Hopefully we will see Rooney come back into the England side behind Welbeck tonight, which will hopefully mean Danny will see the first decent service to him up front after living off scraps for the first two games. I can't believe the Guardian run the headline that England bank on returning "Pele" to end unwanted run. The guy is a top player, but he's never really lived up to that nickname or achieved the level we hoped for when we bought him at 18. To think when we bought him, we all thought it would be Rooney who would one day be battling out for world player of the season awards and wondered whether Ronaldo would just always flatter to decieve. Maybe this will be Rooney's time, it's a bit hard having a go at Rooney's career at international tournament's, he has not exactly been playing in a great team when he has actually been fit to play in either world cup or Euro's.
Welbeck had a pretty good game against France given the amount of possession and the quality of the possession when we did actually have the ball. I thought he started well again against the Swedish, but drifted out of the game, starved of the ball. Despite the result, his partnership with Carroll didn't work for me, Welbeck likes to drop deep, floart around and play one twos, that isn't Carroll's game at all. Fortunately for England, Rooney is on Welbeck's wavelength, whether the short one two or the pass beyond the last man. The pair of them like to play with the ball on the deck.
I fancy England to win tonight, and they better had after Hodgson's increasingly confident talk. Ukraine don't really look up to much, but as ever with England, i suppose it's how well they use the possession they have as they will never really dominate any game given the way can't help giving the ball away.
At the danger of sounding like i have been off the medication, i actually think England have a chance of beating the Spanish in a quarter final if the French do the business against Sweden. Obviously they won't out play the Spanish, but they are more than capable of keeping the Spanish at bay with their two banks of four. And it's been there for all to see, that when the reigning champions have played decent sides, they have struggled to look like a side that will score goals. The one side i can't see England beating are Germany, in fact the two most impressive teams of the tournament so far, for me, have been the Germans and the Portugese who have been the best attacking team of the tournament, it's just a pity they don't have a centre forward. How good was Ronaldo against the Dutch and Nani wasn't bad either, of course it probably helped them the Dutch had to come at them.
Speaking of Nani, the Mirror's claim on Sunday that the Portugese winger felt the club were forcing him out, unforstunately for me anyway, sounds all to believable. I'm at a loss why so many reds seem to quite happy at the news. As this tournament has shown, there aren't too many, if any wingers out there on the same level has him. Watching Ashley Young's abysmal performance against Sweden just reinforced that view for me. By the way that was no suprise to me either, Young had a few stinkers for us last season.
It would be typical of United over recent seasons, just when you get enthused about next seasons attacking options with the signing of Kagawa, we then go and get rid of a player who offers something totally different from all our other attackers. And i say this as somebody who has never been his biggest fan, yes he can have us tearing our hair out, and Rooney tearing what hair he had left until his hair job, but on his day, he is a top player and we can't have enough of them.
I have always been fascinated by the history of Richard M. Nixon and especially of Watergate, so this Indy special report from Woodward and Bernstein of the untold story of Watergate was right up my street. I really will have to get around to reading the follow up to "All the president's men", " The final days".
So with Cameron's day of scrutiny at leveson over, the media highlight will return to the financial crisis, good news for the tories if that really happens. That e-mail was excrutiating, i had expected Cameron to go through the day totally unscathed, but he really does react badly to searching scrutiny. Can you visualise Cameron being opposed by the late Robin Cook across the front bench over the last six months or so, it wouldn't be a fair fight.
And as ever for Cameron it the right wing media who were as critical of his testimony as the left. tHE Spectator's Fraser Nelson writing in the Telegraph attacked David Cameron's "chumocracy" as being no substitute for a political mission.
Osborne's latest wheeze didn't fare well with either deficit deniers or growth deniers, Paul Krugman described it as crony Keynesianism, one again aimed at the tories chums in the financial sector, whilst the right attacked his claim to have tacked the debt problem.
Music
Clark - Iradelphic: One review of this album, the NME i think found this too safe, i don't find it that safe, i found it good, if not as full on as previous albums maybe.
Michael Kiwanuka - Home again: This guy was getting rave write ups well before his debut album was released, thankfully he delivered. Part of the new folk revival, he's more Terry Callier mixed with Bill Withers, it's very good.
Miles Davis - On the corner: I love electric phase Miles and this is up there with the best of that work, for lovers of jazz fusion, funk fusion or jazz rock. I'm never sure what you would label this era Miles Davis as, but it's the dogs bollocks.
Public Image Ltd - This is Pil: And John Lydon is back, it may not be the original line up, but the spirit is there and more than a tune or two as well. I didn't really expect it to be as good as this, some reviews have thought there was a dud track or two, i reckon it's pretty consistent.
Stone Coal White - Stone Coal White: Early seventies funk, and very funky at times, the songs aren't that strong, covers apart, but the playing is great.
XTC - Drums and wires: I have heard this before, but years ago and i didn't really listen to it much. It's a cracking slab of new wave, Making plans for Nigel was the track everybody remembers, but there's catchy tunes galore.
Welbeck had a pretty good game against France given the amount of possession and the quality of the possession when we did actually have the ball. I thought he started well again against the Swedish, but drifted out of the game, starved of the ball. Despite the result, his partnership with Carroll didn't work for me, Welbeck likes to drop deep, floart around and play one twos, that isn't Carroll's game at all. Fortunately for England, Rooney is on Welbeck's wavelength, whether the short one two or the pass beyond the last man. The pair of them like to play with the ball on the deck.
I fancy England to win tonight, and they better had after Hodgson's increasingly confident talk. Ukraine don't really look up to much, but as ever with England, i suppose it's how well they use the possession they have as they will never really dominate any game given the way can't help giving the ball away.
At the danger of sounding like i have been off the medication, i actually think England have a chance of beating the Spanish in a quarter final if the French do the business against Sweden. Obviously they won't out play the Spanish, but they are more than capable of keeping the Spanish at bay with their two banks of four. And it's been there for all to see, that when the reigning champions have played decent sides, they have struggled to look like a side that will score goals. The one side i can't see England beating are Germany, in fact the two most impressive teams of the tournament so far, for me, have been the Germans and the Portugese who have been the best attacking team of the tournament, it's just a pity they don't have a centre forward. How good was Ronaldo against the Dutch and Nani wasn't bad either, of course it probably helped them the Dutch had to come at them.
Speaking of Nani, the Mirror's claim on Sunday that the Portugese winger felt the club were forcing him out, unforstunately for me anyway, sounds all to believable. I'm at a loss why so many reds seem to quite happy at the news. As this tournament has shown, there aren't too many, if any wingers out there on the same level has him. Watching Ashley Young's abysmal performance against Sweden just reinforced that view for me. By the way that was no suprise to me either, Young had a few stinkers for us last season.
It would be typical of United over recent seasons, just when you get enthused about next seasons attacking options with the signing of Kagawa, we then go and get rid of a player who offers something totally different from all our other attackers. And i say this as somebody who has never been his biggest fan, yes he can have us tearing our hair out, and Rooney tearing what hair he had left until his hair job, but on his day, he is a top player and we can't have enough of them.
I have always been fascinated by the history of Richard M. Nixon and especially of Watergate, so this Indy special report from Woodward and Bernstein of the untold story of Watergate was right up my street. I really will have to get around to reading the follow up to "All the president's men", " The final days".
So with Cameron's day of scrutiny at leveson over, the media highlight will return to the financial crisis, good news for the tories if that really happens. That e-mail was excrutiating, i had expected Cameron to go through the day totally unscathed, but he really does react badly to searching scrutiny. Can you visualise Cameron being opposed by the late Robin Cook across the front bench over the last six months or so, it wouldn't be a fair fight.
And as ever for Cameron it the right wing media who were as critical of his testimony as the left. tHE Spectator's Fraser Nelson writing in the Telegraph attacked David Cameron's "chumocracy" as being no substitute for a political mission.
Osborne's latest wheeze didn't fare well with either deficit deniers or growth deniers, Paul Krugman described it as crony Keynesianism, one again aimed at the tories chums in the financial sector, whilst the right attacked his claim to have tacked the debt problem.
Music
Clark - Iradelphic: One review of this album, the NME i think found this too safe, i don't find it that safe, i found it good, if not as full on as previous albums maybe.
Michael Kiwanuka - Home again: This guy was getting rave write ups well before his debut album was released, thankfully he delivered. Part of the new folk revival, he's more Terry Callier mixed with Bill Withers, it's very good.
Miles Davis - On the corner: I love electric phase Miles and this is up there with the best of that work, for lovers of jazz fusion, funk fusion or jazz rock. I'm never sure what you would label this era Miles Davis as, but it's the dogs bollocks.
Public Image Ltd - This is Pil: And John Lydon is back, it may not be the original line up, but the spirit is there and more than a tune or two as well. I didn't really expect it to be as good as this, some reviews have thought there was a dud track or two, i reckon it's pretty consistent.
Stone Coal White - Stone Coal White: Early seventies funk, and very funky at times, the songs aren't that strong, covers apart, but the playing is great.
XTC - Drums and wires: I have heard this before, but years ago and i didn't really listen to it much. It's a cracking slab of new wave, Making plans for Nigel was the track everybody remembers, but there's catchy tunes galore.
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