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.

Arsenal and Chelsea to Battle for English Defender

John Terry's injury has left Chelsea short on defenders, and therefore shaky at the back - the two consecutive losses to Sunderland and Birmingham emphasised their problems, and they will be looking to the January transfer market to bring in a replacement defender.

Arsenal do not have as bad a problem as Chelsea in terms of defenders; they can fill their back line without too many problems. However, losing a game in which you were two goals ahead doesn't exactly inspire confidence in fans critically observing the Arsenal defenders.

The solution? Gary Cahill of Bolton. The 24 year old has recently been called up to England duty, and has played an important role in the current success of his team. The chairman of Bolton has of course noted this, done some calculations and come up with a figure of around £15 million. That figure is what any possible suitors for the Bolton defender will have to pay, and Phil Gartside the chairman will have to accept due to crippling debt. He said:

“If a Champions League team knocks on our door in January that’s the best time to sell an asset because Champions League teams will pay the money”.

"Owners should be allowed to invest in equity. So if you, as an owner, want to buy a striker for £10m that shouldn't be a problem. But what you then can't do is pay him extortionate wages that take you out of the break-even situation. We are carrying too many on the wage bill."

With debts reportedly close to £100 million, it is imperative for Bolton to rake substantial amounts back into the club, and with Arsenal and Chelsea waiting in the wings, the trotters will be forced to sell. Gary Cahill himself may also be looking for a way out to a bigger club where he can challenge for trophies, and as an up and coming England star, a bigger club is a bigger stage to show off his talents.

Arsene Wenger doesn't want to live through the nightmare of the 2 - 3 home defeat to Tottenham, and Ancelotti will not want to get used to losing to mid table clubs, so it seems that Bolton's admission that their top players will have to be sold opens the door to any offers from the two clubs fighting for the title.

Spartak Moscow v Chelsea Highlights

Chelsea defeated Sparta Moscow 2 - 0 on Tuesday night, after a fantastic strike from Yuri Zhirkov to put Chelsea in the lead - as you can see above.

It was the first Chelsea goal of his career, and evidently worth waiting for on his 36th appearance for the club. It silenced the home crowd of the Luzhniki Stadium, and settled any nerves on the artificial pitch.
Nicolas Anelka then doubled Chelsea's lead in the 43rd minute, and Chelsea held on to their two nil lead to maintain their 100% record in their Champions League group, as they look very strong favourites to progress to the knock-out stages.

The closest Chelsea have come to winning the Champions League was in 2008 in Russia when Manchester United beat them in a penalty shoot out, in which John Terry slipped and missed his infamous penalty. He will be looking, as will the rest of his team, to improve once again, and win the Champions League which Terry so dearly wants in his trophy cabinet.

With goals like this one, as well as the good form they are currently in, they will be definitely be able to compete with the best, such as Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as the current holders, Inter Milan.

Manchester United will be missing Wayne Rooney for their clash against Bursaspor on Wednesday after being stretchered off in training, but United may need to get used to being without him as they could be playing against him next season, after it was confirmed he doesn't want to sign a new contract. But will he be playing for Chelsea?

John Terry Could miss World Cup with Injury

England's World Cup defence may become even weaker with sudden news that John Terry had broken his metatarsal.

It has become clear that although Terry has not suffered a break, there is ligament damage, and this news will certainly make England's World Cup preparation and/or hopes suffer.

The England camp await more news on his injury, but it does not look good as he walked in a protective foot out of training after a "knock".

He could miss the F.A Cup Final between Chelsea and Portsmouth, and depending on news of how serious an injury it is, he could miss the World Cup.