Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
David Beckham’s long wait for a century of England caps should finally come to an end in Paris tonight, thus bringing to an end the tedious and never-ending speculation over his future. Beckham has been a fine ambassador for the nation and deserves this great honour, but England must move on and build for the future now. He spoke passionately to journalists about hoping to remain in the reckoning until the next World Cup, but the sad fact is that Beckham plies his trade in a third class football league and there are others, testing themselves at higher levels, who will eventually take his place. It’s sad, but all things must pass. The only benefit of this long-running saga is that it has taken all the attention and pressure away from what is actually a very important test for Fabio Capello.
The new Italian boss will be delighted to see that there was not a single withdrawal from his squad this weekend and, for a friendly international scheduled at this critical time of the season, that’s an unprecedented show of commitment by the players. Both Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney picked up knocks in their Sunday games, but neither of them wanted to jeopardise their chances of selection by dropping out. This bodes well for the new era. After the anaemic, passionless days of the McClaren regime, most England fans will be happy just to see a bit of commitment and a little effort from those lucky enough to wear the white shirts.
Unfortunately, it’s the fans who are also part of the problem and Capello may be relieved that this game will take place outside of the UK. Wembley regulars aren’t renowned for their wide knowledge of the game and the sound of them angrily booing their team as they patiently kept possession against Switzerland was as inevitable as it was depressing. Capello is attempting to turn around the mentality of a mediocre ‘kick and rush’ outfit and if the home supporters are going to boo him after just 30 minutes of his tenure, it’s probably best if these early experiments are conducted somewhere else.
There are, of course, a number of players who have to prove to the new boss that they have something still to offer. Michael Owen was an unused substitute for Capello’s first game against Switzerland, but a flurry of goals for Newcastle may give him a chance of breaking back into the side. Owen is no stranger to the bench at the Stade d’France. After a disappointing Euro 2000 tournament, he was deployed there by Kevin Keegan. On that Saturday night, France took the lead, Keegan was forced to send Owen on and the little striker saved the day, firing home a superb goal late in the game. Any chance of history repeating itself? Quite possibly. Owen has scored four goals in his last seven games and is beginning to show signs of sharpness.
France will struggle to cope with the loss of Thierry Henry, as well as his natural successor Karim Benzema, but they are still a formidable outfit. The UK press struggle with the concept of a ‘friendly’ game and you can be in no doubt that defeat will be met with an outpouring of gloom and a series of grave columns entitled, “False Dawn of Capello” or “Did We Hire The Wrong Man?” Nevertheless, the door swings both ways and a postive result will send the squad into the summer in buoyant mood. Capello will be glad that everyone is distracted by it, but there is plenty more at stake tonight than the award of a 100th cap.
The new Italian boss will be delighted to see that there was not a single withdrawal from his squad this weekend and, for a friendly international scheduled at this critical time of the season, that’s an unprecedented show of commitment by the players. Both Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney picked up knocks in their Sunday games, but neither of them wanted to jeopardise their chances of selection by dropping out. This bodes well for the new era. After the anaemic, passionless days of the McClaren regime, most England fans will be happy just to see a bit of commitment and a little effort from those lucky enough to wear the white shirts.
Unfortunately, it’s the fans who are also part of the problem and Capello may be relieved that this game will take place outside of the UK. Wembley regulars aren’t renowned for their wide knowledge of the game and the sound of them angrily booing their team as they patiently kept possession against Switzerland was as inevitable as it was depressing. Capello is attempting to turn around the mentality of a mediocre ‘kick and rush’ outfit and if the home supporters are going to boo him after just 30 minutes of his tenure, it’s probably best if these early experiments are conducted somewhere else.
There are, of course, a number of players who have to prove to the new boss that they have something still to offer. Michael Owen was an unused substitute for Capello’s first game against Switzerland, but a flurry of goals for Newcastle may give him a chance of breaking back into the side. Owen is no stranger to the bench at the Stade d’France. After a disappointing Euro 2000 tournament, he was deployed there by Kevin Keegan. On that Saturday night, France took the lead, Keegan was forced to send Owen on and the little striker saved the day, firing home a superb goal late in the game. Any chance of history repeating itself? Quite possibly. Owen has scored four goals in his last seven games and is beginning to show signs of sharpness.
France will struggle to cope with the loss of Thierry Henry, as well as his natural successor Karim Benzema, but they are still a formidable outfit. The UK press struggle with the concept of a ‘friendly’ game and you can be in no doubt that defeat will be met with an outpouring of gloom and a series of grave columns entitled, “False Dawn of Capello” or “Did We Hire The Wrong Man?” Nevertheless, the door swings both ways and a postive result will send the squad into the summer in buoyant mood. Capello will be glad that everyone is distracted by it, but there is plenty more at stake tonight than the award of a 100th cap.
