Part two: forwards

The real debating point about the England team is upfront. I think we all know that Wayne Rooney will start, but who to play alongside him? One of: Crouch, Cole, Heskey, Defoe, Bent and maybe Owen. Capello would do well take plenty of Hedex before picking the squad for South Africa.
I'm going to split the strikers into two catagories: Big and small. In the big group, Heskey, Carlton Cole and Crouch. A lot has been said of Emile Heskey, and it's mostly criticism for his lack of goals. But he really isn't a goalscorer, he's so much more. Of the three 'big men' he's the quickest and probably the strongest. Someone to rough up the prettiness of Spain, or to fight the flair of Brazil. Defenders simply bounce off him and he would provide a good partner for Wayne Rooney. The fact the he didn't play against Belarus is probably good. Capello's seen enough.
I'm a big fan of Carlton Cole. He's quick and very good in the air. He scores goals, and in addition to all that, he's good with his feet. My only concern is his lack of experience at internation level, as well as his knowledge of playing against the nations. I think Capello is going to take two big guys, and I feel that the other two players in his catagory are more experienced and are more proven at this high level. I doubt his chances of making the tournament.
Finally Crouch. He's a goal machine when he starts, 16 goals in 17. But the only worrying thing about him is that most of those are against weak teams like Belarus! But that won't worry Capello. As far as he's concerned, anybody who scores when given the chance is boarding that plane. Keep scoring Crouchy!

Now, on to the small ones. Defoe has been the main man in the threesome of him, Owen and Bent so far. He has the upper hand as far as England recognition is concerned. He needs to keep scoring, simply because Bent doesn't look like stopping. I reckon it's between those two going into the latter stages of the season. Whoever takes their chance best in the penultimate months will go to Jo'Burg. I feel Owen is a dark horse, but what's in his favour is the fact he's training and playing with Rooney, who's a definite to start. If he can bond well with him, and score some goals, he's got a chance of making it. Furthermore, the back of Capello's mind will be full of Owen's 40 goals in 89 apps stat. He might just make it.

The road to South Africa is over. Now the business starts

England and many other European countries have booked their BA flight to the south of Africa, but who to put on that plane? England especially have some dilemmas as far as selection is concerned. The main areas which force me to thnk in-depth are upfront and that troublesome left-wing.
I'll start with the left side of midfield, as it'll be quicker than the forwards. Capello has consented to place Gerrard in the position, giving him freedom to cut in. To me, that's not a good idea against top sides. I feel you need two proper wingers, as it keeps the 4-4-2 shape, and is less predictable than a centre-mid playing out wide, whom they know is going to cut in most of the time. You need someone like a Joe Cole occupying that left-wing, who can occasionally cut in and cause some problems. So, I've established that England need a proper winger on the wing. Now, who of three players I feel are good enough are actually going to be playing come summer 2010?
Those three players are; James Milner, Ashley Young and Joe Cole. Notice I haven't included Shaun Wright-Phillips. My reason is what I saw yesterday against Belarus. He was frustrated and failed to make an impact, although it wasn't really his fault. He's a very dangerous player on the right, but I don't think he'll make it, simply because of the competition on that right flank. Anyway, back to my shortlist of left-wingers.
James Milner. He's young, 23, and has great pace in addition to quick feet. He predominantly plays on the left, but can also play left back and right wing. That will bode him well, and I firmly expect him to be on that plane, sipping champagne whilst enjoying first-class luxuries, which I haven't experienced. I dare say I ever will! But I think he'll back-up because of his lack of experience, and may come on in the second-half if England are struggling. Come next World Cup however, I can see him starting most matches if he keeps improving and playing well.
Next up, Ashley Young. He's been in and out of the team and hasn't played well enough in the white shirt to merit a place in the squad. However, if he plays how he played last season then he's got a chance. He's got a 50/50 chance of making it to Africa.
Finally Joe Cole. If he can successfully come back from injury, then he's the man for England. He's got that experience at the top level, and plays with top quality players week in week out. I feel he is the best left-wing player, and must start in South Africa.

Sensational Sarries

Saracens have produced a startling beginning to a season marred by pre-season controversies. They've won all of their games so far and look to play conservative and tactical rugby, which is the type of play which gets wins. You look at South Africa, and Saracens are looking to play a similar style, especially as there has been a huge influx of that nationality coming to the club. But what annoys me is their lack of press and acknowledgement. London Irish seem to be talked about the most, but have lost one whereas Sarries haven't! I'm writing this to give them a bit more fame and thought. They deserve praise and good luck to them on their quest to the top four.

We're behind you Rio

Many suggestions about what to do with United ace Rio Ferdinand have floated around the public and the papers. My answer to those people is, you don't need to do anything with Rio Ferdinand. Keep him in the team, and his form will come. I'm pleased that Lampard and Capello agree with me, because if England are thinking of winning the World Cup next year, they need two world-class centre-backs. Upson, Lescott and maybe Phil Jagielka are simply not world-class. None of them have the experience of international level football as Ferdinand, in addition to the class and ability. I'm sorry to fans of those three players, but he's quick, strong and reads the game tremendously well. What more do you want? Everybody goes through bad patches, and this happens to be Ferdinands first proper dip in form for England. That shows his true class, and I sincerly hope for England that he's in good form by the summer, because they need him. I think it's silly that people are criticising him, he's won so many collective honours for Manchester United and is so consistent for his country. I am willing to say here and now he's in the top five centre backs in the world. You need a centre-half to be able to deal with the strength of Drogba and skill of Ronaldo. He's one of the only defenders capable of doing that.

Shock for Hogg

Yorkshire bowler Matthew Hoggard has been released by Yorkshire for somewhat confusing reasons. What makes this so very frustrating for Hoggard is that it came completely out of the blue. Usually at the end of the season, players who are going to be transfered or released will be told, and given a goodbye by fans and fellow players. However, Hoggard has had no chance to say goodbye to anybody after his 15 years of service to his club. In addition, there are no definite reasons for this act of releasing. The player and the clubs' views are contrasting, and that makes this saga more controversial than it ever should be. If the club came out with a definite and true statement about this issue, then I would be inclined to call this saga over. The club should do this as soon as possible, and a press conference by the man who called this decision would tie up any queries about the act.
I feel very sorry for Hoggard, who was talking about captaincy a couple of weeks ago! To be suddenly sacked by the club you have served for 15 years must be heart-wrenching. The club said he had rejected a contract, which was too low a wage in Hoggard's view. The former Yorkshireman denies this. He states that all he got for 15 years' service is a cup of coffee in the chairman's office. Who knows, eh?

England team picked for South Africa

Earlier this week, the England selectors announced the Test and ODI squads for the tough winter tour to South Africa. Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah and Steve Harmison all missed out on both squads, and many expect Harmison to retire from internationals after his omission from the team.
For those who are in the team, however, must feel they've got a chance against the number one team in the world. They famously beat them in the group stages of this year's ICC Champions Trophy, and were victors in the Ashes. I feel this England team is going somewhere and this group of players can go far, if they can be consistently good and take chances whenever they come. The first XI is easy to predict, which is a good sign of consistency from the selectors. The only area of the XI that will cause Geoff Miller to furrow his brow is the troublesome middle order. You've got many options as a selector, but that will just make things harder.
I personally think Ian Bell should have that number 3 spot, simply because he's got the experience, and the time out he had from international cricket helped ease the pressure and stress that was caused by indifferent form. He came into the last three Ashes tests and scored two half-centuries, a decent return. I would like him to try and build on those fifties and start converting them into 100s, which he doesn't do enough of. He has 8 centuries from 29 halves and an average of 39. Not bad. But as a top order player, you want a conversion rate of fifties to hundreds that's at least 50%. Bell's quite far away from that with a conversion rate of only 27%, and it would be good to see him play at his best against South Africa. He is so pleasing on the eye when he's in full flow.
At number four, I would obviously put in Kevin Pietersen. We need at least one top-drawer player, and with Freddie gone, we need KP. He has a brilliant Test average of 49, and has scored more centuries than halves. That fact tells you he's a top-class player. However, there are doubts about his fitness, so who would I put in for him? In the Ashes, it was Collingwood, who was moved up the order, with limited success. I would put in Jonathan Trott (who would be at number 5 in my team anyway) to go in at number four. He impressed in the two innings he played against Australia, and showed good temperament at the crease, with all the Aussies' efforts of trying to unsettle him. He got his hundred, and needs to build from there. A good debut is always a confidence boost, and he will try his upmost to get some more big scores.
At number five I would've had Trott, but if KP's injured then Collingwood will come in. He has great experience, but has been out of sorts in the Test arena. He needs to take his very good one day form into Tests, and that will be the challenge. I wouldn't have him in the team if KP is fit, because I think there are better batsmen than him, and we don't particularly need his off cutters.
At 6, I would put Prior, who has also looked a bit shaky, and Broad at seven. Stuart has great potential with the bat, and putting him at number 7 would help him to take his talent further. He would have greater chance of scoring runs, and would bat with better batsmen than he usually does. His bowling has greatly improved, and he found his match with length balls. The other four bowlers would be: Swann, Anderson, Onions and Sidebottom. I would include Sidebottom because he deserves an inclusion, and there aren't really any other bowlers up to standard. In addittion, talisman Gibbs is prone to left-arm seamers swinging the ball in at him. That would be my team, with Strauss and Cook opening the batting. The selectors may well choose differently, especially with the dilemma of including or not including Paul Collingwood.

England. Is that you?

Yesterday England shocked the whole world with an astonishing win against hosts South Africa. Three half centuries by batsmen 3, 4 and five got them to a huge score of 329, the second highest in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy! Shah and Collingwood led the way with 98 and 82 respectively, each with very good strike rates, and got England through the tough and usually boring middle stages. Eoin Morgan then produced a magical knock of 67 off only 34 balls, which incidentally is a massive strike rate of 197. That brought England to a monstrous score and South Africa were always under pressure from then on.
When they came out to bat, they looked pretty shaken when talisman Gibbs went early. If it wasn't for the brilliance of captain Graeme Smith, South Africa surely wouldn't have even reached 50 overs. The rest of their batting line-up failed to perform , the second highest score after Smith was a mere 36 by AB De Villiers.
I must also mention the England bowlers. Yesterday they looked as dangerous as lions amongst helpless sheep. Oh, ok maybe not that good. But a special performance from Jimmy Anderson must be worth a mention. He went for only 4.2 an over and took 3 valuable wickets, one opener, one of the middle order and one of the desperate tail. He was the go-to bowler and when Strauss needed him, he didn't dissapoint. His figures were 3-42, and add that to brilliant figures of 3-20 off 9.3 overs against Sri Lanka, he's been the stand-out bowler for England and probably of the tournament so far. But he and the other bowlers need to take these good performances with them into the semis and perform even better against one of Pakistan, India and Australia, who will most likely fancy their chances that South Africa and almost Sri Lanka are packing their bags! Sri Lanka relying on England to beat New Zealand to get through.

Arshavin ok times 20

The Russian playmaker competed a contreversial move to Arsenal past the deadline and it was widely expected to be confronted by some of the chairmen in the annual Premier League meeting today. But all of the chairmen said ok to the deal and no fuss was made. The most likely party to try and tamper with the deal was Aston Villa, who chasing fourth spot along with Arsenal. This move could improve Arsenal's chances of getting that all important fourth place finish.

But now the transfer has been approved by all, the North London club will be looking to the upcoming North London derby against old rivals Tottenham. Arshavin could feature, but looks a doubt after admitting he isn't fully fit. We are all looking forward to seeing the excellent player in action, and I no doubt, will be following his first games with some relish.

Federer driven to tears as Nadal blows past

On Sunday night in a mild Melbourne we saw an absolutely tremendous tennis final, with the two top players in the world trading scintilating shots in each absorbing point. I was blown away with the quality of these two, and I feel a bit scared for the rest of the guys who need to figure a way to beat them. They really raise their game when they play eachother, that's why every single contest between them is an epic which goes down in the history books.

This time Nadal came out on top after 4 hours and 20 minutes of brilliant tennis. Who said tennis was boring? Federer tried his very best to break through the Spaniard but he couldn't find the key to his defence. Surely Rafa would be feeling the effects of a 5 hour match against fellow countyman Verdasco, played just two days before! But it appeared not, and Federer simply ran out of juice in the fifth set while Nadal looked ready to play another five. Nadal simply outlasted him and, with Roger's increasing age, will the Swiss legend be able to beat him again? A question which will be answered in a few months when they battle it out for the historic Wimbledon title.

Federer was in tears at the end, and when he had to say something after the match to the crowd one phrase which he managed to get out was 'it's killing me you know'. And it really is. After many years at the top he has finally been beaten by a bull, and that bull is on the rampage. Good luck to all who try and stand in his way.

Nadal will make history. I'm sure of that.

Them two again? You've gotta be joking!

World number one Raphael Nadal has booked his place in the final of the illustrious Australian Open with a five set thriller over fellow countryman Verdasco. The 14th seed won the opening set 7-6 but Nadal took charge as he clocked the next two. But Verdasco battled on and won the fourth to make it go into the fifth set, and Nadal finally shone through winning the last and most exciting set 7-5.

This sets up a mouth watering clash between Federer and Nadal and is the 19th time they've met in their careers. Nadal leads the win-loss ratio and is in good nick for this final, but if any of you saw Federer's match against Roddick, well lets just say it's definitely not going to be close to easy for Nadal. The last time they locked horns was in that battle of champions at the Wimbledon final. I remeber watching and I was just so amazed that a match could go like that. End to end relentless quality. It finished at a very late time of 21:15, thank God it was summer! Nadal took the trophy off a crestfallen Federer and that marked the start of the Spaniards reign and 'invincibleness' at the top. Since then Nadal and Federer have had a decent time on tour, with Nadal winning the Olympics and Federer taking the trophy at Flushing Meadows.

Who's going to win. Who knows? But what I'm certain about is that I'm definitely going to get up at 8:30 am GMT to watch it!

Kaka move bad for football?

Man City have apparently made a massive £100m bid for superstar Kaka and it looks like AC Milan have let talks proceed. If this crazy deal goes through it is going to spark an almighty argument, some football supporters stating that is will 'ruin the game'. What do I think? Well I'm not sure to be honest. It is really a huge sum of money just for one player and one man, £500,000 a week is too much. However it will really improve the already top-class Premier League and would attract interest from non-football people.

I'm interested to hear what all you people think about this bizarre deal and it would be great if you left a comment by this post, or sending me an email with your views. My address is at the top of the site. I'm looking forward to all your opinions!

Three horse race?-we've seen that before!

As the second half of this Premier League season gets in full flow, it looks like the title will go to either Liverpool, Manchester United or Chelsea. Who will win it I cannot say, but I predict that, like last season, only two of the three will be in contention come May. This time last season Arsenal were in the running with Chelsea and Manchester United and they eventually ran out of juice around March. We could see that Arsenal were going to falter somewhere because their squad was just not big enough to win a League. But this time, you really can't say who will drop out, if any! I'm torn between Chelsea and Liverpool because United are really looking good, and that 3-0 drumming of Chelsea really put them in a very strong position. Where as Chelsea are now looking like their in pretty bad shape, with bust-up's between players and the manager, it looks like it's going to be a hard couple of months to stay in the running. But they are always there or there abouts, so that's why I'm going with Liverpool to run out of steam.

None of their players have been in this situation before. They're pretty experienced, but even the likes of Jamie Carragher haven't experienced a true title challenge with all the pressure that goes with it. Their cause wasn't helped with Benitez's snide comments and the 0-0 draw with Stoke City. Not a rare occurence this season for Liverpool (0-0 results)! I just think that they are really feeling the pressure, and if Man United win at Bolton and Chelsea win against Stoke that will put huge amounts of pressure on Liverpool to win the Merseyside Derby on Monday! Altogether, I think that United will go on to win the title because they've done it before and their manager is very good at getting his team to win when they need it.

Kaka rejects move to City and Adriano move ruled out by agent

Brazilian star Kaka has been linked with big-money Man City this month and it certainly looked possible, as there are a few Brazilians at the club. In addition there was the money, which is probably twice as much an any other other footballer apart from Beckham! But today Kaka rejected the Manchester club, and made it clear he wasn't leaving to go to Man City. I thought he might have gone, if he hadn't looked at the Premier League table which sees them in 15th place two points from safety. It's clear that City have the money, but they don't have the aura or the quality of the top four sides, which attracts big name players. It is going to be hard to get that really big signing which may kick start a few of them coming in. Robinho has made that move and he certainly is a huge player, but said he was happy to arrive at Chelsea in his opening interview!

And Tottenham manager Rednapp must be a bit gutted that the Adriano move has been ruled out because that would have been a great signing, even on loan. It looks like the move isn't going to happen, as Adriano's agent said he wasn't going and Mourinho wanted him in Milan. The Brazilian is a very talented player and was rumoured to be in loan swap with Gareth Bale, who would go the other way. But it doesn't look like it will happen, and Rednapp may look elsewhere to bolster his squad who are currently in the drop zone.

KP resigns AS a new captain come in

Yesterday, big-hitting Kevin Pietersen resigned as England captain as news came out that he had fallen out with Peter Moores and some of his fellow national team-mates. He called the media tabloids 'unfortunate' as he explained his important decision and that 'he couldn't carry on as captain'. This left the ECB a tricky and crucial decision to make, but they made it quickly with opener Andrew Strauss collecting the baton. He seems the right (and only) man for the job, with England flying out to the Carribean for a test series. Strauss is experienced and has captained England before so he knows what he has to do.

But the quest is on to find a new coach, as Peter Moores was also stripped of his role and with England travelling to the West Indies on the 21st of January they need to act fast. But the captain is more important so the board must be relieved that Andrew took the job.

But although Pieterson resigned as captain, he clearly made it known that he wishes to be part of the team which will eventually come back to England to host the Ashes tour. He is a great batsmen and has a lot to offer the national side, with big hitting and stylish shots both in his range. We will have to wait and see if Strauss will be indeed the man to carry Enlgand's hopes but we can be sure he will have the backing of the team and the board. Good luck to him.

Downing for Tottenham?

Today Stewart Downing put in a transfer request to Middlesbrough and it looks like Boro have rejected it! But what you see when you look at his future his thick mist. He desperately wants to leave his boyhood team and Middlesbrough desperately want to keep him. If he does stay he will still be a regular starter but that isn't enough for him. He wants to go to a better club to fulfill his potential and Tottenham seems to be high on his list and him high on Rednapp's. But the chairman and the club seem somewhat reluctant to let their local star to leave and rejected Tottenham's revised bid of £11 million which is a chunky offer. 

We just have to wait and see if Spurs make a new, better offer and if Middlesbrough will accept it. But for now Downing remains at his hometown club and has to commit himself to Gareth Southgate for now.

Defoe wants out

Portsmouth's executive chairman Peter Storrie has told us that Defoe wants to leave Fratton Park after just 12 months at the club. He was angered at being left on the bench against Arsenal and wants to leave in this transfer window. It is rumoured that he wants to join Rednapp at Tottenham but he hasn't actually come out and said that. Rednapp though wants to bring him back to White Hart Lane and said '' If we could agree a fee with Portsmouth, then fine he is a good player.'' But he won't be let go for any old price. Storrie goes on to explain '' If Jermain goes then it will be at our price and an appealing offer.'' The front man has also been linked with Aston Villa as Martin O'Neill looks to improve the depth in a small squad.

Transfer window begins

Today the relatively new January transfer window begins and it is building up to be an exciting one, with Man City and some other clubs willing to open up their cheque books. 

Man City have already made it clear that they wish to buy in this window with a bid for out-of-favour Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge. Mark Hughes is an admirer of Bridge and is looking to strengthen up his back four which have conceded a disappointing 3o league goals already this season. You may also see some big bids for star players such as Kaka and Fabregas but those aren't very likely to go through.

Chelsea may also look to spend because they have looked a bit dry without Essien and Carvalho. They may also look to add to their front line with only two players in that position at the moment. They are just looking to bolster their squad because there are 3 trophies that could be theirs at the end of the season.

It is going to be an interesting window and I would advise all you football fans to follow it because your club will be likely to make some signings.