Disgraced Terry faces captaincy axe

John Terry faces a nervous few days following stories that he had an affair with model Vanessa Perroncel surfaced last week. Terry, who is married and has two daughters, has failed in his attempt to ban publication of the incident after a High Court judge lifted the order yesterday, allowing disclosure.

Now, with only 5 months until the World Cup Finals are held in South Africa, Terry is forced to sweat over his status as captain of the England team, with the majority of pundits and supporters calling for the Chelsea defender to be axed from the role. However, Chelsea have vowed to stand by and support their much-loved skipper. A spokesperson said:

This is a personal matter for John Terry. The club will give John and his family all the support they need in dealing with it.

The FA have declined to comment on whether the story will cost Terry the captaincy of the National side, but with more details of the incident expected to be revealed in tomorrow's newspapers, it seems inevitable that Terry will be sacked.

Perroncel, the girlfriend of Terry's England and ex-Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge, has hired publicist Max Clifford to represent her, after she phoned him last night.

So should JT lose the England captaincy or not?

In my opinion he should. The stories are clearly true, emphasised by the fact that Terry hasn't denied them, and his attempt to cover them up by trying to use a "super-injunction" in court. Right at the start of his reign as England boss, Fabio Capello stated that he wouldn't be taking any nonscence, on or off the pitch, whoever the culprit. This is surely the kind of thing Capello was referring to; Newspaper stories revealing all about his players' personal lives, especially when it's to do with affairs and what have you. For me, Capello has no other option but to sack Terry of his captaincy, and drop him from the team.

It comes back to the old cliche that there are thousands of kids out there who would give an arm and a leg to play for England, so why should professionals like Terry be allowed to piss it all up the wall and get away with things like this? Sacking Terry and dropping him from the World Cup squad would not only teach Terry a very big lesson, but also show that Capello really doesn't take any crap from his players. It would send a message to the whole footballing nation.

Professionals like Terry are role models to youngsters who aspire to play for England, meaning that they set the example both on and off the pitch. This is not the kind of example Terry should be setting, and he shouldn't be let near the England team again until he's proven that he's learnt his lesson.

What are your thoughts?

Wish us luck!

Back in October I wrote a piece about Independent School’s Football in an attempt to broaden people’s knowledge about School Football. At that time Shrewsbury School’s 1st XI had just beaten Lancing School of Brighton 2-0 in the 2nd round of the Independent Schools Football Association Cup, and now, 3 months on, we’re just 10 days away from a semi-final clash with Millfield School of Somerset.

Earlier on in our season we were involved in a thrilling match with Millfield, albeit just a friendly. We took the lead early on, before the home side clawed themselves back into the game to lead 3-1. With only 20 minutes remaining on the clock, we pulled a goal back through a penalty, before equalising soon after. Had it not been for a certain someone missing a sitter in the final minute of the game, we would have come away with a memorable win. Now we have our chance to set the record straight.

Millfield are in the top 3 sporting Schools in the country, as are we. This is a massive rival clash and one that for the winner will earn a place in the final to play at Stadium MK, home of the MK Dons, against Either Manchester Grammar School or Repton of Derbyshire.

Wednesday the 3rd of February is the big day, and everyone is chomping at the bit to get out there and get ourselves into the National Final. Wish us luck!

Tevez did what others daren't

For so long, probably since Sir Alex Ferguson took over as manager of Manchester United a whole 25 years ago, players, officials, and coaches have been scared to mutter a bad word against them. Whether that's because they know that Sir Alex is a trained assassin and I don't, or just that they're worried he'll say something insulting back at them. Oooh how naughty! That's until now of course.

Carlos Tevez' unbelievable, and frankly brilliant rant about Gary Neville on Argentinian radio, for me, has set a new precedent. Neville gives out his fair share of chat, usually bulls***, and he's disliked by the entire population of Britain, bar a small section of Manchester of course. So it's about time a fellow player, and former teammate got stuck in to the guy.

For those of you that have been in hiding for the last few days, and have no idea what's been going on, I'll run you through the basics. Manchester City played their United counterparts in the Carling Cup semi-final on Tuesday and won 2-1. They were 1-0 down until Carlos Tevez turned the game around in the second half and snatched City a memorable victory. For his goal celebrations, Tevez firstly put his hands to his ears in a "I can't hear you" gesture which he later claimed was merely a copy of an Argentinian puppet from a kid's TV show, before signalling to Gary Neville to stop talking, which Neville had been doing a lot of in the build up to the match. Neville, whilst warming up on the sidelines, spat in Tevez' direction before appearing to stick up the 'v's' in the direction of the City celebrations.

Over the course of the next couple of days, Tevez called Neville a "moron" and a "boot-licker", before both managers and the police got involved. So it's quite a big deal right now, if only in Manchester. Tevez will be looking forward to the return leg at Old Trafford, I'M SURE.

So lets just take a moment to analyse the facts. Neville is a moron, and he is a complete boot-licker, so Tevez is right on two accounts there. Ferguson has told his squad that if anyone steps out of line "they are dead", perhaps indicating that he is a trained assassin afterall. And finally, if there was a bit of trouble between supporters on tuesday night, what are the odds on there being twice or even three times the amount come the second leg at OT next week? Carlos will do well to get out alive to be honest, especially if he scores the winner again.

As a neutral and an avid United hater, I was absolutely delighted to hear about Tevez' comments and couldn't stop grinning for an entire 2 hours. I'm hoping that in the future, we'll hear more of these kind of diatribes from players and coaches about United, because it's nothing more than they deserve. It's also about time that referees and officials stopped being such lightweights and giving in to Ferguson's demands of 7 minutes added time every single game, just so he can win. If it's 3 minutes, it's 3 minutes! And why do people get fined and banned from the touchline for saying that Ferguson is a pillock? The truth shouldn't be punished.

Well that's me done. I love a good old rant about the most hated team in England from time to time. Hope you enjoyed!

Premier League round up - Saturday 16th January

Another eventful weekend in the Barclays Premier League has produced goals, red cards, disappointment, joy and the odd goal on debut.

The highest scoring game of the day came at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea hammered Steve Bruce's Sunderland 7-2. Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard both claimed two goals, while Florent Malouda, Ashley Cole, and Michael Ballack chipped in as well. Boudewijn Zenden and Darren Bent found the net for the Black Cats but in vain. This result comes as somewhat as a surprise, as Sunderland have been flying rather high in the Premier League this year. Steve Bruce's sides are usually quite well organised, so this is a super result for Ancelotti's boys.

Elsewhere both sides were reduced to ten men in Wigan's 2-0 win over Wolves at Molineux. Richard Stearman was the first to be dismissed just before half time, but from the resulting penalty Hugo Rodallega missed, meaning Stearman's error didn't cost Wolves too much. However, just 15 minutes after half time James McCarthy notched his first goal for the Latics, before Hendry Thomas was dismissed for the away side. Even with ten men Wigan pressed on and managed to seal the game through Charles N'Zogbia in the 73rd minute.

Tottenham Hotspur will be disappointed with their afternoon, especially as it was at home. Hull City were the ecstatic visitors to the Lane as they managed to claim an all important point from Harry's team. Manchester United won convincingly at Old Trafford over Burnley, now under the control of Brian Laws, but it took until the 64th minute for the Red Devils to open the scoring. Dimitar Berbatov doing just that before Wayne Rooney doubled United's advantage 5 minutes later. United capped off the win in the final minutes as debutant Mame Biram Diouf netted. Diouf has been touted as a real star for the future, and this goal will certainly help those claims.

Finally, Liverpool's woes continued as they conceeded another late goal to drop two points at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke. Sotirios Kyrgiakos opened the scoring on 57 minutes, but a late Robert Huth goal clinched a vital point for Stoke.

Steyn 5 puts South Africa into the driving seat

Dale Steyn made his mark on the series at Johannesburg with a career-best haul against England of 5-51. 1-0 up in the series and requiring only a draw for victory, England would have been hoping to win the toss and really put the hosts to the sword by batting them out of the game. Andrew Strauss got the first part right, but not much else went his way on a cloudy morning at the Wanderers.

For the first time since 1937 an England opening captain was dismissed first ball of the match, as Strauss guided one straight off the face of his bat only to be caught superbly by the diving Hashim Amla. Ironically, the ball followed Amla around the field for the entirety of the innings, but he failed to hold on to anything else. Graeme Swann benefited momentarily from an Amla drop in the deep later on the innings.

Things didn't get much better for England as they were reduced to 39-4 by Morne Morkel. Jonathan Trott looked unusually nervous before being trapped lbw by Morkel for 5. He was followed shortly after by Kevin Pietersen, who's horribly out of form, after he pulled straight to debutant Wayne Parnell at mid-on for 7. Alastair Cook went via a review that revealed what looked to be a clear no-ball from Morkel, but don't expect 3rd umpire Daryl Harper to make a correct decision. Cook on his way back for 21, lbw.

Paul Collingwood (47) and Ian Bell (35) resurrected the innings through the morning and reached 115-4 before England's second and last batting collapse begun. Collingwood chipped South African's other debutant Ryan McLaren to point, and Ian Bell was undone by a world-class piece of fast bowling by Dale Steyn. Matt Prior (14) then gloved a bumper from Steyn through to Boucher, Stuart Broad (13) lobbed to mid-on off Kallis, and Ryan Sidebottom (0) edged behind off Steyn. England's lower order that had come to the rescue already twice in the series failed to dent South Africa's progress. Only Graeme Swann was successful in his attempt to attack the South African quicks, but even he didn't last too long. After smashing Morkel for six over square-leg, and caressing back-to-back boundaries off Kallis, he edged behind for 27 and England were all out for 180.

Despite such a low total after winning the toss, Strauss and his men shouldn't get too downheartened. The pitch looks like it will still provide some assistance for the quickies, and although not much turn is expected, Graeme Swann's form and luck right now seems to suggest that he'll have a part to play in the next day or two.

Maxi the man for Benitez

Rafael Benitez has made his first move to bolster the Liverpool squad in an attempt to improve his side's fortune on the pitch by capturing the signature of Argentina International Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid on a free transfer. Maxi's contract at Atletico was due to expire in the Summer, and as he had fallen out of favour with the Spanish giants, he was seeking to gain some regular first team action with the World Cup Finals just 147 days away.

Maxi has signed a 3-and-a-half year deal at Anfield, and could make his debut this weekend against Stoke. The winger, who is also capable of playing through the middle, introduced himself to the Anfield faithful before kickoff in last night's FA Cup third round replay against Reading. The bad news was the he actually had to watch that miserable excuse of a performance from his new teammates.

Rafael Benitez gave us an inkling of what we're in for:

"We were looking for players with character and a good mentality... He is comfortable on the ball, can pass and keep possession. He is good at getting into the box and scoring goals and is a good finisher... I think he will adapt to English Football because he is a clever player and takes up good positions on the pitch."

 Sounds like a decent purchase then for Rafa, and he'll certainly be hoping that Maxi can adapt to the pace of the English game as soon as possible. Liverpool's season continues to go from bad to worse, and now with only the Europa League to challenge for, the chance of any success this year is fast running out.

Coyle's move to Bolton described as "sideways move" by Burnley

Owen Coyle, one of the brightest young Managers in English Football at the moment, guilty of making one of the most stupid Managerial moves ever, or a sly career move that will pay dividends in the end?

Coyle's move a few miles south from Burnley to Bolton has really got people stumped. Burnley are currently 14th in the Premier Division, and while they're far from clear of the drop, you'd definitely back them to stay up, especially against Bolton. Bolton are 18th following the departure of the much unloved Gary Megson, and I think it's safe to say they will be in the relegation mixer come the 36th, 37th, and 38th games of the season. So why, oh why did you make that move Owen?

Money can't be an issue, as neither Bolton nor Burnley have that much. You could argue that Bolton's budget is slightly bigger than Burnley's, but not so much as to attract a Manager from a very similar Club.

Burnley have some of the most passionate supporters in England, and I'd know as one of my friends is a Burnley fan through and through. They love their team, and were delighted with the job Coyle was doing. There were very few people who believed Burnley would avoid the drop in their first Premier League season, and I'm not too sure many of their own supporters believed that would happen either. So 14th after 20 games is more than decent.

Bolton's style over the years has been very direct. Sam Allardyce got them hitting target men, most notably Kevin Davies and pretty much feeding off the scraps he left. They'd be made up of big, strong players who wouldn't be afraid to go through you with a 'take no prisoners' attitude. Burnley aren't quite like that. They play more, and probably better passing Football, as is Owen Coyle's style. So can we expect a change in strategy from Bolton now? I should think so, but that will have to start straight away by investing players in the January transfer window that fit that system. Bolton don't possess too many Footballers that would please the purists.

It confuses me as to why Coyle would want to leave Burnley in the middle of such a progressing, successful project there. For a start he got them into the Premier League against most odds, and with a pretty limited squad and budget. Now he's more than holding his own in that League. I mean, Burnley have beaten Manchester United at Turf Moor, and have only lost once at home all season. That's a remarkable record for a newly promoted team. Surely he'd want to finish off that project by ensuring Burnley finish in a respectable position, which would probably class as anything above the drop zone. I could understand if he'd left at the end of the season after achieving Premier League status for another year, but half way through staggers me.

The only reason I can think of for his sudden move is that Bolton still holds a place in his heart from his playing days. Coyle spent two of his twenty-three playing years at Bolton, and made 54 appearances. Even that doesn't seem credible. It wasn't a long stint at the club, but it must have been special to him if that is the reason he wanted to move. Lee Dixon suggested on BBC's Football Focus that Coyle may feel he has a better chance of staying in the Premier League with Bolton, but their League position and recent results don't suggest that to be the case.

Burnley Operations Director Brendan Flood revealed his dismay at Coyle's decision.

"They have got a bank debt of £44m, we have got none. They do not have a history of spending a lot of money over the last few years. I think they can say a lot of attractive things to tempt Owen in, but whether they deliver on those, I think history will tell."

Chairman Barry Kilby admitted that the move was a "sideways step" for Owen, and one that didn't represent any great ambition.

So no one quite knows why Owen Coyle has made the move to South Lancashire, but time will tell as to whether it was the correct one.

Roberto Mancini played for LEICESTER CITY?!

Whaaaaaaaaaaat. Okay, so I found out today that Roberto Mancini a.k.a. 'the man with the scarf' signed for Leicester City way back in 2001! What is all that about?

Mancini made his name at Sampdoria where he hit 173 goals in 563 games, before joining Lazio where he was less successful. Then Peter Taylor somehow lured him to one of the shittiest cities in England. He only turned out four times for the Foxes though, and didn't get a goal. So it was a waste of time, eh Robbie!

Mancini is of course now Manchester City's new gaffer, and is looking as suave and sophisticated as ever. I'm just struggling to picture him stood alongside Robbie Savage. Complete mug against Italian Stallion. What an earth was he thinking?

Togo National Team bus attacked by Angolan gunmen

An incredible story coming out of Africa today reports that the Togolese National Team, on their way into the Congo ahead of the African Nations Cup, were attacked by a group of armed Angolan rebels on the boarder between the two countries. The driver of the bus has been killed, and two of the players injured in this unprovoked ambush.

FC Nantes striker Thomas Dossevi revealed the horror that he and his teammates experienced.

"I am fine but several players are in a bad way. We are at still at hospital. We were attacked like dogs and had to hide for twenty minutes under the seats to avoid the bullets. We were shot, although we had two police coaches on our sides. There are two injured players and also some staff."

This attack brings back memories of when the Sri Lanka Cricket Team's bus was attacked whilst on their way to the 3rd day's play of a Test Match against Pakistan. As on this occasion, players and staff were injured and there were a few casualties in Karachi.

The two injured players are reported to be GSI Pontivy goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale and Vaslui FC defender Serge Akakpo. Grenoble player Alaixis Romau said he could count 7 injured people. He explains the effect the attack has had on the team.

"We are not thinking about possible actions just yet, but it's true no one wants to play. We are not capable. Before everything we have to think about the health of the injured. There was a lot of blood on the floor."

One must wonder whether the African Cup of Nations should be allowed to go ahead. There has to be serious concern about security in the light of such an incident. I'm sure that all the teams participating will be considering forfeiting and contemplating their actions extremely carefully. It's a very very sad day for Football, again emphasising the state of affairs in continents such as Africa. No doubt Fifa President Sep Blatter will have a few things to say about this.

For now, thoughts are with the families of those injured, and we all hope they make a speedy recovery.

Vieira to join City - Mancini spots a bargain

Patrick Vieira is all set to become Roberto Mancini's first signing at Manchester City, providing the French International passess a medical at the club. Vieira is currently out of favour under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan, and has decided that to prolong his career, a move to England is required.

For Vieira, the choice is a simple one. He wants to play for his country again, and the only way he can do that is by playing on a regular basis.

"I set an objective for myself. I want to go to the World Cup. The important thing for me is to go to Manchester City and to show the coach (Roberto Mancini) I'm the same player as when he was in charge of Inter."

Vieira's always been a very loyal Footballer. He served Arsene Wenger and Arsenal remarkably well, and I don't think anyone can argue that he is sorely missed by all Gunners' supporters. I'm sure he'll receive a standing ovation whenever he returns to the club with City, and I'm also sure that the signing of Vieira will be a big boost to the fortunes of Manchester City, when it comes to winning trophies.

He may be 33 years old, but Vieira is still a top class player. He was a fantastic servant to the Premier League, and a real winner. Getting him on the cheap is certainly a great piece of business from Mancini and the directors at City, although with Vieira being out in the dark at San Siro, it was a good time to make an enquiry.

England hold on yet again in Cape Town thriller

First Cardiff, then Centurion, and now Newlands. England have conquered all. And the common denominator? Paul Collingwood, or Brigadier Block as he has been aptly nicknamed by the Sky Sports commentary team.

Collingwood scrapped and fought to 40, scored off 188 balls, in a match-saving partnership with Ian Bell, who's silenced his many critics with a 213-ball 78. However, an England draw wouldn't be an England draw without the customary nailbiting last hour of play. At 272-5 entering the final 15 overs, England looked certain to bat out the rest of the day with comfort. Then, JP Duminy, far more threatening from South Africa's frontline spinner Paul Harris, removed Paul Collingwood with the help of Jacques Kallis at slip. Just minutes later Matt Prior fell thanks to a wonderful close catch by AB de Villiers. Two more wickets fell shortly afterwards. First Stuart Broad who reviewed in vain against one that hit his gloves and ballooned up for de Villers again, followed by Ian Bell who nicked a rising short delivery from Morne Morkel.

Welcome to the crease, Graham Onions. Onions was the hero at Centurion when he saw off the last over from Makhaya Ntini, and he did it again here, this time negotiating the far more threatening Morne Morkel. England saving another Test Match by the skin of their teeth.

12 months ago it was England who were on the receiving end of a superb rearguard action, on three occasions. Fidel Edwards was the hero for the West Indies as they saved 3 consecutive Tests to claim a 1-0 series win. Chances are, that feit will be repeated by England in Jo'burg in a week's time.

A new year brings new resolutions

As we embark on a new year, and a new decade, the one thing that's on my mind is how much more sport I can cram in to an already busy schedule. Where would I be without Sport?

This year, my Sporting resolutions are:
- Feel proud of my beloved Liverpool, no matter what happens, and no matter what people say. I've felt enough disappointment and rage in 2009 to last a lifetime.
- Watch even more Sport - that's more Football matches in every division, and more days of Cricket than ever before.
- And finally, get tickets to watch Liverpool, and at least 3 days of Test Match Cricket.

We're only 7 days in to 2010, but already there's been a scattering of Sporting drama. Leeds United triumphed over Manchester United in the FA Cup, even with the custom 5 minutes of injury time that comes with in the whole United/Sir Alex package.

Down in South Africa England's Cricketers are battling hard to save the 3rd Test Match in Cape Town and preserve their 1-0 lead heading into next week's finale in Jo'burg.

And Australia pulled off one of the most memorable Test wins ever in Sydney. Heading into the 4th day, the home side led by just 80 runs in the 3rd innings of the match, with only 2 wickets remaining. But a Mike Hussey century, and a handy contribution from Peter Siddle ensured Australia set Pakistan 176 to win. Still a very average total, but one that enabled the Aussie bowlers to have a go at. The tourists folded for just 139, with Nathan Hauritz claiming his 2nd Test Match 5-for. Damn those Aussie B******s!

What are your Sporting resolutions for 2010?