Who should replace Chelsea's John Terry as England captain? Former England and Aston Villa manager
Graham Taylor believes that Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard is the ideal candidate for the job,
but only if he can prove that he's up to it. Speaking to BBC Sport, Taylor argued:"Gerrard's been
captain before and I'd expect [Fabio] Capello to give it to him if he gets his top-class form back.
"Football is a simple game" were four words of Graham Taylor's wisdom when he was managing
Watford up the Football League in the late 70s and early 80s. And his Watford sides certainly "kept
it simple." But it is an unfortunate consequence of the contemporary 24-hour news culture that
"keeping" football analysis "simple" leaves a gap in the media schedules.
With Shay Given out for a month, Brad Guzan gets his first Premier League start, and it's also
emerged this week that the American is in contract discussions with his current deal set to expire
at the end of the season. Jermaine Jenas is out for the season, and with the club apparently on the
hook for his wages the less said about that the better.
One of the bigger talking points has been the return of Ashley Young. James Milner showed class
by not celebrating at Eastlands recently, expect Ashley Young to do exactly the same today, but
preferably because he hasn't scored.
Either way, it's a tough game ahead and I suspect there will be a bigger interest in the manner
we McLeish approaches the game than any real expectation in getting much from it.
By Alan Duffy
Next summer, Fabio Capello's England will be facing both France and Sweden in the European
Championship group stages, just as they had done 20 years previous.
In the 1992 finals in Sweden, a Graham Taylor-led England side endured a dismal tournament,
losing to the hosts (courtesy of Thomas Brolin's famous goal) after playing out goalless draws with
both Denmark (the eventual winners) and a France side which included Eric Cantona and Jean-Pierre
Papin.
Gary Gardner scored all three goals in a comprehensive victory over Ajax U19s in the Young
Lions' final group stage match of the NextGen Series at Villa Park tonight, guaranteeing a place in
the quarter finals next year.
Ajax, who are now bumped down to second place in the group, have one final game; Rosenborg at home
on November 29th.
The manager whose team bonding exercise involved killing a pig... plus the week's
daftest football quotes
DAFT QUOTES OF THE WEEK "England have players who can rattle anyone's feathers" – MICHAEL OWEN
"Belgium's not a hotpot of international football" – ALAN BRAZIL "This strikes me very much as a
friendly international" – GRAHAM TAYLOR, AT ENGLAND v SWEDEN "Nicky Shorey is the provider but
Shane Long has made this all on his own" – CHRIS KAMARA "Has England's win pampered over the
cracks?
You have to go all the way back to 2004/05 to find the last time this fixture was played; a 3-0
win under David O'Leary. Alex McLeish could really do with something similar today.
Darren Bent has said that one goal could open the floodgates, and McLeish has "rubbished" silly
rumours of a January sale.
by Adam Bate
Lille may be a long way from Lourdes but the message from Joe Cole is clear – his visit to
France has given him a new lease of life.
Cole had cut a forlorn figure at Liverpool but the loan move to Ligue 1 has seen him
reinvigorated. Roaming the field with freedom and dribbling past defenders for fun, it is easy to
be reminded of the player once hailed as the saviour of English football.
Halloween comes early for pumpkin Steve Kean, plus daft quotes and wicked
whistle
Graham Taylor's ‘Turnip' nickname set the standard for vegetable-based indignity heaped on a
struggling manager. Until this unhappy Halloween message for Blackburn's boss (see pic above).
Darren Bent's first return to Wearside since his switch to Aston Villa has dominated the
headlines, but Steve Bruce will more concerned with trying to find what would only be his third
home win of 2011.
Alex McLeish is coming off the back of two losses; one far from unexpected, the other extremely
disappointing.
By Chris Wright
I'm pretty sure that someone in an ad department somewhere is pulling my pudding, but it says
here that Graham Taylor has helped design and model The Sho'ot (shoe-oot) a hybrid football
boot/studded leather brogue produced to help stop managers slipping over on the touchline.
West Brom come to Villa Park in a fixture we haven't lost since 1979. Our record from the last
10 times we played the Baggies in the league is six wins and four draws.
Roy Hodgson's side picked up their second win of the season last weekend, a 2-0 home victory
against the hapless Wolves. We're trying to put a comprehensive loss at the hands of Man City
behind us, Alex McLeish threatening to drop any players who put in lacklustre defensive
displays.
Do I not like those Ex-England manager Graham Taylor has this morning been unveiled as the face of
a new shoe aimed at stopping football managers having embarrassing touchline falls. The Sho'ot was
commissioned by the makers of the Football Manager video game amid concerns that too many gaffers
were being caught out by slick [.
We're back in action for what is the first really big test for Alex McLeish since he came to
Villa, possibly one of the toughest of the season, but also as good a time as any to play Man City
at their own place.
Over the last 10 times this league fixture has been played, we've won just two and lost eight
times.
England striker Wayne Rooney will miss the Euro 2012 group stage after being banned for three
matches for his sending off against Montenegro.
Uefa's disciplinary panel, which described the incident as an "assault", decided on the
punishment at a meeting on Thursday. The England FA are said to be considering an appeal.
England striker Wayne Rooney will miss the Euro 2012 group stage after being banned for three
matches for his sending off against Montenegro.
Uefa's disciplinary panel, which described the incident as an "assault", decided on the
punishment at a meeting on Thursday. The England FA are said to be considering an appeal.
The emergence of yet another new team at Manchester United may fuel the argument over just how Sir
Alex Ferguson stays one step ahead of his rivals. But it settles another debate.
Graham Taylor writes of the future of Manchester United, as well as the potential for the English
national team.
Tough to be in his shoes
If you make it until the end of this piece and you think that "well, this may be the case but
some of it is brought on by the way we handle ourselves", I wouldn't say you're wrong completely.
Yet, it feels like everyone is against us. Of course many of those stems from the weekend
defeat.
By Chris Wright
For no other reason than 'Madman Across The Water' is currently on in the background at Pies
Towers, here's a fifteen-strong gallery of former chairman and current 'Honorary Life President'
Elton John flamboyantly going about his business at Watford down through the years.
Alex McLeish is a big gamble for Aston Villa - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Looking beyond the city rivalry, there's plenty of ammunition for Villa fans to suggest that
'Big Eck' is not the right man for the job.
Alex McLeish has won just 26% of his games as a Premier League manager, so far no Aston Villa
manager with more than five games in charge has posted such a low percentage.
Gerard Houllier has stepped down as manager of Aston Villa as he continues to recover from heart
problems.
"I am extremely disappointed that I will not have the opportunity to manage Aston Villa next
season," said Houllier. "My health has improved considerably since I was taken ill on 20 April.
The headline I went with when Martin O'Neill walked out on Aston Villa was something along the
lines of "They think he's taken us as far as he can... he has now". It was a reference to the
persistent theme among the growing dissent that our club was stagnating under his stewardship and
also the fact that the record would forever confirm that that would indeed be as far as he could
take the club.
-
More Photos from Cardiff
-
Throughout the day, updates, comments and perspectives re QPR and football in general are
posted and discussed on the QPR Report Messageboard...Also Follow: QPR
REPORT ON TWITTER______________________________________________________________________________________
- QPR Face Mass Points Deduction.
-
-
-
Throughout the day, updates, comments and perspectives re QPR and football in general are
posted and discussed on the QPR Report Messageboard...Also Follow: QPR
REPORT ON TWITTER______________________________________________________________________________________
- QPR vs Cardiff: Compilation of Match Reports, Managerial Comments &
Photos
- NEXT: HullSunday Mirror/Paul Smith - Warnock set to leave QPR even if they're promoted- It would rank as one of the most astonishing changes even in the crazy world of the managerial
merry-go-round.
-
-
-
-
Throughout the day, updates, comments and perspectives re QPR and football in general are
posted and discussed on the QPR Report Messageboard...Also Follow: QPR
REPORT ON TWITTER_____________________________________________________________________________________
- Matt Connolly Speaking about Cardiff; Deserving the Championship Title; and his own
Performances
- Three Years Ago Today: QPR's New Crest/Badge/Logo Leaked onto the QPR Messageboards
- Ex-QPR Justin Cochrane's Non-Football Business
- Year Flashback: AKUTRS re QPR (and vs AKUTRS)
- QPR fans in the dock again after Millwall battle part two
- Graham Taylor on Promoted Premiership Clubs Buying Players
- Next: Cardiff - Warnock and Other Perspectives
- Remembering Cardiff and Hotel Fire Alarms
- Routledge Reportedly to Sign for QPR
- Twenty-Five Years Ago: QPR's Oxford United League Cup Disaster
- What's the FA Going to Do on THIS Matter: LEEDS Ownership?
-
- Enlarged Photo
-
QPR 38 37 76
Norwich 39 21 70
Cardiff 39 17 66
Swansea 39 16 66
Leeds 39 12 64
Reading 38 20 60
7 Nott'm Forest 39 10 60 - Complete Table
-
Throughout the day, updates, comments and perspectives re QPR and football in general are
posted and discussed on the QPR Report Messageboard.
In a week where Arsenal's dream of a historic quadruple has faded into near nothingness while
Manchester United's hopes of bagging a terrific treble continue to burn brightly, Sir Alex Ferguson
has sought to adopt an an all too familiar siege mentality in relation to recent media criticism
and jibes he has received from rival managers of his attitude towards match officials.
In a week where Arsenal's dream of a historic quadruple has faded into near nothingness while
Manchester United's hopes of bagging a terrific treble continue to burn brightly, Sir Alex Ferguson
has sought to adopt an an all too familiar siege mentality in relation to recent media criticism
and jibes he has received from rival managers of his attitude towards match officials.
After Sir Alex Ferguson was critical of referee Martin Atkinson when he failed to send David
Luiz off for three yellow card offences and missed John Terry's handball in the box which blocked a
Luis Nani shot, he received an FA charge and criticism from all over the place.
"People have short memories," Ferguson said.
