Watching former Manchester United starlets Jonathan Greening and Erik Nevland bravely battling away for Fulham in a vain attempt to try and salvage something for their club last weekend one could not...
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Dimitar Berbatov. Love him, hate him, sigh about him, throw your hands up in frustration about him, but you just can't seem to ignore him. We certainly haven't, on this blog and I believe we've now had enough on the subject that it's practically a trilogy now. On that note, you can catch Part I� here� and a sort of a follow-on rebuttal in Part II here.

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A fascinating observation by a senior England official at the recent camp prior to the friendly match against Egypt gave an interesting insight into the vast difference in attitude between players...
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All eyes will be on Wembley tonight as England take on Egypt in our first friendly of the year in the build up to the World Cup. John Terry is set to start tonight and could face the England boo-boys in light of the events of recent weeks. I asked the question on here whether or not John should play tonight and have been encouraged by the reports and quotes coming out of the England camp. Click to continue reading...

I have just been reading this piece written by Stan Collymore (who as we all know has had it his own domestic issues during his playing career) and was wondering who thinks the same or who thinks that maybe JT should sit out Wednesday's England game against Egypt at Wembley?.
Don't get me wrong fellow blues. Click to continue reading...

After impressing in last January's Africans Nations Cup, Mohamed Zidan was again under the spotlight after scoring for Egypt in last week's friendly game against England, at Wembley. With his father revealing that Arsenal, Manchester ... Click to continue reading...

Football Association officials are trying to ensure bugged conversations between England players and coaches remain confidential, it emerged on Tuesday. It is understood talks involving England manager Fabio Capello and his squad at the team's hotel ahead of last week's 3-1 friendly international victory against Egypt at Wembley were taped secretly. Click to continue reading...

As Emile Heskey raced through for a one-on-one with Adam Federici I did wonder if the bed-ridden Gabby Agbonglahor had as much chance scoring. I didn't fancy the big lump finding the back of the� net, and by the looks of it neither did he. His tame effort was saved and in that instant Heskey's season was encapsulated.

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Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard could face an FA investigation after he appeared to flash a V-sign at referee Andre Marriner during his side's 1-0 defeat at Wigan on Monday night.
The England midfielder was booked in the 81st minute of the Barclays Premier League clash at the DW Stadium following a robust challenge from behind on James McCarthy, and replays of the incident suggested that Gerrard had gestured towards Marriner as well as mouthing an obscenity at the official. Click to continue reading...

At the end of February, in the midst of a growing campaign from Tottenham Hotspur supporters for Roman Pavlyuchenko to get his chance in the first team, we asked who you thought should be Spurs' first choice strikers. Here were the results:
1, Roman Pavlyuchenko (50% of the vote)
2, Jermain Defoe (38%)
3, Eidur Gudjohnsen (5%)
4, Robbie Keane (4%)
5, Peter Crouch (3%)
As you can see, Pavlyuchenko and Defoe ran away with the vote, while poor old Peter Crouch only received a mere handful of votes, down at the bottom below even the exiled Robbie Keane. Click to continue reading...

After yesterday's nice news, its a return to the norm today, as the FA have discovered that a bugged conversation between Fabio Capello and his players before England's win against Egypt last week was offered to the press. The FA have warned the press that it would illegal for them to publish the material as it was gained via illicit means.

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As the World Cup build-up gathers pace and the media take aim at their final squad selections, it seems to me that regardless of our consistent existence outside of 'the big four', it is in fact Spurs players who could play the biggest role as England look to finally conquer their second World Cup.

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The Football Association is looking into a security breach after a tape emerged purporting to carry discussions between England coaches and players.

The recording, allegedly made at the England hotel as the squad prepared for last week's friendly with Egypt, has been offered to media outlets.

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Yeah, Theo's performance for England vs Egypt was a little underwhelming. But based on the highlights I saw of Arsenal 3-1 Burnley, the young man still has plenty to offer the England team at World Cup 2010.

Walcott delivered some dangerous crosses from the right flank, crosses that a better striker than Nicklas Bendtner probably would have buried.

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As of press time, no TV provider is broadcasting Fox Soccer Plus in HD. Fox Soccer Plus is on DirecTV, DISH Network and Verizon FiOS, but each of the three channels are only showing the channel in SD.

But what would Fox Soccer Plus look like in HD if you could see it?

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England v Egypt
by oodinjeta

Usually, the main point of friendlies is to learn. To try things out, to see what works, and build from it. Certainly, last night's friendly with Egypt (highlights above) was quite productive in that case.

4-4-2 Should Be Left In The Past

We've got a big soft spot in this country for 4-4-2 as we won the World Cup using it.

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Having watched virtually every England game for over 40 years now its odd how little changes. We rarely put on a virtuoso display and we usually come away feeling as though we really should play better. Even when we do play well, many fans will be quick to point out that the opposition was weak.

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Peter Crouch pretty much booked his plane ticket to South Africa this summer, with two goals against Egypt last night. Despite his excellent goalscoring record for England, his place in the World Cup squad was still in doubt, as Capello tries to find the right mix up front.

Capello's main priority is to find a blend that will bring out the best in Wayne Rooney, but as that may well translate to the Manchester United striker starting alongside the non-scoring Emile Heskey, it's important to have some more prolific options available in the squad.

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Substitutes Peter Crouch and Shaun Wright-Phillips spared England further embarrassment as Fabio Capello's scandal-tarnished squad came from behind to register a 3-1 win over Egypt. The recently-crowned African champions had looked on course for a landmark victory on their first appearance at Wembley when Mohamed Zidan translated their initial superiority into . Click to continue reading...

Peter Crouch came off the bench last night to give England victory over Egypt. Two second half goals took the Tottenham striker's England tally to 20 in 37 games. More importantly, the first gave England a springboard for success in a World Cup warm up which had threatened to go the way of a skillful Egyptian side. Click to continue reading...

Slightly odd game at Wembley, which I supposed isn't a huge surprise given all that's happened in the buildup. Speaking of which, John Terry looked less than sure of himself, beginning the game by fluffing a simple pass out wide to Wes Brown.

What else can we say?

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Peter Crouch stepped up his claims for a FIFA World Cup starting spot with two goals as England came from behind to defeat Egypt 3-1 at Wembley. The Tottenham striker took his goal tally for his country to 20 in 37 games after replacing club-mate Jermaine Defoe at half-time when England trailed to Mohamed Zidan's opener. Click to continue reading...

There was no change in the top four teams in the FIFA Coca-Cola monthly rankings. Spain continue to be atop the standings, while Brazil cut that lead by 11 points. The Netherlands and Italy follow in the standings.
The Rest of the Top Ten
Germany and Portugal flip flopped places while England and Argentina did the same; but the biggest surprise came from a relative outsider. Click to continue reading...

England starting XI: Green, Brown, Upson, Terry, Baines, Walcott, Lampard Barry, Gerrard, Rooney, Defoe.

Presumably, they'll line up something like this:

Green
Brown Upson Terry Baines
Walcott Lampard Barry Gerrard
Rooney Defoe

Robert Green in goal, which I'm not going to complain about.

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The latest "Respect" campaign released today by the FA prior to the England - Egypt friendly. It encourages all grassroots players to lose their abusive behavior. Click to continue reading...

Major quickie my bredren, I'm not in no fit state to ramble on about the plight of John Terry's big I Am Untouchable shenanigans plus I deffo don't want to pipe up about Ashley I'm Sooo Depressed Cole. It serves you both right. I want to dwell on the re-emergence of Leighton Baines, Warnock, Carlton Cole & Stewart Downing, even if my heads banging after watching the Paddys and Brazilians in a Guinness fuelled haze at the Emirates.

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Holland - USA is on ESPN2 and Galavision at 2:30pm. Fox Soccer Plus (new channel replacing Setanta) has England - Egypt at 3pm. Germany - Argentina is on GolTV at 2:45pm, followed by Italy - Cameroon at 4:45pm. France Spain is on ESPN Deportes at 3pm followed by Switzerland - Uruguay at 5pm. Telemundo has Mexico - New Zealand at 11pm. Click to continue reading...

As Rob mentioned earlier, the England vs Egypt friendly is more important than your average friendly. It's the first game since the John Terry fiasco for example, and we'll all be watching to see how he performs sans elasticated armband. There's the left back situation too. Ashley Cole is currently injured and Wayne Bridge has removed himself from the equation, so Everton's Leighton Baines and Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock both have a shot to booking themselves a World Cup ticket.

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This week's World Cup 2010 warm up is England v Egypt and it is an ideal opportunity for Fabio Capello to test some untried England players alongside regulars and his decisions may have been made a little easier with several key players missing. The most high profile position at the moment ... Click to continue reading...

photo credit: gordonflood.com

Sitting would be a good idea for Rooney right now...

Fabio Capello was on hand to see United win the Carling Cup on Sunday.� I suppose it would have been much less interesting if Wayne Rooney hadn't come in as a sub, with an injured knee, and won the Cup for United, but Rooney worked through the pain and played the role of Superman beautifully against Aston Villa.

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Fabio Capello has named his 24 man England squad to play Egypt this Wednesday, March 3rd at Wembley. Is is as follows:

David James, Robert Green, Joe Hart; Wes Brown, James Milner, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Joleon Lescott, Ryan Shawcross, Leighton Baines, Stephen Warnock; David Beckham, Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard, Michael Carrick, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stewart Downing; Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Carlton Cole.

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We've complained alot, England fans, about friendly matches. Everytime is followed by a round of managers moaning that its pointless having England friendlies, followed by pundits, and to some degree supporters about how they feel a bit of a chore.

Next Wednesday England run out at Wembley to launch their new kit, to prepare for the World Cup group game against Algeria by playing Egypt, their local rivals and recent winners of the African Cup of Nations.

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Rafa Benitez believes captaining England next week will bring the best out of Steven Gerrard.
With new skipper Rio Ferdinand injured, Gerrard is expected to take the armband in the friendly against Egypt.
Benitez thinks the occasion could boost Gerrard's confidence - benefiting both club and country. Click to continue reading...

As Daryl posted earlier in the day, Wayne Bridge has removed himself from the England pool. I can definitely understand, it might be a bit painful being around your ex-teammate who hooked up with your baby-mama for a whole month. Aside from the inner-turmoil which is certainly making custody negotiations awkward for the Bridge family as we speak, and the invention of the wonderful chant "Mrs.

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Wayne Bridge has made himself unavailable for England selection, which means he won't be going to World Cup 2010. Probably because he doesn't want to spend a full month in the company of John Terry.

"I have thought long and hard about my position in the England football team in the light of the reporting and events over the last few weeks," Bridge said in a statement released by his lawyers.

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Just a reminder for those of you sick of curling and figure skating, the US take on El Salvador tonight at 7 p.m. ET in Tampa, Florida.� Tune in to ESPN Classic to support your national team.� (Side note: It appears our U-17 men are also playing today.� They're going up against Mexico at 4:15, also in Tampa, Florida.

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The question of who captains England at the World Cup remains unresolved following the news that Steven Gerrard is to deputise for Rio Ferdinand in the forthcoming Egypt friendly. Am I the only England fan asking: how long can this go on?
It is about time someone took a long hard look at the Ferdinand situation. Click to continue reading...

Earlier this week, Chris posted a video of Neymar and his "paradinha" penalty. "Paradinha," you'll remember, is Portuguese for "little stop." The perfect description. There may be another word in French or Arabic to describe the above move by Egypt's Hosni Abd Rabou (against Algeria), but in English we'll just call it "the [. Click to continue reading...

Chelsea left back Ashley Cole broke his left ankle in the game against Everton last night, an injury that will keep him out of the Chelsea line-up for three months, and puts his World Cup in doubt.

Cole's injury means we might see the combination of Wayne Bridge and John Terry playing along side each other when England play Egypt on 3 March at Wembley.

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Chelsea left back Ashley Cole broke his left ankle in the game against Everton last night, an injury that will keep him out of the Chelsea line-up for three months, and puts his World Cup in doubt.

Cole's injury means we might see the combination of Wayne Bridge and John Terry playing along side each other when England play Egypt on 3 March at Wembley.

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