The England manager has eight months to get his team to express themselves at the World Cup by using the flair of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Marcus RashfordPut out more flags. Dust down the red and white jester’s hat. Root out the gumshield, the crumpled Yekaterinburg metro map. And prepare to head once more into that strangely gruelling territory between bruised and fearful cynicism and the eternal quiver of tournament hope.England have booked their place at the World Cup in Russia after surely the most meandering, flaccid qualification victory yet devised by any England team. Slovenia were beaten by Harry Kane’s goal but make no mistake – this was both a dreadful game of football and a numbing spectacle...
Max Rushden and the gang discuss Gareth Bale’s calf, Iceland’s cricket pitches, Burkina Faso’s squad depth, Ryan Babel, Yeovil Town and moreRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden returns for an international break Football Weekly Extra along with Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Andy Brassell. Continue reading...
It’s time for Gareth Southgate to drop Joe Hart, Aaron Hughes embodies Northern Ireland’s ambition and Ben Woodburn has once again proved himself for WalesBefore the games against Malta and Slovakia Gareth Southgate suggested no other goalkeeper had “staked a strong enough claim” to take over from Joe Hart. It seems a strange statement given the fine form and obvious talent of Jack Butland and Jordan Pickford. It is an oddity of the goalkeeping position that, while mistakes are always highlighted, it generally takes a run of howlers to lose your spot. Sustained middling form, or the mild uncertainty that Hart has emanated for more than a year doesn’t seem to be enough. Southgate missed a chance in the current...
Patience pays off again for Gareth Southgate and co as Marcus Rashford, initially pinned to the right flank, eventually inspires victory amid banks of empty seatsPatience, they had all chorused. From Gareth Southgate to Jordan Henderson to Harry Kane. They were talking about the realisation of a long-term plan, of course, but the same virtue had been required in both qualifiers over this window. It has taken England time to find their feet in each fixture, exploiting Maltese fatigue last Friday and, eventually, striking up a proper rhythm against Slovakia once the initial approach had been tweaked. Marcus Rashford was instrumental in inspiring this win, looking every bit a player at home at this level, though there was some positivity...
Jorge Sampaoli has restored order amid the chaos but Argentina still face some searching questions on their rocky road to Russia 2018The good news for Argentina is that this isn’t as bad as 2010. At least this time round they only lost 2-0 rather than 6-1 in Bolivia and at least this time they were able to get rid of their coach afterwards, rather than being caught up in the multiple contradictions that occur when you’ve appointed a shambolic legend who is widely worshipped but is a genuinely terrible football manager. But the situation is not good. Argentina lie fifth in Conmebol World Cup qualifying, a play-off spot, having scored fewer goals than every side bar Bolivia and Paraguay. Related:...