to England.
Again much wailing and gnashing of teeth about what a huge loss it is with Rio Ferdinand being injured and out of the England squad for the World Cup.
But you really look at it and quite frankly it isn’t. For all the criticisms some aimed at Emile Heskey it could be one of the very few decent things he’s actually done in an England shirt.
I mean he’s come of a bad season where he hardly played and when he did it was embarrassing some of the displays, as players skinned him for fun. Added to that when was the last time Ferdinand actually shone for his country? You think back and back and back and you start figuring out it wasn’t the last World Cup but the one before that. Dear god it’s 8 years ago.
Eight years back when he was the best central defender of the tournament and pretty much therefore the world, how he missed out on being in the team of that tournament is beyond anyone’s belief. But then he had his dream move to ManUre and from then on it’s been easy street – “don’t have to bother I’m Rio and I play for ManUre so I’m guaranteed”.
But we need our best players playing you shout. Ferdinand and Terry the rock at the back.
Not really so though is it. Under Svennis then McClown and now Fabio when they’ve been available and the first choice how many clean sheets have we kept? It ain’t many, especially not against top sides. And England can’t afford to be leaky at the back. Yes the ‘keeper situation doesn’t help but when have England ever been so weak at set-pieces than with them two at the back.
Ah but we’ve lost our captain, our leader. Well he’s been the leader for how many weeks now and during that played in a whole 2 games so that just doesn’t count at all.
That does though bring the one real downside to all this. The vice-captain – Gerrard. It means he really is guaranteed the starting XI place, when he doesn’t in any way deserve it and his inclusion, crowbarred in there will upset the balance of the side.
It is though good news for Spurs fans, five of our lads out there now, with Michael Dawson coming in. Which leads to again another reason not to be hopeful under Fabio. Ledley will be brought into directly replace Ferdinand in the starting XI but he won’t be able to train with Terry – though when the media tell you about Leldley not training they always show film of him training – and build up that partnership.
The answer though is right there, staring Fabio in the face. Play Ledley and Dawson.
Daws has been at Spurs for 5 years now he and King have played together quite a bit, they now each others game, they are a partnership and that can only be better than two players who need an understanding playing together every few days in a meaningful match.
Fabio won’t do it though, after all he picks the best XI names and then fits them in. Unlike a certain World Cup winning manager who picks the best players for the team.