WInter Update!

The Winter break and a busy festive period awaits which as always marks a half-way mark in the local season. For the my fellow Lizards and I it's been a good term, a mixed bag of course, but all in all a good term. This is a really quick summary of the season so far and the positives / negatives we were able to take out of each week in terms of football and life itself.

And so it began...

With a hard fought 3-0 victory over Team Punishment after a pre-season riddled with highs and lows. Goals from Rumble, Dawson and yours truly still failed to overshadow an impregnable display from Harper in goal which earned our eternal respect and spread confidence throughout the side. Good week, good start.

An emotional weekend...

For myself it was certainly this. As I lay haplessly in bed on the other side of the Atlantic nursing a terrible New York karoke hangover for which I was condemned for constantly in the press; the Lizards did battle with Woo Woo and emerged triumphant thanks to goals from Dawson (2) and Captain for the day, Bloomfield. It's always good to know that ones comrades can conduct themselves successfully in your own absence. However I returned from the U.S not the peace and tranquility that I had left, but to reports of indulgence, disrepute and chaos. It appeared that whilst my absence had been a non-event of the pitch; it sowed the seeds of destruction within my own house of female companions which the band of idiots I call my own team corrupted, encouraged and misled their innocent souls. Good win, but shame on you all for this particular debacle.

Forgiven and forgotten...
Having been bewildered as to how such lunacy could unfold the minute I had taken my eye off the ball the previous week; I returned with my own agenda and proved my point on the pitch with 2 assists and 2 goals. My goalkeeper was painted green, my vice captain could not see anything and my defenders looked as if they were about to be sick. Harper, McRae, Bloomfield and Dawe - change! Despite apparently having a lot of cleaning up to do we beat the Rounders 6-0 with Dawson (2), McRae and Bloomfield adding to my own brace. Unfortunately this was followed by broken glasses, raucus chanting and scenes of total mayhem in the Soak afterwards - once again proving that the drinking culture of the Lizards may well be their downfall.

What goes around comes around...

Having handed out a couple of wallopings and been a little arrogant in light of the seeming ability to turn up still drunk and still win - it was time for us to be brought colliding back with Planet Earth by Outer Milan. Well Matt couldn't see anything because he was so drunk, Bloomfield still couldn't talk properly, and I couldn't see breathe - and you need to be able to in order to play football which is the big lesson we learned this weekend. 5-1 was the final score with Rumble and myself legitimising claims over our own imparred vision with a rash display of finishing and our fitness levels led to a total capitulation which meant Bloomfields goal was all but consolation.

The lowest ebb

It was a bizare game of football this one - I can't remember being that hungover although there is a chance that someone was. Yes they were it was McRae now I remember, which explains why the pair of us had such howlers. We weren't the worst performers on the pitch though - that title was awarded to a referee who had no idea that an indirect freekick means that the ball has to move before someone smashes it into the corner and claims it as some kind of genius. Not happy bunnies after this one - but we got our heads down and...

GOT TOTALLY WASTED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY!

Yes, yes, yes I was out of my head in Blackpool the night before, Matt the same in Newcastle the only one of us who really looked sober was ironically Bloomfield who played a stormer and scored as we earned a solid 1-0 with me as a makeshift goalkeeper. Was carnage on the streets of Birmingham which meant most of us were late for the game and were quoted by the vice captain as having "not enough" players. Still had a nice quiet, chilled evening after the game and looked like a football team once again - when we were finally all present and correct.

Back to winning ways before Christmas!


Good performance from the boys- 2 clinical finishes from Dawson, nice goal from McRae, cheeky one from yours truly. No one too battered the night before apart from me and Bloomfield who in an unfortunate set of circumstances were seen walking through the university at 2.30am in the morning with traffic cones on our heads. I maintain that I used effective leadership skills by dragging him away from a steam roller which he had really set his heart on driving into a wall. Issue yes, good win yes, problems no!

Merry Christmas boys!

The Magic of Magico

I’ve been grounded in full flow too many times by the question; ‘Who is the greatest player ever to have lived?’ Having done some research and watched the video listed below I am no longer flummoxed. One man won the acclaim Diego Maradona in such a profound manner the great Argentine admitted that he was a better play than either Pele or himself. This man never played for a big club or won big trophies. Nor was he from one of the world’s great footballing nations. On the contrary it is the Central American country El Salvador which produced the world’s most entertaining, enigmatic and truly unique of all talents. In El Salvador’s humiliating World Cup campaign of 1982 despite losing every game including one 10-1 loss against Hungary, their number 11 somehow made the team of the tournament among the likes of Zico and Rummenigge.

Jorge Gonzalez became known as Magico during his time at Cadiz, a second string Spanish side for a very good reason. The man was truly and simply a magician with a football. The greats have emulated Magico left, right and centre since his retirement without even knowing he had influenced them. If you thought Henry was the leading light of cutting in from the left, opening up and passing the ball in with his right, think again! If you’d never seen the Rooney chip with no backlift whatsoever – Magico used to score free kicks like that if the keeper was a yard or so off his line! Ever seen the famous ‘Elastico’ faint most notably used by Ronaldinho in a Nike advert some years ago? Magico invented it!

Unfortunately there is a reason why Jorge Gonzalez never got his chance to show the world what a special talent he was alongside team mates who would have complimented his insane skills. If you thought George Best and Paul Gascoigne were prime examples of footballer’s with a lack of social discipline and drink problems – again Magico gives them both a good run for their money. Being from El Salvador when Magico got his move to Spain he had never seen anything quite like it. He had been given a sniff of foreign night life in Mexico during his nation’s world cup campaign and his behaviour there had warned off interest from Barcelona or Real for the enigma’s services. Whilst Athletico Madrid competed desperately, he plumped for Cadiz where he would proceed to seduce as many women as he scored goals, and go out a hell of a lot more than he ever trained.

It is one of the accepted opinions among many footballers including the likes of Pele and Diego that had Magico been Argentine or Brazilian he would have been the undisputed best. The life of a footballer unfortunately overwhelmed Magico a little more than even he could overwhelm us with his skills. However much he lost his way, and however much he wasted his talent – he gave it a bloody good go. Watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMemVOhSLRw

The Duel

Arguably the most competitive league in the world has lived up to expectation in the first five rounds of the calendar. However the war of words between fellow managers regarding hard tackles and gamesmanship has stolen the limelight from some of the great football that has already been played and numerous magnificent goals. Two schools have developed in the English game. The Arsene Wenger way which defines football as an exhibition of talent in which the game is as much about entertainment as competition and the job of the referee is to protect those players who provide us with the highest quality show. In the other corner we have the Sam Allardyce theory which advocates a more rough and ready approach to the game. A culture of working with what you have and seeking level ground with rich, star studied opponents by means of hard work and determination.

Recently a strange phenomenon has occurred regarding the club closest to my heart. Wolves have received praise for the last three seasons now for playing attractive football and priding themselves on a squad consisting of young, hungry and mainly British players who have at times punched above their weight. However on 28th August 2010 I witnessed the fixture which appears to have tarnished McCarthy’s Wolves’ reputation in a mere ninety minutes in a game against Newcastle which I can only describe as total war. The game resulted in no less than twelve yellow cards being brandished and most notably was the midfield duel between Karl Henry and Joey Barton which various media sources enjoyed highlighting as an example of good old fashioned football at its finest. Henry was since involved in an incident with Fulham’s Bobby Zamora which resulted in the England international falling terribly on his ankle, sidelining him until February 2011 at least. Although pundits have dismissed any malice in Henry’s tackle it would appear certain newspaper’s particularly London based sources are hinting at the skipper’s role in Zamora’s injury. A notable example is the quote ‘Bobby Zamora was carried off in agony following a crunching challenge by Wolves captain Karl Henry.’ Whilst Henry may well have tried his luck at provoking the controversial Joey Barton on his own patch – he won the ball in the challenge with Zamora and was distraught to see him go down the way he did.

It appears to be a trend in football in recent times that every week we see horrific injuries resulting from fairly routine challenges. One of our focal points Arsene Wenger has suffered the loss of players such as Eduardo, Diaby and Ramsey to long term injuries and made no bones about blaming their misfortune on the recklessness of his opponents. Allardyce on the other side of the coin has accused Wenger of insighting fear towards referees who are chosen to handle games involving sides such as Arsenal as if the Frenchman’s words burden them with a moral responsibility to the safety of his player’s welfare which is not really fair.

The question is, who is right and who is wrong? I think we can see both sides of the coin. Nobody wants to see promising young players injured for long periods of time and face career threatening fractures at the hands of reckless challenges. He may dislike it but Wenger’s men can mix it up themselves as I witnessed myself at Molineux last year. Aaron Ramsey and Abou Diaby both came close themselves to injuring Wolves’ players with two footed tackles which went unpunished by the media or the referee, the most shocking of which ironically on Karl Henry himself. Football is still a contact sport and in order to compete one must sometimes be physical which of course has its dangers. It is the referee’s duty for sure that he ensures dangerous challenges are suitably punished so as to ensure all 22 players on the pitch are protected by consistent rules. Despite this, it is our duty as fans to ensure that we do not slip into an environment where a player is vilified for winning the ball.

Prem Players to watch

A week and a half away from the start of the season; let us speculate.

Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

We obviously all know who this young winger is but his campaign last year was one he'd rather forget. Theo scored only 4 goals in all competitions and injury setbacks saw him struggle to hold down a run in Arsene Wenger's first XI. Despite this we could well see the young Gunner prove his worth this season especially with the added motivation of proving to fans around the country why he shouldn't have stayed at home this summer. With his electrifying pace and direct style Walcott may also be key to adding some much needed variety to Arsenal's stylish but often unpenetrative attack.

Javier Hernandez (Man United)

I must confess that before this transfer and the World Cup Javier had slipped through my usually sad, watchful eye on world football! A lot of noise has come from Old Trafford about this lad's potential not least from the legendary Bobby Charlton. If Sir Bobby says a player is two footed, he's two footed - becaused he didn't know the meaning of the phrase 'weak foot' during his playing days. With 9 goals in 16 international appearances at the age of 22. This sharp looking poacher could well be what United need to be bringing off the bench or indeed starting with Wayne Rooney in their challenge to Chelsea's Premier League title.

Steven Fletcher (Wolves)

We're at the lower end of the scale here but one player who surprised many last year was Burnley's Steven Fletcher who in a relegated side notched up 12 goals in all competitions. The mobile forward will be pairing with the exciting Kevin Doyle who himself is a star in the making and approaching his peak should he be angling for a big money move. In what I would like to think was a slightly more creative side than The Clarets the Shrewsbury born Scotsman could turn a few heads should he score the goals that the Molineux faithful saw very little of last season in their successful survivial campaign.

Graham Dorrans (West Brom)

The PFA Championship Player of the Year last year will bid to make the step up and lead Albion to survivial in the Premiership after bouncing back convincingly after relegation in 2009. He scored 13 goals for the Baggies last year and is noted for being a set piece specialist and a composed figure in their otherwise strong midfield. Dorrans is one of a couple exciting young midfielders in this side with Christ Brunt and James Morrison alongside him. What Albion lack is a man to put the ball in the net and make the most of the good service they provide. Without that, Dorrans may still find it difficult to be noticed at the top level.

Jerome Boateng (Man City)

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that the German international will be the pick of Man City's summer signings despite the millions they have spent and will spend. The modern defender will sustain City's defence due to his ability to cope with the physical side of the Premier League and being born and raised in Germany will pay its dividends when it comes to meeting with the standard of composure and footballing competence required. Mancini wasted no time in snapping up the former Hamburg defender who can play confidently at full back or centre half. Ironically Boateng could be compared with City's own Micah Richards - the advantage he has over Micah is his ability to play regularly without the plague of injury.

Revolution or Reprisal?

In Roy Hodgson Liverpool have employed their first British boss since Roy Evans departed Anfiled in 1998 and opinions on his appointment are inevitably varied. It appears to potentially mark a step backwards in terms of the club's ongoing treasure hunt and a decision based on business rather than ambition. Despite these claims there are reasons for Reds to be optimistic regarding Roy's reign and if his early movement in the transfer market states anything; its ambition.

The immediate sales of Albert Riera and Fabio Aurelio plus the lack of zeal to fend off any moves for Javier Mascherano indicate Hodgson's will to change. It is likely that the so called 'Spanish Armada' assembled by predecessor Rafael Benitez will be dismantled further as old favourites such as Lucas (Brazilian) and Insua (Argentinian) may fall out of favour. The signing of Joe Cole and near-signing of Luke Young also define a particular transfer policy from Hodgson as well as meaning Liverpool should have no problems with the new regulations regarding the home-grown players, etc. Ambition does not always have to involve a £150m bank loan.

Whilst I believe Hodgson's mission statement may well be to stabilise the clubs financial future by slashing the wage bill and signing youth he won't last five minutes at Anfield unless he teases the fans with the prospect of silverware. With that said the former Internazionale boss dragged a Fulham side built on a shoe string to the UEFA Cup final last year and Liverpool's European record is of course second to none. The 4th spot is vital for the Reds not least for the pomp of the Champions League but also the money.

Gillette and Hicks deflected the negative attention from Benitez last season and purist scousers don't lie down to easily. Hodgson isn't a youthful maverick these days but he may well be the man Reds will reel around to end the reign of the American tyrants. His matter of fact attitude may just be what the internal politics are missing since the absence of former assistant-manager Phil Thompson. In Liverpool's post-modernist age it may be time to embrace their English roots once more rather than rebel against them and 'Keep Things Scouse'.

The impact of a new manager can be profound and we have seen time and time again different bosses getting different results with the same personnel. At Fulham Hodgson  managed to coax stable runs of form out of players typically ravaged by injury such as Damien Duff and Simon Davies. People conveniently forget that Liverpool's dangerman spent large periods of last year sat in the stands and whilst he appears set to start the new season in them; Roy's apparent healing touch could hand Liverpool a lifeline in one of Europe's most prolific marksmen.

Roy brings little in romance but much in experience. Whether statues of him are going to be erected of him opposite the Shankly Gates I'm not sure. However in a footballing recession when your business is bust a steady head is indespensible. As far as I'm concerned what Hodgson as inherited are the ashes of a great phoenix. Time will tell what rises from them. 

They came, they saw, they conquered...

Despite the hype (which I began) regarding the South American dominance of the earlier knockout stages in SA 2010 it was their original ancestral counterparts who passed, defended and shot their way to victory as the Spanish took over Johannesburg with a fine Andres Iniesta strike in the dying minutes of extra time. Spain were worthy winners and have become the second side in history after France to have won the European Championships and World Cup in successive years. It was the same story in so far as their defence led by Carles Puyol remained solid conceding but two goals in their 7 game campaign, their hotshot striker David Villa emerged as one of the leading scorers again and their midfield miracle of Iniesta and Xavi proved again to be the most potent threat in world football. To think that Puyol, Pique, Xavi, and Iniesta have since 2008 won a European Championship, a Champions League, 2 Spanish titles and now the World Cup is quite remarkable. How is adding Villa to that particular equation fair?

On the topic of fairness there has been and will be much talk of Howard Webb's performance. To be honest and controversial, the man didn't do a great deal wrong. Whilst Holland's smash mouth style in the first half left little to be desired the tackling was in the majority late, clumsy and reckless as opposed to dangerous, synical or dirty. Van Bommel could certainly have gone for a second yellow well before Heitinga eventually did but let me raise a familiar point to this little blog of mine. What do the so called experts of Premier League Football say every week about Howard's decisions on such challenges every on Match of the Day or Sky Sports when they are commited by players at big clubs such as De Jong (Man City) and Heitinga (Everton)? It certainly isn't "he should be sent off Martin" when a top four player kicks one of the Steven Fletcher's of this world in the head whilst attempting to fish the ball out of a satelite orbit. Quite the contrary in face. Its passionate, desire-ridden, gutsy, brave and a tad clumsy, merely accidental, just a warning - good decision referee. So let's not all jump on our high horses and condem an exciting counter attacking side with some great and tenacious attacking players for a few rough tackles on the best midfield I've seen since Madrid's Galacticos in 2003.  Holland were second best to a worthy champion and Webb did exactly what he was praised highly for by pundits for doing in the League Cup final be allowing Nemanja Vidic's professional foul of Gabi Agbonlahor to be punished only by a penalty kick - not ruining the game / using the rules. Whatever the weather and whatever your opinion some consistency in feedback would be just lovely thank you Mr. BBC.

So are Spain 2008-10 as good as France 1998-2000? That's a bit of a non brainer I guess. Their goalkeepers less temporamental yet less of an enigma that Mr. Barthez. Whilst Puyol and Pique looks a far cry from Blanc and Desailly they conceded the same amount of World Cup goals and neither are set to retire anytime soon. However on the flipside of the coin were they to retire through injury or turn rubbish overnight - Spain don't have Lilian Thuram to step into their big boots although Raul Albiol has indeed enjoyed a decent year with Madrid and is learning his trade at the Bernebau quickly.
The midfield maestro of Xavi and Iniesta backed up by Alonso and Busquets is so dissimilar to France's engine room of Vieira and Petit really its untrue. The impeccable Zidane of course was the Golden Boy of the FFF and whether Xavi is quite capable of that greatness is up for debate. I'm very biased towards Zizu - to me the man's God and Xavi might just be one of his many angels. Either way their both cracking players.

The youth of Pedro on the wing reminds me starkly of a young Robert Pires in some fairly subtle ways despite their physcial and stylistic contrast. Robert was a deceitfully physcial player who was by no means afraid to get stuck in and Pedro is like a bulldog when he's not in possession of the ball himself. What Spain do have over France veterans is a hotshot striker with consistency in David Villa - a title which internationally can't be given to the great French club marksmen of this period: Henry, Trezeguet and Anelka.
For me Spain have the potential to win another Euro title in 2012 and surpass this generation of French dynasty rather than crash out of their next major tournament as France did in 2002. Although with youth still just about on their side this may make them a little better - I will stand by my previous posts rather than jump on the Iniesta bandwagon. Whatever happens differently to the French 2002 campain for Spain in 2012 - not one of this side will be carrying them to a final off his own back 8 years 6 years later in 2016 in a tiring encore for the nations last surge of greatness. Xavi and Iniesta are the best midfield pair in the world today and could dominate for a few more years to come. But whilst in 2006 Zidane was vintage, I fear that Xavi may well be an antique. Whilst Iniesta is his natural sidekick, Fabregas is his natural understudy. However there is a clear reluctance to break away from the Madrid-Barca dominance in the Spanish selection process which is of course understandable. Villa the only real exception other than Capedevilla with Torres, Silva and Cesc all playing little football this time around it may well be necessary for Wenger's prodigy to return to Catalonia should he ever want the chance to prove his genius on a national stage. From what I saw of the lad this season live from the Molineux - he still isn't Zidane, but he's got the talent to be his own player, his own man, play for his own team and maybe, just maybe, win his own World Cup.

Don't go Diego.

As an Englishman and a cold blooded football fan I will never forgive Diego Armando Maradona for his blatant trespass of the rules of the game against England in 1986. We're not guilty of complete twisted bitterness about it - after all most people in this country are happy to admit that his second goal that day was the best of all time and tangible evidence that he was the best in the world and probably the best ever seen. So whatever your feelings towards Diego its safe to say that many would agree that the man has been a breath of fresh air in the dull breeze of South Africa 2010. Whether he's snogging his players whilst celebrating a goal or making the sign of the cross 8 times after every kick there's a fire still about Maradona and we should consider why that is, and could it possibly lead to him actually becoming a top manager?

Not only was Diego possibly the greatest player to have lived but he might well just owe more to the game he's dedicated his life to that any other to play it as well. Gary Lineker commented on a 'Dream Team' video before France '98 that Diego's career was 'as if the Gods were toying with him' and I think that's a great summary of his life. The so called 'hand of God' came at the pinnacle of Maradona's career as he had led what many perceive to be a fairly mediocre Argentina side to World Cup victory. He was currently playing for Napoli where he had somewhat perfected the art of single handedly winning titles with average team mates having racked up a couple of cups with Barcelona a few years before in 1983. At this time Maradona was amazing. Despite the addiction to cocaine he had developed at Barca his powerful dribbling ability and magical ball control set the world alight - not to mention his lethal left foot. Diego was only ever happy when he was playing. Some players see football as a job but for Maradona it was his career, social life and home all rolled into one. For the Argentine genius the most difficult job of all was dealing with life outside of football which he has never ever managed to do.

I can't help but think that having Maradona around the likes of Lionel Messi can only be a good thing. The 22 year old wonderkid has been compared to the man so many times that its nice to see a close relationship has ensued and Maradona has relished the opportunity to nurture his protege. He advised Messi to find ways of handling what he described as 'loneliness' off the pitch which is a remarkable word for one to use who can not escape the limelight no matter how hard he tries. Its as if off the pitch Maradona acknowledges no true friendship but on it he sees his team mates as a family which is quite extraordinary.

After repeating the feat of carrying his side to the final in 1990 except this time losing out to West Germany in the final Maradona began to fade. He left for Sevilla in '91 where his drug and depression issues began to reach new heights prompting a return to Argentina first to Newell's Old Boys and eventually his beloved Boca Juniors. Due to a 15 month ban after the 1990 World Cup and a whole host of personal problems Diego had barely played football by the time the 1994 World Cup came around in the USA but at the age of 34 his reputation gained him a place in the squad which he repaid famously with a fantastic strike against Greece before the infamous 'eye popping' celebration which was later confirmed to be a result of ephedrine doping meaning a heartbroken Maradona was sent home after only 2 games.

Until 2007 Maradona was a wreck. His former team mate Jorge Valdano descibed his life as 'a personal ordeal which should not be imitated' hence Diego's plea to Messi not to let his rise to stardom and inevitable strain on his personal life affect his mental well being. Being made Argentina manager in December 2008 has rejuventated Maradona. His acceptance back into the fold of football if you will has galvanised his charisma and personality turning the show of his life once again into a comedy thriller rather than a romantic tragedy. His relationship with his players and passion for the game is almost that of a fan being given the chance to run his beloved team - leading us to forget sometimes who the fat dwarf waddling up and down the touchline occasionally skilfully flicking the ball into someones hands really is. Given his religious routes Maradona probably does believe that he's become God's toy. I think I believe it to. Blessed with a talent which has allowed him to be revered by all who have ever seen him play - and cursed with a disposition and dependence on the game he has changed forever that will mean football is the life and death of him.

So for his own sake I hope he keeps his job and achieves the success he once again strives in some way with Argentina. Next year's Copa America would be great I don't want the little bastard ruining another World Cup for England in 2014 we're perfectly capable of messing it up ourselves thanks Diego. But in all seriousness as long as Maradona gets his football fix he might just be okay. As soon as its taken away I fear probably the greatest footballer and definitely the biggest football fanatic ever to have lived will once again run into personal problems. However when all is said and done he will still pick Jonas Guttierez, so I do fear slightly for his role as an international coach!

The Boys in Orange come good

I'd first of all like to tender an apology to Bert Marwijk and his band of merry men for not even laying into them during my blog on 'A Continental Revolution', which I would also like to point out was definitely plagarised by our very own BBC who have all of a sudden a fortnight after my blog decided 2010 is all about South American sides. Well, sorry BBC but you're a little late because that ground has already been covered - although on-cue 3/6 of the South American aces are out including Brazil. Despite my call of Paraguay being god awful the others were correct!

Now to Holland, as if they haven't received too little attention in this blog already as it is. During the third group game I commented that Wesley Sneijder, driving force of Inter Milan's surge to the European Cup title this season had been the best player in the tournament so far this year. I still stand by this particularly after his most instrumental role in a gutsy win over Brazil who in all honesty have paid the price for their negative tactics. Sneijder's tantalising left foot delivery found a weakness in Brazil's until now impregnable defence named Felipe Melo who was later sent off for a stamp on Arjen Robben, and the same Sneijder struck the final blow with an instictive header after some untypically poor defending from a set piece.

The Netherlands in so many ways are similar to the Argentinians in as much as their side breaks down as a fairly worrying defence, a solid midfield and a lethal attack. With this comparison in mind you do unfortunately although I don't necessarily like to do so have to compare the two linchpins of these sides - Messi and Sneijder. Thankfully the total contrast in styles mean we can have fun picking apart just how different these two sides really are. Sneijder's injury problems, typical of Holland's side taking into consideration the likes of Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie mean he has a deceitful experience having played 66 times for his country and played for Ajax, Real and Inter throughout an already impressive career. This shines through in his play with his simple ball every time attitude only being overridden by his abilty to pull of incredible passes which act as the stem for many of the Dutch counter attacks - finding the pace of van Persie, Robben and Kuyt in attack.
Messi marks the Argentinian contrast of raw talent and sheer passion. Whilst the Dutch are unquestionably determined as marked by Nigel de Jong's overdue suspension for the semi final and Mark van Bommel only being allowed to play due to some incompetent Japanse refereeing - Messi sums his side up. A nation being led by a cult hero, a defence reliant on last ditch tackles and mindless thuggery, an attack formed around the dogged running of Tevez / Aguero and the cool as ice instincts of Gonzalo Higuain / Diego Milto. Amidst the masquerade one man stands alone. A 23 year old kid reared from the age of 11 to overcome growth hormone deficiency and become the best player in the world, who still appears to play every game like the best player on the playground trying to impress the girl of his dreams.
I haven't turned my back on myself yet though. Uruguay have a strong chance despite the loss of Luis Suarez, a man who would have struck fear into the hearts of Holland's unimpressive defence after his 50 goal season in the Eredivise. Diego Forlan has every much of an impace as either Messi or Sneijder for Holland and the man appears to just come up with the goods when called upon - something that Messi and Sneijder in all fairness can both do themselves.
For me Spain's chemistry may let them down.. No one player appears to be forming the bedrock of the Spanish side and David Villa may lose out due to this lack of constant service from a genius behind him. Even Germany's strikers are being blessed with the assistance of a Turkish-German with all the invention of Yildiray Basturk and the dynamic intention of Anders Moller. Mesut Ozil has taken the World Cup by storm at the age of 21 but lacks the physical presence of any of the above mentioned. I fear as a playmaker he also lacks the unique selling points of Forlan's  clinical set piece taking, Sneijder's bullish yet ingenious creativity and Messi's sheer ability to seeminly be able to unlock whatever he wants whenever he wants. I've discounted Paraguay again haven't I? Well I'm sticking to my guns they've had a good run but a lucky one and Spain will beat them - but the winner will face Germany or Argentina.

Predictions assuming Spain do beat Paraguay.

Quarter Final

Germany v Argentina -- Tense affair which may favour the Germans at first but as the game opens up and mistakes creep in Messi will influence the game more and more. However well Schweinstieger has done from his holding role the man cannot and will not stop the Catalonian wonderkid.

Semi Finals

Holland v Uruguay -- A deceiftully tense affair which will explode into extra time. Sneijder will struggle to shake off the attention of Perez and Pereira whilst Uruguay will pose less threat without the pace of Suarez. In extra time Uruguay owe their precious Catholic God a favour or two after their victory over Ghana. Its going to be a scrappy but deserved winner for the Dutch before penalties.

Spain v Argentina

Messi will come face to face with his Barcelona team mates particularly the defenders he must torment day in day out in training. Its an opportunity for Barca's Spanish spine to prove to the world that they could survive without Messi. Its Messi's opportunity to prove that he is Mr. Barcelona and that it is time for Xavi and Puyol to bow to his talent like the 90,000 Camp Nou faithful. I think the occasion may catch the young man out and teamwork will prevail over individuality despite all I've said. Spain to win through control of the midfield, an off day for Messi and a mismatch of Villa / Torres vs Argentina's hazy defence.

If I can dream...

As always seems to be the case the scene is set. The legendary Franz Beckenbauer has been running his mouth like a WWE bad guy for the last week and The Sun newspaper has spilled out its usual waste heap of trashy propaganda after what was in all honesty a disappointing display by England in the group stage which has set up an anything but disappointing tie with the old enemy. However when all is said and done the only way to talk in football is on the pitch - and the only conversations that matter come 3pm this afternoon are those between Capello and his troops, Loew and his squadron, and the shrill cries between comrades in battle amidst the relentless noise of the vu-vu zela. Although the English have already displayed discontempt towards the local horns by singing a free-lance rendition of 'God Save the Queen' in every game so far - and the Germans have displayed their own unique support with the largest national flag seen in football. This is indeed a clash between two giant nations of the game with all the added controversy, hostility and backhanded respect that comes with the territory of two sides who have historically gained and lost everything through their battles with the other.

We can't talk about an Anglo-Deutsch contest without mentioning the war even though Basil Fawlty would implore us not to; and its a backs to the wall and all out offensive spirit that might just be the key to relive the success of the dambusters and the D-day landings. The only two significant victories scored against the Germans since the wars may teach us a couple of other necessary keys to success. A mean defensive spirit and a striker whose in the mood would take us a long way to state the obvious as we saw in Munich 2001 with the historic 5-1 dismantling of Oliver Kahn's defence. More to the point that age old match winner of international football as we experienced in 1966 wouldn't go a miss - a wee bit of bloody luck.

I'm not going to attempt to second guess tactics or selection front either manager and I'm certainly not arrogant enough to suggest ways in which to beat the Germans. The one suggestion I will tender is can we please do it in normal / extra time? It might just be one of those games where all form and thought goes flying out the window and is all decided on whether Rooney reaches that ball across goal or whether Terry makes that goal-saving block. I personally want us to attack, press and turn it into a high tempo war, show Mertesacker and Friedrich up for the donkeys they're so capable of being. Lets not kid ourselves that Germany can't open us up themselves. Mesut Ozil has already given English fans the pleasure of his destructive company by destroying our under 21 side last year in the final of the Euro U21's. However only one player of our U21 side has progressed to the national side, then captain James Milner, as opposed to the 6 who make up Germany's comparatively inexperienced side. Due to the loss of Michael Ballack the Germans have no survivors from the side that was shot apart in Munich 2001 - with our only remains being Ashley Cole, scorers Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey.

Lets not tease ourselves with the parallels of previous successes and failures but focus on the now. Germany are good but they haven't set the world alight. England are good but they haven't set the world alight. Both sides have points to prove and both sides would love nothing more than to prove them. Whether its a war of attrition or an exchange of damaging raids; its England versus Germany; its South Africa 2010 and by my reckoning 50 years of hurt might have a ring to it, but so does Argentina in the Quarter Finals.

A Continental Revolution

Its amazing really isn't it? How the World Cup is held in Africa for the first time and despite a bright start by the hosts, Bafana Bafana have failed to set the world alight and in truth none of the passionately supported African nations appear destined to finally realise Pele's very own prediction that 'one day an African team will win the World Cup.' Well it was all about the European teams before the last week or so with European football being the dominant continental silverware at club level and almost every global star now earning their stripes in one of the great footballing metropolis of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite all - its the South American sides who have caught people's eye and captured the imagination and I want to know why / how.

First of all is the variation and in some ways break away of expected style which the South American sides have approached this tournament with. The only side who have played to an expected stereotype and succeeded so far are indeed the Germans - but its interesting how already France's crippled, uncoordinated style has seemingly sent them crashing to an early exit at the hands of Mexico and Uruguay. Spain have succumbed to an early setback playing a typical Spanish 'walk the ball in' brand of football which the Swiss had clearly scouted emphatically, and our very own England once again have already been victims of their own smash-mouth style of football.

So the Brazilians have turned up with another generation of outrageously talented attacking midfielders and forwards who can all score from anywhere and glue the ball to their foot right? Well, wrong. The Brazilians have indeed bagged the Confederations Cup, the Copa America and their South American Qualification Title since 2006 but it was playing a style of football in the mould of their former captain Dunga. A relatively unproven attack of Robinho, Elano and Luis Fabiano spear heads a side which has all its glorification in its defensive mental. 3 of their back 5 played in Mourinho's Inter side who defended and battled their way to European glory last season and the experience and presence of Melo and captain Gilberto are an invaluable asset.

If anything it is Argentina who are the new Brazil. Rather than relying on their impregnable defenders such as Ruggeri, Passarella, Chamot and Ayala and turn to one genius such as Maradonna, Batistuta or Riquelme this Argentine side has it all in attack. A team who European top scorer Diego Milito is yet to cement a place in, and Sergio Aguero has not even featured in.  They carry the unpredictable enigma of their coach Diego Maradonna of course who at the last minute ditched his unfamiliar 3-5-2 formation and now claims that Newcastle's right winger Jonas Guttierez is one of the first names on his team sheet to play at right back in place of European club-God Javier Zanetti. Despite the calamitous appearance of the Argentine defence so far they are yet to be troubled as the machine of Higuain and Tevez gathers Messi driven momentum and Maradonna is leading Argentina to maximum points in Group B.

Uraguay have suddenly become a side people are putting outside bets on - and you can't blame them in the light of their performance last night. Uraguay appeared to have stuck to the traditional image of mindless thuggery shaped by the likes of Montero but nowadays the main man of Uraguayan football is one of European footballs best forwards and has been given a role in which he can greatly influence his nations progress in this competiton, behind Edinson Cavani and Ajax goal ace Luis Suarez. Uraguay have indeed retained some of their hostile qualities with a midfield that sends shivers down the spine of the faint hearted, as we saw when Perez and Pereira numbed the threat of Ribery, Gourcuff and Govou. For once it appears the Uraguayans may have struck upon a decent balance rather than mindless attack and blind destruction, making them an outside semi-final threat.

Mexico stunned many with a 2-0 victory over France tonight having been frustrated on the first day by hosts South Africa. The finishing in the first game was indeed disgusting particularly from West Ham's Guilherme Franco. However once again Mexico are a far cry from their unimaginative attacks involving slight, one-dimensional wingers loading balls to the head of Jared Borgetti or the acrobatic and chaotic style fronted by the Bicycle kick king Manuel Negrete. The flamboyance of Vela, Dos Santos and Blanco has made Mexico a fresh threat with a slick Arsenal style of scithing through defences - often with everything right until the finish. Their rolls-royce of a captain Rafael Marquez still oozes quality and defenders such as Salcido at left back give them a more secure image. However Mexico may well still be a Quarter final side at best and one norm still remains. The unrivalled, undoubted, unexaggerated madness of Oscar Perez.

Now for my favourite bit - to Chile. The last time we saw Chile they were in fact surprisingly similar to the Chile side who took the World Cup by the scruff of the neck in their 1-0 win over Honduras. In 1998 Marcelo Salas was the new boy on the block and Ivan Zamorano was always good for a goal himself. Other than that pairing the side was weak and unlike the Chile of today they did not contain the unique enterprise which has been instilled by the passionate Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa. Their interesting 3-4-3 format is no joke. The wingers do indeed have defensive capability but are by no means wing backs; and the 3 forwards are also for real with Mark Gonzalez and Alexis Sanchez fronting a two-pronged threat on both flanks which is fed into by midfield maestro Matias Fernandez and the dogged ball-winning tangent of David Pizzaro and Carlos Carmona. Yes Brava and Contreras are both mad but Chile do have some sense at the back particularly with the young and refreshing defender Javier Vidal. Their team chemistry and workrate is astonishing which is the key to any good defence and indeed any good attack. Should Humberto Suazo - top scorer in the South American Qualification Group - turn on the style in place of the unflattering Jorge Valdivia, Chile may well entertain the world before crashing out in the Second Round / Quarter Final when their loose and fluid attacking strategy eventually becomes unstuck.

Finally Paraguay. What a crock of absolute shite they really are and always have been. Its food for thought though ye. Italy are boring, France and negative, England are predictable, Germany robotic, Portugal one-dimensional and Spain superflous. Meanwhile there is a subtle revolution going on - and you're all really going to laugh at me if all the South American teams go out in the Second Round.

Mind over Matter: England in SA 2010

In every pub and sitting room across the nation even the most optimistic of us thought the same thing on Saturday evening; 'typical bloody England'. A bright start, a couple of injuries, a goalkeeping blunder, wasted chances and a lack of ideas. Its not a curse and its not the fact that we haven't got the players - and these realities were confirmed in fact by our old enemy and the football side that we all love to hate. Many of us sat green with envy as we saw a Germany side who had been wrongly tipped by bookmakers and pundits alike to struggle in their fairly mediocre group stage and pose no threat to Jules Rimet this year. Well those of you who know me will know that I was not at all surprised to see the Germans finally kick this competition into action after an array of draws and tense affairs in the opening games. There's a lot of people in Britain who would have you believe that German football and the continental style is boring. Well actually I disagree and have done for a long time. I'm not bored of winning games 4-0. I'm bored of hearing people criticise Emile Heskey, or say Gerrard and Lampard don't work together or say Glen Johnson can't defend. Maybe we wouldn't still be doing it though, were we just to learn a few simple lessons and learn how to play a game of international football.

I'm not here to rip apart tactics and team selection because I think the real problem with our approach to international football is ideological. Why is it that throughout the entire German demolition of Australia, a side who are of a similar standard to our opponents on June 12th, USA, I did not see one German player make or attempt one pass that any of our players would be incapable of doing themselves. There's an argument that says that the German movement was better and the formation was more fluid than our rigid and dated 4-4-2 which arguably cripples the likes of Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney who are the usual candidates to be moving into the same pockets of space as the German playmaker Mesut Ozil expertly exploited at the tender age of 21. There is also an argument that a more intelligent, skilful player such as Joe Cole would have been a more effective tool in terms of breaking down the defensive setup of USA as opposed to the two-dimensional style of speed demon wingers Wright Phillips and Lennon who unsurprisingly enjoyed little success against full backs who were happy to show them down a blind alley and loft ineffective crosses in for their beefy centre halves to deal with. There's no doubt that Lennon and SWP tear defences apart but its the likes of Cole and Milner who unlock them - which is why I personally think Capello's notion of Cole as an 'impact sub' is back to front.

Going back to the Germans and their patient style which brought tangible results. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski dispelled the myth that good league form is vital for good international form having scored a total of 6 goals in the Bundesliga this season between them. Like Heskey, whose international form has traditionally been better than that for his club; Klose can be classified as a target man - but I did not see one hopeful long ball being piled up to him by either of the German centre halves and any service in the air to Klose was a whipped cross into areas in front of him rather than the ineffective high hanging balls which big Emile is often treated to which ask the striker to generate all the power and accurary with the header usually from around 15 yards. Well to be honest Klose couldn't do that so why would Heskey be able to. When Heskey actually got the ball to feet his post play and distribution was top notch, setting up Steve Gerrard's openers and playing in Wayne Rooney who had narrowly strayed offside in another passage of play.

Not only is Germany's preparedness to keep the ball and keep their passing simple and safe before looking to move the ball more quickly in the final third more effective in terms of attacking, it also reduces the likelihood of pressure being built up on them. Every time Terry or Carragher whacks the ball up to Heskey's neck with little or no supprt we're not only wasting possession but we're giving it to our opponents and thus inviting them onto us. In turn we had a few scares from unnecessary set plays before Green's howler and if anything the goal had been coming. Nothing to do with the keeper, the defence, the midfield or the strikers. Its our style of play and our impatience that costs us and its been a problem for ever since I can remember. Every week at my own club at 1-0 down people start yelling garbage such as 'Get it forward' or complaining when players pass the ball backwards rather than loft it forwards. Well if you learn anything from a game of football learn this from the Germans. Chelsea might have won the Premier League playing a lot of perecentage football and grinding teams down with a solid defence. It might work against Burnley - but it won't work in a World Cup.

Bloomfield and McNamara's Premiership Team of the Noughties

As frequently happens when normal service is resumed after a holiday period the classic pub-chats flow without falter and this was very much the case last night. When my co-creator raised a conversation surrounding a Radio FiveLive debate involving pundits such as Steve Claridge, Graham Taylor, and somebody else who'd achieved just as little in a long, dragged out career which led to their talking nonsense about football after a long overdue retirement - it was our perogative to put them right. The debate of the Premiership team of the noughties led to some interesting names being thrown out by this circus such as Peter Schmeichel, Alan Shearer- I think the great Dennis Bergkamp even found his way into the side. All very way gentlemen - but these players made their names in the 90's when you were still threating over the shortcomings of your own twilight careers. So if you're going to make a Premiership team of the noughties let's have it right. Firstly we want players who made their names in the Premiership not just a who's who of football involving players like Shevchenko who was good before he came then not so good when he actually played.
Secondly we want a functional team with a proper system. None of this playing 3 at the back rubbish to accommodate all of the good centre backs - football management is about tough decision making which is why Graham Taylor and Steve Claridge are both now pundits. And most importantly we want to right the wrong of choosing 90's talismen over the true greats of the Noughties. Like it not this is our generation and its not being flooded by 90's nostalgia, although admittedly that would make a very fun game as well.

First of all the system. Tactics in the Noughties differ in two distinct ways to that that had gone before. The emergence of the 'Makelele role' inspired of course by the famous holding midfielder of Los Galactico's Real Madrid with his move to Ranieri's framework for Mourinho's great Chelsea team of 2004-07 in 2003. This will let us re-live one of the biggest debates of the noughties in the classic 'Gerrard-Lampard' feud and their supposed inability to play together in central midfield.
Secondly the utilisation of a role that we know thanks to Pro Evolution Soccer as the 'Second Striker' or on Football Manager as 'Deep Lying Forward.' This position was inspired by Bergkamp's successful partnerships behind Wright, Anelka and Henry with his unique brand of skill and finess complimented the main bread-winners speed and finishing ability in a way never seen before in a league which was build on partnerships such as Shearer-Sutton, Rush-Aldridge, Fowler-Collymore, and Cole-Yorke at the turn of the century. This is going to give us a real headache but we're sticking to our guns and using the Noughties systems.

The manager - easy - Alex Ferguson. 5 titles and a European Cup during this decade say that he was still the best manager in the noughties fighting off competition from Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho - and not a lot from Rafael Benitez.

Number 1.

Names such as Van der Sar, Lehmann and Cech were bound to be thrown around of course. David James has stacked his own claim as a goalkeeping great on several occasions before ruining them all with an act of lunacy on the international stage. One man stands alone for this post. A man who has kept goal superbly behind a host of disastrous defences since 1997 for Newcastle United and the Republic of Ireland before his move in 2009 to moneybags Manchester City. Named in the Premiership team of the season in 2002 and 2006 - Given's consistency as a great shot stopper and a fiersome organiser in a testiment to his reputation.
Number 1. Shay Given.

Number 2.

We want a tradition English style full back who people only openly rate as a great player when he isn't present. Eboue and Lauren of Arsenal don't quite fit that bill and this position was the only flaw in Chelsea's great sides meaning the answer is obvious. A mancunian through and through who has experienced success at every level of club football with the Old Trafford side. A defender who has adapted his game from a bombing overlapping right back to an assured defensive stalwart for his beloved United.
Number 2- Gary Neville.

Number 3.

Left backs of our era have been a little different to the right backs. Whereas the 90's was epitomised by the engine of Cafu to the elegance of Maldini on the other side before the ferocious Roberto Carlos burst onto the scene making left back the new fashionably attacking position. We're rooting for an athletic full back who knows no bounds at either end of the pitch. The only left back I have ever seen contain our number 7. Step forward Ashley Cole.
Number 3. Ashley Cole

Number 4.

Well we said that this had to be done and there are a few candidates for this role. The symbol of the 'Makelele' role Claude himself is limited in comparison to our choice of Number 4. Unfortunately Roy Keane saw his greatest day in 1999 by numbing Zidane in the Del Alpi and guiding United to the historic final at the Nou Camp with a sensational showing. No we need a man who saw his career go up in lights during this decade. How about a man who led his side to a bit of an unbeaten run? A man who led his side to a Premiership title in which his side were not beaten once in their awesome campaign? The only man I have ever seen play one twos from the half-way line into the area and apply a composed finish. This is no ordinary holding midfielder. This is a leader, a titan and unfortunately a Frenchman.

Number 4. Patrick Vieira (captain)

Number 5.

We want our number 5 to be a footballing centre half. More in the mould of a Beckenbauer to a Baresi. Well Ricardo Carvalho has had his moments and in our opinion he's a much bigger reason behind John Terry's success than the media give him credit for. A man who single-handedly quelled England's attack during the 2006 World Cup. But its not quite enough unfortunately Ricardo. You won your European title with Porto not with our very own Manchester United. A man who until recently was never questioned. A man who in 2002 drove England clear of Argentina's potent attack and is definitely not as people try to say now carried my Nemanja Vidic. Look what happens to Vidic when our Number 5 isn't playing!
Number 5. Rio Ferdinand

Number 6.

Now we want a partner for Rio who puts his head in ridiculous places. How about his European title winning partner Nemanja Vidic? How about his opposite number during that final, England captain and leader of Mourinho's Chelsea, John Terry. Maybe a fantastic centre half whose unrivalled determination led to a passionate European Cup in 2005, pathed the way to a consecutive final in 2006 and has unfortunately for you Jamie Carragher never been enough for you to win this league therefore I'm afraid you've been pipped to the post as well. What made the noughties great for English football? Was John Terry involved in it? No he wasn't. Now if I recall Neville, Cole and Rio all played in a rather decent match in 2001 together. Quite a good result for England actually. Can't for the life of me think who was playing centre back with them? Wait a second was it the man who led Arsenal's unbeatable defence without the support of a consistent partner? Was it the man who took Pompey to FA Cup glory in 2008? The man who scored in the European Cup final of 2007,  the World Cup of 2002, the European Championships of 2004 in which he was robbed of his lawful header and many more. Rio certainly isn't going to be nestling headers into the net from corners is he. Sol Campbell however, is.
Number 6. Sol Campbell

Number 7.

There's been a few good right wingers who have given a good number of left backs a vast array of different headaches over this decade. The emergence of the raw athletic speed dynamo comes in the form of Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott - while the good old clever, tricky customer is personified by the likes of James Milner and Joe Cole. We've also seen a few prolific goal scorers from this position with Freddie Ljungberg gaining a reputation for scoring important goals with his timely surges into the area. The question is what do you get if you combine each of these qualities? A right winger who can terrify with his pace, humiliate with his trickery and put defences to the sword with his deadly finishing. In 2009 he became the most expensive footballer on the globe as Real Madrid paid a record fee of £80m to prize him away from Old Trafford where he scored 84 goals in a 6 year stint. Love him or loathe him Cristiano Ronaldo is a genius of our time and his exploits have not been rivalled by any other. He won the league, the cup, and the Champions League with United and he'll do it again with Madrid.
Number 7. Cristiano Ronaldo

Number 8.

Steven Gerrard can't have a bad shout for the number that has been his own at Anfield during this last decade. Neither surely can Paul Scholes who exorcised the demons of missing out in the 99 Nou Camp Final by featuring in United's victory in Moscow over Chelsea. However it is the man who we believe to have been the linchpin of the Chelsea side who were defeated in the 2008 final and continues to maintain his astonishing goalscoring record from his drifting midfield birth. Despite being undully hailed by his Sky Sports pundit and cousin Jamie Redknapp as some kind of mythical God - its hard to imagine another midfielder with the passing range, shooting prowess and perfect timing of his untrackable runs of Frank Lampard. Lampard has been major in every Chelsea side of this decade and ultimately proved his qualities as a leader with an astonishing performance against Liverpool in the Champions League Quarter Final of 2009 where he outshone his opposite number scoring 2 goals in an emotional encounter. Chelsea's 5th top goalscorer of all time - not bad for a midfielder who is still very much a goal threat in every game he plays.
Number 8- Frank Lampard

Number 9- We were oh so tempted to part with our policy of a typical noughties style but we've stuck to our guns and are going to fulfil the criteria. The man to do it isn't half bad. A unique talent in every way with the poise of Bergkamp, the strength of Hasslebaink, and the aggressive edge of England's greatest number 9 in our eyes Alan Shearer. He captured the imagination of the noughties generation in 2003 with his wonder strike against the unbeatable Arsenal side at the age of only 17. Since then he has been the driving force at the spearhead of every England attack and has complimented some of the finest players of the decade whilst winning the league and European title with Manchester United. A man who can only really be summed up as a 'boy who made it' whose honesty had won over the football loving world. Once a blue and always a red,

Number 9- Wayne Rooney

Number 10- A man who probably due to his own awkwardness has never actually worn this number. A man who has seen off competition from fellow marksmen his entire career to break records all over the world. He stormed the Premier League, he dethroned Ian Wright, has held the World Cup, has enjoyed the European Championship and in 2009 he finally held the ever elusive European Cup. Thierry Henry has achieved everything in football which is was sets him apart from other great noughties strikers such as Michael Owen and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Although it sticks in the throat to pick him as his last contribution to the noughties decade was to cheat Ireland out of a World Cup place it would be ridiculous not to recognise the outrageous exploits of a trully unreal striker.
Number 10- Thierry Henry

Number 11- It would be wrong not to briefly mention the elegant Robert Pires and the improvisational Joe Cole in this next slot. However these greats of the game do not compare with our choice on the left wing. A man who has scored in every single Premiership season. A man who after his magical solo effort which teed up the United treble of 99 it becomes hard to imagine that he could have ever made the noughties his best decade. Well 70 goals from the left wing, 5 Premier League titles, 3 domestic cups and of course that memorable European Cup victory of Moscow 2008 says that Ryan Wilson certainly has. He has successfully adapted his style from the speed demon, dribble wizard who every left footed kid in Britain wished to emulate during the late 90's to a mature, devilish midfielder whose educated left foot and model professionalism is greatly owed.
Number 11- Ryan Giggs.

A decade of fallen heroes- For love nor money

2000-2010 has provided us with some of the greatest footballing talent the world has ever seen. But what has happened to honest professional who is revelled in for his human nature as well as his footballing talent? Why is that in our age of mass media where sportsmen are revered as role models that every hero appears to be in someway tainted? Let's take a look at the greats of our decade who have suffered from the 'Maradonna syndrome' and decide whether we are to 'forgive' or 'forget' them.

Gareth Barry

At the age of 16 Aston Villa paid Brighton & Hove Albion £2.5million for the young left footed prodigy by the name of Gareth Barry. His talents as a defensive playmaker were not discovered until slightly later in his 12 year stint at Villa Park and for a brief period he was in danger of  becoming a dogs body utility player due to the unstable nature of John Gregory and David O'Leary's squads. His ability to feature at left back or even as a left winger prevented him from showcasing his range of passing and classy touch in Villa's engine room until O'Leary finally began playing him regularly in a dynamic centre midfield duo in which he struck an effective partnership with Gavin McCann in 2003-04. Five years later Barry became one of the most valued midfielders in Europe and his guidance of Martin O'Neil's fledgling, young side filled with potential starlets such as Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor - attracted the attention of Rafa Benitez who loomed over the Villa captain as his long term replacement to Xabi Alonso who would later make his own big money move to Real Madrid.
The partnership of O'Neill and Lerner won the hearts of many football lovers as they refused to be bullied into selling their talismanic midfielder for what they saw as a cheap price to a Liverpool set up who have now become the midlands clubs rivals for the top 4 spots. Barry responded slowly in the 2008-09 season before turning the screw on Villa's authentic challenge to breaking the top 4 Premiership dynasty of Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Although Villa would eventually drop off and let their small squad size haunt them at the business end of the season, the team that Barry led marked what many wanted to be the beginning of a power shift in English football.
His leadership of O'Neill's young British side pathed his way into the plans of Fabio Capello's World Cup qualification campaign after England's humiliating failure to qualify for Euro 2008. Since the turn of the century Barry has won 35 caps for England and his presence has ended the famous 'Lampard-Gerrard' debate as he has very much made the number 4 shirt his own with a series of collected performances for his country.

Barry's fall from grace arrived with his fairly sudden exit from Villa Park for a big money contract at Eastlands becoming one of Mark Hughes' first summer signings with his unlimited cheque book. Despite being one of Villa highest paid players with a view to an improved contract - it is understandable for the Holte Enders to feel aggreaved at what one would say was a lateral move in terms of club stature. Barry's comments that City were 'going in the direction' he wanted to go in implied that his former club were not, despite the fact they had finished 22 points and 6 places above Mark Hughes' moneybags outfit.

Forgive or Forget?

Barry can pretend all he likes that his move was inspired by wanting to further his England opportunities or the potential of European football at the highest tier. At the end of the day his opportunity of a move to Liverpool back in 2008 would have provided this for him. Add Barry to the current Villa side and for me you have a team more than capable of pouncing on the floundering fortunes of Liverpool and securing a top 4 spot. Villa still lie ahead of City in the Premiership standings and have strengthened their squad with some intelligent dealings in the summer - unlike City's chaotic spending spree with has led to Hughes being sacked. With a side you would imagine was close to Gareth's heart finally looking as if they could fulfill potential; his plane ticket for South Africa already booked, and more money in the bank than any other player in the Midlands there was no need for Barry to move. For these reasons my verdict is to Forget him.

A decade of fallen heroes - The French Headmaster

2000-2010 has provided us with some of the greatest footballing talent the world has ever seen. But what has happened to honest professional who is revelled in for his human nature as well as his footballing talent? Why is that in our age of mass media where sportsmen are revered as role models that every hero appears to be in someway tainted? Let's take a look at the greats of our decade who have suffered from the 'Maradonna syndrome' and decide whether we are to 'forgive' or 'forget' them.

Zinedine Zidane

For me Zizou was the great of the early 21st century. He came into the year 2000 on the back of marking himself as the ultimate victor, leading his France team to World Cup Glory in 1998 to the delight of the hosting fans. His two first half headed goals in the Stade de France final against then 4 time winners Brazil were just one example of Zidane's all round ability. In a period where football personnel obsess with the idea of specific role assignment - there can be little argument that the Juventus and Real Madrid galactico was a playmaker, a ball winner, a link man and a defensive shield all elegantly rolled into one phoenomenal player.

Unlike many in his mould he certainly has the honours to back up his weighty claim to being an all time great. At the age of 23 Zidane showed his hunger for Continental success by punching above his weight with a Bordeaux outfit that advanced to the 1996 UEFA Cup Final through the UEFA Intertoto Semi Finals. Not for the last time in his career Zinedine was the victim of the German 90's dynasty with his Bordeaux side containing names such as Lizarazu and Duggarry succumbing to a 5-1 aggregrate hammering by rock solid Bayern Munchen. After underachieving with his French team in Euro 96 and being denied an opportunity for revenge at Wembley by the steadiness of the Czech penalty taking and being edged out by Boroussia Dortmund in 1997 with a Juventus side that he fast became the linchpin of - Zizou was more than a little bit fed up of second best. Despite rubbing shoulders with the likes of Del Piero, Inzaghi and Davids, Zidane and company were unable to repeat the success of 1996 and after being runner-up again in 1998 at the hands of Real Madrid - Zidane began angling for one of European footballs most noted transfers. After his move to Real Madrid which saw him become the maestro of Los Galacticos with Figo, Raul, Ronaldo and Casillas for company Zidane finally began to rack up the trophies. The ever elusive European Cup medal  came in 2002 where Madrid triumphed over outsiders Leverkusen at Hampden Park, with Zidane finally putting the German spectre to rest with a spectacular volley which clinched the win. By 2006 the Frenchmen had won it all. The World Cup in 98, the European Championships in 2000, a string of Italian and Spanish league titles and of course the European Cup of 2002.

The reason this outrageous individual falls into this category of debate is for the legendary headbutt in the Final of the 2006 World Cup which stole the limelight and provided the world with a point of remembrance for what was a dismal tournament. Zidane still walked away from Germany with the Golden Ball for leading an average French side to the final against Italy before being dismissed for violent conduct after headbutting Marco Matterazzi who is supposed to have made a personal comment which greatly offended Zizou. His stature as a role model to all young football supporters was marred by this act of rashness and unfortunately it was his last contribution to the beautiful game and what those who were not as honoured as I to watch his majesty on top form.

Forgive or Forget?

A verdict of some conviction I would imagine for most. Yes he was wrong and yes he put a blot on the otherwise impeccable landscape that was his career with his moment of madness. In some ways however it can be said that Zidane showed his humanity with his reaction to the jibes of the Italian centre half and he was punished appropriately by being denied the opportunity to slot a penalty away in the ensuing shootout. The great man is by far and away - Forgiven.