It's Been a While, and Here is Why...

I have somewhat neglected this blog of late. And although I doubt that anyone has noticed, I thought I would direct you to my profile on bleacherreport.com, where I am now a writer. I focus most of my sportswriting attention on there because, well, the readership and exposure is vastly superior!

Anyway, here is my profile, if you are interested...

:)

The Summer of Wonder

I've turned into the worst sports writer ever this summer. To be fair, there has been good reason...







                 
                     
            ...and...










Oh yeah, and also....

So it's been just about the best sporting summer of my life thus far. I've also missed England more than I ever have before. I guess the main reason that I have been a bad sports writer is that good sports writers get to be paid to write about this stuff.

One day... one day...

The World European Championships 2012

I feel like something of a failure, because I have failed to comment on that most dramatic of tournaments, the European Championships. If you need proof of just how great a competition it is, look at the way the entire world is enthralled - and that's without incorrectly adding the word "world" in front of it like some American sports might (you know who you are, Major League Baseball).

Anyway, what a great start to Euro 2012! My vote for goal of the tournament so far is this one by Blajsdfhdfus (or something like that) for Poland:



...but Van Persie's effort against Germany could run it close. Incidentally, the Group of Death is more than living up to its promise, and I'm excited for the conclusion.

England meanwhile, are chugging along happily, securing a draw against France, and looking to get a win against Sweden.

The biggest surprise however, has been Russia, who are looking really good so far. Dark horse? Maybe.

Meanwhile, Roberto Di Matteo was finally rewarded for winning the Champions League last season with a two year contract. This is the most exciting Chelsea management decision in years, so here's looking forward to next season!

...

That's all.

London 2012

I get so excited whenever I see things like this.




















And then my heart sinks when I remember that I won't be there.

Having said that, I do hope that the winnings are big for Great Britain this year; and by that, I mean a couple of really special gold medals. If I could write the results, for example, I would pick something like a win for Team GB in the football - with goals scored by Gareth Bale (a Welshman) and David Beckham (a hero) in the final. Or a long-awaited gold medal for Paula Radcliffe in the marathon. Don't get me wrong, I was born in America, I consider myself American. Sure, I'll even cheer for Michael Phelps as much as the next person. But there is one reason that the Olympics doesn't usually give me the feeling of split loyalties that it should. It's just that for the USA, gold medals are nothing more than a formality; the Olympics in this country becomes more about "how many," and beating China/Russia/othercountrywithlotsofpeople in the medals table, than it is about inspiring personal stories of greatness. Just look, it took a Visa ad about Derek Redmond to bring his story to household status; what was everybody doing in 1992? Probably too distracted by Michael Jordan, Larry Bird et al. playing against "competitors" who weren't even fit to stand in their line of sight.

Anyway, I'm not saying that Brits are saints, or that they won't be tolling up the medal numbers as much as the next country. It's just that, in Great Britain, every medal is celebrated. Every winner is a hero. We appreciate them for the achievement that they are, because let's face it, they don't come around that often. That's why moments like these become all the more special:





So here's hoping this Olympics brings us some more of these special moments. And if for no other reason, surely everybody wants the host country to do OK? Right? Right??

"I don't look sixteen? Oh I get that all the time..."

Arrivederci England!

I guess it's been a long time coming, but Fabio Capello has finally left his position as England manager permanently. I say "finally," not because I have been calling for it as some have, but because it just seems a long time coming. It seems that there is a lot to process, but what follows is how I make sense of the situation, and what this means for England.

John Terry

The issue that finally broke the camel's back was the stripping of the captain's armband from John Terry. In what has become an incredibly messy affair, John Terry has been accused of racism and subsequently charged by the Police, only for the trial to be set for after Euro 2012. This caused a sticky situation for the Football Association, as they faced the prospect of having a "racist" captain England in this summer's major football tournament. Their response was to take Terry's captaincy away - without consulting Capello and with immediate effect. Here is where I have to stick my neck out a bit and say: I believe that this was the wrong decision.

First let me say that racism is never acceptable and action should always be taken against racial hatred and those who incite it. However, in any situation, do we not believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty? Moreover, it seems somewhat ridiculous that the FA made this rash decision based on a YouTube video and a lot of "he said, she said." I am certain that all of these things are explanations for Capello's lack of action. The FA however, are far more concerned with politics than common sense, and the furor online and in the press was clearly too much for them. They went over Capello's head, and he did what most managers would in such a situation and resigned.

Bad for England?

So where do we go from here? England must now face Euro 2012 in a matter of months with a brand new manager. What's more, Opta puts Fabio Capello as the most successful manager ever in terms of win percentage [click thumbnail to see table].



So is this the end of the world? I think not. Even though I do not agree with the way the FA dealt with the situation that led to his exit, I don't think that Fabio Capello was ever really the right man for the job. Yes, he had an amazing record at club level, but he had absolutely no international experience. His win percentage reflects his abilities as a manager in a domestic-like format, but his record in tournaments is telling in regards to his international capabilities. And let's not even begin to talk about his inability to speak English!

What this situation has presented is an opportunity for someone new to step in without the usual pressure of a big tournament. Obviously they will have to face the usual unrealistic expectations that accompany England to big tournaments, but this time England are coming off of a disappointing World Cup and a manager with little time to create a new team of his own. But who will that be? Twitter has exploded with people putting forth their suggestions - ranging from the clear favourite Harry Redknapp, to long shots such as Gary Lineker or even David Beckham himself! My personal choice would be Redknapp, but if the world does go bonkers and put Beckham in as manager, at least the ladies would have something to look at!

Manchester, What Are Your Plans for Thursday Nights?

In a somewhat hilarious turn of events, both Manchester teams got sent crashing out of the Champions League this last week, leaving just the two London clubs - Chelsea and Arsenal - alone to carry the mantle in Europe...or are they alone? Wait, isn't there another league that Manchesters United and City might feel more comfortable in? Ah but of course! The Europa League! Otherwise known as the greatest insult known to football, the Europa League is a competition that exists for the sole purpose of generating some extra money for UEFA and Channel 5. It is a wonderful competition, full of the clubs that just weren't good enough to make it into the Champions League; so of course, we must add to the pain of being knocked out in the first round of the Champions League, and throw those rejects in there as well! What joy it will bring to the rest of the country to see City and United playing on Thursday nights against teams such as Olimpi Rustavi and FK Minsk in front of a channel 5 audience! I can hardly wait!

As if to add insult to injury, Manchester City were also defeated today by none other than Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. This made Andre Villas Boas very happy, a message to his critics it seems:

"Are you not entertained?"