Beef Bagel

I haven’t seen this morning’s headlines but judging by the back of yesterday’s Sun it’s going to be the Devilish Benitez’s turn to say what he thinks of Steve McClaren. If you didn’t catch the story it runs something like this:

1) Gerrard has broken foot.

2) Gerrard plays Premiership game with pain killing injection to get him through.

3) Gerrard is allowed to go with England squad on the proviso from his boss to his temporary boss that he is not to play if unfit.

4) Temporary boss sticks two fingers up at Liverpool boss and says ‘Screw you, my job’s on the line. I’ll pump that Scouser full of crystal meth if it’s going to get him on the pitch for 90 minutes.’

Now, normally the only thing I’d like to do with Steve McClaren, the honourable member for Boredomsville, is use him as a slightly talkative door stop but right now, I could kiss him.

I’m not an England fan. I fell out with of love with that set up many years ago because nobody takes the team as seriously as the fans. The Gerrard affair is just another example of what we see from Premiership managers time and time again. We know where they’re coming from. They don’t want their prized assets getting injured but wake up you lot. This is football and that’s what happens. It doesn’t seem to bother you when your filling your players bloodstreams with enough anesthetic to run around with a severed head and not even realise it.

International duty must come first if this country’s team is ever to mount a serious assault on anything and that goes for friendlies too. Get your first XI playing together for every single fixture and they’ll start playing like a team. Tell club doctors where to stick it. If they’re breathing, they’re playing. So good on Steve McClaren for sticking his neck out. Probably the first time he’s ever done it. No doubt he’ll be re-starching his shirts to get his collars to fit again.

So, what’s this got to do with us? Well, not much actually except MJ echoed those fears of all the Premiership bosses who’ll be biting their nails in front of their TV’s over the next week and a half. He said:

“Any manager will tell you that they don’t like it - and I certainly feel that way. You don’t see your players and they could get injured.” “They all want to play for their countries, I understand that and I would never stand in their way. On the other hand, sometimes the breaks can be a pain and affect your planning.”

Good to see he’s not trying to stop anyone playing but you can understand his particular stress what with the next game being rather important but I’m sure we’ve all got plenty to say about that one.

The other comments of note on international duty are those from Bobby Robson on the goalkeeping situation, some Robbo and Robbo action if you will. The loveable senile bugger said:

“I wouldn’t change the goalkeeper at all. Robinson is our youngest, he’s our best, and he had a little fluster - but who doesn’t?”

Hmmm…glad to hear the support but if it was The Bagel’s neck on the line, I’d start with David James, at least for the next few games.

Of course England internationals are taken seriously at all other levels, unless your name’s David Bently and it was good to see a couple of our youngsters on duty at the U17 Championships and better to hear that they scored a bucket load of goals. Spurs academy players Andros Townsend and Dean Parrett have made themselves regular starters hitting the back of the net four times between them in just three games. Looking forward to seeing those two in the future.

Another chap we’re all itching to see and perhaps sooner than we thought is Prince Kevin. The self styled Ghetto Kid set up yet another goal last night as he lined up with the recovering Michael Dawson against the Punchbag Face’s reserves. For now the only glimpse I can offer of the German young player of the year is the goal he scored himself for the reserves a week or two ago, first up in this showboat selection from Soccer Am…but it is a bit special…

…and it over head kicks are your thing, and I they were for me until last Saturday, you might enjoy this one from a potential young Spur by the name of Ransford Osei…

…and look he’s already in our strip. Watch it again and check out the excellent goal celebration right at the beginning of the clip; a little jig and then he slays them all; murder on the dance floor.

He’s 16 years-old, he’s Ghanaian, he was the top scorer in the U17 World Cup in Korea and Damien Comolli has asked him to come to the Lane for tea. So long as he’s not asking him to be manager, I think we’re all ok.

With the Premiership on a break, I’ll be on one myself until next week. I’m off to the Isle of Wight for a big fat party over the weekend, although as far as work know for tomorrow and Monday, my dog has eaten my homework. You ain’t seen me, right?

“And like that (blows), he’s bagel.”

The Bagel.

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 11:06 am and is filed under Bagel News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.