Drop Him Like Something Really Hot
There are those of you out there in internet land who can't look beyond the footballing highs and lows of your football club and I sympathise I do, when Newcastle are struggling and Sunderland have a promotion to worry about, it's understandable.
But, regardless of what is happening at the Stadium of Light and St James’s Park this week - very little is the correct answer - I’ve spent the last few days getting hot and bothered about England.
It’s partly to do with results and performances and it has plenty to do with Steve “worst comb over since Sven Goran Eriksson) McClaren, but, believe it or not, he is not the main target for my bile.
In fact, I can get everything I want to say about McClaren off my chest very easily - useless, out-of-his depth coach who was part of the problem under Eriksson. No, I reserve my full vitriolic rant for Frank “I won’t bother passing I’ll just shoot� Lampard.
Is there a more over-rated player anywhere? Second best player in the world behind Ronaldinho last year according to someone, but he isn’t creative, he isn’t destructive, he isn’t skilful, he isn’t fast and he isn’t good in the air!
What he is good at doing is scoring goals, 20 so far this season for Chelsea in all competitions, so he gets lots of headlines and talks a lot about how wonderful he is.
But when he isn’t scoring goals, Lampard is useless. He doesn’t drive a team forward and he doesn’t shore them up at the back. He just waddles around, looking to shoot whenever he gets within 30 yards of goal, passes the ball sideways, or whacks it straight out of play.
Sweet mother of Mary, the guy is a liability. Does anyone remember England’s World quarter final defeat to Portugal? Yes, well, do you remember, just seconds before Wayne “over-rated� Rooney got sent off for stamping on someone’s testicles, Lampard’s embarrassing air kick? England’s best chance of the game, fluffed by the goal-scoring midfielder whose place in the team is justified because he scores goals?
Diabolical and the idiot was given the responsibility of taking penalties. Except he keeps missing them, but he still takes them because, guess what, he’s Frank Lampard and he scores goals.
The guy hasn’t had a good performance for England since Euro 2004, but has he been dropped/rested/shot in that time? No because he’s Frank Lampard and he scores goals. Instead of being dropped, Frank is a fixture in the centre of midfield, pushing the far superior Steven Gerrard out to the wing while he struts about like a peacock in the middle.
No wonder Rooney tried to take the matter into his own hands this week by blasting a ball at the Chelsea man. Good old Wayne, he might not be able to hit a barn door in games at the moment, but his shot found it’s target, broke Frank’s wrist and the country breathed a huge sigh of relief.
But, hang on a minute, what is this? Lampard will still be playing against Andorra with a protective cast on his hand. Even with a broken wrist, McClaren hasn’t got the guts to drop the guy! Incredible.
Wait a minute, stop the press, Lampard ruled out of game against Andorra because of broken wrist! Hurrah, my faith in humanity/football has been restored!
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
Couldn't have summed it up better myself. Ive lost all interest in England. It puts me to sleep more than tablets.
What about Kieron Dyer's two misses for England last night? So much for Dean Saunders' work on finishing. Ha Ha.
Dyer did pretty well when came on to be fair, but so would I against a pub team. It's just the rest of our overpaid superstars didn't bother themselves.
What ever happens with England short of winning the World Cup will result in discontent Ericksonn was a fantastic manager & coach with an outstanding record for England yet he was insulted hounded and ridiciled by the British press & public. Would this happen in another country I doubt it.
As a nation you need to balance national pride with reality football is a global game with many outstanding teams & coaches Are France & Spain villified like England No!!!
Start getting real if your personal life is mundane and ordinary don't explain it away by saying Lampard, Rooney Erickson and McClaren aren't good enough look at yourself. Ask Tony Blair after 10 years of making Britain the most respected nation in the world he has to put up with ridicule Get a life
Keith Hutton
Port Elizabeth South Africa
Some good points Keith, but England have not won anything since 1966, most of the other powerful football nations have. Eriksson did alright, but he was also supposedly working with the most talented group of players since 1970 and never got past a quarter final in a major championship. In football, as in business, the buck ultimately stops at the top if performances aren't up to scratch.
As for the present, Andorra are team made up of players who would struggle to play for a League Two side, let alone the Premiership, but England superstars couldn't break them down and didn't look that bothered - with the exception of Stevie G - if they did. That simply isn't good enough.
Mind you, on this occasion, I don't blame McClaren, I blame the players. They were the ones who couldn't cross the ball or find a way through Andorra's defence. They didn't do the simply things right, let alone the things that make them highly-paid professional footballers. Last night was not McCombover's fault