Hero Worship: Ian Wright

Every Arsenal fan knows Ian Wright. Of course you do, how can you possibly not? Even for a lot of fans today who never got to see the man play, we all know who he is. He's synonymous with Arsenal football club, nearly twenty years after he last donned the red and white shirt.

When I was a nipper, between 8 and 9 years old, I wanted to be Ian Wright. I wanted to physically become the man in every way possible. When my Dad and I would watch Arsenal on the tele, I would spend most of the game too close to the screen, burning out my retinas as I focused solely on Wright, his movement, his technique, his gait. I would spend days and weeks trying to perfect his moves on the playgrounds and playing fields of my school. Remember that famous shimmy and swivel against Spurs that left Clive Wilson for dead in 96? I spent close to a week destroying my shoes on the harsh black bitumen trying to master that against the other lads in my class. I'd deliberately dribble the ball into the corner, pretending I had 38,000 of the Highbury faithful on my back, as I turned my would-be defender before crossing the ball to Bergkamp. Only it wasn't the Dutch legend of course, but my mate Dan.

I would stay up at night, pouring over my limited collection of Arsenal magazines to read the match reports detailing Wright's exploits. I recoiled in horror once when I read that he'd been given a straight red card away to Nottingham Forest just before Christmas 1996. Surely not my Ian? He'd scored an equalising goal roughly an hour into the game but six minutes later he was given his marching orders. I thought, there's no way they've got this right. My 8 year-old self would have defended Wright to the death. Little did I know that he'd had a battle all game with Forest defender Nikola Jerkan and finally thought enough was enough. Wright planted his boot through Jerkan's left foot and the linesman caught him red handed, grassing Wrighty in to the ref. Arsenal went on to lose 2-1 that night, thanks to a Alf Inge Haaland last minute winner, but all of this only helped add to the Ian Wright mystique and strangely deepened my admiration for the man.

With my parents and siblings regularly hogging the TV to watch X Files or Gladiators in the evenings, I would gather all of my Corinthians big head figures and set them out in formation on the kitchen table. Wrighty would obviously take centre stage and I'd routinely use his figurine to smash Subbuteo balls across the table into a homemade goal. I'd even do the running commentary.

Wright passes to Bergkamp. who lays it off to Merson, who crosses for Wright at the back post, WHO VOLLEYS IT PAST SEAMAN TO WIN IT IN INJURY TIME FOR ARSENAL! (Yes, Seaman was in goal - he was the only goalie figure I had!)

And don't think for a second I haven't contemplated buying a new Ian Wight big head as an adult. I have...

Ahead of the World Cup in 98, my first proper international tournament I fully understood and invested in, I was lucky to own the official England Football Team annual. I would spent ages pouring over this book, reading all the player profiles and soaking up all of the information. Before this book I had really only ever known Arsenal. This was the England team, and here were my favourite Arsenal players as well! What was David Seaman doing wearing that crazy kit? How could he possibly play for two different teams, I would ask my Dad.

And then there was Ian, not just featured in the book but on the bloody cover, evading a tackle from a very young Fabio Cannavaro.

On a summer's evening in May 1997 I was at home and found myself watching England play South Africa at Old Trafford. I undoubtedly had my England annual spread on the floor in front of me, so I could look up the players mentioned on the screen. It was just a friendly, but as a kid I didn't really know what that meant. It was still England, so it mattered to me. And there was Ian, wearing number 9 and starting alongside Teddy Sheringham. Of course he only went on to score the winner didn't he? With 75 minutes played Wrighty controlled a flick-on from a Paul Gascoigne free kick, chesting it down before turning to smash it past Andre Arendse in the South African goal. England won the game 2-1 and I was absolutely beaming at my hero's involvement in the result.

Today Ian Wright turns 53 years-old. I owe him a lot as he was the responsible for a big chunk of the joy in my childhood. Him and Star Wars of course. I'm sad I never got to see him in the flesh, but glad I got to experience his legend in at least some way.

Happy Birthday Ian.

Wilshere Makes England Euro 2016 Squad

This afternoon Roy Hodgson named his final 23-man squad for England ahead of Euro 2016 and our own Jack Wilshere, out of action for nearly the entire 2015/16 season, has made the team and will be on the plane to France.

As an Arsenal fan I am very pleased to hear he'll be representing the club. After Danny Welbeck's late season injury ruling out what was a guaranteed place in the squad, and Theo Walcott's unfortunate but not unsurprising exclusion, Jack will be the sole representative for Gunners fans in this England squad dominated by players from teams I absolutely despise.

Don't get me wrong, as an Englishman I am desperate for my national team to succeed on the international stage. However it is sometimes difficult to cheer and actively support players like Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney when for the majority of the year I don't like them very much at all (to put it mildly.) This England squad in particular is very Tottenham-heavy, making it even more difficult to fully embrace these guys. I will of course cheer and celebrate whoever puts the ball in the net wearing an England shirt, but if it's an Arsenal player it makes the celebration that little bit sweeter. So for Wilshere to be included in the team and to get this opportunity, lets just say I'm very happy with Roy Hodgson's decision to take him.

There has been quite an uproar on social media (what else is new?) over Danny Drinkwater's absence from the squad. Many fans feel aggrieved that the likes of Wilshere and Jordan Henderson, both with doubts about their fitness, have made the team instead of Drinkwater. Wilshere in particular is receiving a great deal of abuse, mainly because he only started 1 game during the 2015/16 season.

The 26 year-old Leicester City midfielder can certainly feel aggrieved at Hodgson's decision to leave him at home. A player who made 35 appearances this season for the League champions, Drinkwater definitely merited serious consideration ahead of Euro 2016.

However, he has a few factors working against him. One of which being Roy Hodgson is a very loyal manager; it's safe to say he has "his boys" and Wilshere and Henderson have long been part of that exclusive club. They've both contributed meaningfully on the international stage, they are known quantities and Hodgson feels comfortable with them. Drinkwater is a relative newcomer to the current England setup, whereas Wilshere has been established in Hodgson's squad for many years now.

Also, whilst Drinkwater is a very talented player, at the international level he's still somewhat unproven. He and Leicester City have had a tremendous season but the level of quality at Euro 2016 may be a step above what Drinkwater is used to. If England make the knockout stages, Drinkwater would be up against some of the very best players in the world, not the scrubs he's used to seeing fielded by the Aston Villa's and Norwich's of the Premier League. Whereas Wilshere has faced the world's best for over half a decade, playing regularly in the Champions League and for England.

Perhaps the biggest factor in Wilshere's favour over Drinkwater is his style of play. Drinkwater, a very capable and workmanlike midfielder, cannot pick a pass or make a turn and drive forward like Wilshere, in fact there are very few who can, hence why Hodgson is so insistent on having him in the squad, regardless of his fitness. I am positive Drinkwater has areas in his game that Wilshere cannot match but the Leicester man does not yet possess the skills that mark him out as "world class." It is a phrase I hate using as it's so unspecific and handed out far too often, yet Jack has exhibited this level of play in the past and been lauded for it.

So I can understand fans feeling Drinkwater has been wronged by Roy Hodgson. But this youthful and dynamic England side is a talented one, and should Drinkwater have made the squad, how many minutes would he have seen anyway? In a very strong midfield, which is likely to see Wayne Rooney crammed in there also, I don't think Drinkwater will have had much of a look in over Henderson, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, James Milner and Ross Barkley, all players who can operate successfully in the centre of the park. Will Jack Wilshere see many minutes either? Perhaps not. However, if that is the case, I would argue that Jack can bring a spark off the bench Drinkwater cannot yet manage, a different option and a vastly different technique to his peers that could prove useful.

England face Portugal in 2 days time in their final warm-up match before taking on Russia in their first Euro 2016 game on 11 June. I expect to see the England manager select a strong lineup against the Portuguese with many indicators on who is first eleven may be ahead of England's first group game against the Russians. Here's hoping Wilshere features prominently and puts in a performance to silence his critics. Lord knows he has plenty of them.

Thanks for reading.

Hungary For Success

Tonight the English national football team look to put the memories of their dismal World Cup firmly behind them as they face Hungary in a friendly at Wembley. Fabio Capello will be looking to win back the support of England fans, but I imagine its going to take some effort to achieve the forgiveness he is looking for. The players and staff are expecting hostility from the Wembley faithful tonight, and they certainly deserve it. Steven Gerrard has come out and said he would boo the team this evening if he were a fan. I personally feel it is never appropriate to boo the side you are supposed to be supporting, but in England's case I might make an exception.

For me, it all starts with this apparent "Golden Generation" we have. First of all, I detest almost all of them. John Terry, Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, and so on; I can't stand these players for the majority of the football year. Being an Arsenal fan, these guys are my enemies, especially Cashley. So it makes it increasingly hard for me to really attach myself to this England side when, if I'm really honest, I wouldn't give them the time of day. I still try to get behind them though, and I was as disappointed about England's collapse in South Africa as any other English football fan. But I just do not feel the same way about England as I do about Arsenal, and probably never will. Arsenal are "my team" and are unique to me, whereas I was born English and I have to share them with everybody else. So in that respect, I don't feel very close to this England team and find it rather difficult to get passionate or feel concern for this bunch of overpaid football divas.

However I will still tune in to ITV tonight to see how England get on against the Hungarians, for one reason in particular. For the first time in what feels like forever, there are some Arsenal boys in the national side. Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and Theo Walcott have all been summoned by Fabio Capello and look set to feature at some point or another in tonight's contest. I hope Gibbs will be given the start at left back and Walcott can get a start too. I'd like Wilshere to make an appearance also, coming on at some stage to win his first England cap. I'd be over the moon if he started though! All I really want is for England to play some exciting football for once, and hopefully the Arsenal lads can help achieve this. I always struggle to watch England's friendlies - they tend to feel slow and drag on for a while, and my attention wanes rather quickly. In simple terms, England are boring to watch. But I'll make sure I hang in there and watch tonight, just to see how the Young Guns get on.

This weekend brings the return of proper football, as the Premier League resumes play for another season. Arsenal travel to Anfield to battle Roy Hodgson's Liverpool on Sunday, in a match I am quietly confident about. Looking at Liverpool's squad, even with the acquisition of Joe Cole, they really don't have much in their locker anymore and I reckon they will struggle in the battle for 4th position this year, unless they make some decent signings and get Torres and Gerrard firing on all cylinders. So I will be hoping for a good win from the Gunners, a statement of intent that we may challenge for some silverware this season (but please buy a new goalkeeper soon Arsene). If you are lucky faithful readers, I may even write a match preview closer to the time (may being the key word there - depends if I feel like it haha!).

Thanks for reading.

No Defence For Poor England

England's dreams of lifting the World Cup in South Africa 2010 have come to an end, as they were crushed 4-1 by Germany this afternoon in the round of 16 knockout stage. In what has been a terrible tournament for Fabio Capello's men, England's "golden generation" limp out of another major international competition. And we thought it couldn't get any worse than failing to qualify for Euro 2008...

I am not blaming Capello for the mess that is the England football team, not entirely. Sure he is stuck in his ways and seems reluctant to alter anything, but you can see on his face how passionate he is about his job; the guy is a winner, as his CV will show you. I honestly don't think he could have gotten any more out of the players than he did, but I do have issues with his squad selection and substitution choices. For a manager who constantly reiterated that he would only take players who were fit and on form, what on earth was he doing selecting King, Heskey, Carragher and Upson? The prime example of Fabio's failure here is Darren Bent, who had a very good season at Sunderland and was in the form of his life in the run up to this World Cup. Bent has 25 goals in all competitions this season, in 40 appearances for the Mackems. Yet poor Darren is left out of the final 23 man squad and Emile Heskey is taken instead. Now I have to give credit where it is due, and Heskey had a fine first half against the USA in the first game - but that was it. When Emile Heskey, the striker who doesn't score, is chosen over real centre forwards like Darren Bent, then you know England have problems. Fabio's odd decision to take off Defoe this afternoon in exchange for Heskey most likely bewildered every Englishman in the world. I don't understand Capello's thought process just after Germany broke away and scored a very simple but crucial third goal, why not bring Crouch on instead, who typically plays well for England and who does his job - scores goals - unlike Heskey.

I know most of the press and many fans will focus on Lampard's goal that was but wasn't. However this view completely ignores England's fundamental problem that they simply were not good enough. Germany were technically superior in every way, and their football is actually fun to watch, and effective too. When was the last time you said you had "fun" watching England? If Lampard's goal had been given, the game would definitely have swung in England's favour. At 2-2 the Three Lions would no doubt have carried that momentum on and pushed Germany right to the edge. Even when they got over the fact the goal wouldn't stand, England still bossed the last few minutes of the first half and looked very dangerous in attack. So it is easy to blame the linesmen for England's defeat, and there is no doubt tonnes of Facebook and Twitter updates have cried out WE WUZ ROBBED! But the reality is that Germany were better, a lot better, and probably would still have won even if the score was 2-2 at the beginning of the second half. England's poor defence would have ensured that. Johnson, Terry, Upson and Cole were torn to shreds by Germany's blitzkrieg attack, as Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Podolski and co had their way with England. I know Terry is good in the air, and gets his fair share of goals from set-pieces, but to leave just Ashley Cole in defence was suicidal, and the Germans made us pay dearly, as Bayern's wonderkid Thomas Muller put the game to bed with a brace with twenty minutes to go.

I didn't want to spend too long talking about this horror show of a game, so I'll leave it there. But rest assured England have a lot of work to do and I think it all starts at the lowest foundations of the English game: we simply do not produce the technically gifted players our opponents do. We have no playmakers like Xavi, Iniesta, Forlan, Ozil, Schweinsteiger, Kaka and Messi. Don't even get me started on the enigma that is Wayne Rooney. I already wasted far too much time on him in my last post. Argentina play Mexico tonight in which is surely going to be an entertaining game, so I'll continue enjoying the World Cup and start to forget dismal England. Be honest, you knew they wouldn't go far, so there's little surprise to see them exit so early. They'll be no tears from me this year, not for England's under-performers.

Thanks for reading.

English Football... Pure Shit!

Well Fabio Capello's men have just completed their second game of this World Cup campaign and lets just say it hasn't exactly been a bundle of laughs. The 1-1 draw last Saturday against the USA was disappointing, but not a complete waste of time. We all knew America were going to be no pushovers, and despite Rob Green's nightmare moment, the game wasn't too bad. However, after tonight's depressing match against Algeria, I am downright annoyed and only French football fans could possibly feel any worse. Oh, and not forgetting the England fans that are actually in South Africa, having paid hundreds of pounds to watch that crap.

Tonight was the chance for England to make a statement of intent to the rest of the competition; to show the world that we are legitimate contenders. Algeria came into the game in pretty poor form, having lost 5 of their last 6 games and only scoring 1 goal, which was a penalty, so nobody expected them to give England much trouble. But Algeria obviously didn't get the memo as they ran rings around England throughout most of the first 45 minutes. The Algerians were dangerous, they looked creative and had pace and flair in abundance. Obviously their lack of skill and talent showed, as they consistently made mistakes over the course of the game, but at least they were trying to get the ball down and attack. England had nothing, absolutely nothing. Apart from a 5-10 minute spell towards the end of the first half, where we managed to fashion a few decent chances, England were toothless in attack and couldn't keep hold of the ball at all. The second half wasn't much better, it was in fact arguably a lot worse! As the England team made their way onto the pitch after half time, you knew Capello had given them a roasting in the locker room; they had to play much better, but of course they did not.

Throughout the second half it looked more and more likely that the game would end in a draw, or worse, Algeria would steal a goal on the break or from a set-piece. England kept giving the ball away, were slow in their build up, and the Algerian pressure disrupted any decent moves the English side could create. To be fair the referee did not help matters, as he constantly disrupted the flow of play with his need to blow the whistle for the smallest of fouls. However England can have no excuses at all. They were terrible tonight and deserved to be booed off at the final whistle.

Gerrard looked very poor in midfield, a shadow of the player he was against the USA where he looked sharp and similar to how he plays for Liverpool. Lampard was equally ineffective, and never really looked a threat, even when he had a chance to score towards the end of the first half. Gareth Barry was alright, if not a bit rusty which was to be expected really considering the time he's missed. Aaron Lennon was useless, as was SWP, both of the wingers never receiving much of the ball and normally fell over when they did. Terry was shaky all night and nearly gifted Algeria a goal with a shocking back-pass to David James (who was easily the best England player on the pitch - not that he had much to do!). Heskey didn't enjoy the success he experienced against the USA, and was his usual mediocre self which most fans expect when they see "Emile Heskey" on the team sheet. I still don't understand why he was even taken to South Africa, especially when Capello said he chooses players based on their form. Darren Bent (who I'm not really a fan of) would have been the natural choice in this case, having had a great season with Sunderland, yet Capello leaves him out of the squad and takes Heskey instead. Which leads me onto Wayne Rooney...

Now being an Arsenal fan, I am no admirer of young Wayne. In fact, most of the year I despise the hairy scouse Shrek lookalike. However, after the season he has just had for United, where he was simply unstoppable, I begrudgingly accepted that Rooney had finally realised his potential and become the best striker in the world not named Messi. Naturally, England's hopes of winning the World Cup pretty much rested on his shoulders, and he finally looked the player to lead us to victory, as surely he would tear apart the meagre defences of Algeria, Slovenia and the United States. But this has not been the case. Not even close. Against the USA, Wayne was quiet and ineffectual, never getting into the game and was left out of most of England's promising moves. Tonight he was downright awful, probably one of the worst performances in an England shirt I have ever had the displeasure to witness. Rooney struggled to control the ball for the entire match and constantly made the wrong move and decision when he actually could get it under his control. He looked uninspired, miserable, and never even close to threatening the Algerian defence, who coped with him throughout the 90 minutes with alarming ease. Apparently when he left the pitch, reporters heard him say it was "nice to see your own fans booing you". Well you didn't really give them anything to cheer for did you Wayne?

So Slovenia are our next opponents, who looked very good today against the the USA, and really should have won that game, before the US made a terrific comeback. After tonight's letdown Capello has a lot of work to do, and some hard decisions to make ahead of the must win game on Wednesday. In my opinion its about time he used Joe Cole, as there was really no point in taking him and giving him the number 11 shirt if Capello has no intention of playing him. I think a more attacking team needs to be chosen for the Slovenia match, and after his shocker tonight I would even consider dropping Rooney in favour of a Crouch and Defoe partnership up front, who have played together at club level for some time now, at Portsmouth and Spurs.

Whatever Capello decides, England fans expect a lot better than what we received tonight and we must salvage something from what has been a pretty dour tournament so far. I'll be watching on Wednesday, hoping for a win of course. If we lose, well I might consider moving to Slovenia and supporting a proper football team. We'll just have to wait until then...

Thanks for reading.