Joe Cole's goal in the 90th minute saved Fabio Capello from a bit of embarassment, as England drew 2-2 with the Czech Republic. England looked very sloppy, and while Wes Brown's header from a David Beckham cross looked well worked, Cole's equalizer came off half the team before going in. The Rooney/Defoe and Rooney/Heskey strike partnerships did not yield results. Heskey's physical presence might have worked well with Owen, but Ashton, Crouch, Bent, Agbonlahor, Young and Owen are all waiting for a place. Gerrard played on the left, and after the game Harry Redknapp commented on how his talent was waisted out there. England has some of the best midfielders in the world, so it seems that a 4-5-1 would be able to accomodate them best. Gerrard keeps getting moved all around the pitch, and nobody is willing to say that maybe he and Lampard can't play together. The fact that Cole came in for Gerrard shows Capello's preference.
During the game it was announced that Brian Barwick, chief executive of the FA, would be resigning at the end of the year. He has not gotten along well with Lord Triesman, who is chairman. Triesman is the first independent chairman of the FA, and did not think that Barwick had the business skills to take the FA forward. Barwick caught flack for being unable to complete a deal for Scolari to coach England and then lying about it, and many people blame him for Steve McClaren's failures. Their performance under Capello will not make fans shed a tear upon hearing of his departure. It's pretty clear that England is in trouble right now, and they desperately need someone to right the ship.The other big news is Mikael Silvestre's move to Arsenal. That's correct, for the first time in decades a player has moved from Man U to Arsenal. This could be due to warmer relations between Ferguson and Wenger, or just a sign of how little Ferguson values Silvestre. Arsenal fans are hoping that the 31 year old defender who is injury prone is not their promised big signing.
One Liners
- Drogba said to be out until October, Abramovich checking couch cushions of his yacht for Kaka's £70 million
- Zenit close door on Arshavin move, will Tottenham find the key?
- Cisse says he rejected Man City move, he must be able to see the future
- Shevchenko close to Milan return, Chelsea's policy of loaning strikers to Milan seems dumb
- France beats Sweden, Holland and Russia draw, Georgia takes their anger out on Wales
