The Last Word - Sports Blog (Sean Simara)

Wales 0-2 England The game was a must win and they did. A formation of 4-3-3 shocked some fans but that change was needed a little too late but at least it has happened now. It was a comfortable win in the end. The goals came early and England never looked in trouble. Lampard scored from the spot his first goal for England for a long time, and Darren Bent scored the other. For me the most impressive players were Ashley Young, Jack Wilshere and Scott Parker . In a formation which suits these players Young destroyed the Welsh left back. He had a hand in both goals and looked comfortable playing there. He is a confidence player though and when things are going well he will look class. But what can he do against much tougher opposition? That will show how good a player he is. I think a move away from Villa will be on the cards soon so that may help his cause. The same argument can be made for Scott Parker. He been the best player at Upton Park this season and deserved a starting place....

Today England take on Wales in the Euro 2012 Qualifier, it simply is a must win game for England. After the captaincy debacle it's matters on the pitch that matter. England should be beating teams like Wales, but we know England make nothing easy. It will be a full house and the proud Welsh fans will love to get one over their neighbours. Their hopes though took a massive blow as Bale was ruled out, now the main threat I feel lie in Craig Bellamy. On his day he can terrorise any defence and today Terry and Co better be weary. We know England will start with Jack Wilshire in midfield so it will be a big test for him. He has in recent weeks shone in an Arsenal team that has struggled. Now he is making the step up to an England starter, it could be a massive kick on in his career. Wayne Rooney will be sure to start up front but who will partner him. Andy Carroll has just got back to full training and working his way to full fitness. Is he ready to start up front today? I would start ...

As we head into the international break this season’s title race looks like it’s going to be the same old faces, with a similar outcome. Man United sit top and 5 points clear of Arsenal. United have had probably the most average season for a long time. The defence is not great and the midfield has been a lot better. But they have done what United always do, get results when not playing well. Hernandez, Berbatov & Nani have been the main men for me. The little Mexicans first season in England have seen him scored 16 goals in all competitions this season. He is a true goal poacher, he reminds me of Ole Gunnar Solskjear who worked well with any partner he was teamed, Hernandez has done the same with Berbatov and Rooney. Nani has stepped up his game a lot he had big boots to fill in the size of Ronaldo. He had been compared to his fellow countryman but never really was as good. However he has been a key player this season and has scored 10 times. He has done very well but I feel their ...

I’ve been away for a while but now I’m back. I will start with a look at the Championship. QPR sit top of the table where they have been for pretty much the whole season. Now with a 10 point gap surely now the SuperHoops will be back in the big time. They could have a problem if the FA take action with a points deduction over the signing of, Alejandro Faurlin. It’s similar to the Carlos Tevez situation at West Ham a few years back. However Rangers say they have done nothing wrong. It would be a shame to ruin a fantastic season with matters with the men in suits at Lotus Road . QPR have lead the way from day one, with an exceptional defence Paddy Kenny has kept 20 clean sheets in the league this season. But the star man has to be Adel Taarabt; he has shown he really is too good for the Championship. The 21 year-old has netted 15 goals so far this season, was given the captaincy and he become a firm fan favourite. At times he will annoy you by not passing and sulking at times. But the ...

It was a January transfer window with some heavy deals going through right up to the last minute. But who were the real winners and who made rash last minute buys? I will start with the biggest deal, Fernando Torres to Chelsea . With a £50m price tag he has become the biggest transfers in history for British to British clubs. Torres is proven goal scorer in the Premier League; yes he has had a poor year in football by his high standards. He didn’t really turn up at the World Cup and this season he has seemed uninterested. He was linked to Chelsea in the summer that deal didn’t happen. However his best game though this season was against, you guessed it Chelsea where he score twice and gave a man of the match performance. Since the transfer window opened in January Torres has scored 4 goals in 6 Premier League games, was he playing for a move? Whatever the reason Torres got his move and joins what he calls a ‘big club’ in Chelsea. That is good business for them, who also brought in Dav...

Can they run they line? Can the referee a top flight game? Are they any better or worse than male referees? Or should they stick with the female version of the game? Richard Keys & Andy Gray have once again brought this issue in to football. Here are a few for’s and against women officials. The Pro’s Women have become part of modern day football. That is a fact. At all levels they plan the game and in some cases they run the show, for example Karen Brady. They now attend more games than they use to. You see them in the crowds, mainly in the home end sitting down not signing but they’re still there. There’s no reason to say they don’t know the rules of the game, especially the offside rule as its now become very, very vague to what it actually is! As long as their adequate and have the ability to do the job properly and fairly surely that’s all that matters. Could this be the key that brings a bit more respect in to the game of football? The Con’s Can the female officials take the a...

Saturday, 15 January 2011 Chelsea v Blackburn - Chelsea Win Man City v Wolverhampton - Man City Win Stoke v Bolton - Stoke Win West Brom v Blackpool - Blackpool Win Wigan v Fulham- Draw West Ham v Arsenal - Arsenal Win Sunday, 16 January 2011 Birmingham v Aston Villa - Birmingham Win Sunderland v Newcastle - Sunderland Win Liverpool v Everton - Draw Tottenham v Man Utd - Man United Win