Head or Heart? I’m going for Head
It seems we’re all happy to be swept along in the romanticism of football at the moment. Watching the Havant and Waterlooville players with their camcorders and mobile phones as they graced Anfield, epitomising everything the FA Cup stands for, was enough to warm even the most sceptical of hearts.
But with English football at nothing less than an all time low, it’s time for heads over hearts and back to business as Capello and the team bid to restore England’s status on the worldwide stage.
Capello’s competitive reign as England manager kicks off on 6th February with a friendly against Switzerland at Wembley. The game could mark Beckham’s 100th international cap and the dreamers out there would hope for nothing less; a fitting final tally for England’s most famous modern day footballer.
But take away the celebrity name and momentous appearance total - one that would group him with Charlton, Wright, Moore and Shilton - and base the decision solely on current performance and fitness, Beckham wouldn’t even make the bench.
Galaxy’s season finished back in October and Beckham’s last competitive match was that lingering memory when England faced Croatia at Wembley. Compare this to say Shaun Wright-Philips, Beckham’s most likely replacement, and you’ve got your cold, hard facts.
After initially struggling to earn first team rank at Chelsea, Wright-Philips has come into his own this season. With 37 appearances and 6 goals across the board as well as four crucial league assists this season - a required element of a right-winger - this little whippet is certainly the biggest threat to Beckham’s crowning century. Especially when you realise Beckham’s last international contribution was in June 2006. Albeit a crucial goal - the winner against Ecuador in the last 16 of the World Cup - but with England’s international standing in tatters, it is time to regroup, reassess and rebuild a team for the future. And with Beckham at the tender age of 32, this is something he will not be a part of.
But it’s only a friendly, the hopeless romantics jeer. Come off it, are you telling me you’d be happy with anything other than a storming England victory? Friendly or not, there are some definite points to prove, critics to impress and fans deserving more, much more than they’ve seen of late.
Alex Ferguson may have come out this week and encouraged Capello to select their former prodigy but I doubt Fergie would let his heart prevail if he found himself under the scrutiny Fabio’s set to face in the next few years. He just doesn’t strike me as the romantic type!
If Capello is to do this country’s football fans justice and give them the performance they warrant, he’s going to need to really make the most of these friendlies (of which there are hardly many) to one) establish his strongest, fittest XI and two) mould them into the team that on paper they should be and all in time for the start of the World Cup qualifiers in September.
Business is business after all and in today’s game it’s colder than ever. Let’s cut the romantics; if you want your fairytale ending of silverware for England it’s time to get on with the regeneration. Thanks for the memories Becks; I’ll look forward to your latest aftershave. In the meantime, I’d much rather take the smell of success.
Tags: 100th International cap, David Beckham, England v Switzerland, Fabio Capello
January 29th, 2008 at 20:58
Completely agree, the most over hyped player in football history symptomatic of a society where fame is valued over talent. Even at his peak he couldn’t go past players and to use the argument that no one can do set pieces as well as him is a sad indictment of Steven Gerrards Englands form as anything. Hopefully Capello will look to the future not the past.
January 30th, 2008 at 22:08
For all the effort (in days gone by) he’s put towards the english cause we should give him the 100. For all the media hype that has always existed around him we need to remember some of the better moments - the free kick against Greece & then the penalty against the Argies (2nd time around) he stood up to be counted!
How we could have done with a 2002 DB character on our Euro 2008 campaign…….