Coming off another international break where a lot of things happened, but nothing interesting enough for a full-length column, I’ll touch on several of them briefly.
Darren Bent reportedly wants out if you believe The Mirror. For the sake of argument, if this is true it does reflect poorly on the manager to a degree. The relationship between player and manager would’ve disintegrated faster than a Kardashian marriage. I won’t rehash the debate on Bent’s merits as a player, but we can all agree he is one of the most important players on the team right now. If he is sold in January this team will struggle to score goals, depending on how the manager replaces him. There’s nobody else at the club I trust to regularly put away chances.
Liverpool announced that they will renovate and expand Anfield as opposed to building a new stadium. As a New Englander and Boston Red Sox fan this is what I expected all along. It always was the more cost-effective option provided they could get the needed approvals from the relevant authorities. Given that the expansion is part of a larger development, Liverpool will be able to acquire the needed land around the stadium to expand.
Villa’s planned new North Stand has been on ice for a while now. If/when there are renovations it would be nice if it could be part of a similar development. Typically when stadia are built or renovated in the U.S. it is part of a larger development which offsets construction costs. With around 40,000 supporters coming into the area on match days, one would think businesses would want to open nearby. I’m sure there are practical hurdles and whatnot.
Eric Lichaj still hasn’t been called up by Jurgen Klinsman, and hasn’t been capped since 2010. In recent qualifiers the U.S. was down to its fourth-choice left back due to injury and illness and could’ve used him. The U.S.’s lack of width would also be helped with Lichaj on the pitch. Even if he is a squad player for Villa, he is more than good enough to be a squad player for the U.S. Meanwhile Brad Guzan patiently waits for Tim Howard’s international retirement.
The IFA must be too cash-poor to sack Giovanni Trappatoni. International managers tend to have a shelf-life. The IFA should’ve shaken Trap’s hand, thanked him for Euro 2012 qualification, and separated amicably. With several key players retiring, it would’ve been the perfect time. A new manager may well have played Cieran Clark and reached out to Steven Ireland who signaled some willingness to return to the Republic of Ireland fold.
Speaking of international manager’s who need the sack, Craig Levien should be sacked just for calling up and starting Alan Hutton. The horrible results, and worse performances should just be icing on the cake.
Cheers to the club for hiring Simone Farina as a community coach. If he was black-balled for blowing the whistle on the latest Italian match-fixing scandal, that would be nothing short of reprehensible. We may bemoan the secrecy or lack of communication from the club, but more often than not the club can be counted on to do the right thing. I was proud that my club stepped up and brought Farina on board.
The highlight of this international break was seeing the tweet that Stewart Downing is an anagram for “twat on the reds wing.”
When he’s flogged for half what Liverpool paid us for him I wonder if he would be amenable to a reunion with Martin O’Neil. Coming up through the ranks on Teeside, who knows if he would go to Sunderland. We all know how loyal the former England winger is.
Last summer Rangers FC bought US international Alejandro Bedoya and U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra. With Maurice Edu already on the books, that made three U.S. internationals. I kind of adopted ‘Gers and bought a year-old shirt on eBay. A year later the club was liquidated after cheating the tax man, all the Americans are gone, and their new owner slandered my club. I’m open to suggestions for what to do with the shirt.
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