EPL Talk » Joe Cole

Nerves Will Destroy Stewart Downings England Career

Paul Bestall — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 21:48:12 +0000

Why can’t Stewart Downing show us the form that makes him such a sought after player when he pulls on the England shirt? There is no doubting that at Premier League level, Downing is one of the most dangerous and creative players in the country but after Saturdays performance against Slovakia, it’s clear to see that the lad doesn’t feel comfortable in his own skin when he’s around the England squad.

Yet, now the situation is surely set up for him to succeed on the left hand side of England’s midfield. With his main positional rival, Joe Cole, injured, he’s really got a free run to install himself in Capello’s mind and make a strong case for a run in the team. He’s no real other rivals for the left wing slot, Kieran Richardson has really fallen off the radar England wise and Ashley Young is bang out of form right now. It’s the perfect time for him to put a marker down yet he seems to be suffering from the same malaise that affected England’s best left winger of the last 25 years, John Barnes.

Barnes was majestic for Watford and Liverpool but never transferred his sublime skills to the international arena on a consistent basis. I remember watching him in the 1987-88 season destroy Sheffield Wednesday on his own at Hillsborough, even simply walking the ball at his leisure down the left flank, jinking past the full back in the blink of an eye. It became such a consistent issue, that toward the end of his England career, Barnes was booed again and again with fed up fans at a loss to explain why he simply couldn’t cut it.

Maybe it was the lack of serious continental competition that blighted his international career. With English clubs banned from 1985 until 1991, Barnes was almost 29 when he started playing regular European club football, too late to bring a change in his fortunes in the white shirt of England. Yet Downing doesn’t have that excuse as Middlesbrough have had several European games that he’s featured in, especially the incredible run to the UEFA Cup final of 2006 including that incredible semi-final against Steau Bucharest.Downing’s deliver that game was in a class of it’s own.

Yet Saturday saw him look hurried, putting himself under pressure time and again and trying to pass the ball almost before he’d received it. Time and again his passing was way off target and he began to withdraw more and more. So what can he do to sort himself out? He needs to realise he’s in the England squad on merit, not by luck. If Fabio Capello thinks he’s good enough for the England set up, who are we to argue? That alone should show him that he deserves to be in the company of Gerrard, Beckham, Lampard et al.

I don’t think it’s got anything to do with playing for Middlesbrough as some “pundits” will have you believe, though there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll not be there next season if Boro fall into the Championship. Downing just needs to believe in himself more when he wears the three lions otherwise he’ll see his England chances disappear, which would be a crying shame. A bit more belief would also give England another avenue of attack and one that Downing can make his own.

Carlos Tevez Uncertainty and is Stewart Downing This Winter’s Berbatov?

Johnathan Starling — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:47:03 +0000

Well the rumblings of yesterday have come to fruition today, on two counts. The first happening in South America, the other happening at the Riverside.

I can understand Carlos Tevez wanting his future sorted. But the situation with Manchester United seems to get crazier by the day. After firing back at Ferguson’s claims of rejecting a contract offer and saying he nor his agent had seen a contract, Tevez fired what I think could be the fatal jab when he admitted that he’s going to start hearing offers from other clubs.

In my mind, Carlos Tevez is skating on ultra thin ice right now. You’re not an out and out starter at Manchester United and I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you’re wanting mega pounds to stay. However to more or less say you’re ready to leave Manchester United and (while I’ll admit this comment is off handed), saying he’d love to play for Real Madrid, the corner that is being back into is not an easy one to walk out of.

Tevez needs to understand that being a squad player means you are not going to make what you think you’re worth at Manchester United. Only the week in and week out players guaranteed in the starting eleven will. If you think you’re bigger than the club, do yourself a favor and simply go ahead and leave. Ferguson won’t deal with the headache.

The other story from last night that came home to roost was the formal transfer request Stewart Downing made to Middlesbrough. It appears clear that Downing wants to continue his career under the wing of Harry Redknapp at Tottenham, but not only was Downing’s formal transfer request denied, Tottenham’s 12 million pound bid was also denied.

This situation reads to me very similar to the situation we saw last year with one Dimitar Berbatov. Downing seems to be doing everything possible to get ouf of the club, be damned about the relationships made and the respect of the fans you have. While I understand we haven’t hit the sulk level yet, I expect that to happen in short order. The intentions have been made clear, and the impression I get is that Downing isn’t going to stop until he’s out of the Riverside for the comforts of North London.

Steve Gibson is in a tight spot. While I agree with him for making a player honor a contact, how much more of this nonsense will he tolerate. Gibson though saying ‘I repeat: none of our senior players will be leaving the Riverside Stadium this month’ tells me that he’s ready for the long haul that this January window will bring. But one thing Gibson should realize is Daniel Levy has very recently been in Gibson’s shoes, and knows what the final outcome ultimately will be.

Other Stories
Add Arsene Wenger to the back of Sir Alex Ferguson in saying the fixture list is ‘unfair’. Where to do I get my tissues? You’re supposed to be top four sides. Quit crying about who you have to face and when you have to face them.

Joe Cole seems a tad bit unhappy about being replaced for the 13th match in a row and is wanting to meet with Scolari about why that is the case. Just another fire for Scolari to put out. It’s funny though all these little fires are growing into one big inferno.

Wayne Bridge promises that his best is yet to come. As one Manchester City fan put it to me ‘that is until he gets injured’.

Tony Pulis thinks that bringing in players will lift the mood around the Stoke City squad. That is until they decide to take pop shots at each other during a match.

A Column to go Home By
Peter Bills questions if Chelsea have the stomach to fight for the title, FA Cup, and Champions League. I’ve been asking that same question as a Chelsea fan since the second week of the season.

Kalou Keeps Chelsea Streak Intact Against Manchester United

Johnathan Starling — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:08:43 +0000

Salomon Kalou’s header ten minutes from time cancels out Ji-Sung Park’s opener and preserves Chelsea’s unbeaten record at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea and Manchester United ends honors even at 1-1.Unlike the Liverpool/Manchester United clash last weekend, this was more typical big four fare. The game wasn’t pretty by any means, plenty physical and full of controversy. If a game was ever going to challenge the new FA’s respect campaign, this was it. It didn’t help that Mike Riley was way too quick to use the whistle as depending on which source you believe, there were either 34 fouls (the Guardian) or 40 (Soccernet). I did attempt to find the number on the Premier League’s website, but was unsuccessful in doing so.

Manchester United started out the promising side and were nearly rewarded nine minutes in. Petr Cech should have left the ball played in to his back four to clear but instead ended up 18 yards off his line when Berbatov volleyed goal ward. He didn’t have enough pace on it, but left it perfectly for Rooney, who only missed the far post by a couple of inches. Cech would have been beaten and it would have been an embarrassing opener to give up.

United’s pressure was rewarded eighteen minutes in. Patrice Evra is sprung on a great run and is able to center to Berbatov. Had Fletcher not made a dummy run in, Chelsea probably clear. However Fletcher’s run held back Chelsea’s line and Berbatov was able to put a shot on Cech. It was a shot that Cech should have saved, but when the ball sprung free, Park had an empty net to tap in, unmarked at that. Chelsea’s back line on the whole sequence left Cech out to dry, but it’s a shot Cech should have caught.

Two Chelsea players need to be taken to task for their shocking performances on the day. The first being Joe Cole who after Rooney’s volleyed miss stays onside, has Van der Sar on the ground, and hits the side netting. The second ties into the second player who should be taken to task, Nicolas Anelka. On the first occasion, sixty-six minutes in, Joe Cole was too greedy when Anelka was unmarked on the far post. The second one comes seven minutes later when Joe Cole centers to Anelka who pretty much blocked the ball off the line when he could have equalized for Chelsea.

Looking at Salomon Kalou’s equalizer, there are a few things there as well. How Manchester United let him into the mixer unmarked is beyond me. Secondly, while there was contact on Rio Ferdinand, it was barely the tips of his fingers and wouldn’t have mattered in the long run. And for those who thought there was a foul, Ferdinand was marking Terry heavily and pretty much ran into him about the time Kalou headed in. Mikel’s free kick was inch perfect.

Two injuries played a key factor in this one. The being Ricardo Carvalho’s injury thirteen minutes in, and probably had something to do with Manchester United’s opener as the back line was adjusting to Alex’s inclusion. The other being Edwin Van der Sar’s twenty seven minutes in. It was a nasty collision with Florent Malouda and Van der Sar took the brunt of the contact squarely on the shoulder. I give him credit for giving it another go, but only lasted six more minutes. You have to wonder if Edwin Van der Sar was in and not Tomass Kuszczak, would Kalou had had the easy header?

The last talking point I have from this game is the sheer number of yellow cards Manchester United got. Looking at the seven yellow cards, you could understand why Riley called them. The two dissent bookings were the ones that made me smile the most, but it should have been both ways. However when Evra gets in the face of a lineman shouting and Ronaldo is motioning to Riley that he was shoved, those are the easiest dissent calls to make. The ultimate act of disrespect though had to come at the end. For Rio Ferdinand to scream at Mike Wiley and call him and I quote “A shit ref” should result in some sort of FA sanction. Granted no one in the world knew if Riley had awarded a free kick or had blown for full time, but that is no excuse.

A few other observations
1) Had Manchester United not sat back after taking the lead and attacked with the same intensity that led to the opener, do they name their own scoreline?
2) Florent Malouda is a good player for Chelsea in the Champions League, yet never seems to be able to perform in the league.
3) How bad was it for Drogba that he wasn’t completely ready for the second half kickoff?

Picture via the Telegraph and Getty Images

Chelsea Ruins Manchester City’s Samba Party

The Gaffer — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:01:28 +0000

In less than three weeks, my wife and I have a new arrival planned for our household: our first baby boy. So while my wife was enjoying her baby shower yesterday, I ended up watching our three other children. Needless to say, I didn’t get a chance to watch as much live football as I would have liked, so I ended up watching the Manchester City against Chelsea match before dawn on Sunday morning. Here are some of my thoughts about the game:

Robinho’s free kick was delightful (although partial credit should go to Mikel John Obi for the deflected header). But even more exciting was Robinho’s goal celebration and the way it pumped up the sold out crowd inside Eastlands, some of whom were wearing yellow Brazil shirts.
Even more classic was the ranting and raving between John Terry and Petr Cech after the goal went in.
This Manchester City team will look totally different after the January transfer window. While they started brightly, Man City’s marking looked very poor at the back, at times.
Vidic’s foul on Robbie Keane yesterday at Anfield was more of a red card than John Terry’s foul on Jo, but Terry got red carded and Vidic didn’t — at least for that incident. Even if Jo had gotten past Terry, the Brazilian striker wouldn’t have been in a one-on-one situation against Petr Cech. Poor decision by referee Mark Halsey. Unless he wins his appeal, Terry will be suspended for the Chelsea against Man United match at Stamford Bridge on September 21.
There were definitely some deft touches between Jo and Robinho that created a few good chances, but most of the opportunities yesterday fell to Stephen Ireland who was too indecisive in front of goal.
Even before Didier Drogba and Juliano Belletti came on as a double superstitution, it was obvious to see the gulf in quality between Manchester City and Chelsea on the pitch. Nice to see the return of Drogba. The Premier League hasn’t been the same without him.
Chelsea look like true title contenders this season. Big Phil has them playing some wonderful passing football and they do look much more attractive to the eye. As soon as Anelka and Malouda improve their form in front of goal, expect to see more goals from the Blues.
Joe Cole and Frank Lampard didn’t look they were suffering too much from the mid-week game for England against Croatia. Cole’s inch-perfect pass to Anelka was sublime, and Lampard’s goal was sensational.
Is it me or does Jose Bosingwa have the biggest unibrow you’ve ever seen?

What are your thoughts from the game? Share your feedback below by clicking the comments link.

Joe Cole Can’t Save England Blushes

Johnathan Starling — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:27:08 +0000

Fabio Capello asked for patience.

Between the Czech Republic last month and Andorra today, I would say the fans patience has run out.

England’s performance against Andorra this afternoon can only be described in one word, dire. From the team selection that had me wondering if Fabio Capello thought this was a friendly, to a first half that saw England huff and puff and not finish, it took two early second half goals from substitute Joe Cole to put this game away. Yes it must be said that Andorra played everyone behind the ball, but that is not an excuse for a failure to miss chances.

As I said above, I was shocked at Fabio Capello’s team selection. Understanding this was a somewhat weakened squad already with the absences of Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand, I was stunned to see Stewart Downing and Theo Walcott start. However, of the England starters in the first half, Theo Walcott was the only one who lived up to any potential on the pitch.

It wasn’t surprising to hear the reaction at halftime, and I would argue it was louder than the reaction England received during Euro 2008 qualification. However those boos quickly subsided with Joe Cole and Emile Heskey’s inclusion to the match. Joe Cole’s opener was a decent move off Lampard’s free kick. The flick on from Lescott to Joe Cole set him up perfectly to fire far post. It was Wayne Rooney’s deft pass that set up the second.

When it’s said and done, England have to accept they played poorly. However if you listened to the post match from Setanta Sports, they weren’t. Yes it was a job done, but a job that was poorly done at that. If their performance against Andorra is the same performance against Croatia on Wednesday, it will not be pretty for England.

Now with that said I have a little rant I need to get off my chest with regards to Setanta Sports. I know they do a poor job of advertising their Setanta Broadband package out in the general public and for that they should be ashamed. However to hide the fact that if you’ve paid for a year’s subscription to Setanta Broadband you would get to see not only the Andorra/England match, but the Croatia/England match is downright embarrassing and someone at Setanta has to be held accountable. The match at any point was never listed on Setanta’s live broadband page on the Setanta website, and it was only going to the PPV events page itself after signing in did you see the fact the game was being shown (after scrolling past GAA PPV reminders).

To more or less make people think they would have to pay the pub cover charge or the 20-25 PPV charge depending on your service provider makes you wonder if they wanted people to know at all. I guess you could say I’m doing their bidding for them, which is something that shouldn’t have to happen.