All Sport Live

MANCHESTER City maintained their perfect home record this season as they moved into the top four of the English Premier League with a 4-2 win over Bolton Wanderers.

City, managed by ex-England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, had to work hard to make it nine home league wins out of nine this campaign.

But victory saw them leapfrog Liverpool into fourth spot ahead of Sunday’s clashes between the ‘Big Four’.

Manchester City went ahead in the seventh minute through Rolando Bianchi.

Bolton’s Ricardo Gardner failed to deal with a long ball and City capitalised with Bianchi netting into an unguarded net.

El-Hadji Diuof completed a sharp move to make it 1-1 in the 31st minute but nine minutes later Bolton regainded the lead when Kevin Nolan turned in Gardner’s pull-back.

City drew level in the 48th minute when Bolton’s Lubomir Michalik headed into his own net as he tried to block a shot from Dietmar Hamann.

And they were back in front at Eastlands when England forward Vassell scored in the 77th minute. Kelvin Etuhu’s last-minute goal sealed City’s victory.

"When the players came in at half-time, I told them that they looked like losers,” said Eriksson.

"But they were much better in the second-half and they deserved to win the game.”

Portsmouth missed the chance to go fourth themselves as Tottenhamn Hotspur’s 1-0 win at Fratton Park gave Spurs their first away league victory of the season.

Sunday sees leaders Arsenal face third-placed Chelsea in a London derby while Liverpool take on north-west rivals Manchester United, a point off top spot in second place, at Anfield.

At the bottom of the table, Wigan Athletic ended a run of 14 matches without a win with a dramatic 5-3 victory over Blackburn Rovers, Marcus Bent scoring a hat-trick as did Rovers’ Roque Santa Cruz.

Everton made it two wins out of two over West Ham United in a matter of days, following Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final success, and 10 in 12 overall, with a 2-0 victory at Upton Park.

Middlesbrough heaped more misery on bottom-of-the-table Derby County with a 1-0 away victory at Pride Park.

Joey Barton’s first goal for Newcastle United gave his side a last-gasp 1-0 win at Fulham. Barton struck with a stoppage-time penalty after Elliot Omozusi brought down Alan Smith as Sam Allardyce’s side claimed a second successive victory.

In other games, Birmingham City and Reading drew 1-1 as did Sunderland and Aston Villa.

Danny Higginbotham put Sunderland in front in the 10th minute with a fine header, getting in front of Craig Gardner and Martin Laursen, to turn in a cross from Ross Wallace.

But Villa drew level through Shaun Maloney’s well-struck free kick 17 minutes from time.

It seemed as if Sunderland’s Danny Collins had scored the winner in stoppage time but his header was ruled out by referee Steve Bennett for a foul.

Furious Sunderland manager Roy Keane risked punishment from the Football Association by suggesting Bennett had "cheated” his side out of victory.

"We scored a very good goal, a fair goal, and for some reason the referee’s disallowed it,” said Keane.

"I’m sure he will be delighted we’re talking about him (Bennett) after the game. Our brilliant supporters, who travel up and sown the country in unbelievable numbers, for them to be cheated today is really disappointing.”

Wigan were 2-0 up inside 13 minutes at the JJB stadium. Denny Landzaat put them ahead when he latched onto Bent’s flick-on.

Bent himself made it 2-0 seconds later when, having beaten New Zealand international Ryan Nelson in the air, he shot home.

Blackburn had a chance to pull a goal back when they were awarded a penalty after Emile Heskey put his arms over Christopher Samba. But South Africa forward Benni McCarthy’s spot kick was turned round the post by Chris Kirkland.

Shortly before half-time, Austria striker Paul Scharner headed in to make it 3-0 before Rovers, reduced to 10 men early in the second half, draw level through Santa Cruz.

The Paraguayan gave Rovers hope with a right foot shot just before half-time before making scoring a second to make it 3-2 five minutes after the break.

Bent, though, regained the lead for Wigan in the 66th minute when he headed in Antonio Valencia’s cross and made it 5-3 nine minutes from time as Wigan went six points clear of Derby but still stayed in the bottom three.

Aiyegbeni Yakubu, who scored Everton’s winner on Wednesday, put the Toffees ahead on the stroke of half-time when the Nigeria striker nodded in a header from Australia midfielder Tim Cahill.

As the Hammers pressed for an equaliser, Andy Johnson scored on the counter attack in the 90th minute.

Pompey’s three previous home league matches had ended in goalless draws but Spurs’s Dimitar Berbatov ended that sequence when he turned in Aaron Lennon’s 81st-minute cross.

At St Andrews, Mikael Forssell’s fourth-minute header, which rebounded off Nicky Shorey before hitting the Finn, gave Birmingham the lead.

Reading pushed for an equaliser and were rewarded in the 51st minute when Stephen Hunt, after being fouled by City keeper Maik Taylor, scored from the penalty spot.

Middlesbrough heaped more pressure on Derby when Tuncay Sanli volleyed in Stewart Downing’s cross in the 38th minute for his third goal in three league games.

Agence France-Presse

Source: Manchester City go fourth

Tomorrow sees the biggest weekend of action this season in the EPL. Here’s my full preview of Sunday’s games…

Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Anfield, 1:30pm KO)
The biggest club game in England rears its head for the first time this season. So here’s what to expect.

Liverpool
Against Marseilles everything went swimmingly for Liverpool. They dominated the game from start to finish, and there is no reason why they can’t carry this form onto the game against United. The thing that has finally started clicking for Liverpool – last week aside – is the fact that Gerrard has found his niche and his space for playing in, Javier Mascherano has found his place in supporting Gerrard, Torres is back to fitness and scoring spectacular goals, Ryan Babel has finally started showing some promise and the defence looks solid.

Liverpool’s main strength at the moment is their colossal midfield. There aren’t many teams – except maybe United, funnily enough – who can rival Liverpool’s midfield. The partnership of Gerrard and Mascherano has turned out to be one of the best in the league, and on the flanks Benayoun and Babel have started to put some decent form together. Add to this equation a couple of great cameos from Harry Kewell and this becomes a quite special midfield.

Injuries – Xabi Alonso returned to training this week and is expected to start on the bench, meaning Javier Mascherano should keep his place in the middle with Gerrard after recovering from his midweek knock. Daniel Agger is again sure to miss out however.

Key Player – Alvaro Arbeloa and Steve Finnan are going to be knackered after this game. They have got to mark Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo out of the game, and the way the two have been playing recently it’s easier said than done. If these two are kept quiet however, United will have to rely on their midfield to supply Rooney and Tevez’s ammunition, and although Michael Carrick is a great passer of the ball, this will probably result in the strikers playing deep, right into the hands of Mascherano.

Probable Team – Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Arbeloa; Benayoun, Mascherano, Gerrard, Babel; Torres, Kuyt.

Manchester United
The performance against Roma wasn’t a reflection on how United will do tomorrow in all fairness so let’s go to last week against Derby. 4-1 the score, and a fairly decent performance in difficult conditions. Rooney will be looking to get one over on his nemeses at Anfield. United are in decent form at the minute though – apart from the 1-0 at the Reebok – and Anderson especially has been impressive.

United’s strength? Defence. Nemanja Vidic has been a revelation since he arrived at Old Trafford; Rio has had some strong performances this season; Evra has been excellent BUT Wes Brown is a potential weak link. He will have to deal with either Babel or Benayoun I expect, who themselves are in scintillating form, so that will be an interesting story to watch throughout the game.

Injuries – Owen Hargreaves is set to return to the United squad after recovering from tendinitis. Scholes however will be out until January, and Neville will take a lot longer. There are always doubts flying around about Louis Saha’s fitness however, but he should be on the bench. Apart from that, clean bill of health for United.

Key Player – Michael Carrick. If as I suspect Sir Alex recognizes the threat to his wingers in Arbeloa and Finnan and he decides to play direct through the middle, Carrick is the guy who is going to be squirting the ball out everywhere. On top of this, he will be charged with the job of stopping any Gerrard pass through to Torres, so its going to be a big game for Michael Carrick.

Probable Team – Van der Sar; Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Anderson, Giggs; Rooney, Tevez.

To sum up this is going to be a great game. We should expect open football, attacking football, and a few goals. The Gerrard-Torres partnership will again be instrumental, and I think Liverpool’s strength in midfield, coupled with the outstanding Fernando Torres point towards a Liverpool victory.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United

Arsenal vs. Chelsea (Emirates Stadium, 4:05pm KO)
The biggest London derby of the year gets played for the first time this season. Here we go…

Arsenal
Arsenal were pushed all the way by Steaua in midweek, on top of a difficult weekend against Middlesbrough last week. They deserved to lose against Middlesbrough, and this is a real sticky situation for Wenger’s boys to be in now. Just the right time then to welcome back your star men, Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal’s main strength is their cool really. They usually just pass the ball around nice and calmly waiting for the opening to present itself. It’s worked all season until recently, and now its a test of character for Wenger and his kids. The defence however, is usually excellent, I’m a big fan of Toure and Gallas at centre-half, and Sagna has been top drawer since his arrival.

Injuries – Aliaksandr Hleb is set to miss out, but Cesc is now rated ass 70/30 and RVP is certain to return to EPL action. Cesc’s minder however, Mathieu Flamini, is a serious doubt, so Gilberto is set to deputise. Also returning to the squad is Abou Diaby.

Key Player – RVP, without a doubt. He will need to inspire the youth around him to give a big performance, and as star man they will look to him to do something special with the ball.

Probable Team – Almunia; Sagna, Gallas, Toure, Clichy; Eboue, Diarra, Gilberto, Rosicky; van Persie, Adebayor.

Chelsea
Again the midweek draw against Valencia wasn’t to be taken into account, so we shall look to last week’s game for evaluating Chelsea. 2-0 the score, Sunderland the opponents. The Mourinho in Avram Grant has been brought out well and truly, just doing what needs to be done and nothing else flamboyant. But still, they’re winning games so fair play to them.

Chelsea’s main strength is the attacking talent that they possess. Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Salamon Kalou are all big players for Chelsea at the moment, and they are all in decent form. Big test for Andrei Shevchenko, he will most probably leading the line against Arsenal and will have to show some AC Milan form, without a doubt.

Injuries – The big absence obviously is Didier Drogba, the colossal front man. Also Riccy Carvalho will not feature, but apart from that no new worries for Avram Grant.

Key Player – John Obi Mikel. He will need to silence RVP, who will play in that free role. Also he will need to push the forward players on in front of him to press for that goal.

Probable Team – Cech; Belletti, Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole; Wright-Phillips, Lampard, Obi Mikel, Joe Cole; Kalou, Shevchenko.

To sum up this should be a tight game with few openings I feel. I think that Chelsea will definitely feel that they can take something off Arsenal though due to both sides current form, so I’m going to plum for a narrow Chelsea win here.

Prediction: Arsenal 0-1 Chelsea

It’s tomorrow then, air your feelings about the games below!

Related Items from Soccerlens

• Van Persie: Manchester United are bigger threat to Arsenal than Chelsea or Liverpool
• Liverpool vs. Manchester United; Arsenal vs. Chelsea - 3 Days to Grand Slam Sunday
• Ljungberg is new Sweden captain
• Do Arsenal fans still give a f*** about Chelsea’s Cashley Cole?
• Liverpool v Manchester United, Arsenal v Chelsea - 6 days to Grand Slam Sunday

Tags: English Premier League, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Features

Subscribe via RSS

Source: Liverpool v Manchester United, Arsenal v Chelsea - Grand Slam Sunday Preview

Huizenga Discussing Sale of Dolphins

MIAMI — Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga is discussing the sale of his struggling franchise to two real estate developers, The Associated Press has learned.

“Wayne loves the team and he loves the community, but he’s very frustrated,” the person close to Huizenga, who didn’t want to be identified because of the private nature of the negotiations, said Friday night.

A Dolphins spokesman said Huizenga declined to comment. Huizenga has in the past said the Dolphins were not for sale.

The Miami Herald first reported the talks.

The newspaper said Jorge Perez of Miami confirmed that he and business partner Stephen Ross, a New York builder, are talking with Huizenga about the potential deal.

“We are looking at it very, very seriously,” Perez told the newspaper.

Perez is chairman and CEO of The Related Group, one of the biggest condominium builders in the country.

The Dolphins are 0-13 in their first year under coach Cam Cameron, and they’re in danger of the first 0-16 season in NFL history.

The Herald said Ross denied earlier this week that he had spoken with Huizenga about a possible sale, saying he was not interested “at this point” in purchasing an NFL organization. But Perez said he and Ross have met multiple times with Huizenga, and as recently as last weekend.

Ross has been involved with sports before, including as a minority partner with the NHL’s New York Islanders. In 1990, he was part of a group interested in bringing baseball to Miami.

Instead, Huizenga became founding owner of the Florida Marlins, then later sold the team. Huizenga also was the founding owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers, then sold that franchise.

Football has always been Huizenga’s first love, but the Dolphins haven’t been to the AFC championship game since he became sole owner in 1994. They’ve failed to even make the playoffs the past six years.

“It seems like 50 years,” Huizenga said before this season. “I’m tired of not being in the playoffs.”

Huizenga recently committed to spend about $250 million to upgrade Dolphin Stadium, which he owns. The final phase of that upgrade is to be completed by 2009.

Forbes Magazine this year valued the Dolphins at $942 million, with a revenue stream of about $215 million. The valuation makes the Dolphins the 15th-priciest NFL franchise.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Source: Source: Huizenga considering Dolphins sale

What? I’m speechless! This is the most unexpected news! Nicole Vaidisova, who celebrated her 18th birthday in April, to marry 29-year-old ATP tennis pro Radek Stepanek, Martina Hingis’ ex-fiancé? Haha, when I first read the heading of the news I thought that Vaidisova is about to marry someone, and Stepanek is about to marry someone (that’s how unbelievable their marriage is to me!).

According to the Bradenton Herald, the Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court has said that the pair applied for a marriage license on December 10.

The Herald also states that Vaidisova’s agent at IMG Academies has not been available to comment.

Remember that Stepanek and Hingis broke off their engagement only a few months ago, shortly before the US Open? And Stepanek is supposedly already planning to marry? Hm, maybe it’s a short period of time for me, but it might have been long enough for Radek to find a new bride. (via On the Baseline, photos via Nicole Vaidisova On-Line, BBC)

Share This

Source: Nicole Vaidisova, Radek Stepanek to marry?

The Football Association has today appointed Fabio Capello as England Manager.

Capello will begin work in the post on Monday 7 January. He has signed a four-and-a-half year contract.

The appointment was made following discussions with FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick and Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday. This was then ratified unanimously by the FA Board on Thursday.

Capello has vast experience as a coach at the top level of the game. His 16-year managerial career has encompassed spells at AC Milan, Real Madrid, AS Roma and Juventus. In total, Capello has won nine League titles in Italy and Spain as well as lifting the European Cup with Milan in 1994.

Brian Barwick said: “I am delighted that Fabio Capello has agreed to become England Manager. When we set out to recruit the new manager, we said we were committed to appointing a world-class candidate. In Fabio Capello we have that man.

“Fabio is a winner. His record over the last two decades speaks for itself. At every club he has managed, Fabio has won the League title and Trevor and I were left in no doubt of his passion and commitment to bring that success to the England team.”

Sir Trevor Brooking added: “Fabio Capello is widely recognised as one of the world’s finest coaches. He has achieved huge success wherever he has worked and has the respect of everyone in football.

“Fabio will have the full support of The FA and its coaching set-up. We are excited about working with him over the coming years as we focus on qualification for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.”

Capello’s backroom staff will consist of assistants Franco Baldini and Italo Galbiati, goalkeeping coach Franco Tancredi, and fitness coach Massimo Neri. He will also discuss with Sir Trevor Brooking how to integrate an English presence into the coaching set-up.

Capello enjoyed a successful playing career as a midfielder with Roma, Juventus and Milan, winning 32 caps for Italy. He began his coaching career with Milan graduating to take charge of the first team in 1991. He brought huge success to the club winning four Serie A titles in five seasons and overseeing European Cup success with a 4-0 Final victory over Barcelona in 1994.

A season at Real Madrid followed where the team won La Liga. After a brief return to Milan, Capello joined Roma. The Serie A title was secured in 2001 and Capello was recruited by Juventus in 2004 where he won Serie A in both 2005 and 2006. Capello spent last season back at Real Madrid, once again winning the League.

For news conference details click here

Source: Capello confirmed

Continental Cup

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - Team North America made Continental Cup history on Friday at The Arena in Medicine Hat.

Thanks to the fact they outscored Team Europe 46-22 on the day, the North Americans have assumed the biggest two-day edge ever in the history of the event, taking a commanding 82-40 lead.

If it wasn’t for the fact Europe won two of the three men’s games in Friday’s night draw, the edge could have been larger than 50 points.

"When you are sitting in the hack, you still want to make every shot," said star skip Randy Ferbey, who is hoping his North American side avoids complacency. "You still have to keep playing well."

The old record for the largest lead after the second day of the Continental Cup was 24 points, set when the event was last in Medicine Hat in 2004.

One saving grace for Europe is the fact both teams still have to compete for 278 points over the next two days. The bulk of those points will come out of the various skins games over that time.

North America first began to add to its lead after taking two of the three women’s team games in the morning draw. In the afternoon singles draw North America took 28 out of a possible 32 points to go up 76-28 before Europe shaved the edge in the night draw.

Source: Continental Cup: N.A. takes big lead

Manitoba Moose

WINNIPEG - Eric Healey scored two goals to power the Lake Erie Monster to a 4-1 win over the Manitoba Moose Friday in American Hockey League action.

After Jeff Jillson and Wes O’Neill put Lake Erie (8-14-1-3) up 2-0 in the first period, Healey made it 3-0 with just over a minute left in the period.

Healey added his eighth of the season in the closing minutes of the second.

Danny Groulx scored on the power play late in the third for Manitoba (14-9-2-1).

Mike Wall blocked 28-of-29 shots before backup Jason Bacashihua came in for the final seven minutes, stopping all five shots he faced. Julien Ellis made 10-of-11 saves after 40 minutes before being replaced by Cory Schneider, who stopped 5-of-8 in the third period for Lake Erie.

Source: Lake Erie knock off Moose

The Arizona Diamondbacks are now, without question, the power team in the National League.

After pulling off a trade with the Oakland A’s for right-hander Dan Haren, the Snakes are now clearly the best club in the senior circuit. Keep in mind that last season Arizona had the most wins of any NL team, and now they’re adding to the fold one of the best starting pitchers in baseball.

In 2007, Haren ranked third in the American League in ERA, fifth in innings pitched, eighth in strikeouts and eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s a certifiable ace and, at 27, figures to keep it up for quite a while.

He’s a bit homer-prone (94 bombs allowed in 781.1 career innings), and that’s a concern moving into hitter-friendly Chase Field. However, offsetting that concern is the fact that the NL has generally inferior offenses and no DH. The safe bet is that Haren will contend for the Cy Young once again in 2008 and beyond.

More importantly, Haren and incumbent ace Brandon Webb give the D-backs perhaps the best one-two punch in all of baseball. Elsewhere in the rotation you’ve got Randy Johnson, whose off-season rehab is going well, reliable lefty Doug Davis and the up-and-coming (and hard-hitting) Micah Owings. Should Johnson or someone else struggle or go down with injury, then there’s Edgar Gonzalez, Yusmeiro Petit or the newly acquired Billy Buckner. That kind of depth is hard to find.

What’s also worth noting is that all those young bats — Chris Young, Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, Conor Jackson and Mark Reynolds — will be another year closer to their prime seasons and, hence, should improve in 2008. All in all, the Snakes are positioned as the best team in the NL, and the addition of Haren makes them a legitimate threat to win the World Series.

Must-read:

For all of today’s top stories, click here. Worth a thousand words:

MELBOURNE Tigers withstood a withering fourth quarter comeback by the South Dragons to win their National Basketball League match at Vodafone Arena by 10 points, 98-88.

Chris Anstey was the key to the win for the Tigers, finishing the match with 36 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and six blocked shots.

The Dragons had no answer to Anstey, who scored 14 points in the third quarter and eight in the fourth.

Anstey dominated the second half despite being in foul trouble, with Tigers coach Al Westover withstanding the urge to rest him after picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter.

The Melbourne centre was able to score at will and also dominated the paint with a masterful rebounding and defensive performance.

"That was a big win for us," Westover said.

"They were desperate and any time you can come in here and win is big. I was happy with the win but thought the guys relied too much on Chris (Anstey).

"We need everyone firing.

"To be able to hold them to 88 points was a key. We wanted to hold them to a low score so even if our offence wasnt great we could still get the win."

Dragons player-coach Shane Heal was disappointed that another winnable game had slipped through his team’s fingers, pointing to missed assignments as the key.

"We didn’t do the little things to win games consistently," Heal said.

"We talk about it but, at the end of the day, we didn’t get it done.

"We know what we have to do, we know why we have to do it, but we’re not getting it done."

Heal was effusive in his praise of Anstey, his long-time teammate on the Australian national team.
"He’s the MVP of our league, and a person of Chris’s calibre wouldn’t be playing in Australia if he wasn’t Australian," Heal said.

"He’s a class above everyone else in the country now. He’s crucial for them."

The Tigers looked set for a comfortable win for much of the evening, leading by as many as 19 points before the Dragons responded late in the game.

Bakari Hendrix, who led the Dragons with 19 points, made a driving lay-up to cut the margin to four points, and he went to the line with the opportunity to reduce the deficit to a single basket.

But Hendrix missed the free throw, and then watched as the Tigers hit back-to-back triples through David Barlow and Stephen Hoare to give the Tigers a winning 10-point cushion.

Melbourne looked like running away with the match early, going on a 17-0 run in the first quarter after the Dragons scored the opening five points of the game. The Dragons reduced the margin to five at the first change.

The second quarter produced a similar story, with the Tigers racing ahead only to see the Dragons fight back to 51-45 at the main break.

A lopsided final score finally seemed to be on the cards when Melbourne stretched the lead to 19 points in the third term, but the Dragons rallied even though their effort proved to be too little too late in the final analysis.

AAP

Source: Tigers draw Dragons’ fire

Ironic. It is so ironic that England have to turn to an Italian to coach their national team. Did they not proclaim themselves to have the best league in the world? Did they not earlier deplore the Italians for the state that Serie A is in?

English football is so sad that even the French are poking their noses in and rubbing salt to the wound. Raymond Domenech, as far as I’m concerned, is a prick. He says too much for his own good and most of the time, his comments are just about as useful as a losing lottery ticket. But this time, he finally said something clever when he said that employing Capello is “a real blow for English managers“.

It’s not just a blow, it’s a rude slap with a girly pink fly swatter. Considering that England is the country that spawned football, this is a sad day indeed. I bet none of the good folks who first came up with the rules for modern day football at Cambridge University over 150 years could have imagined a day like this.

However, I’m not all about blasting the English. What would be the point of that? By failing to qualify for Euro 2008, they have already hit rock bottom. The point I’m trying to make here is that this truly is a rude wake up call for English football and its fans.

For too long have they been hiding inside the bubble of invincibility which they have constructed for themselves. Too long have they surrounded themselves with the air of self-perceived superiority. The sad fact is that England are not as great as they make themselves out to be - I have been telling England supporters this my whole life and none of them listens.

Years ago they employed a Swede by name of Sven-Goran Eriksson. When that decision was made, many derided the English FA for turning to a foreign coach. It was a disgraceful thing to do considering how the English often saw themselves as a football powerhouse. To be sure, the English FA wasn’t too pleased of the decision themselves and vowed that never again would they turn to a foreign coach. Yet 6 years later, the English have, as Britney Spears put it “did it again”.

What about the Premier League? It is the best? Hardly. Let’s look at the the winners of the Champions League for the past 10 years. In a span a decade, the prestigious competition was won by a English club only twice - Manchester United in 1999 and Liverpool in 2005. That’s not too bad you might say considering that Italian clubs have only won it twice as well during that same time span.

However, if we were to increase that time span and look at the past 17 years (1990 was when the ban on English clubs in UEFA competitions was lifted) then it comes much more startling. Because in the past 17 years, Manchester United and Liverpool were the only two English clubs to have won the Champions league and this is pathetic when compared with the other top leagues of Europe. During that time span, Italian and Spanish clubs have lifted the trophy no less than 5 times each.

What about Golden Ball winners? The last English to have won the award was Michael Owen in 2001, and I can’t even remember why he won it. After Owen, you’ll have to look all the way back to 1979 the find the next English winner - Kevin Keegan.

These statistics, coupled with the fact that an Italian is now at the helm of the English national team is proof that English football is not all that grand and magnificent as it is made out to be. The problem here is not that it is over-hyped, but rather, is that the English are too stuck up and ignorant to recognize its own shortcomings.

They seem to have forgotten that 6 years ago, they stuck their tails in between their legs and have gone about employing a Swede to head their national side. And in doing so, relegated themselves so that they were no different from other national sides such as Andorra, Ghana and Singapore, all of whom have employed foreign coaches. The English have forgotten all of that and are now going down the same road again, heck, even war-torn Sierra Leone has a coach from their own country.

It is time that the English recognize once and for all that they are not the football superpower they think they are and start making things right. Because at this rate, I won’t be surprised if their next coach is a French.

Kenny maintains a personal blog called “The Meditation Chamber“.

Related Items from Soccerlens

• UEFA: Let the captains do the talking
• What Really Happened with Petit and Manchester United
• Is football discriminating against black people?
• Which English player is worth 17m or more?
• And I Can’t Smile Without You…

Tags: England

Subscribe via RSS

Source: The Sad State Of English Football