all it took to come away with a useful victory and a mishap avoided. Probably it could have been better but the test period is ramped up with a game at a sold out Wembley against a talented Belgium in a weeks time. Nine days later they play France in the Ukraine.

There is something in the air about this Euro 2012 football championship. There is something about having an Englishman in charge and a scouser as Captain and somehow a strange balance around it all.

They might be pushing the Olympics down the publics throats, they might be hyping this years Royal celebration but soon the country will only be flying flags for football, the game we love, the game that is played by every community in the nation.

There is nothing else that brings us all together, in England or across the world.

Football the beautiful game.

Come On England – Winning the Euros 2012.

England followers will get a first sight of Andy Carroll leading the line when the team take on Norway in Oslo. In Norway they tradiotionally play the game with a robust directness and enjoy victories over England with relish. It should be a good game and already England fans will be gathering in the streets of Oslo. There will be drinking and merriment.

Every year the people of Norway send a Christmas tree to England, for Trafalgar Square, as token of the comradeship between two peoples who fought fascism in Europe, As footballers from England plan for the Euros 2012 the Foreign Office suggest black and asian people from this country should act with caution when visiting the Ukraine. As Hodgson said – it is very “sad”.

In England football has educated society about racism and progressed. Nothing is perfect but the FA and footballing bodies have tried to meet the challenge. The primitive scenes of racist baiting in the Bernebau and other national stadiums has seen Blatter and the pathetic mob at UEFA do nothing.

England are playing their group games at the furthest point east in the Ukraine, the greatest distance possible to travel for any fans. Rooney is banned and now the appalling Blatter has opened his gob again to call Chelsea’s victory over Bayern a “tragedy” – because they won – on penalties. The bias is clear.

So what ? It is a long hard road but it is only football and not the battles that spilled the acres of blood in a war against the creed that one nation, one man, is any better than another. But in another way it is the same.

When England play football all the young men out there are all ours. It is all one nation under the sun and something that we have fought for, something more precious than any trophy, the thing that won us the war against fascism and keeps us defeating racism. It is our total victory. It is what we are, and what we call our football clubs. United.

Come On, England – winning the Euros in 2012 .

The first heat of summer has hit London and a trip through the suburbs finds the first flag of St George draped across a bungalow roof. In a petrol station the first England car paraphernalia has shown its tatty head.

The players were in Manchester for their first training session and on Saturday the pre -tournament friendlies start with an expedition to Norway. Hodgson dutifully mutters something about looking at some other players. The easy thing to do would be to win the game convincingly.

There is another week of the phoney war before a sold out Wembley sends off the team with a fixture against Belgium. Eight days later the action starts with the game against France.

Slowly football fans across the country will be aligning their schedules, making plans for the England games, meeting up with friends and family and arguing over selection and tactics. It is still weeks away but the beast is beginning to stir. The passion is alive and stirring.

There is nothing like following England, nothing to compare with being an England fan and nothing greater than the pursuit of the first tournament victory since 1966.

Goalkeepers – Joe Hart, Robert Green, John Ruddy.

Defenders – Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, John Terry.

Midfielders – Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young.

Strikers – Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck.

Standby – Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge

Saturday 26th May 2012 19.45 Norway vs England, Oslo, Norway.
Saturday 2nd June 2012 1945 England vs Belgium, Wembley,

Euros 2012

Monday 11th June England vs France. Donetsk.

Friday 15th June England vs Sweden, Kiev.

Tuesday 19th June England vs Ukraine. Donetsk.

Winning the Euros in 2012 – Come On, England

When Muller finally fluked a goal against Chelsea after 83 minutes the stage was set for a tableau of German triumphalism – the mortal dread of Mollers Prussian strut at Wembley in 1996 was in  the air. Then Didier Drogba, the finest African footballer to bejewel the English league, rammed home a header of exquisite power and precision to bulge the back of the Munich net and set up the finale.

In the 1966 we thanked a Russian linesman and in Munich  it was Dutchman Arjen Robben who melted in the pressure cooker and fired a poor penalty in extra time. Cech was there, and was there again, for a goalkeeping performance of technical perfection in the shoot out.

Cech touched 3 out of the 5 penalties, saved one, and forced Schweinsteiger wide onto the post to give Chelsea their chance for glory. Drogba sent the Bayern keeper sprawling left as the ball went right – and a new name from London, England was on the trophy.

The deed was done and another English club had anointed European football with the privilege of watching the players from this Premier league beat all of Europes best. The great clubs of Spain, Italy and Germany all lost to the Blues from west London.  The spirit from the battle of Old Trafford in 1970 , of Real Madrid in Athens in 1971 was there in the determination and resistance and pride of a team of professional players all drawn to the home nation of football.

Lampard showed a rare leadership before the game, his spoken memory of defeat, focusing on the desire for victory, to above all win.  Him and Ashley Cole didn’t flinch from their penalty destiny – all lessons for the international campaign.

There was no need for Terry to overdo the celebration and it was predictable that Hodgson would find something to say and that the media would find a stupid story –this time their obsession was/is with whether Di Matteo gets work. It seems that the senior players at Chelsea know whats what, hence Ryan  “do  a job” Bertrand getting the starting place he deserved.

England have more winners on board now, a small dedicated squad – with no transfer window – and a manager who won’t upset the newspapers.  There are many difficulties ahead, but they are also club champions of Europe.

Where now the doom-mongers and defeatists ?

Winning the Euros in 2012 – COME ON, England.

The English Premier league served up the most powerful and pulsating day of last minute action to allow the City side of Manchester to celebrate a title victory.

The beautiful game again enthralled in its home nation as the greatest talents from around the world battled right down to the final two minutes to clinch the English Premiership, perhaps the greatest prize in club football.

Now there is only Champions league final before all attention focuses on the Euros 2012 and the progress of England team – Hodgson names his first 23 man squad on Wednesday 16th May 2012.

There might be a media kerfuffle over the presence, or absence, of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand but it really does not matter. Lescott and Jagielka kept world Champions Spain at bay and there more options in these positions for the England manager. Maybe it is time to look forward not back.

Gary Neville’s addition to the coaching staff adds nous and a passion for his country and the winning mentality that landed Manchester United all those titles. It is difficult to imagine that the squad will not feature Gerrard, and after the performance in the Nou Camp Lampard. Hart will be first choice in goal.

Whatever the choices Hodgson makes there will various degrees of teeth gnashing by the jaundiced writers of the national press. But its all irrelevant, whatever their name,
the professional footballers who have the privilege of pulling on the shirt of England will be playing for the greatest glory of all – to follow in the steps of the last eleven to win
a trophy for this country. Their names are always with us.

This is our time – Come On England.

Funny old game – Englands electric start and Gerrards goal suddenly deflated by a goalkeeping howler from Robert Green.  Rooney was quiet and the back four looks messy without Ferdinand but with Algeria and Slovenia games to go theres time for a shake down cruise before it gets serious.

The British Prime Minister confirmed, 38 years late, that the 13 people shot dead by the Parachute Regiment in Derry, Ireland were all innocent. Years later the IRA blew up and killed 18 young men from the same regiment at a place called Warren Point.  

The sun is still shining on the world and the games go on.  English flags are still flying and the summer is as unsettled as always.  Breezes and clouds and blue skies and showers.

This is England. 

COME ON, ENGLAND.