Archive for the ‘2010 World Cup’ Category
UKSoccershop - Official Holland 2010 World Cup Merchandise
Tags: Babel, Break, Holland Away Shirt, Holland Boys, Home Kids, Hoodoo, Limited Quantities, Little Boys, Netherlands, Robben, Robin Van Persie, Socks, Stock, Stocks, Tipping, Top Stars, Uruguay, Victory, Wesley Sneijder, World Cup Merchandise
Liverpool job is Roy Hodgson’s biggest challenge yet
He may have held 15 different coaching positions in a 34 year career, but Roy Hodgson arguably faces his toughest job test yet at Liverpool.
The Fulham manager has agreed a two year deal to take over at Anfield and will join in time for pre-season training this week.
But he comes to a club still battered and bruised after a disastrous campaign last year which saw early exits from both domestic cups, the Champions League and a lowly 7th place finish. The Premier League 2010/2011 odds suggest they could struggle again.
Added to that is the £350million debt placed on the club by controversial owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, as well as doubts over the futures of star players Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres. You could have forgiven many a manager for not touching the job with a bargepole.
But maybe Hodgson’s calm assurance is just what they need. With so much drama going on, on and off the pitch, Hodgson’s first job could be to use his vast experience to focus the players on the task in hand.
The futures of Torres, Gerrard and Mascherano remain in doubt despite the appointment. I find it highly unlikely that all three would leave, with Torres the most likely to stay. However, any departure would boost Hodgson’s fairly meagre transfer budget, currently in the region of £15 million.
Stories linking Liverpool with Fulham players have already begun, - though I find Brade Hangeland a more realistic target than the aging if popular Danny Murphy. Hodgson is a canny enough manager to know he will have to buy a better class of player than he did at Fulham if Liverpool are to meet expectations.
He will, of course, have the full backing of the Liverpool fans regardless of whether they saw him as their first choice. But a planned protest by the Spirit of Shankly fans group this weekend highlights the deep divisions between the club and its supporters at present.
A few poor results and the atmosphere at Anfield could become poisonous as the fans direct their anger at the board, making life doubly difficult for the players. Hodgson needs hit the ground running if he is to get the club on the up again. The pressure is well and truly on.
There could even be further complications down the line. England’s World Cup odds made them third favourites for the tournament this year, but they crashed out.
If Capello hangs on, but leaves the job in a year or so Hodgson could be tempted to replace him.
Tags: Anfield, Champions League, Danny Murphy, Deep Divisions, Disastrous Campaign, Doubts, Fernando Torres, First Choice, First Job, Fulham, George Gillett, Javier Mascherano, Liverpool Fans, Pre Season Training, Premier League, Roy Hodgson, Star Players, Steven Gerrard, Target, Tom Hicks
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Tags: 48 Hours, All England, Beckham, Checkout, Coach Fabio Capello, Discount Merchandise, England Shirts, England World Cup, Germany, Gerrard, Goalkeeper Shirt, Kids World, Match Day, Navy, Polo Shirt, Rooney, T Shirt
England team for the 2014 World Cup
At a time like this, speculation about a more positive future is probably a good way to go. So, with this in mind, I have decided to have a look at what the England team might look like by the time the 2014 World Cup comes around. The best betting site odds suggested England would do well in this year’s tournament, but they clearly need to make a dramatic improvement.
I am making these predictions without too much research as I don’t want to be influenced by other people’s opinions. This is just how I see it. This is the direction I think England should go in over the next four years.
Goalkeeper
Joe Hart – Not much doubt about this one. He is probably England’s best keeper right now, so will hopefully have improved even more by 2014.
Defenders
Ashley Cole - The left back should still be up to international football in four years time.
Micah Richards - This is a man that will hopefully reach his full potential soon.
Michael Dawson - The Tottenham man continues to grow in stature and should be first choice come 2014.
Glen Johnson - Ok, he wasn’t great this year, but with four more years experience, he should be part of a young and successful England team.
Midfielders
Theo Walcott - Make no mistake about it, this man will come back and be a major force.
Jack Rodwell - One of the best young talents around, a very good prospect that should force his way into the international set-up in the next couple of years.
Jack Wilshire - The Arsenal youngster should become a major part of Arsene Wenger’s plans next season when Cesc Fabregas moves on and this should lead to an international place.
Adam Johnson - For many, Johnson should have been involved this year. Hopefully though he can develop well as a Premier League player and be an automatic selection in four years time.
Forwards
Wayne Rooney - Say what you want about Rooney’s performances in this World Cup, but he will be back. The expectation levels and tiredness after a long season need to be sorted though.
Daniel Sturridge - This is one of the hardest ones to call, but Sturridge gets the nod for the flashes of goal scoring ability he showed last season. He and Rooney would be feared by defences for their sheer power.
So those are my football tips as to who can form a new look England side.
Thoughts?
Tags: Adam Johnson, Arsene Wenger, Ashley Cole, Automatic Selection, Betting Site, Dramatic Improvement, England Team, Fabregas, Four More Years, Glen Johnson, International Football, Joe Hart, Michael Dawson, Rodwell, Stature, Theo Walcott, Tiredness, Wayne Rooney, Wilshire, Youngster
England face German World Cup test
Football has an infuriating way of toying with your emotions. As a hugely improved England hung on for victory against Slovenia the prospect of winning the group looked very real.
But just as the cheer went up for the final a whistle, Landon Donovan was slotting home a late winner that rescued the USA from the brink of elimination and condemned England to second place, an upset that the football betting did not predict.
When the Germans ground out a 1-0 win over Ghana later the same day they clinched first place in Group D and set up a second round clash with England on Sunday.
The game is much bigger for the Three Lions than it is for the Germans. The tabloid press over here paints it as a massive rivalry, but in fact the Germans are much more bothered about The Netherlands.
However, it’s still clear who has the better pedigree in international football. Since 1966 Germany have reached the final of 11 major tournaments, winning five of them. England have been in two semi-finals and we all know how they ended. The only time we beat them in a major tournament was in Euro 2000, when both sides went out at the group stage anyway.
So for Germany this is not the resumption of some great rivalry, they have shed that baggage long ago. It is England, weighed down by years of failure, who can’t let go.
When matters finally switch from the build up to the game itself England will hope their improved form will match a German side whose performances appear to be going in the other direction.
Outstanding in their opener against Australia, Joachim Loew’s side slumped to defeat against Serbia before scraping past Ghana in their final group game.
The opposite can be said of England, who finally broke free from the suffocating shackles of fear prevalent in their first two games to finally register a win in the tournament. The World Cup 2010 odds suggest the Three Lions have a chance of winning, but they will need to be at their best.
That is enough to give England supporters a modicum of optimism going into Sunday’s encounter, as well as the chance to confine 44 years of tired headlines to where they belong - the history books.
Tags: Brink, Euro 2000, Final Group, German Side, German World, Germans, Group Game, Group Stage, International Football, Joachim Loew, Landon Donovan, Resumption, Rivalry, Semi Finals, Shackles, Tabloid Press, Three Lions, Two Games, Whistle, World Cup 2010