England v Algeria Post Match Post

So there it is. England reduced to a laughing stock once again. A team so rubbish that even some of the most die hard supporters were ready to walk away.

All I can say is England were a disappointment last night. Where was the England team that qualified for the World Cup? Did the players forget they were playing an important match? Did they think this was just a kick about amongst friends?

If England ever play another match the way did last night then they don't deserve to go into the next round. Where was the Gerrard from the USA game? The biggest disappointment from the tournament so far is the total lack of enthusiasm from Rooney. A guy who was so instrumental in getting us this far seems to be a completely different person playing in South Africa. This team needs to get a grip of themselves and quickly.

England v Algeria Pre-Match Post

Ever since Saturday night England fans have been getting into a tizzy about there part so far in the world cup. Sure we drew against USA, a team everyone thought they would win, and sure Algeria won there opening match. But isn't this just what we do? Make life harder for ourselves?

It's safe to say Rooney wants to get his name on the score sheet. After a fairly mediocre first match I'm hoping he'll be the player we all know and love on Friday nights game. I'm hoping Gerrard plays with the same passion he was showing last week. Now then I know most people were unhappy with Green's goalkeeping skills against USA. However do you really want to end the guys international career before its even begun? I hope not. Fabio Capello has said he already knows who he is going to have in goal, and in true Capello fashion, we are not going to find out till match day. I'm hoping we're going to see Green walk on that pitch with his head held high. He played a good 2nd half.

The England team have to gell together more ahead of there match against Algeria. We know they can do it and so do they. I'm sure we are going to walk away from this next match as winners.

England v USA Post Match Post

It took 4 minutes for Steven Gerrard to start England's world cup campaign. A lot of people underestimated how good a team USA were going to be. But with the help of a lucky goal we proceeded to make life difficult for ourselves once again.

England's starting lineup: Green, Johnson, King, Terry, A Cole, Lennon, Lampard, Gerrard, Milner, Heskey and Rooney.

It took England six months and four minutes to get on the score sheet of the 2010 World Cup. Though it pains me to admit, I thought, Steven Gerrard was the best player on the pitch last night. He settled into the England captaincy like a pro. And so he should. After all he should be used to it being captain at club level with Liverpool. Milner was playing well, until he was taken off and replaced by Wright Phillips, but I think it was a good call by Capello after all the last thing we needed would have been down to 10 men.

Most England fans will be waking up this morning and thinking did it really happen? Did Green really let that ball in? Now then we the English are (on the whole) a pessimistic bunch. But I think we should look at this with a positive attitude. Yes Green made a blunder and let USA have a chance but we also know that he can move on from it. Many goalkeepers in the past would have let that get to them, but Green came into the 2nd half of the match a determination not to let it fase him. (The same couldn't be said for other players on the team in the 2nd half who lost some of there momentum from the first half.) I just hope that Capello doesn't see red and decide to leave him out of the team.

Only the next match will tell how England are going to recover from this blow. But don't forget. It could be worse. We could have lost to USA. So all I can say is 'Bring it on!'

(Photo Credit: Ian Walton - Getty Images)

England v USA Pre-Match Blog Post

(Photo Credit: Jamie McDonald - Getty Images Europe)

Steven Gerrard now has to lead England to victory. I must say that combined with Fabio Capello, England's no non-sense manager, I'm looking forward to World Cup 2010. Of course all this starts with England's opening game against USA on Saturday 12th June.

When you think about football, or soccer as the Americans like to call it, you don't automatically think of the USA. However that said this will be their sixth straight time entering the world cup. While their road to South Africa has not been a simple one they have fought hard for their place into the tournament. Having gotten to the final of the Confederation Cup 2009, playing Brazil.

Having not won a World Cup since 1966 England fans have been waiting 44 long years to lift that trophy again. Of course every four years England fans across the country get their hopes up only to get them trampled on year after year. We have some of the best players in Europe on the England team with many of them having success in Europe at club level. Though Capello has not yet released his full team, sports networks worldwide are confident it's going to be an England victory Saturday night.

So as we all look forward to the weekend ahead here's hoping our boys don't make me eat my words Saturday night. Here's hoping Capello can carry on with the discipline that he has done to get them this far.

Capello's 23 Men

The likes of Twitter, and the web in general, news was spreading fast and wide even before the official list was released at 4pm. The FA kept putting the time back on the official announcement, but that didn't stop media outlets all over putting there opinions out there.

England's world cup squad has been released today and I for one am happy to see Joe Cole on the list. I think he's a player who not only has experience at playing in a world cup, but is also a pretty good player.

Capello was always going to disappoint people with his list. Theo Walcott was the biggest upset with people following all afternoon online. So now we know the official list as followed:

Goalkeepers
Robert Green, Joe Hart, David James
Defenders
Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders
Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Forwards
Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney

So let the countdown begin to England's first game of the World Cup 2010.

Lisa Marie
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