Is asking for common sense from FIFA too much?

The Sunday Times undercover report about vote selling ahead of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup decision (which I can't link you to due to their ridiculous pay wall, so here's the BBC report) has, according to one FIFA source "significantly harmed" England's bid for the 2018 World Cup.

Firstly, it would be foolish to claim there aren't significant problems with the British press, especially in relation to footballs ever increasing celebrity culture. But, despite this, England is by far and away the best choice for hosting the 2018 World Cup. FIFA need to get over themselves and recognise this.

England could quite easily host the tournament tomorrow. The stadiums, the fans and the transport links are, more or less, already there. During their visit earlier in the year, FIFA only raised concerns over accommodation. Eight years to build a few new hotels and improve transport links is well within England's ability, especially as accommodation and transport in the capital will be improved as part of the 2012 Olympics.

In addition, England has taken great strides in recent years to get rid of the problems that troubled the game for so long. Cases of hooliganism, racism and other fan troubles have dropped drastically due to measures taken by the FA to get the game back to how it should be. This years World Cup in South Africa perfectly illustrates how the reputation of the English supporters has changed from drunken, violent yobs to well behaved, pleasant tourists (who are, admittedly, still drunk).

Compare that to Spain (bidding to co-host with Portugal), current European and World Champions and one of England's rivals for the 2018 World Cup. Spain, like England, has the infrastructure in place to host a World Cup tomorrow. However, there is still a massive problem there with racism. How will the African nations in particular cope with barrages of monkey chants being hurled their way, as players such as Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry endured during their career there? Do we want a World Cup where such repulsive, base levels of decency are encountered in the stands?

And then there is Russia, the other major rival to England's bid. Russia, unlike Spain and England, would be unlikely to be able to host a tournament of the World Cup's scale tomorrow. It would require the eight years in which to get ready and, like Spain, still has troubles with its fans.

Make no mistake, I'm not claiming that English football is entirely free of its demons. Far from it. To do so would be naive. What I am saying is that England, while not perfect, has recognised the flaws with its game and striven to make amends.

Can the same be said of Spain and Russia?

Rooney's imminent departure may well be a blessing in disguise.

It seems that Wayne Rooney has most definitely put an end to his Manchester Utd career. If what The Guardian is reporting is true, then Wayne Rooney will be waving goodbye to the place he's called home for six years and looking for pastures new.

There can be no doubt that Rooney is one of the worlds best footballers, despite his recent drop in form. He could quite easily walk into any team on the planet, so the fact he's not been playing for Man Utd despite his protestations that he's not injured is baffling. It now seems that the reason for this is that his and Alex Ferguson's relationship is badly damaged, perhaps irreparably. Anyone with a knowledge of football knows how that turns out...

So the million dollar question is what happens next? Will he stay or go? If he goes, where does he go to and who do Man Utd get to replace the big, Shrek shaped hole he'll leave?

Well, let's say what would happen if he did leave. The most pressing concern would be whether or not Fergie would have the funs from his sale to spend on new players. Man Utd certainly need to strengthen their squad and clear out some of the dead wood (Carrick, Anderson, Brown, Hargreaves etc). The old guard of Giggs and Scholes need replacing with player just as capable, as well as other veterans such as Van der Sar. Now, knowing Fergie he probably has a shopping list. However, knowing the Glazers they have a massive interest repayment bill.

Manchester United's financial situation certainly does make a wholesale renovation difficult. I certainly can't see Fergie retiring any time soon. He'll want to ensure that the club can continue to be successful after he's gone. That was a key role that Rooney was going to have. He was going to be the talisman to lead Utd into a new era. With him gone and no natural successor, the short term damage is potentially quite severe.

But, as with all things, there's an upside. Rooney has not been performing for a long while now. He's clearly not happy and an unhappy star player is bad news for any side. If he were to go in January it would provide a large amount of funds and also save the club £150,000 a week.

Ferguson also needs to figure out whether or not the contribution that Rooney makes on the pitch is worth the disruption all this bad press causes on the changing room. As it stands, Rooney is providing virtually nothing on the pitch and is also bringing a lot of bad press the teams way. If this doesn't change by January, then there's a very real chance of Rooney going, even if he does have a change of heart.

But where would Rooney go? Certainly the obvious choice would be Real Madrid. They could certainly afford him. Rooney may also be enticed by the opportunity of playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo again. Furthermore, Karim Benzema has had a torrid time since moving to the Spanish capital. Manchester United had expressed an interest in signing him before he moved to Madrid and he could be offered in part-exchange. However, like Rooney, there have been serious allegations over his private life and this could certainly scupper any chance of a part-exchange.

Barcelona are also a strong contender for Rooney's potential signature. To me though, Barcelona would be a poor choice for both Rooney and Barca. I don't think he would suit their style of play, much like Ibrahimovic before him. Barcelona also have their share of financial troubles at the moment and I doubt, after signing David Villa and Javier Mascherano, they'd be willing to make such a large expense.

The outside bet is that Rooney wouldn't leave Manchester at all. Manchester City are certainly one of the few clubs that could afford him. The idea would certainly appeal to the City hierarchy, whose eyes would be rolling with the potential merchandising revenue. Rooney though, marital infidelity aside, always strikes me as more of a principled player. Would he really want to anger the Man Utd faithful by moving to their fiercest rivals? I'd be highly, highly surprised.

What's certain is that whatever happens, whether Rooney stays or goes, the next few weeks will certainly provide an entertaining spectacle. Manchester United play Bursaspor on Wednesday in the Champions League. If Rooney yet again fails to make the starting 11, serious questions will be being asked over his future. As everyone knows, Fergie always wins...

England still distinctly second rate. We've finally reached our level.

We dared to dream. Two good results (and good performances) against two fairly decent sides and it seemed the calamitous World Cup was well and truly behind us. But as the saying goes, a swallow doesn't make a summer and the frost definitely set back in at Wembley last night.

England's team has undergone a transformation somewhat from the team that lined up in the World Cup. Only five of the starting 11 that lined up against Montenegro played against Germany in the 2010 World Cup (Rooney, Gerrard, G.Johnson, A.Cole and Barry). Of the players that lined up against Montenegro last night, I'd say that only Gerrard, Hart, Adam Johnson and possibly Ashley Young should have been there.

Rooney's fall from grace these past few months has been as spectacular as it has been tragic. How can someone who was so deadly last season have gone from knocking on Messi's door for World's Best Player to someone who should be playing kickabout in the reserves?

Ferdinand shouldn't be in the England squad for the same reason Ledley King shouldn't. He's far too injury prone and he struggles to complete two games in a row. Alex Ferguson has seen it fit to replace him as the Manchester Utd captain, so why should he be the England captain?

There's a worrying lack of depth in the England squad. Yes there were injuries to some key players, but the in the 18 last night just aren't cut out for international football. Joleon Lescott, Kevin Davies, Glen Johnson, Stewart Downing and most especially Shaun Wright-Phillips should be nowhere near the England team.

Talking of Glen Johnson, I'm begging for Micah Richards to put his head down and put in some amazing performances for Man City in the coming months. When he broke into the England side under Steve McLaren he was amazing. Since then he's thrown it all away. If he can rectify that, he can knock Glen Johnson out of the park. He's better defensively, good going forward and he can play at right back or centre back.

Plus, there are some amazing youngsters in the Under 21's but I just can't see them getting a run out under Capello. He's made a token effort with Jack Wilshere, but it's just that, a token. Capello has said today that he will look at the younger players in upcoming friendlies, but when it comes to the competitive games will he revert to old faces? Are England going to have to wait until Capello steps down and (with any luck) Stuart Pearce gets the job for their to be a substantial amount of new, young blood? If so, those youngsters won't be the mouldable players we need any longer, but another generation of disappointments.

The England squad needs a total overhaul and this qualifying campaign and hopeful Euro 2012 tournament is the best time to do it.

If we don't, we'll have a bunch of inexperienced kids in Brazil. Or a squad made up of mid 30something has-beens. Not sure what's more frightening actually.

Way back in October of last year, on another one of my blogs I wrote about the rising influence and potential of Twitter as a tool for democracy and politics. With this World Cup, it seems that Twitter has earned its place in the online sports news section.

James Pearce, a journalist working for the BBC, has blogged about a similar matter on the impact of Twitter during this World Cup and I would leave that all up to him. However, what's struck me is the swathes of people in the comments section who appear oblivious to the impact Twitter can have on events like the World Cup.

Twitter is a tool. It allows for a vast amount of people to get access to news, information and rumours at the drop of a hat. This is obviously open to flaws. Some people may start spreading rumours and that could spread across the globe at the click of a button. However, I think that the benefits available far outweigh these potential drawbacks.

To the people on that page, Twitter is seen as a thing for self-important nobodies. Take for example this comment:

"Twitter is just for people who like to feel self important, who actually cares what Rio Ferdinand for example, or Stan Collymore thinks?"

Well quite a lot of people is would seem, as they both have a combined total of over 130,000 people following them.

Instead of being shunned by people who see it as a gimmick, it should be embraced by them and they should see the benefits of it. They may even find it can be pretty fun...

The England National Squad; Or How They Learned To Start Playing And Do Well In Competitions.

So, England. That was a bit rubbish wasn't it? Not only were they beaten, they were effectively taken out back and shot. There was no passion, no skill and no threat from the England team. Sure, England should have had Lampard's shot count as a goal, but the performance as a whole was indicative of much larger problems for the England side.

Firstly, why can't that collection of players play well at international level when they play so excellently for their clubs. I've heard many theories as to why. One is that they don't play enough together as so many of the team is playing for different clubs. I say that's nonsense. Even when more of the national squad was playing in less teams in the league, they weren't all that great. Look at England in the mid to late 70's/early 80's. They were awful.

Another I've heard is that they're paid too much money and that that's somehow reduced the desire to succeed internationally as it brings them nothing. Again, I disagree. To succeed as they have as professional sportsmen, you have to hate to lose. This doesn't change just because you put on an England jersey.

Some would blame the manager. I agree that Capello made some wrong calls. England will never progress if they stick to playing 4-4-2. It's an outdated system that's slowly being phased out by clubs at the highest level and other national teams are following suit. I would personally go with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1.

I think it's simpler solution; England choke under the pressure. It's different at club level. Yes you have your supporters, but they are far fewer. At the World Cup, it's the vast majority of the country rooting for you. Then you have the press bigging you up as Champions before you've even left the airport. With a club, there's always next year, but at the World Cup, you get 2, maybe 3 chances to get it right. It's a hell of a problem and one that I don't think the England players have the mental toughness to cope with. At least not yet.

Now, as for the squad, it's simply too old and too used to failure to carry on with the same group of players. With the exception of a core few, I would get rid of almost every player in the World Cup squad or relegate them to the subs bench. The dead wood needs to be cut out and it needs to be done with an eye to the future.

England's next game is against Hungary in a friendly at Wembley and it's here that England need to start thinking about the next 10 to 15 years at the least. Players such as Lampard, Wright-Philips, Carrick, Heskey, Warnock, Upson, King, Green, James and Carragher (who I believe will return to international retirement anyways) cannot be seen as first team players any longer. Add to that the average age of those players is 31, by the time Euro 2012 rolls around they will simply be too old. We seriously run the risk of turning into Italy, only without the glory of a recent World Cup triumph to look back on.

In those players place, I would call up players with youth on their side and something to prove. My picks would be:

Paul Robinson, Ben Foster (if he does well at Birmingham, which I think he will), Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson, Tom Huddlestone, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young and Theo Walcott

Those ten players have an average age of 27, with the oldest outfield player being Phil Jagielka at 27. Now, if you give those players a two year qualification campaign to blood themselves properly, then they can do some real good in Poland and Ukraine.

Personally, my team for the game against Hungary would be:

Hart

G.Johnson - Cahill - Terry - A.Cole

A.Johnson - Milner - Barry - J.Cole

Gerrard

Rooney

Foster

Robinson

Baines

Jagielka

Ferdinand

Dawson

Walcott

Downing

Huddlestone

Lampard

Defoe

Agbonlahor

Joe Hart must absolutely be assured of being the England number one goalkeeper. I sincerely hope that Man City give him Premiership games or send him on loan to another Premiership club because he's just too damned good to be warming the bench.

And yes, I'd be inclined to drop Ferdinand from the starting line-up. He's now 31, has lost his pace and is becoming increasingly injury prone. I'd be heavily inclined to leave him and make Steven Gerrard the permanent England captain. He's the one person at the World Cup who gave it his all and was by far England's best player.

Let's also not forget that England have a fantastic Under-21 side, which has actually been doing well in the Under-21 tournaments. Players like Kieren Gibbs, Chris Smalling, Dan Gosling, Henri Lansbury, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wileshire, Andy Carroll, Micah Richards and Jack Rodwell all have the potential and with any luck, the passion to succeed where the so called "Golden Generation" failed.

It remains to be seen whether or not Fabio Capello stays. If he does, I hope he sees the flaws with the team he took to South Africa and I hope that he looks to the future, because England need to start preparing now.

Fleet Town 2 - 1 Winchester City

Winchester's injury woes continued as they lost yet another goalkeeper in their 2-1 defeat against Fleet in the North Hampshire Cup Quarter-Final.

3rd choice 'keeper Stacey Harper was involved in a collision on the edge of his area early in the second half. It's believed that he has suffered snapped ankle ligaments and won't be back until next season.

Before Harper's injury, the game was relatively uneventful. A few chances for Fleet in the first half were the only moments of interest in what turned out to be a dull first half.

The second half was far more eventful. The injury to Harper saw Zac Glasspool end up in goal for the second game in a row.

Winchester made the most of the second half, creating the better chances and in the 85th minute Nathan Lynch seemed to send Winchester through to the semi final.

Fleet responded straight away though, with Mark Anderson seeming to send the game to extra time.

It was heartbreak for Winchester, as Dan Read made the most of a defensive mix up between Glasspool and Danny King, sending Fleet through to the next round.

Winchester City 1 - 1 Poole Town

A hard fought draw against top of the table Poole was overshadowed by a bad injury to Winchester keeper Ryan Gosney.

While taking a goal kick, Gosney's leg appeared to twist awkwardly in the turf and was taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle.

It was a sour point in a game that Winchester should be pleased with. Winchester took the lead early on in the game. Some good work down the wing by Jeff Cavey saw the ball land to Zach Glasspool, who controlled it excellently before shooting past Nic Jones. The Poole management will be baffled as to why he was allowed so much time on the ball.

Poole had few chances before half time, although a fantastic save by Gosney after 33 minutes ensured that Winchester maintained their lead going into the break.

It wasn't much later that Gosney was being carried off in a stretcher. With no reserve 'keeper on the bench, it fell to goalscorer Zach Glasspool to put on the gloves and go in goal.

It was unfortunate for Glasspool that it was his mistake that gifted Poole the equaliser. A long ball into the box was dropped by Glasspool and Stuart Gates pounced to gift a point to Poole.