Owen Out for 6 weeks

With the forthcoming friendly with Spain coming up, it would have been interesting to see if Michael Owen would make the squad. Unfortunately he was injured last night in Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat at Eastlands by Manchester City. Joe Kinnear reported that Michael Owen has cracked an ankle bone in his left foot and will be out for a minimum of six weeks.

Becks

Nice article from Matthew Syed in The Times today. Syed is a good journalist and I have enjoyed his articles before.

United, Real, Milan: fools, the lot of them…

Who would have thought that Carlo Ancelotti, the revered godfather of Italian football, would fall prey to what might be called the Beckham Delusion?

The AC Milan coach has indicated that he wants to sign the Los Angeles Galaxy player permanently when Beckham’s loan deal ends in March, which will lead to a new bout of head-scratching among those who have always written off David Beckham as less of a footballer than a marketing gimmick. Can the Italian not see through the hype and the hysteria? Can he not discern that the England and former Real Madrid midfield player is a one-trick pony without much of a trick?

But perhaps we are being a bit hard on Ancelotti. After all, Sir Alex Ferguson, the doyen of British club managers, also laboured under the Beckham Delusion. Between 1995 and 2003 the Scot managed to pick the man described by detractors as “a walking shaving foam commercial” for 265 Premier League matches, which, I am sure you will agree, is a damning indictment of Ferguson’s managerial acumen.

I mean, Manchester United managed to win only six league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League in that period. Just think what they could have achieved.

But the Beckham Delusion spreads far wider. In the Fifa World Player of the Year awards, Beckham has finished runner-up on two occasions, an achievement that places him well above any other English player in the years since the prize was first awarded in 1991 (Frank Lampard has been runner-up once and Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker each finished third once). The award is voted for by national coaches and captains around the globe, a kind of super-democracy of the ablest and wisest.

Does this mean that the footballing world has gone mad? Does it imply that those who make their living from playing and understanding the game are somehow off their heads?

Or might it mean that those who have consistently had it in for Beckham – who have slated, baited and hated him; who have constantly dismissed his footballing abilities as media hype and who have regarded his admirers as soft-headed luvvies; who have demeaned his extraordinary achievements by suggesting that they were the consequence of having played alongside half-decent players; and who have written him off time and again without ever having the decency to eat their words – could it be that it is they who have been labouring under the delusion all along?

Onwards

Transfer window has another week to go and so far we have seen Emile Heskey go to Aston Villa from Wigan Athletic. Good move for the fellow who is undergoing a renaissance. Should improve his World Cup chances. Squad player Jimmy Bullard moves to Hull City on a four and half year contract. Shame for Fulham, but good for the player as he is reportedly getting 40 grand a week for this move. David Beckham has been playing for AC Milan and putting in respectable if not match winning performances. What is it with Beckham? From where I am sitting he is undeniably a good player, can deliver sweet free kicks and the odd Hollywood ball and has a great work ethic, but he is not amonst the World’s best by a long way. He was fantastic against Greece in the 2-2 draw at Old Trafford in 2001 but that is about it. Respectable, hard working performances aside that was the zenith of his achievement for England. On the other hand, Hoddle, Keegan, Sven, Mclaren and Capello have all included him in their squads and he still continues to be considered. But during 2006, didn’t England look a better team whenever Aaron Lennon came on for him? I find it hard to believe that he could actually start on the right again for England. Surely the game is now about young fast players, who are able to beat their man. Anyway forthcoming friendly against Spain in February should get us back in the International mood and let’s hope that by the end of this year we will be discussing our World cup group for 2010.