Keegan horsing around during a pre-match training session
With the end of the first decade of the Millenium just about mouthing “hello” from over the horizon, The Spoiler is taking the opportunity to doff a cap to some of the teams that graced the field in the year 2000.
Today, it’s the turn of the first 21st Century England team, coached by Keegan, who played host to Argentina in a 0-0 thriller at Wembley on 23 February 2000. Listed below…
Goalkeeper, David Seaman (Arsenal, 56 caps)
Seaman was not just a grown man with a moustache, he was also a wonderful goalkeeper. So wonderful that only Peter Shilton can boast more international caps. Seaman went on to amass 75 of the things, whilst only slightly smudging his career with a howler against Brazil during the 2002 World Cup. You know, when Ronaldinho floated one in from miles away? Cringe!
Centre Back, Martin Keown (Arsenal, 28 caps)
Now a rather softly-spoken, haunting presence on the MOTD2 sofa, Martin Keown was considerably less eloquent with his tackling. Probably a victim of the Graham Taylor curse, he was overlooked for England throughout Venables’ reign, only to be brought back in by Hoddle, then absolutely adored by Keegan. Interestingly, both of his parents were/are Irish.
Centre Back, Sol Campbell (Spurs, 30 caps)
During his England career, Campbell managed to feature in six successive tournaments, which apparently is a record for an English player. Well done Sol. And who knows? He might even make it to a seventh one day. Probably not though. He’s currently looking for a new home.
Champions League and Championship-related schooling
1. Rafa has failed to think of the children
Whilst continual whinging about lack of funds has earned him an undeserved amount of sympathy, Rafa Benitez’s failure to bring through a single young player of any note during his five years at Anfield is pretty damning. Both United and Arsenal have a number of young players who have been developed through the clubs’ feeder teams (albeit often poaching them from other clubs in their late teens.) Yet Rafa, despite booting out Steve Heighway as Youth Development Manager and replacing him with err…himself, has merely signed dud after dud after dud, whilst ignoring local, young players entirely.
That, and not lack of funds, is why the Liverpool squad is so poor, and their bench so shallow.
2. Platini may have been right
Last night was possibly the best evening of Champions League football in a while, and much of it down to the tinkering Michel Platini made to qualification in the summer. Rubin Kazan, Unirea Urziceni and Dinamo Kiev all received direct passes into the group stage this year whilst Debrecen had a far easier time of qualifying into the Champions League proper, due to Platini’s ruse of pairing seeds.
After a slow start, it’s shaping up to be the best Champions Leaue group stage for a while, and were Inter, Liverpool and Milan to fall at the first hurdle, Platini would be a vindicated man.
3. Winning isn’t always a good idea
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it Gareth.
Fresh from the confusion and turmoil of winning a match, Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson obviously felt a little trigger-happy this morning. A statement on the club’s website said the following:
MIDDLESBROUGH FC have tonight announced that manager Gareth Southgate has been relieved of his position with immediate effect. Football consultant Alan Smith will also be leaving the club as part of the change.
Chairman Steve Gibson said: “This has been the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in all the time I’ve been in football. Gareth has given Middlesbrough Football Club magnificent service as a skipper and, in very difficult circumstances, as manager.”
thespoiler would quite like to know what a football consultant does, and how we can become one. But the big question remains, what is Steve Gibson playing at? The most patient of chairmen has finally snapped, yet after a convincing victory.
Mido, Afonso Alves, Mohamed Shawky and Tuncay are hiding somewhere in this hectic market scene. If you spot them, please alert Middlesbrough Football Club immediately.
Newcastle/Middlesbrough, Premier League, 8pm, Setanta Sports 1
Unless West Brom do the unthinkable, there will be no Great Escape this season: if either Newcastle or Middlesbrough survive it won’t be because of a remarkable turnaround or inspirational management, it will be thanks to Hull’s recent ineptitude, and a scrappy win or two.
The stats suggest that neither Alan Shearer nor Gareth Southgate will get the three points they desperately need in tonight’s Tyne-Tees derby, with Hull looking like the most likely winners. Our friends at chickendinner provide five reasons why a draw is on the cards:
1. The last four meetings between Newcastle and Middlesbrough at St James’ Park have finished level.
2. In total, seven of the last nine clashes between the two sides have been drawn, including
Our pals at chickendinner hand Liverpool some straws to clutch
Paddy Power think the title race is over and offer just 1/14 on Manchester United winning for the third straight season. To stop them, Liverpool must win all their remaining games and hope that the Red Devils drop six points. It’s all very unlikely but rather than accepting a premature end to an exciting campaign, we decided to look at where the holders are most likely to slip up:
Tottenham (h)
Spurs are unbeaten in six league meetings with the Big Four sides and have lost just one away game against a top-half side. Harry Redknapp’s side have lost one of their last nine and he has won there with West Ham and Portsmouth. Spurs haven’t won an away league match against a Big Four side since August 1993 - when they beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield. Verdict: United could drop two points here but three is unlikely.
Middlesbrough (a)
Boro have a deceptively good home record for a team in the bottom three and
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