The Last Word - Sports Blog (Sean Simara)

ENGLAND ended 2010 by once again getting booed off the pitch by their fans and left with a feeling of disappointment, anger and very little hope in the national team. After that shambolic World Cup performance where England showed they couldn’t play any other formation then 442, they couldn’t find a team mate with a simple pass. Nor could they defend. We saw how they rely on Rooney and Gerrard too much and Capello seemed to base everything on Gareth Barry being fit? Barry, who hasn’t played a decent game for England in a year! Four months down the line France came to Wembley stadium after an even worse World Cup, however they showed that they had a good look at themselves and made swift changes. They simply out-played England with ease. Yes it was not the strongest England team, but they played counter attacking football at home and it was a look at the future, and from what we saw it looked very bleak. What England need to do first is get rid of Capello, it’s clear that his managemen...

After a quarter of the way into the Football League season, the top of the Championship is happy viewing for every QPR fan. Rangers explosive start to the season saw them win the first 8 of their 10 league games. Boss Neil Warnock has made QPR a team now full of confidence and determination. They had a player sent off in their last two games, but still got points out the game, last season that simple would not have happened. The Superhoops are still unbeaten in the league and take their decent away form to Nottingham Forest this weekend. Cardiff City are only one point behind the Londoners, City blew two great chances to go top against vicious rivals Swansea, and away to Reading. Cardiff do go to Loftus Road later this month and whoever wins there could have the confidence to go on and succeed a lot this season. In League One Brighton hold top spot, eight points clear of Huddersfield. Undefeated at home, Poyet has put together a very good footballing side. However, League One has some ...

The hot topic in the football world today is one of the most important parts of our game, tackling. We have seen this season some horror tackles fly in and you have to ask the question are the players of today getting punished enough for their crimes. Serial offenders keep popping up, by this I mean, the likes of Wolves, Stoke, Blackburn and Bolton. They all have a certain ‘trend’ of football which is not easy on the eye at times. We all know when you come up against these teams they will go in hard, let you know they’re there etc etc. However this season certain players have come in to the spotlight. Example number 1, Karl Henry of Wovles has come in for a lot of stick and rightly deserved. He already has 2 yellows and 1 red card to his name along with a poor tackle which took out Fulham’s Bobby Zamora and another flying slide on Wigan’s Jordi Gomez. Nigel De Jong is another horror tackle culprit. His kung fu kick at the World Cup went unpunished and again this season he broke Newcast...

Top Four 1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester City 4. Arsenal Relegation Wigan West Brom Blackpool FA Cup - Manchester United Carling Cup - Arsenal Champions League - Barcelona

Arsenal They managed to keep hold of captain Fabregas but how committed will he be, is his heart really at new Nou Camp? A new front man in the shape of Chamakh is a player Wenger has wanted for a long time but can he cut it in the big league? They will be up there but Arsenal’s problem is in goal a late swoop for a quality keeper is needed or else the trophy room at the Emirates Stadium could be like a desert again. Key Man Robin Van Persie – He had an average World Cup and injured for most of last season. Arsenal need him on form and fully fit to fight top the title. Aston Villa O’Neill’s late departure has left Villa in a mess. Milner was half way to Manchester months ago. Young could be going to London, Villa need to make movements quickly to match last year’s success. Key Man Gabby Agbonlahor – A lot of pressure to deliver will be on the local lad. Birmingham City An excellent season last year, Big Eck will have to match the high expectations at St Andrews now. The loss of Hart ...

N Power Football League Predictions 2010/ 2011 Championship Promotion Middlesbrough QPR Reading (Play Off winners) Relegation Scunthorpe United Watford Portsmouth League One Southampton Sheffield Wednesday Huddersfield Town (Play Off winners) Relegation Hartlepool United Exeter City Dagenham & Redbridge Leyton Orient League Two Rotherham United Bradford City Gillingham Southend (Play Off winners) Relegation Stockport County Macclesfield Town

1. Rob Green to be booed at every away ground. 2. Newcastle United fans to sing ‘CHAMPIONS CHAMPIONS CHAMPIONS’ at Manchester United in their first Premier League game. 3. Joe Cole will score against Chelsea. 4. Arsenal to start the season in explosive fashion, and then slowly fade out and finish third, and win nothing. 5. Every commentator will mention the Blackpool Pier and Tower in every home game and they also get compared to Holland (because of the colour and not their playing style). 6. Spurs to think their the best team in Europe as they qualify for the Champions League, but fail to get out the group and their League form slides. 7.The England flops to have a sensational start to the season. 8. Wigan’s DW stadium to be deserted for most of the season then suddenly fill out when the top four roll in to town. 9. Ian Holloway pitting his wits against the Premier League’s best managers will be fun viewing from the sidelines, he should come out with some more classic one-liners for t...

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Brazil v Holland  The clash between the ‘Total Football’ and the ‘Samba Boys’ will been one for the football purest to drool over with high expectations. This afternoon will see if Holland can cause a shock and move the footballing God’s of Brazil. Holland have sailed through this tournament not really getting out of 3rd gear but they will have to raise their game to get past Brazil. As usual Brazil have gone through the tournament with flair and skill. The star man for them as I said has been Robinho. He has turned up to this summers tournament unlike some other stars and has proved his worth on the world stage. Brazil has been hard working just like how manager Dunga uses to play. They will be without playmaker Elano and Melo will be doubtful with a knock whereas Holland will be at full strength. Both nations have come to South Africa to win and the winner here could well go on to lift the trophy on July 11th. I predict a classic 3-2 Holland victory. Uruguay v Ghana  Ghana tonight h...

Finally an England performance to be proud of at this years World Cup. Capello has come under a lot of pressure in the past few days, but his decision to bring in Milner and Defoe for Lennon and Heskey worked better than he could have ever wished. It was Milners wicked ball in from the right that Defoe latched onto and put away in the first half. Defoe comes alive when he is in the box, you may not notice him much but he will be remembered as the man who fired England into the last 16 of the World Cup.  Rooney’s form is still to be questioned. Yes, he did play much better and linked up with Gerrard very well at times. However he does not look 100% or it could be something else on his mind. Rooney has never been away from his child for this long and could be missing his little one and that could be playing on his mind. Lampard, who also came in for a lot of slack played his best game for England for years. To be fair it was only a 7/10 but its better then what you usually get from him. ...

As the dust settles and all the teams have played their first games at this year’s World Cup I look back at the early talking points of the tournament. England’s performance was not the best but it also wasn’t the worst. Rob Greens howler will live long in the memory of English football now. He will get hounded at every away ground next season just like James, Carson and Robinson have gone through. I think England will learn a lot from the USA game, and I truly think that Joe Cole has to be on the pitch. I would play him behind Rooney which means dropping Heskey even though he did play well on Saturday. My team on Friday would be, Green (One more chance to save his England career), Johnson, Terry, Dawson, A. Cole, Barry, Lennon, Lampard, Gerrard, J. Cole and Rooney. The most impressive team so far have been Germany. They walked all over Australia and with a very young side they could go a long way. Spain suffered the first World Cup shock when Switzerland beat them 1-0. Spain were the ...

Group C England USA Algeria Slovenia England – They have the manager, they have the players, all they need is a bit of luck and learn how to take penalties. England go into the tournament in decent form, and with the country backing them to do the business. Key Man – Wanye Rooney had his best scoring season at Man United last season, he is without a doubt the most important player in the team. USA - They are not the most technically gifted but they will work hard and will be hard to break down. Key Man– Clint Dempsey, the Fulham man can get up and down the pitch and score. He will be vital for the USA. Algeria- Known as the Desert Foxes they have a lot of pace and can break from box to box swiftly. They do have the potential to cause an upset but I don’t think they will. Key Man– Majid Bougherra, he is the star man of the defence and will lead from the back. Slovenia- There not to be underestimated, with a short passing style and keep ball mentality they could cause a shock by getting ...

Group B Argentina Nigeria South Korea Greece Argentina– Maradona is one of Argentina’s legends and always will be, know he does of the squad to replicate their win exactly 24 years ago. Key Man– Gonzalo Higuain, he is the classic number 9, with most of the opposing teams defences focusing on Messi the Real Madrid front man could find that small space he needs to score. Nigeria- There best form of attack is defence. They basically play three defensive midfielders in front of the back four. They have a lot of power and energy but little quality. Key Man- Peter Odemwingie he shone in the African Cup of Nations and is vital to their attack. South Korea – They were the only unbeaten team in the Asian zone during the qualifying campaign. They have a fast slick movement and will be hoping to steal 2nd in the group. Key Man – Park Chu – young is a star at AS Monaco and plays just behind the front man, he will be key if they do anything in the summer. Greece – Their tactics will be to stifle te...

World Cup Group A South Africa Mexico Uruguay France South Africa - As a host nation they have a massive boost in confidence, and you must remember that no host nation have ever failed to get beyond the group stage. Key Man - Steven Pienaar he is the star of the team; he could boost his career in England by shining at this summer’s tournament. Mexico – They are from South America so they are naturally gifted footballers, but miles behind the like of Chile, Argentina and of course Brazil. They will be more than happy if they get out the group. Key Man - Javier Hernandez, there will be no better way for the new united front-man to make a mark on united fans by proving what he can do on the biggest stage of them all. Uruguay – The two time winners are one of the most inconsistent teams at the World Cup and after years of player division Nacional and Penarol (players based at home and playing abroad) they are more united than ever. Key Man Diego Forlan- The Madrid front-man is 31 and will...

As League One comes to an end this afternoon, 5 teams go into the last day fighting for an automatic promotion place. Leeds United holds all the cards. At home today to Bristol Rovers a game that really they should win. However Leeds always seems to find a way to mess up great opportunities. It will be a 40,000 sell out crowd all expecting Leeds to finally get back up to the Championship, even though most of the hardcore Leeds supporters feel Leeds should be a lot higher up in English football. Millwall play Swindon in a game where if the result at Leeds goes their way it could be the biggest game of the two clubs recent history. (Apart from Millwall’s FA Cup final a few years back). Millwall are the form team and will fancy their chances at home. Again it will be a sell out crowd all expecting a home win. But Swindon Town know that all the pressure will be on the home side and they are fully capable of pulling off an away win. Charlton travel to Oldham, last week they beat Leeds to st...

Chelsea could move 4 points clear at the top of the Premier League tonight with a win over Bolton and will put the blues in pole position to win the Premier League title this season. After a successful FA Cup Semi Final win over Aston Villa, Chelsea are looking strong and going to Old Trafford and winning proves that. Drogba has been outstanding this year. He has been back to his best, and when he is on song so is Chelsea. I want to look at the whole season for Chelsea. Their main goal was the Champions League which as we know they came undone by Inter Milan. However they have been the most consistent of the ‘Big 4’. We have seen Manchester United come undone in recent weeks. The loss of Rooney has cost them dear. Berbatov was needed, but he has simply showed he is not up for the fight. Don’t get me wrong, he does try but, I would ask any Red Devil. Would they want Tevez or Berbatov for the title run in? United have missed Rooney sharpness and of course his goals. A 0-0 draw at Blackbu...

In my absence the football world has changed yet again. Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League to Inter Milan and their former manager, Jose Mourinho. The 'Special One' came back to Chelsea for the first time since he was sacked, and his side out done Chelsea all over the park. Carlo Ancelotti was brought in to win the Champions League but know his failure has put all the pressure on him to win the Premier League this season. If he does not, Chelsea may be looking again for the one to bring them the European goal they crave. I still back Manchester United to win the league this season. I must mention Fulhams show in the other European tournament. The Europa League is looked down on if your a regular Champions League contender, but for teams like Fulham this is a big deal. They turned around a 3-1 first leg score to win 4-1 at the Cottage. I am impressed with Fulham and Roy Hodgson this season, they may not be the most fashionable team in the league but they get the work ...

Manchester United slipped up at Goodison Park with a shocking performance and lost 3- to an Everton side bang in form. This opened the door for Chelsea to extend their lead at the top of the league. They did, Chelsea crushed Wolves with ease and Drogba netted twice as Chelsea moved 4 points clear of United. Arsenal also capitalised by beating Sunderland and closed the gap to only 2 points behind the champions. I still believe this season title race will go all the way to the last day of the season. My money is still on Manchester United. Spurs sit in the last Champions League spot after their 3-0 victory at Win. It wasn’t quite as good as the 9-1 win earlier in the season but Tottenham took full advantage of a dull 0-0 between Man City and Liverpool earlier in the day. Liverpool look poor and will be very lucky if they get a top 6 finish. Aston Villa leaped past the reds after their 5-2 win over Burnley, they did go 1-0 down in the game. All five of the Villa goals did come from Englis...

Its July 11 2010, were in the Soccer City stadium, Johannesburg. England and Spain still tied 0-0 in the World Cup final. With minutes left David Silva breaks down the left wing and whips in a dangerous ball into the penalty area. Fernando Torres controls the ball and brings it down with his right hand, and drills a right footed shot past a diving England keeper. John Terry and Ashley Cole protest the clear injustice to the Argentine referee but it falls on deaf ears. England’s World Cup dream gone. This scene could happen this summer, however it could also be rectified with the simply use of video technology in football. Were in the year 2010 but still football does not want to catch up with modern day times. Technology has come on leaps and as every football fan knows the game has become faster, there is more skill in the game and its now big money business. However one goal line decision or close call offside could cost your club dearly. The debate for whether football needs technol...