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Weir and Kyle get Scotland recall

After Scotland’s shambolic display in Norway, Scotland manager George Burley has decided to freshen up his squad and has recalled David Weir and Kevin Kyle to the squad to freshen things up for the World Cup qualifier against Macedonia.

Scotland number one Craig Gordon will return from injury in time for the match and is a definite starter as is David Weir.

Stephen McManus is included but is yet to play a game for Celtic this season, while Steven Caldwell and Christophe Berra make it despite fitness worries.

Ross McCormack, Barry Robson and Chris Iwelumo are ruled out with injuries, while Kevin Thomson and Garry O’Connor have been overlooked.

With Gary Caldwell suspended for the clash with Macedonia and the injury concerns surrounding his brother Steven, McManus and Berra, Burley has called upon the experience of 39-year-old Weir.

“I’ve been in touch with Davie since I’ve been the manager, he has played in some of the games and played against Norway at Hampden last year,” said Burley.

“But David is turning 40 and it is a big ask for a player of his age to play international football, it is a big jump up from the SPL.

“Davie is a model professional but you are trying to introduce other players.

“I wouldn’t pick him if I wasn’t going to play him.”

The absence of forwards Iwelumo and McCormack has paved the way for Kilmarnock’s Kyle to add his considerable height to Burley’s attacking options.

The 28-year-old has not featured for his country since 2004 but has discovered a new lease of life at Rugby Park.

The former Sunderland and Coventry striker has scored 10 goals in 14 appearances for the Ayrshire side.

“It’s something that I didn’t think would happen,” said Kyle.”Five years ago, my career ended abruptly because i was injured and I never quite forced my way back into the team once I got fit.

“But if you play week in, week out and score goals, it can give you a chance.

“Obviously George has picked me on my form and I’ve been scoring goals most weeks, so I think it’s good that he’s willing to pick other people than the ones being picked recently.

“I’m bit older and a bit wiser, so it’s come at a good time.”

Burley has won just two of his 10 games in charge of Scotland but shrugged off suggestions he had these two games left to remain at the helm.

“My future doesn’t matter, it’s about Scotland,” he said. “We have two games left in this group. Keep my job? Who knows?

“Every game, I will try my best for my country and do whatever I can to get the right results.

“Managers come and go. This is for my country and I will do my best no matter what.

“I got all the criticism after the Norway game but I will take it on the chin.

“I’ve been knocked since I took the job.

“A lot of people didn’t want me to take it, didn’t think I was the right man. Even before a ball was kicked, I was being criticised.

“Nothing will change: my focus is for Scotland, my focus is for trying to qualify for the World Cup and do my best for the country.”

Wales consider different venues

Wales are considering switching their remaining qualifying games for the 2010 World Cup away form the Millennium Stadium as dwindling crowds have resulted in a lack of atmosphere.

During qualification for Euro 2004 Wales were the best supported nation with crowds of over 70,000 but since then there has only been one attendance over 30,000.

Wales narrowly missed out to Russia in qualification for Euro 2004 and since have been going through a transition with a lot of players such as Gary Speed, Ryan Giggs, Robbie Savage, Mark Delaney, John Hartson, Andy Melville and Mark Pembridge retiring from international football. This has resulted in a transition period for Wales where they are bringing in a lot of young players to fill these positions.

“We aren’t generating anything,” Bellamy said.

“What a nice place it is to come and play at the moment. Opposition teams must be very comfortable here.

“You come to a nice city, a very good stadium. No pressure. No atmosphere.”

So moving some qualifiers away from the Millennium Stadium is to be on the agenda for the FAW’s next International Committee meeting.

The Welsh FA are to end their Millennium Stadium qualifying season ticket initiative at the end of this campaign as the association considers taking Wales’ qualifiers on tour.

Wales will continue to play big box office opposition at the 74,000-capacity Millennium Stadium - Europe’s 13th biggest sporting arena - if the Welsh are drawn against nations such as Germany, Italy and England.

But the FAW hope the smaller grounds will create a more intense atmosphere to spur on Toshack’s Wales when they face less attractive opposition.

Wales will then play the second tier European nations at the recently-opened £50m Cardiff City Stadium, which has a capacity of 26,500, while Swansea’s 20,500-capacity Liberty Stadium will also be considered to host qualifiers.

Llanelli’s 15,000-capacity Parc y Scarlets is the only other ground in Wales that meets Uefa’s qualifying stadium criteria for competitive games but Wrexham’s Racecourse ground will be considered once it is redeveloped to meet Uefa standards.

So Wales’ final home 2010 World Cup qualifier against Russia on Wednesday, 9 September is to be their last guaranteed qualifier at the Millennium Stadium.

Wales used to play qualifiers at the old Ninian Park, the old Vetch Field and at the Racecourse before the FAW decided to make the most of the potential capacity of the Millennium Stadium in 2000.

The Welsh FA do not have to tell Uefa where they are to host their qualifying matches until 60 days before each fixture.

The Uefa 2012 European Championships qualifying draw will take place in Warsaw on 7 February.

Lippi’s Selection Headaches Continues

As the countdown to the 2010 Fifa World Cup draws ever closer, the Azzurri still have some work to do in their final qualifying matches to be assured of reaching and most importantly defending their coveted trophy once more.

Whilst the final qualifying matches against Georgia, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland and Cyprus may not seem daunting on paper, it is neither as simple as turning up and collecting three points, as the first qualifying match against Cyprus proved, where a largely unknown Cyprus team outplayed the Azzurri and without a divine intervention from Antonio Di Natale in stoppages who grabbed a brace the Azzurri would have been sent home embarrassed and without a single point.

The recent performances in the confederations cup showed the vulnerabilities in defence and without the magic of Buffon in many instances the score line could have looked worse. It is not to say that is the only headache Marcello Lippi faces in terms of rebuilding the squad, as the midfield was often outmuscled and overrun, but also the creativity and dynamism from Pirlo and Montolivo was not seen, which directly impacted on the amount and quality of service the likes of Toni, Rossi, and Gilardino were receiving.

In the most recent friendly between Italy and Switzerland, Lippi gave debuts to Domenico Criscito and Claudio Marchisio which I believe is a good sign for the team and other emerging talents in Serie A. The 2009/2010 Serie A season will be a chance for many players such as Santon, Cigarini, Guberti, Balotelli, Motta and Giovinco to impress and potentianlly earn a place in Lippi’s new look Azzurri.

Another selection headache for Lippi will be to decide whether to include Juventus striker Amauri who would be eligible to play for Italy once he receives his Italian passport and recent reports from the player suggests that could be soon. Alternatively, the resurgence of Antonio Cassano in recent seasons with the blucerchiati has seen many pundits in Italy questioning why he has not featured in recent games where there was a definite need for a creative playmaker upfront.

I am not saying that Lippi needs to panic and make drastic changes to the team, but I think players who continually play well need to be a consideration in terms of selection. One thing is for certain though; the upcoming Serie A season promises to be exciting and action packed with many players vying for an elusive spot to South Africa next year.

Kyle Nehring

No suprises from Trapattoni’s squad selection.

Giovanni Trappatoni announced on Friday that there would be no changes to the Irish squad ahead of the crucial qualifier against Cyprus on September 5th.

The Irish team has been remarkably lucky in the last year or so with injuries not having as much an affect throughout the course of this campaign. In fact, where most of the bigger nations in Europe like Spain and Portugal have been without the services of some of their bigger name stars due to injuries, Ireland fans have a very different reason to groan at when recent national selections have been announced, and this one was no different.

The same squad would do for the game against the Cypriots, which wouldn’t normally be seen as a major threat in the group. Unfortunately however, Ireland have had some strange games and results in their last few visits to the Mediterranean island. A barely deserved 1-0 win under the management of Brian Kerr in 2005 when only the heroics of goalkeeper Shay Given kept our hopes alive.

Probably the lowest point in the Republic of Ireland’s chequered history came when the team were torn to shreds on a score line of  5-2 to the Cypriots during the farcical helm of Steve “The Gaffer” Staunton . It was well and truly the worst game in living history for most Irish fans.

This time around there is a vast improvement in the Irish team, not least at management level. A much more professional aura surrounds the team and its’ preparations these days.

Which is why it still amazes me that so many are looking to the game against Italy in Dublin on October 10. So many seem to think that because the Italians are at a bit of a low ebb recently, that it will be a mere formality in Croke Park.

And although it has to be said that we do indeed probably have our best chance of beating Italy since that famous victory in Giants Stadium, New York in 1994, people seem to be forgetting one thing….Cyprus.

We simply cannot afford to think any further ahead than that game in Nicosia in just under two weeks time. Indeed, anything less than a win against Cyprus and a result against the Italians will be quite a hollow one. Ignoring the threat of Cyprus has been and could be a massive mistake.

These two games will more than likely make or break the Irish chances of qualifying. Six points from six is a very realistic goal at the moment, and something we should be aiming for. Four points would be acceptable, and anything less, and it’ll be another case of holding on until the end and hoping other results go our away in order to get involved in the lottery of the play-offs. We genuinely have a chance to top our group and head to South Africa with our heads held high and full of confidence.

I really hope the decision/stubbornness not to be pulling out all the stops to bring Stephen Ireland back and recall Andy Reid will not come back and haunt the management team.

Whereas the inclusion of Mr Ireland is a somewhat tricky situation, Andy Reid’s case seems a lot more straightforward. He publicly came out this weekend in a national newspaper and put forward a very good case for his return. Although he said he wouldn’t beg, he definitely said all the right things, and it appears, is doing all the right things too. A strict fitness regime has seen him lose the excess pounds that he has been carrying for the past few years.

He even said went as far as stating in willingness to participate in a “B” international. Which, as any genuine fan knows, is the lowest form of international competitiveness. They are about as meaningful as saying “No offence, but…” before launching into a tirade of personal abuse to a best friend.

It is obvious he loves playing for Ireland and wants to represent his country again, and not many players come out and state that publicly anymore. As the Stephen Ireland affair seems to be an endless snowball of rumours and alleged quotes, here is a black and white case of someone wanting to wear green.

The only other exception to the squad that Mr Trapattoni has no control over, would be that of Andy’s namesake, Stephen Reid. He had suffered more than anyone with injuries over the past 2 years and he would be a huge boost to the midfield. As he makes yet another slow recovery, we can only hope he is fit enough to face the Italians in Dublin next month.

Which brings me back to my original point. In a campaign where European teams have struggled with mounting injuries and loss of form, Ireland are somehow coasting along with what can be described as an average team at best.

To have the luxury of ignoring arguably the best midfielder currently in the Premiership in a team that are serious contenders for the top 3 places. While another who has found his best form of 5 years ago and is on the up with a Sunderland team that seem reborn under new management seems somewhat remarkable and a definite first for an Irish coach.

So much is resting on the next two months, not just the dreams of the players to perform on the highest level and at the biggest show in world sport. The hopes of the fans of a depressed Irish nation would be given such a morale boosting lift, that it would almost make the calamitous Irish government look favourable again. Well, I shouldn’t get too far ahead of myself, it’s only football at the end of the day, not miracle working. It is however, as the old saying goes…”a funny old game”.

McFadden considered quitting Scotland

James McFadden is one of Scotland brightest stars but he considered walking away from the national team after not getting picked for the starting lineup under George Burley.

There have been a number of players most notable Kris Boyd and Lee McCulloch that have quit the national team because they we not getting on the field but McFadden decided not to follow suit and is desperate to feature in the match with Macedonia in two weeks time.

“I think there comes a time in every player’s career when he thinks about stuff like that,” he said.

“You think to yourself, ‘I hate going on these trips and I hate not playing. Why am I here? Maybe I should be sitting in the house’.

“But it passes quickly enough. No matter how fed up you get, you realise this is your country - and you can’t beat the feeling of playing for your country.

“Okay, some players have enough of it and decide it’s not for them. But I don’t think I’ll ever get to that stage. The only way I can see myself walking away from Scotland is when I feel I’m not good enough to make a difference.

“Even if I’m sitting on the bench, I’m still itching to get on and make a difference. Let’s face it, about half of my appearances for Scotland have come from the bench anyway.

“Different managers do different things and you never know what is going to happen in any game so I’ll be ready whenever I’m needed. I’m only 26. By the time the next World Cup starts, I’ll be 27. If we get there, it would be a dream come true.”

Wales strengthens Under-21 squad

Wales under-21’s are set to face Italy in Swansea on the 4th of September and 10 of the first team squad that still qualify for the under-21’s will be dropping down to strengthen the tea, ahead of the tough fixture.

Arsenal teenager Aaron Ramsey and West Ham star Jack Collison are among seven players that played in Wales’ recent defeat in Montenegro in the 25-man squad with Ched Evans, Joe Allen and Andy King also dropping down to play the Italians.

Collison and Ramsey join fellow Wales senior players full-backs Chris Gunter and Neal Eardley, centre-back Lewin Nyatanga and strikers Simon Church and Sam Vokes in the under-21 squad for the Uefa European Championship qualifier.

Falkirk defender James Bloom and Swansea goalkeeper David Cornell are the uncapped players in the bumper under-21 squad named by boss Brian Flynn.

Young Wales youngsters are currently top of qualifying Group Three but clearly believe the Italians as their biggest test and major rivals in the race to reach the finals.

Flynn said: “The Italians are outstanding, we have had them watched and they are as usual full of highly skilled, talented players.

“We will need our best players against the Italians and that is the thinking behind calling up seven lads who still qualify for the under-21s from the senior squad.

“I’m telling everyone that I want a strong bench for the match, but seriously, it makes sense to give ourselves the best chance possible because beating Italy will be very difficult.”

Flynn’s Wales reached the two-legged Uefa Championship play-off last season, losing to England 5-4 on aggregate.

Collison and Ramsey, though, played brilliantly in their 2-2 draw in the second-leg at Villa Park with the Arsenal youngster scoring a wonder goal.

Flynn will be hoping for something similar this time around. He said: “The boys who beat Hungary last week did an exceptional job, it was an excellent performance.

“But if we have experienced, senior players we can call in, it would be daft not to do so.”

Wales squad to face Italy under-21 on Friday, 4 September:

Goalkeepers: David Cornell (Swansea City), Chris Maxwell (Wrexham)

Defenders: Darcy Blake (Cardiff City), James Bloom (Falkirk), Neal Eardley (Blackpool), Chris Gunter (Nottingham Forest), Arron Morris (Cardiff City), Lewin Nyatanga (Bristol City), Christian Ribeiro (Bristol City), Ashley Richards (Swansea City), Neil Taylor (Wrexham), James Wilson (Bristol City)

Midfielders: Joe Allen (Swansea City), Mark Bradley (Walsall), Jack Collison (West Ham United), Nathan Craig (Everton), Andy King (Leicester City), Shaun MacDonald (Swansea City), Joe Partington (AFC Bournemouth), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

Strikers: Simon Church (Reading), Ched Evans (Sheffield United), Casey Thomas (Swansea City), Sam Vokes (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Marc Williams (Wrexham)

Maradona confident about facing Brazil

Diego Maradona is only considering victory for his Argentina side in next month’s pivotal World Cup qualifier against continental arch rivals Brazil.

With four games to go in South American zonal qualifying, Argentina are lying fourth in the last automatic qualifying spot for South Africa, with 22 points, five behind leaders Brazil.

Chile and Paraguay are in second and third.

Despite that precarious position, Maradona was in positive mood Wednesday, telling a press conference in Rosario where the September 5 tie is being held: “I’m only thinking of victory, I’m not considering defeat.”

Honours were shared with a goalless draw in the two countries’ first meeting on the road to South Africa in Belo Horizonte in June last year.

But this time Maradona believes the outcome will be different.

“We’re hungrier than Brazil,” insisted the Argentine football legend who this month was forced to dismiss reports linking him to the manager’s job at English Premier League side Portsmouth.

Maradona, who took over as Argentina boss in November 2008, spoke in reverential terms of Dunga’s Brazilian side which in June successfully defended their Confederations Cup title.

“The entire Brazil team makes me scared,” he admitted.

“They have a fantastic side but the best players must be Kaka and Robinho.

“I have the utmost respect for Carlos Dunga, he organises things very well.”

He concluded by issuing a rallying cry to his team who had to come from behind to edge Russia 3-2 in a warm-up to the Brazil clash last week in Moscow.

“We are all Argentinians and we’re going to be coming up against our biggest rivals.

“We have to remain united, otherwise Brazil can do us great harm.”

After Brazil, Argentina face another awkward assignment against the Paraguayans on September 9, with the two-time world champions’ remaining two qualifiers against bottom-of-the-table Peru and sixth-placed Uruguay in October.

Who could England take to the World Cup?

Although the World Cup is not until next summer and the league has only started we are now starting to look at the players that could travel to the world Cup for the national side. Obviously we don’t know who will be fit, who won’t and who will have a good season, but who are the ones to watch that could force their way into the England squad.

The usual suspects will be there as long as they are fit, the likes of Terry, Lampard, Gerrard, Ferdinand, Barry etc. but who are the maybe’s and possibilities?

The strike force will centre around Rooney with a host of possibilities to partner him up front. Defoe came intoi the friendly last week and did well with his two goals but you also have Peter Crouch and, what looks like a rejuvenated, Darren Bent to consider. There is also a chance that is Frazier Campbell can play more this season then he has a shout as does Dean Ashon if he can get fit and stay fit.

Midfield is quite a solid area for England with few opportunities for youngsters coming in just now. Hopefully Beckham gets a slot in the squad and if he continues to play the way he has recently it would be harsh to see him ommitted. Hargreaves is in with a shout of a call up if he gets fit as is Joe Cole but the likes of Jenas is a possibility for a slot as is Cattermole if he has a good season and young Wilshere at Arsenal who is already being tipped to be the wildcard that England will take to the finals next year.

There is unlikely to many surprises in goals with Robinson, James, Green and Foster likley to be the choices unless injuries occur. Simillarly in defence there are unlikley to be any major shocks.

The spots for the additional midfield and attacking options in the squad are definitely up for grabs and at the moment there are a lot of players on the fringe of the first team. The likes of Ashley Young, Theo Walcott (who will almost certainly go), James Milner and Abonglahor are all there or there abouts but are not guaranteed to make the squad. Throw into the mix Michael Owen moving to Man Utd and Capello has a good number of attacking options to choose from.

It will be interesting to see who performs well this season and see who takes the opportunity to earn themselves a place in the England squad next year.

Duff back in the Premiership

Good news for Republic of Ireland’s World Cup chances today as the announcement that Damien Duff completed his move to Fulham. Although it was expected, it still comes as a very welcome announcement to the Irish set up.

Duff can be happy with the move to the London club, as Fulham have improved leaps and bounds under the guidance of Roy Hodgson in the past year. Linking up with the Fulham boss seems to be a clever move as both worked together in their days at Blackburn and it certainly drew dividends for both parties then.

If Fulham can qualify for the new Europa League, it will be a huge improvement in  the quality of opposition facing Duff this year. Duff can now look forward to possible Thursday nights games against high quality opposition like Roma, Valencia, Benfica and Ajax instead of a Tuesday night in a blustery Barnsley.

With any luck Duff’s last few years of looking bored and fed-up with his game can  be put behind him on both a club and an international level as he looks to cement his berth on the wing. And by wing, I mean on the pitch and on the plane…to South Africa!

Could Ronaldo be a bigger brand than Beckham?

Cristiano Ronaldo has the potential to replace David Beckham as the footballer who earns the most money from endorsements following his world record 130-million dollar move to Real Madrid, experts say.

“There is certainly a vacancy for a football central brand right now,” said Simon Chadwick, professor of sport business strategy and marketing at Coventry University in England.

“Beckham, because of his age and the stage of his career, has lost it. And Ronaldo is ideally placed to assume the mantle of ‘brand Beckham’, especially among young kids and teenagers,” he told AFP.

Chadwick, who has studied what makes a strong sports player brand, said Ronaldo has many of the required qualities: he is highly skilled, has a good physique, plays at a successful team and has enjoyed “sustained” success.

The 24-year-old Portuguese winger has already appeared barechested in adverts for Pepe Jeans, as well as in campaigns for Nike, Coca-Cola, the video game FIFA Street 2 and Indonesian energy drink Extra Joss.

He earned 19.6 million dollars a year at Manchester United off the pitch from product endorsements, compared to 42.5 million dollars earned by the 34-year-old Beckham last year, according to British media reports.

With his move to Real, where he will play alongside other big-name new recruits like Kaka and Karim Benzema, Ronaldo is following in the footsteps of Beckham who also left Manchester United for a successful spell at Real.

“He is in a fantastic position. Both clubs are very good at marketing their brand and players and have a huge fan base,” said Jamie Wynne-Morgan, managing director of M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment.

“He needs to be careful not to be overexposed and make the right strategic decisions, not do lots of little deals,” added Wynne-Morgan, whose agency advised on a deal that saw Ronaldo sign up as a “global ambassador” for engine oil company Castrol earlier this year.

Ronaldo, the 2008 FIFA world player of the year, signed a six-year deal with Real worth 94 million euros and will reportedly be paid 13 million euros each season, making him the world’s most expensive player.

His appeal to the youth market coveted by advertisers was underscored at his official unveiling on July 6 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium as nearly 80,000 ecstatic fans, mainly teenagers and young adults, turned out to welcome him.

Ronaldo however lacks the seemingly stable family life which Beckham, who now plays for Los Angeles Galaxy, enjoys and is often accused of not being a team player, two factors which could decrease his “likeability” factor and appeal to advertisers.

“Beckham was so successful at Real in part because he was seen as playing for the team. I don’t think Ronaldo has that. Off field Ronaldo needs to get married, settle down with a nice girl, and start a family,” said Chadwick.

How much Ronaldo earns from endorsements will ultimately depend on his performance on the pitch since companies seek endorsements from top players like Ronaldo because they want to be associated with their success.

“They want to be seen as young, goodlooking, funky, successful brands so therefore they want to have young, goodlooking, funky, successful icons promoting their name,” said veteran football agent Jon Holmes, who managed former England international striker Gary Lineker.

“He is a good looking guy and I would say his level of articulateness is about the same as Beckham’s. I don’t know about his intelligence or anything like that but he is not dissimilar in some ways,” he told AFP.

“He is probably a better player than Beckham in that he is more versatile. Beckham is a workhorse of a player, Ronaldo seems to be a more natural player.”

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