David Mankellow

England

I have been slacking on the website front of late but this is a time when I cannot resist but to make a new post.

I don’t know about you but I’ve not been feeling too patriotic this weekend. I’m trying to fathom what’s happened and this post is to air my thoughts on the previous game, Capello and looking forward to the next game.

It’s a sad state of affairs whe you wish we played like we did against the USA against Algeria isn’t it?! The game against Algeria was dour, lacking in passion, lacking in direction, tactically inept, tired, laboured, poor in quality…need I say more?

In my opinion there had to be a change at half time. Gerrard is our best player at this World Cup so far and so he has to be integral to this team. He should not be out on the left. At half time of the Algeria game Gerrard should have been in the middle, bringing off Lampard or Barry for a left midfielder OR if he wanted to keep Gerrard there at least bring off Heskey for Crouch or Defoe. He decided to see how it goes for a bit after half time. After 55 minutes, 60 minutes and it’s worse it’s obvious that something needs to be tweaked, both tactically and in the personnel department. But it was Wright-Phillips that came on – effectively changing nothing. This made me literally shout at the TV screen! We all know what happened in the rest of the game (not a lot).

After taking a couple of days not talking about it and thinking and reading newspapers make things up etc, I have drawn some of my own conclusions as to what may be wrong and what we should do to save our pride and progress:
Joe Cole has to be involved from now on. Why he hasn’t been in the side at all, even from the bench bemuses me but in tight, dour games like those, Joe Cole is the type of player you need to unlock the door. That last game should also be the final nail in Emile Heskeys coffin. We were playing with 10 men in that game and when Defoe came on he did more in 2 minutes than Heskey did all game. I would also say that there isn’t a lot of changes that need to be made. I would say that changing to 5-4-1 with Cole and Cole down the left and Gerrard off Rooney is a very safe option. Rooney wasn’t getting the service and was having to come very deep to get the ball. I want him to be the vocal point of the team. I want him to be on the last defender and to be terrorising the defence with the rest of the team striving to provide for him. If he does not want to deviate from 4-4-2 then Defoe and Crouch more than deserve a place over Heskey. Next, I would try to find out (if Capello doesn’t know already) what was/is wrong with Rooney. He was not right in the slightest. Finally, Carragher is a blood and guts defender but he is a pub defender. England need to keep the ball and boot it anywhere as an absolute last resort. Carragher just punted the ball into row Z every time the ball got near him. Please, please , please give Dawson a chance. He is a better defender than Upson and he can play football. I guarantee you, if Dawson and Cole are selected they will run and play their lungs out.

I believe in Capello, and think he’s been pretty flawless up until the World Cup with his management of the team but these last two games have worried me slightly. But calling for the managers head is stupid because who can we get that’s better? Mourinho will not come, Hiddink is with Turkey, Redknapp is about to lead Spurs into the Champions League. All this said (hypocrite warning), if we do not progress from the group stages then Capello should resign as a matter of principle – we have/had the easiest group.

I genuinely think that any sort of a win will be like releasing the team from a massive ball and chain of pressure. If we win, no matter how I think spirit, confidence and belief will return and we will progress further.

Finally, I do not at all agree with booing your own team, at any level but if there is ever a time when you are allowed to it is when you’ve spent thousands of pounds, taken time off from work, are spending time away from family to travel across the other side of the world to see your team not look passionate and look like they don’t care. Regardless of tactics and personnel and activities in the training camp etc, every player has a duty to all of the England fans around the world, all of the eligible players who weren’t selected and all past players to seize this opportunity and give 100% for the whole match, nothing less.