England Don't Deserve Optimism Yet

So England just about managed a 2-2 draw with Brazil and I will not be joining the celebrations of an 'excellent result'. I am far more concerned with the completely dismal performance. There will be cries talking about the Maracana being a tough place to go, tough conditions, Brazil being one of the best teams in the world etc etc. The constant stream of excuses for England has become a reservoir to excuse whatever muck is served up on the football pitch. 

The first half was one of the worst footballing displays I have ever seen. England didn't seem to be able to pass anything at all. Brazil didn't even look good in their domination as the inferior level of their opposition was painfully obvious. In my opinion this was largely down to a midfield trio of Phil Jones (wore number 7?!), Michael Carrick and Frank Lampard. These are three of the most immobile midfielders England have, admittedly injury has forced this upon them but it demonstrated how important Jack Wilshere is to the team as a driving force. Watching that trio slug around must have been joy for the Brazilians who could roam wherever they liked. Credit must go for introducing Oxlade-Chamberlain to add some enthusiasm and forward-going from an otherwise lackluster midfield. 

With the midfield labouring and Walcott putting in a poor performance Rooney got isolated and England sunk deeper and deeper. The defense didn't even play well either, there were no great tackles or last ditch blocks, just missed tackles and wayward hoofs forward. 0-0 was a ridiculously lucky score to have at half time, due to poor Brazilian finishing and some good work from Joe Hart. But even he was not exempt from the catastrophe that was England, kicking the ball into touch more than to his players. 

At the end of this I will come to the most infuriating thing about this match. Brazil were not good but England were either allergic to or afraid of the ball. When 2-1 up (it must have been a blessing from God) England tried to defend their lead by retreating into their own penalty box... I don't understand this. Brazil can't attack if England have the ball yet they happily handed it over and then ran away. There is so much potential in young and old English players to achieve great things yet it seems they just never gel. These are professionals who should be able to perform when called upon but are more accustomed to failure on the international stage than they should be. 

I named this post "England Don't Deserve Optimism Yet" because on the performances they have given they have not even earned the optimism that leads to the inevitable let down. In this side that is built around not attacking and negative play you will not find the winners of the World Cup, maybe not even qualifiers. Players like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Sturridge (I know both were injured but this is to make a wider point), Jones (should be a centre back) and Milner (played in central midfield) should not be asked to play a rigid formation based on defense. Finally England have a group of players able to play fluid attacking football but it seems we now have an unwilling manager. 

On Margaret Thatcher's Death

On this day (08/04/13) Margaret Thatcher has died of a stroke in the morning. Her politics aside this should be a sad day for Great Britain and perhaps the other countries she worked with as well; but the reaction on social networks has been disgraceful. Tweets and Statuses celebrating the death of the Iron Lady have rampaged across the internet like a plague. This reflects one thing that has been becoming increasingly apparent, it is 'cool' to hate Thatcher. Thatcher was a remarkable lady, she broke the power of the Unions, aided in the end of the Cold War and boosted Britain's economy. She also recognized the significance of China as an emerging market and was quick to gain a relationship with the Chinese. Some of her policies were not good, the Falklands War and the Poll Tax to name a couple. However politics aside she was the first woman to become Prime Minister of Britain. Even more amazing, she is the longest serving PM of the 20th Century. Margaret Thatcher is an iconic politician worldwide and should be remembered as such. The only time I have ever seen such a celebration of death is when Bin Laden died. The fact I am even being forced to compare these two is quite frankly ridiculous. Death should never be celebrated especially not on the day of an icon's death. Whatever your opinion of Thatcher it must be remembered she has a family and friends who will see these messages on the day that she has died, just imagine how those people are feeling. It is fine to disagree with her policies in a reasonable manner but there is a big leap from that to dancing on someone's grave.

The Grand National

Today the Grand National will be run again and with the meeting already overshadowed by horse deaths I think it should be enjoyed for what it is. I could now enter into the cruelty debate (my money is on the not cruel side) but that is not the point.The Grand National should be taken for what it is, a horse race. It is an event to be enjoyed and admired and is constantly overshadowed by the negative reporting of it.

Yesterday Sprinter Sacre moved up to two and a half miles,destroying the only horses that could have conceivably beaten him and cemented his status as one of racing's greats. However all it will be remembered for is the death of a horse earlier in the day. The papers make it out that the people of racing do not care at all but on Channel 4's "How to Win the Grand National" A.P McCoy shed light on his devastation at the loss of Synchronised in last year's chase; saying he cried all night when he got home.

Horse Racing is a dangerous sport, but so is Formula 1, American Football, Rugby, BMXing etc etc. The list goes on and all sports have risks. The horses that will run the Grand National are incredible athletes running 4.5 miles at a pace of 30 miles an hour leaping over 5ft high, 11ft wide fences and this is a feat that is worth our admiration. Instead of selecting the incredibly sad negative aspects of the National audiences and journalists alike should choose to take the positives and show appreciation for the time and effort that goes into it.

Dead Risen

Frank Darabont's hugely successful adaptation of Robert Kirkman's graphic novel 'The Walking Dead' seems to gain momentum with every episode. Right from the beginning the ante has been upped until what seems like breaking point. 'The Walking Dead' is part of a huge influx of graphic novel adaptations ('Watchmen', 'Avengers Assemble' and 'The Dark Knight' trilogy to name a few) however it is the first one of the new crop to be aired on TV instead of the big screen (allowing for far more fascinating character development that is necessary in an apocalyptic story such as this). As the show's popularity has grown and it has ventured further into the story there has been a shift away from realism towards the more fantastical world of the graphic novel. Whilst season 1 emphasized character development and season 2 the merging of groups; the third season has moved towards the darker world of the original story. In recent episodes Hershel has been bitten and had his leg hacked off, Merle has returned with a knife-hand, Michonne with a samurai sword and chained walkers... To top it all off you have the terrifying Governor (now one-eyed) with his collection of walker heads in tanks. Where the TV show differs from the graphic novel  is it still has the real world groundings. As well as zombies the characters face relationship problems, trust issues (can new group members be allowed?) and dealing with the losses of friends and family. The touching portrayal of these from all the actors adds humanity to the insane world of 'The Walking Dead'. It is this combination that has made the show more than just another comic book adaptation and one of the most successful shows on TV. 

So... The Robin Has Flown The Nest

One of the most tedious and predictable transfer sagas of the summer has finally come to an end. Arsenal and Manchester United have agreed a fee in the region of £20million for the Dutch striker. This is a deal that comes with pros, cons and risks for both ends. Let's begin with what it entails for United.

Investing this much in a player that one could argue that United do not even need is a big risk, not only in that it may not pull off but the upsets it could cause in the dressing room. Danny Welbeck has just signed a contract treble the value of his previous one, and after seeing his partnership with Rooney blossom he might be expecting first team football which he will most likely not get. There is also the fact that attacking is not where United need investment most, a ball-winning midfielder with physicality and the ability to pick a pass and definitely coverage in the full back area. Evra's constant decline is worrying and the inexperience of Rafael is a worry for United's defense, too much strain on injury prone centrebacks could cause a lack of good enough cover in that area to be exposed. On the other hand it is not often that a world class striker becomes available at his peak for a knock down price and this is an opportunity that most teams would not pass up. Goals win games and if RVP is in last season's form United will win a lot of games. 

On the Arsenal side of the line, they have lost their captain and top scorer who at times dragged them through games last season and many would argue it is him who is responsible for their third place finish. But with the players introduced into the team already (Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla) the attack shouldn't suffer too much with the loss of Van Persie. If those three players integrate properly into the side then there should be no problems going forward and with Diaby back to fitness and a soon to return Wilshere the midfield seems fine. The only addition you could make is a defensive shield, a new Viera who will aid the sometimes frail defense. The £20million transfer fee received could be reinvested in either this midfielder or defensive cover so when the first choices aren't available it isn't as big a problem as it has been. 

Obviously some people will see it as a negative for one club or the other or even for both but I think that in the long run and maybe throughout the season I think it is a positive move for both teams and they can both improve from it. And maybe one day, we will see a return to the age when it was Wenger and Fergie clashing for the title with red cards and goals galore.

The Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten Review

Since being introduced to them by one of my friends The Gaslight Anthem have fast become one of my favourite bands. Albums like Sink Or Swim, The '59 Sound and American Slang are prominent albums in my life being played heavily. Therefore my excitement for this new album was understandable.

I bought the Deluxe CD version of the album and before I'd even played I flicked through the booklet to see if there were any treats for listeners and lo and behold there is a touching message on the inside from the band. Before even listening to the album you get the sense it will be quite personal due to the title "Handwritten", and this is what you get; a look back to more Rock 'n' Roll sounds with touching lyrics in an age of Pop Music and Computers where it is progressively harder to find something that is "Handwritten". This album is a welcome and delightful break from the worlds of Justin Bieber and One Direction. 

The first song on the album "45" makes you know that this is going to be something special, a lively track the sets the tone for a great album. This is followed up with the eponymous track of the album "Handwritten" a song just as good but slightly more poignant with lyrics like "there's nothing like another soul that's been cut up the same". These two are two of the best tracks I have heard in a long time. In Standard Gaslight fashion every song on the album is very good (other than Silver, that one feels like more of a filler) and along with the aforementioned two songs my stand out tracks have to be Biloxi Parish as another song that puts a smile on your face and again has some wonderful lyrics such as "I've been fumbling with your heartstrings". The final track of the album that I feel needs commenting on is "National Anthem". This is an acoustic song that is familiar to Gaslight and they have shown they can do it before with the classic "Red At Night", and it is a truly stunning song and will probably feel personal to every single listener.

This new addition to The Gaslight Anthem's discography is a welcome one and I think my favourite of the albums they have done so far. They have kept everything good from previous albums and managed to shed a slight tendency to use 'filler' tracks, I can only notice one on this album, the rather underwhelming "Silver". But the overall picture is a positive one, this album is possibly the best new release I've heard since Justice's "Audio, Video, Disco", and has set the bar very high for any follow up album in the years to come. 

A First Taste Of London 2012

Today I had the privilege of going up to London and seeing the beach volleyball for a once in a lifetime Olympic opportunity and what an event it is proving to be. In an afternoon session I got to see four matches and for someone who has never really had an interest in the sport it proved to be an entertaining and somewhat enlightening day out. It is surprisingly tactical game, positioning seems to be the most important thing as a good defense seemed to win out for most of the games. In both the men's and women's games from today's performances I would tip the Netherlands to be amongst the medals even for someone who has never seen the sport the difference in class was more than obvious.

The atmosphere was totally incredible. I finally understand what the athletes say about the home fans being amazing for them, the noise for an outclasses Team GB was touching at times, just for the sheer joy to be able to be cheering on a home team on our home turf. The Horse Guard's Parade stadium is so close to everything in London, you're behind Downing Street and can see the Eye as well. With this and the Equestrian events being in Greenwich Park and the East London Olympic Park it is well and truly the London Olympics and the city is rife with excitement. It is not just the support for the athletes, the mingling of people from all over the world, everywhere you see people talking and laughing, in the queue I met an American man, had a nice exchange and then we went about our separate days. Everyone is in the spirit of enjoying a fantastic occasion, it is full of smiles, handshakes and an overwhelming appreciation for the unbelievable athletes in each of their respective fields. 

The Olympics had always felt like something that was distant, fun to watch but overall untouchable. Experiencing it first hand in your home country in a city you have been to many times before puts it in your heart forever. It is a truly unforgettable occasion and will never be forgotten.