Rio, Roy and the wrong decision

Dropped: Rio's omission was a surpise
to many

As a Northern Irishman I usually give my support to England at major tournaments, mainly because the chances of Northern Ireland reaching another tournament are about as remote as Balotelli becoming a priest. This year I got quite excited at the idea of Roy Hodgson creating a compact, determined unit that could possibly shut out more technically gifted opponents. Preparation for the tournament seemed to be going quite well too, Roy had made a bold decision to drop Rio Ferdinand, a veteran of 81 caps, for 'footballing reasons', and in the friendly's against Norway and Belgium, a resolute England produced two solid 1-0 victories.

It was only in the aftermath of the win against Belgium that normal service resumed for a national side that continually that spends as much time in the front pages of tabloids, as it does in the back pages. Gary Cahill was ruled out of the competition with a facial injury and the expectation was that Ferdinand would be the obvious replacement. To the surprise of professionals, journalists' and pundits, Hodgson called up Martin Kelly, a right back in a Liverpool side that had its' lowest league finish in decades. Ferdinand himself took to twitter asking "what reasons??", clearly in reference to the Hodgson's decision to overlook him yet again. The general consensus seemed to be that Rio was left out due his relationship, or lack of it, with former skipper John Terry. Terry, accused of racial abusing Ferdinand's brother Anton, is facing Westminster magistrates court on July 9th and should he be found guilty Hodgson and the FA board will have left themselves with no option but to resign. 

Interview: Roy clarified his reasons for dropping Rio.

In an interview with the BBC, Hodgson clarified his reasons for dropping Rio, but his rationale produced more questions than it answered. He felt he couldn't bring Rio because he could not guarantee that he would start, claiming he was too good a footballer to be a 'squad' player. It is this point that baffles me completely. Surely it makes sense to bring an experienced player, regardless if he plays every game and that knows how to handle pressure at the highest level, over a 22 year old right back with only 1 cap. I know who I would rather see in the dressing room if England progress to the latter stages of the competition. It is important to highlight that I think Kelly is great prospect with a fantastic future ahead of him, but in this instance I don't believe that he can compete with the cream of the crop in terms attacking talent. As for Terry, his talent is unquestionable but I can't help but think that with all the controversy that he brings, it may have been best to withdraw himself from the squad. His presence will almost certainly undermine the European Championship campaign if England fail to win the competition, the media will have their scapegoat and Hodgson will be heavily criticised for making a 'bad' decision. 

This leads me to my next point, if Capello was still in charge, would he have made the same choices. He is known for trying to keep the emphasis on football alone and to protect his players from the media circus that follow them. Personally I believe Capello would have made the same choice and chose to avoid the morale  sapping tension that would have been present, had both players been selected. Capello had a brutal honesty about him, especially when it came to the media. In my view Capello probably would have just admitted that the reason Rio had been dropped was because he had to make a choice, and he chose Terry. Obviously this is all subjective, but one thing is for certain, Capello was a man who stuck to his principles, so much so that he resigned from his post over the removal of Terry as captain by the FA.

Charged: Terry faces an anxious wait to clear his name

If England don't win the Euros there is no doubt that this issue will resurface and face intense media scrutiny. This could become an potentially volatile situation, considering that the verdict of Terry's trial will fall directly in the aftermath of the competition. Hodgson might find that the decisions he has made in the run up to the tournament, could also be the decisions that cost him his job.

Personally I think that Roy Hodgson has acted with respect during the entire process. He contacted Rio to explain his decision, something that many international managers wouldn't do. Terry, of course, is innocent until proven otherwise and it would be unfair to drop him considering the verdict is not due until after the tournament. Whether Hodgson has made the right choice remains to be seen, but one thing is for certain, this won't be last we hear about this issue.

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United, a season of 'what could have been'

Heartbreak: Aguero fires city to Premier
League glory.

It was only a matter of weeks ago that Manchester City snatched the title in dramatic fashion with an injury time double salvo from Dzeko and Aguero. Ironically their victory left a bitter taste in my mouth, even though during my entire life I have seen United do the seemingly impossible on more than a number of occasions.

Almost immediately after the game I logged on to one of the many United fan forums to discover a wave of discontent, excuses and general unhappiness. This was to be expected of course, considering the manner in which we surrendered the title to our bitter rivals. After digesting much of the opinions written, the general consensus seemed to be that our midfield lacked bite, drive and most importantly the fear it instilled in opponents in years gone by. Many fans put forward suggestions how we can remedy this problem in the coming season; switch formation, buy two centre midfielders, Eden Hazard is the key and so on.

Every point made came with an argument as to why it was the only way to challenge City and Chelsea in the coming season, but personally I didn't fully agree with any of the arguments presented. I don't think we need a major overhaul in any area. In fact with signing of Kagawa a formality, it's possible the majority of our business may be completed. It looks increasingly likely that United will also sign young Nick Powell for a reported fee of £6 million, to continue a policy of buying young players with high potential, and developing that talent into something special.

Fans are crying out for a midfield general to usher in a new era of dominance. Names mentioned are Kevin Strootman, Yann M'Vila, Marouane Fellaini, and even Moussa Dembele. Personally if we were to buy a midfielder there is only one that I would want at United, and that man is Luka Modric. Although the players mentioned above are all good footballers, I just don't think they are of the required standard to play and succeed at United. Modric, I believe has the potential to become a United legend. This is all hypothetical of course, Modric has started excellently for Croatia in the Euros, and is still under contract at Spurs, with Daniel Levy proving in the past that he will only sell his star players for a high premium.

Make or break: Ando needs to prove his worth.

I'll admit I would like to see Sir Alex address the issue our midfield presented at times during the season but I can't help but think if our treatment room had not been so busy it might have been a different story. Anderson actually looked like he was going to realise his potential until his season was (once again) disrupted by injury. Personally i feel that Anderson has to step up this season, stay injury free and of course perform on a consistent basis.

Tom Cleverly was a breath of fresh air, his movement and energy helped dominate the midfield and he was driving force behind United's free flowing, clinical attacking play in the opening games of the season. Again, after a late tackle from Kevin Davies he missed a number of months due to injury and never looked fully fit when he returned.

Carrick seemed to rediscover his form and personally I feel he was our most consistent performer during the season. At times his passing was something to behold, and alongside Scholes he found a stability that helped him flourish in the second half of the season.

Fletcher obviously was a massive loss in November. Many have argued that his style of play is exactly what United missed in closing stages of the season. The 4-4 draw against Everton is when I believe United lost the title. After going 4-2 up you would expect the game to be finished, but without a combative midfield in the shape of Fletcher, United allowed Everton space that ultimately saw them surrender 2 points.

Absent: Fletch has been badly missed throughout the season.

Hopefully after a summer of rest for some of the injured players, a few select purchases, and most of all some luck, United will reclaim the crown next season.

Talent at Euro 2012

I'm sure i'm not the only guy who watches international football to view some of the promising young talent that European teams offer. This tournament is no different and I find that in almost every game I earmark a number of players to keep tabs on. 

Lewandowski was one such player who I was keen to view first hand. I don't watch alot of Bundesliga football but I have read many reviews, all of which agree that he is a class act. This was evident during the first game against Greece, during which he took his goal extremely well. Reports linking him to Man United seem to have been blown completely out of proportion by the British media (surprised??) but as a United fan I certainly wouldn't say no if he arrived at Old Trafford.

Christian Eriksen is another that is seen as great prospect with a bright future. Having watched him in United's doomed Europa League campaign I couldn't help but think that he was slightly over-rated. He showed glimpses of his potential when bursting from the midfield during the two-legged affair but never really produced a display worthy of the excitement surrounding him. Even during the game against the Dutch he never really got going, the Danes defended deep and tried to score from a counter attack, which you would expect to be led by Eriksen. In reality it was Dennis Rommedahl that led the majority of the Danish attacks, prompting me to think that Eriksen might not be the future star that some were hoping for. Maybe i'm just being cynical, or maybe I'm missing something that everyone else can see, but I don't think he has a future at one of Europe's elite clubs. 

At this stage I think it's only fair to point out the other type of talent that every cameraman seems to find interesting. In almost every game there has been a huge focus on the 'European cuisine' and I for one, hope to see much more in the games to come, especially in any Sweden game.

France are team that are rebuilding and one man seems to be a shining light in a national team that has lost its way. Yann M'Vila is touted as one of the best young midfielders in Europe. It is likely that he will end up in the Premier League next season, with Arsenal the club anticipated to land his signature. I haven't actually seen him play in a live game and refuse to use YouTube as a reliable source to ascertain if someone has got talent, so I look forward to the England v France game to see how he plays.

Obviously there will be a wealth of young talent on show during the competition and this is the main reason I will be watching as many matches as possible. 

Euro Fever

Szczesny at his finest.

Personally I'm a not huge fan of international football. In fact, I find I use international tournaments to fill the void left by the Premier League during the close season. This year however I have been fixated by the first four games of the tournament, finding them both entertaining, and in places exciting, something I have not said about international football from 2002. I had the pleasure of watching the first match in work through a 15inch monitor. The match itself had just about everything; goals, red cards, a penalty and Szczesny doing what he does best. At full time it finished 1-1 and set the tone for the remainder of the competition; frenzied attack, shocking refereeing decisions and of course drama.

Highlights of the opening minute of the game.

The second game between Czech Republic and Russia was a much more open affair with much of the game being played on the counter. It started with about 7 fouls in the opening 10 seconds of open play but quickly developed a pattern of quick, eye pleasing football and ultimately counter attacking brilliance which culminated in Russia's first and second goals. The Czech's never really looked like getting something from the game, even after scoring to make it 2-1. Russia's dominance and ability was telling in their 3rd and 4th goals, a great strike from Dzagoev and a clinical finish from  Pavlyuchenko. After watching the game I couldn't help but think that in this year's competition we might have a winner outside of the European elite.

Deflated: Robben after a poor
performance

Game three provided us with our first shock of the tournament with Denmark snatching a 1-0 win against a team many labelled as favourites, The Netherlands. The game itself was an extremely one-sided affair with the Dutch amassing 28 attempts at goal. The more significant statistic however was that they only managed to put 8 of those on target. Personally Arjen Robben was the main culprit of wasting opportunities by refusing to play the simple pass by instead trying to beat 2 or 3 defenders at a time. Wesley Sneijder was the shining light for the Dutch team that seemed to run out of ideas at times. Some of his passing was simply exquisite at times and his through ball with the outside of his boot to Huntelaar was breathtaking. Van Persie's performance on the other hand was a different story. At times I couldn't believe this was the same player that scored ruthlessly for Arsenal during the Premier League season. His touch at times was reminiscent of Momo Sissoko and his shooting was like Chris Sutton in his Chelsea days. Holland will have every right to feel aggrieved after the game because they had two good shouts for penalties, both of which were waved away by the official. The fact remains that regardless of the refereeing decisions the Netherlands had more than enough chances to put the Danes to the sword and should reflect on how to rectify this in the coming games.  After a defeat of this nature the Dutch will be hard pressed to emerge from a Group that also contains the ever present Germans and a Portugal side containing Ronaldo, Nani and erm.... Raul Meireles.

Game four was the Germans v Portugal and to be honest the first 72 minutes were a complete non-event. Chances were limited as both teams defended vigorously, and Ronaldo failed to produce the type of performance we have come to expect from him in almost every game. The only talking point of the first half  was a chance missed by Pepe, who stayed on his feet long enough to produce a sidefoot effort that struck the underside of the bar, but crucially, was judged not to have crossed the line. Somewhere in Poland or Ukraine, Sepp Blatter wiped the sweat from his brow after video replays confirmed that the correct decision was given. Gomez, who was heavily criticised after the defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League, produced a well placed header to open the scoring. Portugal created the majority of chances thereafter and if not for the heroics of Neuer could have easily claimed at least a point.

Gomez gets the German's off to a flying start with a great header.

So after an eventful four games Euro 2012 has impressed, providing every football enthusiast with a fix of football to help pass the days until domestic football returns in August. If the first two days have given us a glimpse of how the rest of the competition will pan out, we should be in for a great tournament.