Man City fans are on cloud 9 right now as the Citizens lie 3rd in the league after nine games, a feat which owes much to the renewed defensive strength and solidarity installed by Sven Goran Eriksson, supplemented in no small way by the exquisite creativity and sharp shooting of the Brazilian Elano, who is already proving one of the buys of the season. There is now genuine feeling from not just within the club that City are capable of finishing in the top five this season.
Eriksson has done a fine job in turning Man City around, albeit with the aid of several million from the Thai benefactor Thaksin Shiniwatra. The Swede’s time as England boss has clearly helped him understand the Premier League, its tempo and tactical emphasis and the qualities required from a player to be successful in it. Whereas many a manager would have been obliged to spend ‘willy-nilly’ when presented with a such a substantial transfer budget and a demanding chairman, Sven bought sensibly and moulded a balanced team where pace, strength and passing ability are the core of everything. He could have easily rushed out and signed players with big reputations to temporarily satisfy supporters and board alike but Eriksson has plans for the long term. Eriksson benefits from the experience of having managed at the top level for 25 years, a younger manager may have succumbed to such pressure as seems to be the case at West Ham. Alan Curbishley, under pressure from the ambitious Eggert Magnusson signed many players with big reputations (and even bigger salaries) but who have so far failed to gel as a team. Think Luis Boa Morte, Lucas Neill and Kieron Dyer to name but a few.
A case for the defence
The foundations of any good team are built in defence and City in Micah Richards, Richard Dunne, Vedran Corluka and Javier Garrido, have a back line to rival any in the division. There is immense height and strength throughout, with all four over six feet, meaning aerial challenges are rarely lost and always fiercely contested. Over the past 12 months Micah Richards has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of the brightest England prospects for some time and is already establishing hero status among the Citizens faithful for consistent domineering displays. He is comfortable playing at the heart of the defence or at right back, as he has done for England and enjoys surging forward to aid the odd counterattack. As a schoolboy Richards was a sprinter and he uses this blistering pace to both cover and counter. Last week against Newcastle was a fine example of this natural stamina and enthusiasm, as first he broke up play before bursting down the length of the pitch to get a shot in at the other end. Richard Dunne is Richards’ defensive partner and after putting behind him the troublesome off-the-pitch problems (drink related) that blighted his early years as a professional, the big Irishman has emerged a fiercely determined professional. Rarely do you see Dunne lose a header, he leads and organises well from the back and his fellow defenders regularly look to him for direction and inspiration. The two centre backs pictured side by side are an intimidating presence. Powerful and muscularly built, they often leave opposition strikers cowering away from further contact after a few early robust challenges. Richards and Dunne are flanked by Corluka and Garrido who could quite easily play as centre halves too such is their height and strength. Eriksson obviously recognises that these skills are vital in the Premiership as they are evident throughout the whole team. There is pace in Garrido and a decent cross too, although from what I have seen, Corluka seems to have a more languid style. While he is good in the air and clever with the ball at his feet, he lacks acceleration despite an acceptable top speed.
Ace in the hole
The ace in Eriksson’s pack is undoubtedly Elano, who stitches the team together with his one and two touch passing, killer through balls and appreciation of space. Eriksson allows Elano to play in his favourite position in the hole behind the strikers, where he links play from midfield to attack with the energetic Michael Johnson and the tidy Dietmar Hamann. In particular the Brazilian has quickly struck up a rapport with Johnson, both enthusiasts of the short one touch game and Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov. Whenever Elano receives the ball he looks up to see where the pacey Petrov is and invariably releases him behind the opposition defence. The Brazilian showed glimpses of his talent several weeks ago with some slick passing and clever assists – a perfectly weighted and timed one-two with Michael Johnson against Aston Villa sticks in the memory. However, he has suddenly hit top form, earning national recognition with 3 goals in two games against Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Against Newcastle Elano demonstrated his dribbling ability and passing prowess as Nicky Butt and Alan Smith simply failed to cope with his speed of thought and vision. The first time stabbed pass with the outside of his boot to put Stephen Ireland thorough had Peter Beardsley drooling, ‘for me that’s the pass of the season.’ He deservedly got on the score sheet late on, showcasing his typically Brazilian-made striking technique with a free kick blasted into the upper-most top corner of Shay Given’s net. A shot no keeper could save. This man of the match performance was followed up by another at Boro, this time scoring twice. The first a clever shot from 25 yards whistled in to the bottom corner, as Elano used the defenders in front of him to blind the keeper’s view from the ball’s route to goal. The second half provided the opportunity for a second goal for the boy from Brazil as Boro gave away a free-kick in perfect position. Elano decided to show his guile and craft on this one, after powering in against Newcastle, this time he showed his subtlety, gently curled the ball over the wall and into the top corner.
Man City have a new idol in the making with Elano and will be gutted they have to endure the international break before seeing his mercurial talent once again. It seems a crime, knowing now how good Elano is, that it took so long for him to be discovered and thrust into Europe’s elite leagues – he is now 26. He had been at Shaktar Donetsk for 3 seasons and it was while he was in the Ukraine he broke into the national team under Dunga (he now has 9 caps and 3 goals). For a player from the Ukraine to be in the Brazil side surely pointed to serious quality, although Elano seemed to slip through the net of the European clubs. Eriksson though had no reservations about that playmaker’s ability, ‘I’ve had Baggio, Mancini, Gullit; you say ok, give them the ball and something will happen. And now we say, give the ball to Elano. Your life is much easier if you have these players because they do things you cannot coach. It’s in their DNA.’ eulogised the Swede. The Brazilian has helped his team mates benefit from his creativity and even makes Emile Mpenza look a decent player. If, as predicted City invests in an out-and-out goal scorer in the January transfer window they should do very well this season. And with Elano providing the assists City are unlikely to be short of suitors for the role either.
Monday, 8 October 2007
Midweek Euro Round-Up
It was a highly exciting and ultimately a mixed bag of emotions for the British clubs involved in European action this week. Blackburn, who have looked so solid recently were inexplicably felled by minnows Larissa, of Greece. Chelsea finally returned to winning, and scoring, ways with a hugely impressive away win (2-1) at Valencia, while it was business as usual for Arsenal and Man Utd against Steaua and Roma, both recording 1-0 wins. Things didn’t go so well for Liverpool and their exasperated manager, as they were beaten at Anfield 1-0 by Marseille and a stunning effort by youngster Mathieu Valbuena. Neighbours Everton saved their own potential embarrassment when they recovered from a 1-1 draw in their home leg (Andrew Johnson missed 2 penalties) to beat Metalist Kharkiv 3-2 away in typically determined style. Tottenham stuttered to a 1-1 draw with Famagusta, although the damage had already been done in the first leg’s 6-1 victory. It had meant a chance for Bent and Defoe to prove a point but they failed to make any real impression. Sammy Lee may have saved himself from being the first managerial casualty of the season when he decided to bring from the bench the clinical Nicolas Anelka who steered Bolton past Rabotnicki.
The most incredible news came from north of the border where Rangers beat mighty Lyon 3-0 away and Celtic beat the cup holders Milan 2-1 at Hampden Park, with a last minute goal from Scott McDonald. Unfortunately the Celtic game will probably be best remembered for the incident involving a Scottish fan, Dida the AC Milan keeper and the worst acting performance since Escape to Victory. Following a playful tap by a fan that had broken onto the pitch, Dida chased the hooligan to get his revenge, before having a change of heart, and deciding to go down feigning a serious head injury. He was eventually stretchered off, clutching an ice pack to his face, accompanied by a chorus of boos and jeers from the crowd and the awkward embarrassment of even his own team mates, ‘He made his choice and we will support him even though what he did was wrong. It was a difficult moment for him.’ conceded Kaka.
Here are the results of the games involving the British clubs in European competition last week…
Uefa Champions League Uefa Cup
Celtic 2-1 AC Milan Anorthosis Famagusta 1-1 Tottenham (agg. 2-7)
Liverpool 0-1 Marseille Blackburn 2-1 Larissa (agg. 2-3)
Lyon 0-3 Rangers Bolton 1-0 Rabotnicki Kometal (agg. 2-1)
Man Utd 1-0 Roma Dnipro 1-1 Aberdeen (agg 1-1)
Steaua Bucharest 0-1 Arsenal Metalist Kharkiv 2-3 Everton (agg. 3-4)
Valencia 1-2 Chelsea
The most incredible news came from north of the border where Rangers beat mighty Lyon 3-0 away and Celtic beat the cup holders Milan 2-1 at Hampden Park, with a last minute goal from Scott McDonald. Unfortunately the Celtic game will probably be best remembered for the incident involving a Scottish fan, Dida the AC Milan keeper and the worst acting performance since Escape to Victory. Following a playful tap by a fan that had broken onto the pitch, Dida chased the hooligan to get his revenge, before having a change of heart, and deciding to go down feigning a serious head injury. He was eventually stretchered off, clutching an ice pack to his face, accompanied by a chorus of boos and jeers from the crowd and the awkward embarrassment of even his own team mates, ‘He made his choice and we will support him even though what he did was wrong. It was a difficult moment for him.’ conceded Kaka.
Here are the results of the games involving the British clubs in European competition last week…
Uefa Champions League Uefa Cup
Celtic 2-1 AC Milan Anorthosis Famagusta 1-1 Tottenham (agg. 2-7)
Liverpool 0-1 Marseille Blackburn 2-1 Larissa (agg. 2-3)
Lyon 0-3 Rangers Bolton 1-0 Rabotnicki Kometal (agg. 2-1)
Man Utd 1-0 Roma Dnipro 1-1 Aberdeen (agg 1-1)
Steaua Bucharest 0-1 Arsenal Metalist Kharkiv 2-3 Everton (agg. 3-4)
Valencia 1-2 Chelsea
Monday, 1 October 2007
In other news…
Bruce takes a moment, Rafa hits back, Players take blame and Austrians revolt
Steve Bruce was caught looking misty-eyed at the Birmingham City training ground this week as he prepared for an emotional reunion with his former charges Man Utd. Despite the tensions which surround the build up to an important league fixture such as playing the reigning league champions, Bruce was happily discussing old times with the fondness of a parent or old relative looking through a photo album, ‘At Man Utd we used to go in and have cups of milky coffee and there were dressing gowns, nice flip flops and heated floors.’ the former stopper sighed. Nice imagery Brucie, although Old Trafford sounded more like an old people’s home than the domain of the undisputed force of the 1990s. Bruce was attempting to draw a comparison as to how Birmingham City have improved and grown as a club since he first left Utd and joined the Brum as a player, and in fairness he did have a point, if laboured, to his trip down memory lane. He described training at St Andrews, ‘Before training we had to go and get rid of the geese. There was goose shit everywhere – and they shit like dogs, by the way. And you can’t chase them either, they are vicious bastards’. I think that it’s great to occasionally hear from Premier League managers, such as Bruce, something that is genuinely interesting, not pre-planned and that they actually want to say. I must applaud Bruce for this gem of an interview, and he continued in Ron Manager-like vein, ‘as far the training kit, I can remember Ricky Otto trained in a t-shirt that said “I’ve been to Benidorm” on the front “and I’ve shagged most of it” on the back.’ Top class stuff from Steve Bruce, I only hope he keeps Birmingham up so we can enjoy another seasonal sprinkling of locker room laughs.
If, not so long ago you thought our own national team was in dire straits (thank god for Micah Richards by the way), spare a brief thought for the Austrian national side. Despite qualifying automatically for Euro 2008 as co-hosts, fans in the homeland are petitioning for their country to be thrown out of the championships in a protest about their terrible performances on the pitch. Fans are convinced the national team will embarrass the nation at the tournament and cause them to be the laughing stock of Europe such is the team’s poor run of form. Maybe Steve McClaren can give them some fail safe advice, ‘trust in the oldies’. It worked for him with Emile, so maybe Austria coach Josef Hickersberger can track down the similarly heavyweight plunderer Toni Polster to give the team a boost. The only way is back!
You may have noticed a recent article on this site about the rotation system in place at Liverpool under Rafa Benitez, where I was critical of the goateed Spaniard’s insistence on keeping record signing Fernando Torres ‘fresh’ (i.e. on the bench). Rafa has been riled by all the attention his recently failing rotation policies have been getting in the media of late and came out fighting his corner this week, ‘If you say to me that I would have had to play Torres to be capable of beating Birmingham, then I’d say we couldn’t win the league. We didn’t win because Torres wasn’t playing, but because too many players did not perform at their level.’ A staunch defence indeed and Rafa will also point to his trophy-collecting successes at Valencia and during his time at Liverpool as a consequence of rotating squads. No doubt this is true, although, for all the memorable one-off nights in the cups, what Liverpool fans really desire is a league title. They last won the league back in 1990 and for many, visibly Alan Hansen, it is too long for a club of their stature. Steven Gerrard was probably caught in the cross-fire of divided loyalties with his manager and fans when he stated this week, ‘I don’t want to get involved in Rafa’s team selection, but I think any centre-forward who scores a hat-trick (as Torres did against Reading on Tuesday) really should be played in the next game because his confidence is so high.’ As is typical of the nature of football, Rafa was left perplexed at the weekend when Torres drew a blank and Liverpool only narrowly managed to beat Wigan 1-0. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t Rafa. So will Torres start next week? Watch this space…
Lastly, a refreshingly rare case of self-deprecation and tough criticism was both commendably and bravely displayed by a Premiership footballer this week as a player rightly held up his hands to a woeful display for his club. Modern day football is a profession swamped by ludicrous egos, where there is a general reluctance to accept blame when things go wrong at the expense of anything but themselves (referees, weather conditions, new balls, etc.). It came as a great pleasure and surprise then when Aston Villa’s new £10million defender Curtis Davies conceded, ‘You’re only as good as your last game – and my last game was that which doesn’t merit a pub game for me.’, following his contribution to the club’s Carling Cup third round exit at the hands of Leicester City. Villa fans will take heart from this admission, as it speaks volumes of Davies’ resilience, if not his present capabilities. My view is that Davies should be patted on the back for his honesty, while fellow professionals should also be taking note of his approach as it is something missing from the modern game. In an age where run of the mill Premiership players are earning £30,000+ I think this entitles us fans to the odd apology.
Steve Bruce was caught looking misty-eyed at the Birmingham City training ground this week as he prepared for an emotional reunion with his former charges Man Utd. Despite the tensions which surround the build up to an important league fixture such as playing the reigning league champions, Bruce was happily discussing old times with the fondness of a parent or old relative looking through a photo album, ‘At Man Utd we used to go in and have cups of milky coffee and there were dressing gowns, nice flip flops and heated floors.’ the former stopper sighed. Nice imagery Brucie, although Old Trafford sounded more like an old people’s home than the domain of the undisputed force of the 1990s. Bruce was attempting to draw a comparison as to how Birmingham City have improved and grown as a club since he first left Utd and joined the Brum as a player, and in fairness he did have a point, if laboured, to his trip down memory lane. He described training at St Andrews, ‘Before training we had to go and get rid of the geese. There was goose shit everywhere – and they shit like dogs, by the way. And you can’t chase them either, they are vicious bastards’. I think that it’s great to occasionally hear from Premier League managers, such as Bruce, something that is genuinely interesting, not pre-planned and that they actually want to say. I must applaud Bruce for this gem of an interview, and he continued in Ron Manager-like vein, ‘as far the training kit, I can remember Ricky Otto trained in a t-shirt that said “I’ve been to Benidorm” on the front “and I’ve shagged most of it” on the back.’ Top class stuff from Steve Bruce, I only hope he keeps Birmingham up so we can enjoy another seasonal sprinkling of locker room laughs.
If, not so long ago you thought our own national team was in dire straits (thank god for Micah Richards by the way), spare a brief thought for the Austrian national side. Despite qualifying automatically for Euro 2008 as co-hosts, fans in the homeland are petitioning for their country to be thrown out of the championships in a protest about their terrible performances on the pitch. Fans are convinced the national team will embarrass the nation at the tournament and cause them to be the laughing stock of Europe such is the team’s poor run of form. Maybe Steve McClaren can give them some fail safe advice, ‘trust in the oldies’. It worked for him with Emile, so maybe Austria coach Josef Hickersberger can track down the similarly heavyweight plunderer Toni Polster to give the team a boost. The only way is back!
You may have noticed a recent article on this site about the rotation system in place at Liverpool under Rafa Benitez, where I was critical of the goateed Spaniard’s insistence on keeping record signing Fernando Torres ‘fresh’ (i.e. on the bench). Rafa has been riled by all the attention his recently failing rotation policies have been getting in the media of late and came out fighting his corner this week, ‘If you say to me that I would have had to play Torres to be capable of beating Birmingham, then I’d say we couldn’t win the league. We didn’t win because Torres wasn’t playing, but because too many players did not perform at their level.’ A staunch defence indeed and Rafa will also point to his trophy-collecting successes at Valencia and during his time at Liverpool as a consequence of rotating squads. No doubt this is true, although, for all the memorable one-off nights in the cups, what Liverpool fans really desire is a league title. They last won the league back in 1990 and for many, visibly Alan Hansen, it is too long for a club of their stature. Steven Gerrard was probably caught in the cross-fire of divided loyalties with his manager and fans when he stated this week, ‘I don’t want to get involved in Rafa’s team selection, but I think any centre-forward who scores a hat-trick (as Torres did against Reading on Tuesday) really should be played in the next game because his confidence is so high.’ As is typical of the nature of football, Rafa was left perplexed at the weekend when Torres drew a blank and Liverpool only narrowly managed to beat Wigan 1-0. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t Rafa. So will Torres start next week? Watch this space…
Lastly, a refreshingly rare case of self-deprecation and tough criticism was both commendably and bravely displayed by a Premiership footballer this week as a player rightly held up his hands to a woeful display for his club. Modern day football is a profession swamped by ludicrous egos, where there is a general reluctance to accept blame when things go wrong at the expense of anything but themselves (referees, weather conditions, new balls, etc.). It came as a great pleasure and surprise then when Aston Villa’s new £10million defender Curtis Davies conceded, ‘You’re only as good as your last game – and my last game was that which doesn’t merit a pub game for me.’, following his contribution to the club’s Carling Cup third round exit at the hands of Leicester City. Villa fans will take heart from this admission, as it speaks volumes of Davies’ resilience, if not his present capabilities. My view is that Davies should be patted on the back for his honesty, while fellow professionals should also be taking note of his approach as it is something missing from the modern game. In an age where run of the mill Premiership players are earning £30,000+ I think this entitles us fans to the odd apology.
Tradition calls for an England Number 9
We were all surprised by Emile Heskey’s bizarre return from the international football wilderness last month and happily so when he more than helped England to wins in the vital Euro qualifiers against Israel and Russia. However, many would agree that this is simply not a viable or forward thinking long term venture. Heskey may have an impact on mediocre teams such as Israel but at the top end of international football you need to have more quality and consistency (Heskey has just 5 goals in 45 caps). Indeed McClaren’s hand may now be forced to look for alternative solutions now that the man they call ‘Bruno’ has broken the infamous metertarsal. An answer is rapidly engulfing the horizon though, in the imposing form of Dean Ashton. The West Ham striker’s return to form, fitness and first class goals has re-ignited excitement and optimism that England may finally have a natural successor to Alan Shearer.
Ashton is a big favourite at West Ham, despite his relative lack of appearances for the club since his move from Norwich City in January 2006. His appreciation by the Hammers faithful is down to his undeniable talent, work rate for the team and the way that he makes himself the central component of all the team’s attacking moves. It is not so much that Ashton is greedy and demands the ball, but his side inevitably play through him because he rarely gives the ball away, can hold off defenders and creates as many chances for the team as for him self. He is a big lad and uses his frame very well to hold up the ball and is also dangerous in the air. His touch is one of the stronger aspects of his game and is a rare quality for a player of his size. Having Teddy Sheringham around the club when he signed for the Hammers must have rubbed off from him, as Ashton has a great football brain and awareness of whose around, which enables him to pick clever first-time passes into dangerous areas (combinations with Freddi Ljungberg are already bearing fruit). He likes to put power into his shots and has scored several goals from outside the box as well as the obligatory tap in.
These attributes and style of play Dean Ashton possesses are reminiscent of the England stalwart Alan Shearer and, injuries permitting, he may go on to have a successful career at the top level. A dominant, physical presence upfront is what England has been lacking ever since Shearer’s retirement and it is a ploy which has long been a successful aspect of England side’s historically. Ashton did once make an England squad, during the build up to World Cup 2006 and the tournament may have turned out differently had the powerful forward been available. As it was, Ashton was to be the victim of a cruel fate, breaking his ankle in an innocuous training ground tackle at the hands of the impish Shaun Wright-Phillips, ‘I was crying uncontrollably once I was off the pitch and into the dressing rooms because I knew it was long-term. I’ve missed the chance to play for England’. Instead England went to the World Cup that year with Peter Crouch and the child-like, unused Theo Walcott – main man Michael Owen damaged his cruciates and sadly the rest is history. Perhaps Ashton’s influence and quality is best represented by West Ham’s fortunes during his enforced spell on the sidelines - while Ashton missed virtually the whole of last season through injury, West Ham only narrowly avoided relegation to the championship in the final week of a season in which the goals seemed to go in exclusively at the defensive end.
Ashton has showed that he is now fit and raring to kick-start his England career once more, with a string of fine displays this season and clearly wants to put any fitness doubts behind him, ‘If people took the time to come and watch me they’d realise that I’m not actually fat and I’m not that slow’. If there were to be a criticism of Ashton, then you could point to his modest pace and lack of explosive acceleration. Due to his formidable frame he will also need to work hard during his career to maintain his shape and mobility, or West Ham may have another John Hartson on their hands. However, the way he plays the game does not incorporate speed work and he is simply not the type to go chasing lost causes into the corners. Paired with the likes of Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney for England this would not be his role anyway, as he would be looking to win the flicks and make the passes for his partner to run onto.
Ashton feels he is in ‘the best shape ever’ and must surely be a strong candidate to start in England boss Steve McClaren’s next game against Estonia on 13th October. With Heskey injured, Owen struggling for fitness, Rooney, Crouch and Defoe goalless, and the hapless Andrew Johnson and Darren Bent virtually ruling themselves out by default Ashton has become not only a potentially beneficial option, but maybe the only one too.
Ashton is a big favourite at West Ham, despite his relative lack of appearances for the club since his move from Norwich City in January 2006. His appreciation by the Hammers faithful is down to his undeniable talent, work rate for the team and the way that he makes himself the central component of all the team’s attacking moves. It is not so much that Ashton is greedy and demands the ball, but his side inevitably play through him because he rarely gives the ball away, can hold off defenders and creates as many chances for the team as for him self. He is a big lad and uses his frame very well to hold up the ball and is also dangerous in the air. His touch is one of the stronger aspects of his game and is a rare quality for a player of his size. Having Teddy Sheringham around the club when he signed for the Hammers must have rubbed off from him, as Ashton has a great football brain and awareness of whose around, which enables him to pick clever first-time passes into dangerous areas (combinations with Freddi Ljungberg are already bearing fruit). He likes to put power into his shots and has scored several goals from outside the box as well as the obligatory tap in.
These attributes and style of play Dean Ashton possesses are reminiscent of the England stalwart Alan Shearer and, injuries permitting, he may go on to have a successful career at the top level. A dominant, physical presence upfront is what England has been lacking ever since Shearer’s retirement and it is a ploy which has long been a successful aspect of England side’s historically. Ashton did once make an England squad, during the build up to World Cup 2006 and the tournament may have turned out differently had the powerful forward been available. As it was, Ashton was to be the victim of a cruel fate, breaking his ankle in an innocuous training ground tackle at the hands of the impish Shaun Wright-Phillips, ‘I was crying uncontrollably once I was off the pitch and into the dressing rooms because I knew it was long-term. I’ve missed the chance to play for England’. Instead England went to the World Cup that year with Peter Crouch and the child-like, unused Theo Walcott – main man Michael Owen damaged his cruciates and sadly the rest is history. Perhaps Ashton’s influence and quality is best represented by West Ham’s fortunes during his enforced spell on the sidelines - while Ashton missed virtually the whole of last season through injury, West Ham only narrowly avoided relegation to the championship in the final week of a season in which the goals seemed to go in exclusively at the defensive end.
Ashton has showed that he is now fit and raring to kick-start his England career once more, with a string of fine displays this season and clearly wants to put any fitness doubts behind him, ‘If people took the time to come and watch me they’d realise that I’m not actually fat and I’m not that slow’. If there were to be a criticism of Ashton, then you could point to his modest pace and lack of explosive acceleration. Due to his formidable frame he will also need to work hard during his career to maintain his shape and mobility, or West Ham may have another John Hartson on their hands. However, the way he plays the game does not incorporate speed work and he is simply not the type to go chasing lost causes into the corners. Paired with the likes of Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney for England this would not be his role anyway, as he would be looking to win the flicks and make the passes for his partner to run onto.
Ashton feels he is in ‘the best shape ever’ and must surely be a strong candidate to start in England boss Steve McClaren’s next game against Estonia on 13th October. With Heskey injured, Owen struggling for fitness, Rooney, Crouch and Defoe goalless, and the hapless Andrew Johnson and Darren Bent virtually ruling themselves out by default Ashton has become not only a potentially beneficial option, but maybe the only one too.
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