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Paul Robinson wants to be England No.1 !

Paul Robinson is hoping that his move from Spurs to Blackburn can help him regain his place in the England squad for the qualifiers for the World Cup in 2010.

“I want to get back in the England team and play well on a consistent level.

“I’ve got 42 caps. I have got plenty of time to add to that and I intend to. If things go well here it will be great.”

Robinson felt it was time to move on after a tough season last year at both club and country level.

“I was ready for a new club, a change of scenery, a new challenge and it’s helped me find a lot of fire and ambition that maybe drained out of me a little bit towards the end of last season,” he said.

“Come the end of last season you get the vibes at a club and you know you’re wanted or not and over the summer I was seeking other employment.”

Robinson has signed a 5 year deal and looks intent on seeing it through.

“I want to get settled and settle my family. This is a well established club and I want to climb up the table with it.

“Brad (Friedel) was an excellent goalkeeper and did an excellent job for this club.

But I’m not coming here as Brad Friedel’s replacement. I’m coming here as Paul Robinson and I’m here to show the Blackburn fans and the Blackburn people what I can do. ”

Ronaldinho to captain Brasil

Coach Dunga has named Ronaldinho as Brasil’s skipper for this summer’s Olympic games.

The 28-year-old, who recently joined Milan from Barcelona, was pleased and hopes to help his nation secure gold in Beijing.

‘This is a great responsibility, which motivates me a lot as it is also proof of confidence,’ the playmaker said. ‘I am very happy.’

With such big names as Ronaldinho, Robinho, and Diego in the squad, it is a natural worry that egos might be too big for the Olympic team, but coach Dunga has expressed delight in the way team chemistry in his squad has been as they prepare for the Olympics.

‘The players are happy because the environment is excellent,’ said the coach. ‘That is one of the steps to achieving our objective in football. It is not enough just to have a great team. ‘The only way to win a title is having a real group and that is what is going on here.’

Premiership players Kalou and Song to feature in Beijing

Young Premiership stars Salomon Kalou of Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire and Alexandre Song of Arsenal and Cameroon are set to lead their respective nations in Beijing this summer.

Both players will miss the start of the Premiership season.

Young midfielder Alexandre Song has promised his Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to return to his club side strong and ready to fight for a first team spot.

‘I talked to the boss and told him that my country wanted me to play and he told me that if I want to go I can as long as I come back to Arsenal and show him what I can do,’ he said.

‘Arsenal have a young team and some very good players and when I get back I just need to stay fit and do all I can to get a chance of playing for the first team. ‘I want to do well at the Olympics and at Arsenal and I need to perform the best I can.

‘My career is very important and I want to play well and show people what I can do.’

Cameroon Olympic Squad

Goalkeeper: Patrick Tingyemb (Tonnerre Yaounde)
Joslain Mayebi (Hakoach Ramatgam, Israel)

Defenders:
Andre Bikey (Reading, England)
Antonio Ghomsi (Messina, Italy)
Alexis Enam (Club Africain, Tunisia)
Alexandre Song (Arsenal, England)
Kingue Bebey (Astres Douala)

Midfielders:
Albert Baning (PSG, France)
Stephane Mbia (Rennes, France)
Georges Mandjeck (Stuttgart, Germany)
Gustave Bebbe (Istanbul Buyuksehir, Turkey)
Ndoubena Nkoulou (Monaco, France)
Aurelien Chedjou (Lille, France)
Landry Nguemo (Nancy, France)
Alain Olle Olle (Freiburg, Germany)

Strikers:
Franck Songo’o (Portsmouth, England)
Marc Mboua (Cambuur Leewarden, Holland)
Christian Bekamenga (Nantes, France)

Cote d’Ivoire Olympic Squad

Goalkeepers:
Vincent de Paul Angban (Asec Mimosas),
Christian Fabrice Okoua (Africa Sports)

Defenders:
Serges Wawa (Asec Mimosas),
Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (CFR Cluj, Romania),
Souleymane Bamba (Dunfermline, Scotland),
Angoua Brou Benjamin ( Budapest Honved, Hungary),
Mamadou Bagayoko (Africa Sports),
Mekeme Tamla Ladji (Beveren, Belgium)

Midfielders:
Herve Kambou (Charleroi, Belgium),
Kafoumba Coulibaly (Nice, France),
Emmanuel Kone (CFR Cluj),
Anthony Moura-Komenan (Libourne-Saint-Seurin, France),
Antoine N’Gossan (Asec Mimosas)

Forwards:
Salomon Kalou (Chelsea, England),
Franck Dja Djedje (Grenoble, France),
Guie Gneki Abraham (Budapest Honved),
Gervinho (Le Mans. France),
Sekou Cisse ( Roda JC, Holland)

Babel, Sno, and Makaay for Dutch Olympic team

The Netherlands Olympic Squad includes big names such as Liverpool’s Ryan Babel, Celtic’s Evander Sno, and former Bayern Munich player Roy Makaay.

After missing out on Euro 2008 through injury, Ryan Babel is fit and ready to represent his country in Beijing this August.

Evander Sno will surely use his versatility on the pitch to help his nation strive towards Olympic gold.  The young Celtic star typically plays as a strong defensive midfielder, but has been utilized as a striker in the Netherlands U-21 football team, and scored 3 times in the last 2 games for his country.

Roy Makaay, known at his former club Bayern Munich as Das Phantom (the Phantom) for scoring out of nowhere, will surely add experience to an otherwise young Dutch Olympic side.  The striker has since moved on from Munich, where he scored 78 goals in 129 appearances, to Dutch club Feyenoord, where in the past season he managed a solid 13 goals in 27 appearances.

*indicates over-23 player

Coach:
Foppe de Haan, 65
Goalkeepers:
Piet Velthuizen (21) (Vitesse)
Kenneth Vermeer (22) (Willem II)

Defenders:
*Kew Jaliens (29) (AZ Alkmaar)
Calvin Jong-a-Pin (21) (SC Heerenveen)
Dirk Marcellis (20) (PSV Eindhoven)
Erik Pieters (19) (FC Utrecht)
Gianni Zuiverloon (22) (West Brom, England)
Urby Emanuelson (22) (Ajax)

Midfielders:
Kees Luyckx (22) (AZ Alkmaar)
Otman Bakkal (23) (PSV Eindhoven)
Jonathan de Guzmán (20) (Feyenoord)
Hedwiges Maduro (23) (Valencia, Spain)
Evander Sno (21) (Celtic, Scotland)
Royston Drenthe (21) (Real Madrid, Spain)

Strikers:
Roy Beerens (20) (SC Heerenveen)
Ryan Babel (21) (Liverpool)
*Roy Makaay (33) (Feyenoord)
*Gerald Sibon (34) (SC Heerenveen)

Henry for United?

Manchester United are reportedly chasing Thierry Henry as their interest has cooled in Dimitar Berbatov.

Henry didn’t have the best of seasons as Barcelona last year and is reportedly keen to move back into the central role he prefers.

It is believed Henry would be available for about £15 million which is an excellent price if he still has the desire to win.

Italy: A Comprehensive Follow-Up Since Euro 2008 — Part 1

Sorry fans for the lack of coverage as of recent involving our favorite blue squad. The national squad has had several developments since their quarter-final exit at Euro 2008, and here is a brief recap of all the events since the tournament.

Italy was defeated by Spain after a lengthy 120 minute game in the ‘lottery’ of penalty kicks. Buffon made a stellar save in the fourth round to give Antonio Di Natale a chance to bring the kicks level, but his shot was not up to par leaving the door open for young prodigy Cesc Fabregas to finish the job for La Selección, which he happily did. Many fans and media writers have been strongly critical of an Italy deemed “too old”, though I strongly feel that the negative media attention was unfair for the Azzurri (despite their shortcomings).

If there were a year for Spain to succeed, it was this year. The perennial “underachievers” played good football for months well before the Euro competition began, and their young, talented players were brimming with confidence which was furthered by an easy first round as they punished the much weaker sides of Greece, Sweden, and Russia. As well, with the departure of long time coach Luis Aragonés imminent with his likely (and now confirmed) departure to the Turkish club Fenerbahce, it is clear that the Spanish players wanted to give the ultimate farewell to a coach who has put in much hard work and dedication to his country’s football. The Spanish triumph in Austria was less of a surprise than a lot of the media has made it out to be, in this writer’s opinion.

Following that, it should be considered that the toughest opposition Spain faced during the competition was in fact from a very battered Azzurri side. Although in fairness the Spanish were certainly the better side on the day, they faced an Italy side missing key players in Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, and Fabio Cannavaro. Italy was also having to make due with a makeshift backline featuring the relatively unexperienced Giorgio Chiellini and the older Christian Panucci, who was pushed into a centreback role from his usual sideback position. Adding to Italy’s problems, main target man Luca Toni seemed to be unconfident after a lack of scoring in the opening rounds, and once again seemed to be completely out of luck despite his best efforts to find the net throughout the game.
 
Expecting great things from Italy in every tournament is not unreasonable. They are a proven soccer powerhouse in the world, and Europe’s most successful team on the international scene. Although hopes were high following a convincing World Cup 2006 victory, it should not be a shock that they failed to win Euro 2008. The loss of Il Capitano was a major blow for Italy, as they lost their most capable centreback and a man who can lead the team both off the pitch and on. All of this being said however, Italy still came up short to what should have been reasonably expected.
 
The Italians did not play terribly, but they were certainly very lacklustre and a far cry from their World Cup 2006 form. In this writer’s opinion, the blame for Italy’s lack of form and poor placing (although not entirely a bad spot considering) falls on Italian manager Roberto Donadoni. I realize that too often in sports, the manager is the first person to take blame for a team despite players not performing well or overly optomistic expectations from the public and/or higher-ups. However, having been such a die hard Azzurri fan for so long, and having watched Donadoni’s work as he put together the team and managed them through Euro, I feel the fairly inexperienced coach was not the right man to be expected to take Italy to European glory. The FIGC made a rushed decision in his selection, and it showed.
 
Part 2 will follow shortly with a discussion of post Euro events and some additional analysis on where Donadoni might have gone wrong.

Justin Barrie

Bilic to remain as Croatia coach

Coach Slaven Bilic led the Croatia National Team superbly to the Euro2008 quarterfinals. After they were knocked out by the Turks, Bilic strongly considered quitting. He later revealed to the press, “When I saw all my players crying in the dressing room I thought, that is it, I’ve had enough of Football.”

However, the players on this team very much disagreed. It would be a shame if Bilic were to drop out before the 2010 World Cup where Croatia will once again meet England in the qualifiers as they did for the Euro. The whole team insisted that Bilic is the only one who can lead them to yet another victory over the English.

Later on Bilic stated, “I’ve decided that I must stay and that I must get us as far as I can in the World Cup. That is what I want to do for my country;” and well decided.

Jill Guthrie   

Could the 2010 World Cup be Capello’s last major tournament?

Fabio Capello has confirmed that the England job will be his last job in management. The 62 year old has a 4 years deal with the FA but this will be up for renewal after the World Cup in 2010 and apparently the opt-out section of the contract strongly favours the FA.

“I will complete my contract with England, but my time in the dugout will end with my England experience,”

“However, I would like to end my career having made an impact at a World Cup.”

This seems to signal that whether he does well or not at the tournament this could well be the last time we will see Capello.

Capello then went on to give his opinion on a few players, firstly commenting on Lampards proposed move to Inter Milan.

“As England coach I would prefer it if Lampard remained in England - he would have less travelling to do that way,”

Then secondly on David Beckhams position within the team.

“Until he is unable to play at an international standard, he will play,”

This wouldn’t have been what the young England players like David Bentley were hoping to hear.

Shilton, Beckham won’t break my record!

Peter Shilton has come out and told David Beckham that he doesn’t think he will beat his record of 125 England caps and he believes that Capellos side will fail in their quest to win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa if Beckham is in the side.

Shilton doesn’t believe the England midfielder, who has re-established himself in the side after being overlooked for a while, will be able to keep up and play in every game at the World Cup as by that time he will be 35.

There are host of young stars such as Ashley Young and David Bentley all vying for that right midfield spot but no one has impressed enough yet to replace the former England captain.

 “I don’t think David will break my record but if he did I would certainly be the first to congratulate him,” said Shilton.

“For an outfield player to break it in the modern game would be fantastic, and I believe he has a role to play with England in the near future.

“But I have to say if we haven’t got anyone to take David’s place we will struggle to do anything at the next World Cup.

“We are going to play so many games in a few weeks and that gets tough when you are in your mid-thirties.

“David will have a role to play, but if people like Bentley can’t come through and push him then I think we have got a problem.”

Although Shilton believes that Beckham can’t play every game he still sees a role for him.

“We won’t be able to rely on David in the next World Cup but there is definitely a place for him as he is a great ambassador and is also such a great player technically, for example with his wonderful free-kicks.

“But you would hope to have players who say: ‘I want that position’, and we need those players to come through.

“They have to pressurise the likes of David and (goalkeeper) David James, especially as Beckham is now 32 and he has done very well for an outfield player.

“Like I say, it’s not a problem if he beats my record for international appearances. Good luck to him if he does it - but I really think it will be difficult for him.”

Shilton also went on to talk about the England captaincy throwing his weight behind John Terry

 “I really like John Terry as a leader. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and if ever you need the ball cleared off the line or a goal scored when you need it then he’s your man.

“He is just a natural leader on the pitch and would definitely be my choice.”

Capello has experimented with Terry, Gerrard, Barry, Beckham and Ferdinand all taking the captains arm band but Shilton believe that Terry can be the new Terry Butcher or Barry Robson and be an influential figure in the team.

Igor Tudor retires from football

Croatian star Igor Tudor has been forced to retire from football with a persistent ankle injury, a blow to Croatia’s hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup Finals.

The defender, who is only 30, announced his retirement to the media on Wednesday evening.

Tudor suffered the injury to his ankle playing for Hadjuk Split three months ago and hasn’t been able to recover as quickly as he anticipated.

His career had gone full circle after beginning his career with his hometown club in 1995. He moved to Italy with Juventus in 1998, spending nine years with the Turin club and becoming a Serie A Champion.

Tudor was loaned out to Siena in 2005, before returning home to Hadjuk.

The player formed part of the successful Croatian team that made it to the third place at the 1998 World Cup.

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