WHOS THE MAN?

by Clinton Ooi

In about 10 minutes time, Steve McLaren will announce who will be the next England captain.

The question being asked since David Beckham stepped down after Germany 2006, is will it be Chelsea's John Terry or Liverpool's Steven Gerrard?

The real question is: Which is the wiser decision for McLaren for the whole squad's perspective?

Well, Chelsea's Terry has lifted two Premiership titles in the last 2 years while Gerrard has led Liverpool to the Champion's League and the FA Cup in the same time frame.

Arguments will no doubt will go both ways even after the appointment. Both players are inspirational and proven and great captains at club level. Gerrard has brought him team back from many a match (Olympiakos & Milan - Champions League & West Ham - FA Cup Final) from the brink of defeat but Terry has been as outstanding in both club and country colours. The CVs are almost too hard to compare, but...

From a performance basis - As in who needs it more? And who well excel more from it? Terry has been class for England as long as I can remember. Gerrard, ableit his top scoring performance for the Three Lions at the World Cup, has not yet fully transferred his club form to the international arena.

When Gerrard took over the armband from Sami Hyypia in Liverpool, his performances got better and better. So much so that he is undoubtedly in the list of the top 10 players in the world.

He needs it, he will do the job, Gerrard for the honours!

A Tribute to Arsene

The man who was born to manage Arsenal? Arsene - even his name oozes Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger, had demonstrated his sharp eye for talent and more importantly the skill at nurturing the nature to full bloom. Signing a struggling Thierry Henry from the Juventus wing and immediately converting to a forward and now into the world's second best player was his earliest entree. Then, managing to pluck Patrick Vieira from AC Milan's clutches was key to laying the foundations to Arsenal's success, as the now French captain demonstrated down the years.

The coaxing of Fran Merida from Spanish juggernaut Barcelona shows the tantamount of Arsenal's pulling power of teenage prodigies these days. Merida, who immediately scored in his first appearance, has all but endorsed his new manager's eye for youthful talent. But was it really Arsenal, or more so Arsene that won over Merida's vote?

I believe the key is he has signed so many young unknown talent (listed below) and loaned them out or put them in the reserves for usually two years with an active intention of bringing them through to the first team eventually. This is never been the track record of any of the other top 4 English Clubs (barring Man Utd to an extent).

Today's 3-0 win over Dynamo Zagreb away, without the recovering Henry, wantaways Ashley Cole and Jose Reyes, the retired Dennis Bergkamp and suspended Jens Lehmann was truly class and justification of Wenger's belief in his young team.

Cesc Fabregas (also picked under the nostrils of Barca), Robin Van Persie, Emmanuel Eboue, Matheu Flamini, Phillipe Senderos, Gael Clichy, Theo Walcott (ableit a hefty transfer fee), Kolo Toure, Jose Reyes, Alou Diaby, Johan Djourou, Sebastian Larsson, Justin Hoyte, Arturo Lupoli, Jeremie Aliadiere, Fabrice Muamba... the list goes on and on... Point is Wenger has more than a generation of youth at his disposal that could do well to surpass Fergies Fledglings, fulfill the potential of the Spice Boys and come close to the Butsby babes!

And flinch not but most of them could be at the Emirates for a better part of next 10 years. Here's to you Mssr Wenger!

2018: THE YEAR OF THE KANGAROO?

by Clinton Ooi
Following Australia's successful World Cup campaign in Germany, talk was widespread about a possible bid for the 2018 World Cup. Finally, the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) has stated its intention to bid for the hosting of the 2018 World Cup.

FFA CEO, Frank O'Neill: In the next couple of weeks, the FFA will come out with a definitive statement, likely to be that we will bid for 2018. We deserve it, the one part of the world that's never hosted the World Cup, after South Africa has hosted in 2010, is the Pacific Basin.

The bid has had great support from Australian leadership, all the way to the top man in charge.

Australian Prime Minister, John Howard: All governments agree enthusiastically that if the national body, the Football Federation of Australia, put in a bid for the 2018 World Cup then all governments would support that bid very enthusiastically.

An official statement will be released by the FFA in the coming weeks in which expected confirmation and details of an official bid will be announced by Australian football's governing body.