My Gob on legs rant this week starts with England and it’s not hard to imagine why Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand may have had to made peace with a few of his England team mates at the weekend after the 1-0 defeat in Ukraine. The centre back was, once again, entirely culpable for the penalty which changed the game and saw England keeper Robert Green sent off and exciting Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon hauled off, to allow David James to take the dismissed Green’s place in goal, thus leaving ten man England to play over 75 minutes against a tricky Ukrainian side.
It isn’t the first time Ferdinand has made a complete arse of things this season. His positioning and general play for England has, for want of a better description, been absolutely dire. He was a shambles against Holland and was entirely at fault for Green’s dismissal. Fabio Capello said he was angry at the referee for wanting to send Ferdinand off, rather than Green. I think most England fans would have far preferred that to be honest. There is a warming degree of karma to that which would have been ultimately satisfying.
Then to make matters worse, once the referee had dismissed Green, it then became apparent some poor sap would have to be sacrificed for David James to come on. While all of England shouted at their corrupted PC screens “Take off Ferdinand!” it was poor Aaron Lennon who trudged to the sideline to allow James into the action. Natural justice? I think not. Then to compound matters, the usually reliable Ashley Cole “did a Rio” and cocked things up on the edge of the box, gifting possession to the Ukraine before sending a marvellous diving header past James and into the top corner. Who says Rio’s influence hasn’t been missed? Let’s remember his form for Manchester United hardly warrants automatic inclusion in the squad, let alone the team, at the moment. He’s playing even worse than Jamie Carragher at present and that is saying something.
Emile Heskey apparently wants a move from Aston Villa to ‘enhance his England prospects’ ahead of the World Cup next summer. Scoring a goal or two may help too Emile. Reports suggested Liverpool want Heskey. This is entirely reliable because as you now, Liverpool need a back up for Torres and Heskey is more than likely to come to Anfield and displace Torres in the team to play in every game for Liverpool. Wigan looks a more likely destination, while Fulham are also said to be keen and may offer £3m. Wherever he goes, if he is to be our big striker at the finals, we need him to play far more than he does at present.
The problem I have with Heskey is that I see him as England’s “Serginho”. For those of you younger than 28, I will explain. In 1982, Brazil went to the World Cup finals in Spain with possibly the finest team of attacking players ever assembled on the planet. From a midfield containing the likes of Socrates, Falcao, the incomparable Eder out wide and Zico in attack, they were absolutely incredible in attack. The problem was that they had (A) a really crap defence and (B) possibly the worst striker ever to play Brazil in Serginho. A lumbering, powerful tall striker who used to basically go out and get in the way of the beautiful football his team mates produced. He was basically a kick magnet, so the Claudio Gentile’s of the 1982 World Cup would kick lumps out of the big man and leave Zico alone. A soccer sacrificial lamb if you will. Personally, I’d like us to try Crouch in that role, he may not be as physically strong, but he is taller and has equally good feet and most importantly of all, knows how to score goals. Let’s just hope Harry gives him a game at some point this season.
Anyway, I’ll be cheering on Uruguay and Ecuador later in an attempt to annoy the simpering football purists who argue that Argentina missing out on the World Cup Finals next summer would be a travesty for the game of football. No it wouldn’t, it would be justice and hilariously funny. Then once that is all over we can get back to real football at the weekend.
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This blogg is pathetic!
So the man made a mistake, he’s coming back from a major injury and isn’t up to his normal self. It is the decision of the manager if any you want to question for playing a player who isn’t quite match fit.
Rio has been a rock in defense and next to JT there isn’t a better man.
I get bloody irate that the mentality in this country is to absolutely anhialate any man or woman that is at the top of there profesion. If Rio was a mediocre to crap defender nobody would have said sh*t about the mistake, because of who he is people like you have to shoot him down, and for what exactly? For making a c*ck up in a nothing game?
I wonder if you are an England fan at all or just a Man Utd hater.