Watch: England 1 - 1 Ghana

[WATCH GOALS BELOW]
England put in an impressive performance against a determined, resilient and very well supported Ghana side and both teams left a vibrant Wembley stadium with a goal each. It was perhaps the deserved result in a well fought, passionate game fuelled with the huge vocal support from the fans, particularly the Ghanaians. 

Andy Carroll grabbed his first goal in an England shirt just before the end of the first half but it was cancelled out much to the delight of the African side who celebrated a last gasp winner thanks to the intricate silky skills of Assamoah Gyan who weaved the ball through the England defence to curl the ball round Joe Hart.

England put in a good performance, and should not be ashamed of a draw. It was a well played game of football in which Capello was able to learn a lot about the strength of his second - or "B" team. Downing was awarded man of the match and Ashley Young was also dangerous throughout - hitting the crossbar and having a long range shot well saved by Kingson. 

The night also saw the introduction of Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck who was eligible for both England and Ghana due to his Ghanaian parents and Manchester birth. His introduction was met by boos from Ghana fans, but with ten minutes to play he didn't have much chance to make an impact.

Watch the goals below:

Carroll Goal

Gyan Goal

Watch: Wales 0 - 2 England

England played impressively on away soil at the Millenium Stadium today, with two early goals separating the two sides. The three lions proved too much for the one dragon as England breezed to victory without any real problems at the back whilst performing very well in the midfield and out wide. 

Watch the Goals below:

Does Being Captain Mean Anything?

Much has been made of John Terry being reinstated as England captain. Perhaps too much. The main issue is that Fabio Capello has gone back on his decision to take the armband off of Terry for his inexplicable off field behaviour with a team mates girlfriend. It was a big call back when all was revealed about Terry's private life, and to go back on such a big ruling shows signs of weakness. It undermines Capello's tough, no nonsense approach to coaching. That argument is understandable, but in today's modern age of football, the question is; does being captain mean anything, or is it simply a symbol?

Lets get this straight. The ideal captain should have outstanding qualities that other players in the team do not possess; they should be a natural winner, they should be a beacon of inspiration, a passionate, brave, respectable person - someone who will take responsibility for their mistakes, wear their heart on their sleeve and be able to make massive sacrifices for the good of the team. They also need the have great footballing ability in their position. It looks a big ask. It also looks as if the England team have a good few players who have those qualities - or does it?

When David Beckham gave up the England captaincy, which he held for many years, with great integrity and heart, told of the honour it was to wear the armband for his country. He said that he had "lived the dream", and was the "greatest honour of his career" to captain his country. This is a man who absolutely lives for football, and loves his country. He led by example, on and off the field. In the main, he conducted himself in admirable principle and honesty. It obviously meant a lot to him.

When Ferdinand was made captain after Terry's removal from the 'position', he too gave the impression of being ready to live the dream that all youngsters have; to lead their country onto a football pitch to fight to win.  He said:

“I like the responsibility. Every youngster grows up wanting to be captain of their club or the team they lead out. This is England and there is no higher accolade than leading out your country.

That may be, but he added to the end of this passionate show of ambition:

"But it won’t mean as much if we don’t win anything."

What have England won in the last 45 years or so? Nothing. So does that mean every captain before him and ahead of him have failed in their main aim? Yes it does. Interestingly, the Manchester United defender continued:


“I have always said if there is something that needs to be said in the changing-room then I will speak my mind whether I am captain or not.

Why shouldn't it be like this for every player? Every player wants to win, every player wants to be the match winner for their country, and every player wants to do their country proud. They should all stand up and act as captains, rather than quietly listen to their manager off he pitch and then watch their captain motivate them on it. When you are playing for your country, that very fact is surely the only motivation you need?

Every player should give 100% to the team whether they are captain or not. That is why I believe the captaincy is just a symbol - a symbol that has recently caused much needless controversy in the England camp. It isn't as if we are short of controversy and trouble in this country as it is.

It seems to me that the only official roles of a captain are: to participate in the coin toss prior to kick off and penalty shoot out (the latter of which England are not very good at) and being the first player to hold aloft a trophy at the award-giving ceremony. That hasn't happened for a while either.

So whether John Terry is captain or not is not the issue. The issue is the chemistry of the team and the willingness of them to play together to work together and to win together. The armband is only a symbol to show the rest of the players who to turn to when they are in trouble. I say fine, keep that, but do not rely on that, and work yourself with all of the passion, inspiration, bravery, responsibility and ability that a captain should show. A team of leaders is better than just one.

Rooney & Carroll Will Thrive on Jarvis' Delivery

You don't have to be an expert on Wolves players to know that Matt Jarvis has been their brightest star this season. He admitted that his first day of England training felt a bit like a first day at a new school, but revealed that the England players have made him feel welcome in what he described as a "fantastic feeling" being called up to play for his country.

It is a far cry from being released by Millwall when he was 16. His father explained that it was a "difficult time" for Jarvis who could have easily given up football because of the rejection, but he went on to say that Jarvis is "very, very determined". It is that determination then, that has seen him rise to such a level when he is playing in the top tier of the Premier League and on the verge of an England appearance - an achievement many a young boy dreams of.

Last September Jarvis signed a new contract with Wolves, keeping him at the club until 2015, but his outstanding shows of brilliance at times have not only alerted Fabio Capello, but many of the top managers around England.

Jarvis' crossing ability is just one of many qualities that many sides look to for a major source of goals, and having crossed the ball for Wolves 203 times this season alone, it is perhaps surprising that his side Wolves have not converted very many of them. The lack of real goal scoring prowess may be a reason, but there is no lack of that in the England team, with Carroll and Rooney leading the line.

Carroll had a blistering start to the Premier League season with Newcastle, scoring 11 in 19 appearances, and the 19 goals he scored the previous season to help Newcastle into the top tier had no shortage of blasted headers from pin-point crosses.

As for Rooney, his Manchester United form has been poor on the whole, but the rather large blip in the season has begun to pick up, with his touch and goal presence returning at last - to the relief of United fans. Last season he was United's top scorer - that is easy to forget after such a torrid time, and 34 goals in 44 appearances is an enviable achievement. Where did those goals come from? What source did he miss miserably at the start of the season? Antonio Valencia's crosses were sorely missed by Rooney, and as a result, is goalscoring form nose dived.

Matt Jarvis can help pick it up for England. His pace to get beyond a player and ability to cross into dangrous areas will see Carroll and Rooney thrive. Whether it be through a knock down by Carroll to the awaiting Rooney to finish, a direct header or a goal line scramble, those crosses will inevitably lead to chances and goals that could change a game.

I will look forward to see Jarvis in an England shirt, as I'm sure he will be too.

Arsenal 0 - 1 Newcastle - Carroll Steals the Win

A beautifully floated free-kick from Joey Barton just before half time prompted Fabianski to stagger out of his six yard box, wave his arms about, and allow the monster of Andy Carroll to power the flying ball into the back of an empty Arsenal net. It was that simple.

But the hard bit was yet to come for Newcastle. They had to resist the Arsenal attack, break up the play, and just get it out of their area. They did it brilliantly, with every single player working so hard for the team to keep out the Arsenal force. Tiote and Barton controlled the midfield - breaking down any attacks and running and running until the final minutes to win a valuable three point for the Magpies.

Arsenal had limited chances with a Nasri strike in the first half well saved by Tim Krul in the goal, while a Fabregas free-kick, also in the first half, hit the cross bar. But that was really as close as Arsenal came to scoring. All in all it was a very frustrating home game for Arsenal, who simply couldn't get passed the very well organised defence and midfield of Newcastle.

The strikers too, of Carroll, Ameobi and Ranger worked their socks off. They often didn't have much support in the box and had to come deep to receive the ball as well as moving out wide, but they didn't stop working, and also helped in defence.

Capello sat in the stands, watching the Englishmen on show closely. Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll in particular played well, and with Capello looking for different, new players to break into his squad of national failures, they all have a chance.

Rooney's bad form has been well publicised, and Andy Carroll's good form was clear for the England manager to see today. He could be looking at a place in the England squad, or team in the near future if his form continues.

Great Teams Need Great Goalkeepers. Joe Hart can Be Great.

Take a look at the winning teams from recent Premier League years. Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal. All had reliable, trustworthy, established and confident goalkeepers. United had Schmeichel and now have Van Der Sar, Chelsea had, and still have Petr Cech when they won consecutive Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006, and Arsenal had Jens Lehmann in their "Invincibles" team of 2004. Who was in goal in 1966 when England won the World Cup for the first and so far only (and possibly last) time? Gordon Banks - elected in a poll by the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History Statistics) as the second best goalkeeper of the 20th Century.

 

Joe Hart is showing all of the qualities to become a top quality goalkeeper - on the same, and with his potential, possibly higher level as the goalkeepers listed above. His confidence brings so much to his game as well as others around him. He has bravery - to come out and put his body on the line for the good of the team. He has a great personality - one which shows his love of playing football - something which is rarely seen in modern football, with pressure often getting to players. And most importantly, he is reliable. His defenders know that he can catch the ball from crosses with conviction, and his reactions are second to none.

This can only mean good things for his team-mates. His defenders know how good he is, which gives them the confidence to push further forward, which, in turn, makes the midfielders push further forward, which helps to pressurise the opposition higher up the pitch. The defenders know that they can trust Hart. He lifts pressure off of his team-mates, which then helps them to play with more freedom.
Before Hart, the players couldn't do that. David James was known for his great reactions, but unfortunately, his erratic behaviour and often poor decision making too. This meant the players were always cautious and worried that a mistake could happen at any time, and they simply couldn't trust him.

The good thing is, that not only do the players trust Hart, but the manager, Capello, does as well.

"Roberto Mancini has chosen him for Manchester City and I have chosen him for the England team. He improved a lot last year when he played at Birmingham. That was really important. The two keepers we had who stayed with us [including Ben Foster] are in really good form."

England have struggled with goalkeepers for a while, with the last consistently good one in David Seaman. Have England found a long term successor? Is he a player who has the confidence and the right amount of arrogance to handle the pressure of being England Number One? Yes. And he's only 23.

Stop Blaming Capello

As England fans sit down in front of their televisions on Friday to watch England play against Bulgaria, it will bring back all the memories of the latest World Cup exit and leave a sickening feeling in even die hard England fans. We all know that it is hard to watch England, with catastrophic mistakes just around the corner and uncharacteristic errors just seconds away. These blunders are magnified enormously as they are watched by millions of fans around England and the world. Fabio Capello knows more than anyone that when mistakes happen, everyone wants someone to blame. In the most recent World Cup failure, as with so many others, the manager has been the one who has been attacked as the weak-link in the team. He is blamed for the failings of a team with the players of such high-quality that they should be able to beat any nation on any given day. But with the only thing to change between major competitions being the manager (and of course the retiring of players) it must be questioned as to why the new manger is blamed when it has been the players who have failed to deliver.

Capello has been under massive pressure to leave his England post by certain newspapers who have branded him as stupid and evan a "jackass" since England lost to Germany in the World Cup. Yes, he made mistakes during the competition, but so did the players. I fear that fans and newspapers like to demand the manager to be sacked because they think it will make things better, and also because they can. Under massive pressure of the media, the FA can crumble and try to appease fans by giving them the managers head. But this is only a short term solution. It doesn't solve much, and it makes you wonder, who would want to be manager of England. The criticism of Capello is hardly fair. He understands that he made mistakes, but to call a manager who has won most of Europes top prizes and managed Europes top clubs stupid and a "jackass" is absurd.

As fans, we need to realise that over the past forty four years, England, with excellent players have won nothing. We have been the victim of incredibly bad luck over the years, Robert Green and Frank Lampard could tell you that. But the ammount of managers that we have gone through without winning anything - and these are highly experienced, top class (well paid) managers, we need to think logically and realise that it isn't all the managers fault, and the easier we turn against the men who lead out our nation in major competitions, the harder it will be for them to do their job.