England on hunt for another World Cup hero with 21 on his shirt

The consensus at the moment seems to be that Aston Villa’s Emile Heskey will partner Wayne Rooney in attack against the US.

Intriguingly, Heskey will have the number 21 on his back. Another famous forward once wore the very same number for England during our one and, so far, only successful tournament.

Can Emile Heskey do a Roger Hunt and secure a special place in English football history for himself?

Back in 1966 Roger Hunt had just completed one of his most successful seasons. Liverpool were league championship winners for the second time under Bill Shankly. Hunt’s contribution of 30 goals in 37 appearances made the 28-year-old the club’s highest scorer for the eighth successive campaign.

Such was Hunt’s standing that he became only one of three strikers chosen by Alf Ramsey for the 1966 World Cup squad. The others were Jimmy Greaves and Geoff Hurst.

Hunt kept his place in the first XI throughout the tournament, playing all six games and scoring three goals in the group stage (one against Mexico and two against France).

And so to the final itself and Hurst’s still controversial second goal. One player instinctively raises his arm in celebration as the shot bounces down and away from the goal, his body language and demeanour suggesting he immediately believed the strike had crossed the line.

Hunt was a predator, who would eventually amass nearly 300 goals for Liverpool and score 18 in 34 games for England. To this day Hurst maintains Hunt would have followed up were he in any doubt about the ball crossing the line.

From the free-scoring Liverpool forward to the non-scoring Villa man.

Let’s get something out of the way. I like Emile Heskey. I admire his ability to distract defenders and bring faster players into the game, a trait he shares with Hunt.

If you doubt this, watch Heskey pull defenders out of position, much as Hunt does for Bobby Charlton’s long range strike against Mexico.

Sadly Heskey hasn’t had the best of seasons, scoring only five goals in 42 appearances. Looking back even further, he scored a mere 27 goals in the last six seasons, three less than Hunt scored in 1966 alone.

Heskey is also 32 now, four years older than Hunt in 1966, and clearly past his peak, which Hunt was not.

All of this suggests we may not have a hero in waiting with the number 21 on his back this time around.

That said, if England reach the final and a Rooney shot cannons off the bar onto the line before bouncing, a lurking Heskey will probably put the rebound away.

Perhaps this is Capello’s masterplan – Heskey as the ultimate impact player. It’s the best theory I have to explain why Heskey is still in the squad.

Profile of England 2010 World Cup star in New York Times

Wayne Rooney is the subject of an interesting article which was published in the New York Times yesterday. Given the US and England meet in nine days time, the content is fascinating. It’s almost as if the writer wanted to praise Rooney but couldn’t resist some well timed digs at his on and off field activities.

Jere Longman’s Raging Bull All Grown Up and Leading the English has more than its fair share of references to tattoos, a “petulant, hot-headed youth”, his temper, “visits to prostitutes as a teenager; libelous tabloid accusations (for which he won a lawsuit in 2006) that he had slapped his wife, Coleen (then his fiancée), in a nightclub; or reports of gambling losses that surpassed $1 million in one spree”.

We even learn that the “chunky, meaty faced... son of a Liverpool family of amateur boxers” is “worn out”. That’s according to Landon Donovan, the American midfielder who had the chance to observe Rooney at close quarters while playing for, erm, Everton.

Of course there is the obligatory praise as well.

“Rooney is an incessant worker, deceptively fast on the ball, instinctual in finding a sliver of space, solid in the air, able to shoot from anywhere and increasingly smarter about his runs into the box.”

The article also quotes Rooney’s club manager on the player’s development: “You have to wait until their mid-20s before they get that authority, timing, the maturity, to do things that those qualities bring. This season, he accepted the fact that to get the best out of himself, he had to conserve his energies for the best part of the pitch — the penalty box area.”

Then towards the end I noticed this: “Perhaps none of the World Cup contenders are as dependent on one player as England is on Rooney.”

So there you have it; England is a one-man team. I thought this was leading somewhere, but I wasn't quite sure where until now. Let’s hope they disprove this point in Rustenberg on June 12th.

Raging Bull All Grown Up and Leading the English

The World Cup as imagined by deranged lunatics

Some people think I'm a Luddite because I prefer to watch footy with mates and beer, either at home or in a pub.

That's right, I have no time for this ridiculous 3D nonsense or the streaming of matches on the Internet.

If we were meant to watch football wearing dark glasses and forever banging our lower legs into stout tables before crying out in pain, surely evolution (sorry creationists) would have left us with better eyesight and thicker shins.

The same applies to watching footy on a laptop just because some bright spark decided to charge you for the privilege. Football is a communal experience, not something to be enjoyed in groups of one.

Personally speaking, I've had more than my fill of these geeks who are always looking for some new way to enhance the viewing experience.

I actually prefer to watch a game knowing Wayne Rooney won't leap out of the screen and threaten to demolish my fish tank with his size 12 boots.

And yes, going out or having people round is better than watching a game on a computer or laptop by myself. They lock you up for shouting at your computer, whereas bawling at the TV is perfectly acceptable behaviour.

Strangely enough, the people behind the latest futuristic World Cup idea didn't take any of these considerations into account when proposing their latest jaw-dropping viewing enhancement suggestion: holographic football.

According to PC World "Japan has announced plans to offer the 2022 World Cup not only in 3D but also in holographic form."

The idea is to capture all 360 degrees of World Cup matches using up-to 200 HD cameras, and then to "project life like full 3D images onto football fields the world over."

The journalist putting this horrifying vision together then asks: "What does this mean?" before answering "It means that potentially I could go to my national stadium (Wembley), sit down and see the game that was taking place in Japan as if it was happening right in front of my eyes - With holographic players moving around the pitch."

We really are in trouble if the people responsible for producing future World Cups think this is a viable proposition.

Call me what you like, but seeing someone who might or might not be Rimmer from Red Dwarf scoring a goal only to dematerialise in front of my eyes is not a pleasant thought.

Then there is the next logical step - holographic crowds. You think the ground is packed with humans until you notice everyone around you moves in the same slightly clumsy way as the players, speeding up, slowing down or occasionally freezing depending on the quality of the satellite link. They're holograms too!

We've come a long way since watching a match involved either buying a ticket or turning on the TV. I'll leave you to decide whether 3D, streaming and holograms represent progress or a nightmarish dystopian vision.

Anything to stop me ranting about Rooney

This morning’s World Cup 2010 news round up has a special purpose, one which will hopefully become clear as the post continues...

Rooney to play against Bayern? (Part II)

This morning’s UK papers contain more speculation about Wayne Rooney and his chances of playing against Bayern Munich tonight. Is it just me or can anyone else picture Alex Ferguson sitting in his office laughing at the thought of angst ridden England fans biting their nails and desperately hoping he gives Rooney the night off?

1966 hero’s thoughts on England and World Cup 2010

World Cup winner Martin Peters says England need someone to help Wayne Rooney up front and a great goalkeeper if they are to stand any chance in South Africa next year.

1966 medal winner's views

“I think England are going to be there or thereabouts and if they have a little bit of luck they could go on and win it, but I think we are a bit short in two key positions,” Peters told skysports.com.

“We still need a striker who can score you four or five goals in a tournament to accompany Wayne Rooney and a goalkeeper who can play out of his skin. If we had them then I'd say we can definitely win it.”

Emile Heskey isn’t the answer, said Peters, because the Villa striker’s “goal scoring ratio is not good enough. You can say he makes space for other people but when you're trying to win the World Cup you need your centre-forward to be scoring goals.”

Sort out the England goalkeeping situation

Peters also has a problem with the goalkeeping situation. He spent years with Gordon Banks and Pat Jennings, but believes the current England players aren’t developing a stable relationship with one keeper.

“I don't like the rotation with goalkeepers. You need to build up the understanding whether the keeper is going to be coming or the defenders getting out the way.”
“When I used to play with Pat Jennings, for example, you knew that he was going to collect most things so you held back and so if it is Robert Green given the opportunity then they need to stick with him and give him the chance to build a relationship with the back four.”

His favourite in the England squad

Asked about his favourites, Peters replied “I like Steven Gerrard to be honest with you. He gives 110 per cent every game, he works hard, scores goals, plays from midfield and I like him above all else.”

But it isn’t all about one player: “To win a World Cup it takes togetherness. Everyone's got to be working hard for themselves and each other. You work your socks off for yourself and for your mate, for the guy who plays in front of you, beside you and behind you. You've got to work as a team; you've got to work as a unit.”


“Providing we can sort those two positions out that I highlighted then there is no reason why we can't go on and win it!”

Xavi eyes World Cup contenders

Barcelona's Xavi has begun the job of highlighting the teams which might threaten Spain in South Africa next summer.

To nobody’s great surprise the 29-year-old has picked out Brazil, Italy and Germany. He also believes England and the Ivory Coast are potential dark horses.

“We have a superb generation of players, we have already qualified for South Africa and also have the experience of playing there,” Xavi told Reuters.

England, says Xavi, “appeared to have found a new swagger and a solid foundation for possible success”.

He also likes Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, and said a defence including captain John Terry and Rio Ferdinand would be hard to penetrate.

“England were the big absence from Euro 2008 and I expect they are itching to show they can win the World Cup.”