Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Thursday 21st August 2008 How much is Capello getting to manage England again? Whatever it is, it doesn’t look much like money well spent. England’s performance last night at home to the Czechs was pretty much what most seasoned observers were anticipating, I certainly wasn’t surprised the same old problems just keep seem to rear their oh-so-familiar heads, namely- the players seem to have that look of doubt in their eyes and sparkling club form is again lost. Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney and James well below their best, let’s start with the catastrophic latter. Calamity There’s a very good reason why James will never shake that tag, not least when he came charging out of his area in the 2nd half leaving sub Jonathan Woodgate shaking his head. The Czech striker even went on to round ’Calamity James’ before losing his composure and firing wide. The 2nd Czech goal was an error of proportions only the likes of Paul Robinson on the bench could replicate. A freekick given away on the edge of the area by the already-cautioned Gareth Barry. Up stepped notorious AC Milan specialist Jankulovski who fired a stunning effort into James’s empty left-hand corner. Obviously news of the 31-year-old Czech star’s ability with a dead-ball situation hadn’t reached James. The fact he couldn’t even see the ball through his wall was just typical. Unworkable The introduction of Gareth Barry into the England midfield was supposed to make it possible for Gerrard and Lampard to co-exist. Again, last night it didn’t happen. Both turned in poor performances, failing to even threaten to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Is it unworkable? Of course not, Lampard for one has had to adapt his game at Chelsea to Michael Ballack, but that took the best part of a season. Rooney again did nothing good in the shirt and Beckham provided yet another set-piece get-out-of-jail-free card, business as usual from England, despite a lucky late leveller. They will need such good fortune to emerge from qualification on this form. Text Box: Links and affiliates Contact Me Text Box: Archive Text Box: SEASON 2008/09 Predictions Text Box: EPL Week 2 Predictions (1 point for each correct part of score, 1 point for correct result) Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Hull City Liverpool 2-1 Middlesbrough Newcastle United 4-2 Bolton W. Stoke City 0-3 Aston Villa Tottenham 2-0 Sunderland West Brom. Albion 1-1 Everton Fulham 1-2 Arsenal Text Box: Wigan Athletic 1-3 Chelsea Manchester City 1-0 West Ham Utd Text Box: Portsmouth 0-2 Manchester United Same Old England

“There’s a very  good reason why he’s called ’Calamity James’