The pressure was eased on Gordon Strachan yesterday night as a late Tarmo Kink double helped his Middlebrough team beat Burnley 2-1, visitors who continue to suffer away woes. After a 68th minute goal from Bikey it looked bleak again for Strachan’s men, but Kink coming off the bench turned the game on its head and with a great free kick in the 94th minute saved Strachan for another game at least.
This isn't another article about Wayne Rooney and his s-excapades. At least it shouldn’t be. Instead I hope it to be the full stop on all this hysteria. Many trials have befallen the young Liverpudlian turned Mancunian lately, there has been revelations about his private life, speculation about his ‘waning’ ability and the back of a failed World Cup to add to the bloke’s hangover. The question you should be asking is, ‘does it really matter?’
A few weeks ago Jose Mourinho issued a warning to his replacement at Inter Milan, Rafael Benitez.
In an interview, Mourinho explained that “one thing is certain, Benitez won’t do better than me.” Whilst there was little to dispute this, given the historic treble victory enjoyed by Inter last year, confidence still remained high of otherwise in the blue half of Milan.
English clubs are becoming more obsessed than ever about winning the Champions League. Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are on the road to try and claim their first win in this great competition whilst Manchester United are trying to reclaim it. Many people in Europe believe that to be a big club around the world you have to win this tournament, so this is why clubs have an endless drive to win the thing. Even though the English Premier League is much more lucrative than the Champions League money wise it does not stop the English clubs concentrating on it more than the premier league.
The way in which England have started their new qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 has seen a remarkable about turn by certain sections of the English media in their regard for the national team. Football like a lot of sport is a fickle business so maybe the reporting of it is as prone to the highs and lows as those who partake in it.
For example fans always get on the back of a striker during a goal drought, but other supporters and pundits will be just as keen to stress that once the drought is broken the goals will come flooding back. Likewise there is the old adage that form is temporary and class is permanent, a good line for those that wish to argue with detractors of a player going through a rough patch.