England's Golden Generation Hopes Crushed By German U-21 Graduates

It had to happen, hadn't it? Shades of 1996 all over again? Some sort of sick German vindication? Those thoughts went through everyone's mind as the referee overruled Frank Lampard's perfectly legitimate goal against Germany at Bloemfontein. A section of the England fans will argue that the match could have swung in England's favour if that goal had stood. That's fair enough, but when I considered how the young Germans cut open England defence at will, I doubt that it would make much of a difference. Still, it is too easy to hold on to a "what if" because England was completely ripped apart by an excellent German team.

England's lack of pace in defence was completely exploited by Klose and the delightfully talented gang of Mueller, Podolski and Oezil. Germany's first goal was route one football that even England would have been proud of. Klose moved nearer to his aim of beating Ronaldo's record 15 World Cup goals. Miroslave Klose is now on 12 goals and has three more matches to at least equal Ronaldo's 15.

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A Closer Look At England's 2010 World Cup Jersey

By Olly Dyson, guest writer for The Flat Back Four

Most England fans will be happy to avoid replays of their uninspiring opening World Cup games, but at least one aspect of the ‘Three Lions’ team has been receiving a second glance: Their Team Uniform!

In a World Cup that predictably sees the majority of teams wearing uniform supplied by one of the big-three sportswear giants, England proudly stands by Umbro, the brand that has made their uniforms for their last 5 World Cup appearances.

Under the guidance of head designer David Blanch, Umbro developed the new England Home Jersey with a deliberate back-to-basics approach. The retro style jersey is a real tribute to days gone by when soccer existed in its purest form without the influence of big money commercialization.

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Group C Decided! Three Lions And USA Advance Comfortably

England and USA know that they needed to win their final matches. Anything less than three points will mean an early exit. The USA stuck with the players who had played so well in the previous two games. Bob Bradley's men are confident that they will beat the Algerians who are the weakest side in the group.

Michael Bradley signifies the growing confidence in the USMNT below,

"We have confidence in ourselves as a team, and as a player you want to play in the biggest games, where the spotlight comes on the brightest. I think there's going to be a real feeling of excitement on Wednesday. This is our time and we're ready to go. We'll give everything we have."

Capello said after a disappointing draw with Algeria that he did not recognize the England team that was on the pitch. The Three Lions must find their form quickly otherwise Slovenia will take advantage of any mental fragility. Jermain Defoe was drafted in for extra attacking option. Wayne Rooney is struggling for form in an England shirt.

England v. Slovenia
Matthew Upson stepped in for Jamie Carragher for this match. Fabio Capello for once, sat on his seat and was far less troubled than in England's previous two matches. This was definitely a much improved England performance with Defoe repaying the coach's faith by scoring the winner. Steven Gerrard again put in a captain's performance but could not get the goal his all-round play deserved. The Upson-Terry partnership for me is much better than Carra-Terry. Capello's worry that Upson's poor club form will translate to international form turned out to be unfounded. His late tackle as Dedic prepared to pull the trigger saved England from elimination.

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Great Links About The World Cup And The Nike T-3 CT

Here are some great links about the World Cup.

If you like Lego animation, you'd like the England USA Lego Highlights World Cup 2010

Steve Nash's adventures as CBS Sports correspondent in South Africa are worth spending time on.
Steve Nash shouts Gooooooool!
Steve Nash Special World Cup Correspondent

Cadencia: A special look at Brazillian football by award winning documentary maker, Daren Bartlett

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Lions In The Winter, Lambs In The Summer

England is so frustrating for me. Thankfully, I am not the only one feeling this way. The 25,000-strong travelling English supporters made their feelings known by booing the team off-field after the Three Lions' poor showing against Algeria.

Perhaps Michel Platini was right after all with his comment that England was like lions in the winter but lambs in the summer. England was devastating during the World Cup qualifiers, romping to victories against Croatia and the rest. Under Capello, it would seem that England  players had rediscovered the art of translating excellent club performances into international prominence. Qualification was won without breaking a sweat prompting expectations of winning the World Cup in South Africa to skyrocket. That expectation is currently crippling this England team.

Worse of all, even Fabio Capello is affected by the hope of the entire nation. All through qualifying, he had been the calmest man in the stadium. Here in South Africa, he has been very animated and the facial expressions tell him that the England team he had shaped over the last two years is now reverting to shrinking violets in the face of high-pressure competition.

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FFC World Cup Diary - An England Fan's Experience

Football FanCast writer, Oscar Pye-Jeary documents his time in South Africa following England in the 2010 World Cup. This is Part 1 of a journey which hopefully will end in triumphant fashion.

If you like this, make sure you subscribe to the SN&CK Media YouTube channel.

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Green's Unforgivable Slip Lets USA Off The Hook

England's first match in the 2010 World Cup started on a high note but unfortunately ended with a whimper and a disappointing draw. While watching the game, it was hard to not feel that there is a need for a world class second striker alongside Rooney.

As good as Emile Heskey is in linking up play, he cannot hit a barndoor, hence the dilemma facing Capello. I say sacrifice the link play with attacking potency. The option of playing Gerrard as the second striker off Rooney may prove a better attacking risk. Let's face it, scoring goals are what wins tournaments and therefore, it is crucial that England must find their scoring form soon. Otherwise, opposing teams like the USA will just crowd out Rooney and snuff out England's only scoring threat.

Gerrard marked his England captaincy in the World Cup with a well-taken goal. He was everywhere yesterday, trying his best to win the match for England. He covered the most distance (11 km) among the English players and was also most involved in the match with 451 seconds of high activity time.

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2010 World Cup Group C Head To Head

Group C pits England with unfamiliar foes. Apart from the United States, England have not played in a competitive match against Algeria or Slovenia. The unknown factor, nevertheless should not be seen as a disadvantage to England. In fact, Nadir Belhadj and Robert Koren are familiar faces in the English Premier League. The quality of the opposition would surely have been topmost on Capello's World Cup preparation.

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Committed To The Game - Frank Lampard Video

In view of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, Maxis (the leading mobile operator in Malaysia) signed on Frank Lampard and Lionel Messi as brand ambassadors. There is an awesome video of Frank Lampard talking about how his father encouraged him as a young boy to finally become one of the best attacking midfielder in the world today.

In the video, Lampard Jr. spoke about how his dad told him to keep fighting and that's precisely what he had done throughout his career. He has overcome nepotism in West Ham, unwarranted nicknames like "Fat Frank" and even booed while playing for England. He is definitely a Chelsea legend and one of those select few players who can be relied upon to turn a match. His performance in the England team will be very important if the Three Lions are to be successful.

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Michael Dawson Rejoins England in South Africa

After being told of his omission from the final 23 last week, Michael Dawson overcame his initial disappointment when Fabio Capello called him up as a straight replacement for the injured Rio Ferdinand.

He looks extremely pleased in this video when he shook hands with Capello and then John Terry. He will compete with Ledley King, Jamie Carragher and Matthew Upson for a place alongside John Terry at centre defence.

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World Cup Favourites Win Their Friendlies

Two World Cup favourites played friendlies on Monday night and got the results they wanted. England beat Mexico without playing particularly well and Argentina clobbered Canada without Messi, Milito and Samuel.

After announcing Argentina's squad of 23 last week, Maradona had this to say after winning 5-0 in Buenos Aires.

"I am encouraged that we made people happy. What I value most from the players is the desire they have to prove they can do this and much more," he said, as quoted by Spanish publication AS. "The Argentine people can be calm because we have good players that we can put on the team, when the time is right."

The five goals were scored by Maxi (2), Tevez, Di Maria and Aguero. An impressive attacking display which shows that the Argentinians are gathering form and confidence. Going into the World Cup with 3 goalkeepers, 7 defenders, 7 midfielders and 6 strikers, Maradona has no worries at all in the attacking department. What was more controversial and surely would be a mistake is the omission of Esteban Cambiasso.

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The West Ham Connection In The England World Cup Team

West Ham have always prided themselves as the club which won England the 1966 World Cup. Of course, Martin Peters, Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst were heroes on that night. They were also West Ham United players as well. This year's World Cup, England also have a significant West Ham and ex-West Ham flavour to it. Players like Rob Green, David James, Matthew Upson, Rio Ferdinand, Carlton Cole and Jermain Defoe have all been mainstays of the new Capello regime.

Danny Murphy recently touted his Fulham clubmate, Paul Konchesky for the vacant England left back slot. I think Konchesky has been playing very well this season.

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Castrol Football Rates The 2010 World Cup Contenders

Just like the Barclays Premier League and others like La Liga, Calcio de Lega and Bundesliga, the World Cup tournaments are pretty dominated by four nations. These are the nations with the most World Cup wins in the history of the tournament. Brazil, Italy, Germany and Argentina are the most successful teams in the World Cup. Will these four be the likely victors of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa? Most likely not, as I personally favour a Spain v. England final to be held at the newly constructed Johannesburg Soccer City stadium.

Castrol Football has done an extensive round of predictions and what-if scenarios, and the result are as seen below, quantifying the chances of the aspiring footballing nations.

Brazil

SpainEngland

This is the probable opponents for England when they make it out of the World Cup group stages. Qualifying first in their group should give England a simple path to the semifinals where they will have to beat Brazil and then Spain to end 43 years of hurt. Don Fabio has got the England team playing with determination and organisation. For the first time in years, England may have what it takes to win this tournament.

Holland

ArgentinaGermany

Italy

France

Portugal

Ivory Coast

The rest of the competing nations at a glance:

It looks to be a different World Cup altogether, as apart from Brazil, traditional powerhouses are not considered favourites this time around. In fact, England have possibly the best chance of all to capture their second Jules Rimet trophy.

If you are a football fan who travels a lot on business, it may be best to start thinking of alternative ways of watching the World Cup. Live streaming football on PC could be a great option.

An Englishman with the Brazilian skills

I was thinking about the Maracana Stadium in Brazil and was wondering what the capacity was. That's when I was reminded of John Barnes' amazing goal at the same stadium so I thought I would share this here.

John 'Digger' Barnes was best remembered for this goal while playing for England. He was the classic case of awesome at club but anonymous at international level. Still, he was one of the few truly world-class wingers that England possessed alongside Chris Waddle. Also one of the most capped players for England.
Brilliant though he was as a player, he did not have the same success as a coach. Disliked at Celtic and was hardly given a chance to excel as a coach, although he had a respectable win percentage of 65.5%.
Barnesy now coaches the Jamaican national team. Going back to his roots if you like, where he enjoys hero status during his player exploits. He guided Jamaica to the 2008 Caribbean Cup win - his first achievement as a manager.

At his pomp, he was described as good enough to play in the Brazilian national team and from the video, he clearly walked right through the Brazil defence.

My interest in stadium capacity will have to wait a while longer....

World's Best Football Manager

Bob Bradley is the most winningest coach/manager in MLS history with 141 victories. That got me thinking about who could be the best active football manager. Naturally, the usual suspects were around, namely, Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez.
I came across the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) website and found All-Time World Coach Ranking.

From the period of 1996-2008, the accumulated rankings compiled by IFFHS are as follows,
1. Sir Alexander Ferguson (Manchester United)
2. Marcello Lippi (Italy)
3. Arsène Wenger (Arsenal)
4. Guus Hiddink (Russia/Chelsea)
5. Sven-Göran Eriksson (Mexico)
Sir Alex had a winning percentage of 58.3% out of 1261 matches and is the only manager from this list to have won the Champions League twice.
Guus Hiddink however had a slightly better win percentage (59.2%) with a lower number of games.

6. José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Felix (Inter Milan)
Jose Mourinho was 6th overall. Jose has a superior win percentage of 68% but lost out on the elusive Champions League Cup while at Chelsea. Still solely on win percentage, Jose is the world's best football manager.

In 14th place, is
14. Rafael Benítez Maudes (Liverpool)
- a winning percentage of 55.5% and boosted by the consecutive semifinal appearances in recent years in the Champions League.

16. Vicente del Bosque (Spain)
The current Spain boss is in 16th place, cruelly let go by Real Madrid but now proving that he has the managerial nous for international football. Del Bosque's Spain is still unbeaten in the World Cup 2010 Qualifiers.

20. Fabio Capello (England)
Have won 9 out of 12 England games with a win percentage of 70%. Let's hope he wins the World Cup for England. It's been too long for the oft-suffering England fans.

Becks with Fergie before Inter CL game (image from Getty images)