Rob Earnshaw wants Welsh players to put Wales first

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Rob Earnshaw wants Welsh players to put Wales first Rob Earnshaw the Cardiff striker stated this week that players must think about Welsh football and the league’s future before they decide if they should compete at the 2012 London Olympics.  This is born out of concern that even though FIFA has stated they will not judge any player’s who do choose to play, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland are worried that if they choose to play their team’s independent status will be damaged.  This is the first time that Great Britain will play in the Olympics since 1960.

Earnshaw stated that Wales has been playing for some time and the aim of players should be to make sure that the team continues to survive.

The men’s Olympic team coach was announced to be Stuart Pearce this past Thursday and he plans to use players from England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland at the 2012 Games in an effort to truly have a Great Britain Team.  Players Joe Allenhave, Gareth Bale, and Aaron Ramsey have all stated that they would like to play for the team.

Earnshaw addressed this by stating that if the team is truly a Great Britain team and inclusion will not hurt any of the countries then it would not be a problem, but the concern is that they want to make sure that the Wales team sticks together forever because they are proud to be Welsh players playing for the country. He also added that it would be great for any player to get a chance to play in the Olympics.

 

FA says players can take part in Euro 2012 and the London Olympics

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FA says players can take part in Euro 2012 and the London Olympics The Football Association has decided that players will be able to play at both the Euro 2012 and the London Olympics allowing Wayne Rooney to compete as a member of the England Olympic team if he finishes his suspension in time.

Also being considered from the Manchester United team is Stuart Peirce and the coach is also taking a close look at Ryan Gigs from Wales.  For the 23+ squad David Beckham will likely make the cut although serious contenders are also Jonny Evans from Northern Ireland and Darren Fletcher from Scotland.

Before any decisions can be made about Rooney however the FA is standing by waiting to receive written responses from the Uefa due to his three game ban for kicking Miodrag Dzudovic during a match against Montenegro.

Fabio Capello, the manager for England, stated that he wants Rooney to play for the Euros and now with the new rule change even if he is able to play in Ukraine and Poland he will also be able to compete in the Olympics.

Managing Director for England, Adrian Bevington, stated that they are aware of what a challenge it would be for any player to compete in both games, but at the same time they are not going to restrict players by making them choose which one to play in.

The Olympics are already shaping out to be full of controversy because outside of the issue with Rooney, there is debate about the Welsh, Scottish, and Ireland players who could be eligible to play in the Olympics’ with the FA stating it will support their decision regardless of what the national associations have to say about it.

20/1 on Rooney’s red card run to carry on from Bwin

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Bwin.com has recently annouced a new special market which will see people be able to take advantage of odds that say there is a 20/1 chance that Wayne Rooney will be sent off when his side meet with Liverpool this weekend.

The betting is 1/100 that he will be on the pitch for the entire match. He has made headlines recently as he was sent off in a qualifying match for Euro 2012 when England played against Montenegro. Rooney has a history with Liverpool on a club and personal level and it is expected that he will be prone to an outbreak on the pitch – something he has become known for in the sport.

With this history in mind, punters may well think it a good idea to take advantage of odds and say that he will find himself sent off for the second game in a row. It is also possible to bet on how many cards he will receive throughout the whole year and the odds are not good that he will remain red card free.

That said, the Premier League’s top goalscorer could react positively to his England indiscretion and put in a match-winning performance against Liverpool.

With nine league goals to his name already this season, Rooney is 7/5 to score at Anfield, 5/1 to score first, 15/2 to score two or more and 40/1 to score three or more.

Rooney is also priced at 14/1 to overcome the ban he receives for the red card against Montenegro and emerge from Euro 2012 as the tournament’s top scorer.

Looking ahead to the Liverpool – Man United game itself, the away side are 13/10 favourites to take home all three points in bwin’s 3Way football betting market, with a draw priced at 23/10 and a home win at 2/1.

For all the latest tips, stats and previews, visit bwin.com’s sister site bwinbetting.com throughout the season to ensure you make the best betting choices.

If you have an opinion, have a bet at www.bwinbetting.com

 

 

Wayne Rooney is benched

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Wayne Rooney is benched A decision by UEFA has banned Wayne Rooney from playing in the group stages of the Euro 2012 competition. The ban is to last for three matches and was announced after he was given a red card during a game against Montenegro. He was given the card during the 74th minute of the game after kicking one of the players.

A statement from UEFA has said, “Following Wayne Rooney’s behaviour in the match against Montenegro we have decided that disciplinary action should include a three match ban.” An appeal could be launched but the Football Association has yet to decide whether to do this as it risks him being punished further. They have commented, “We are currently considering the matter and it will be an internal decision as to whether we pursue an appeal. We will make the decision before we make any further public announcements.”

England fans had hoped that Rooney would only get a one match ban, especially after the referee of the match said that Rooney accepted the card without much hesitation. Questions had previously been raised about Rooney’s temper, in 2006 he was sent off during the World Cup for a similar act against Portugal.

Fabio Capello who is the coach of England has said, “this is an unfortunate mistake by Rooney and we’re going to use friendly matches we have next month to ensure that we could still succeed without him. There is no defence for the sort of behaviour we saw against Montenegro and we need to work out a way to be able to win without him on the pitch.

“Rooney is a very important player on the side but he can make these mistakes, he apologised for his actions but we must see an improvement in his behaviour.” In response to a question whether Capello was ready to have an England team without Rooney he answered in one word, “yes.”

Other comments from Capello have suggested that if he finds a way to play without Rooney the striker will have to make a great deal of effort to remain on the squad. Alan Shearer, a former strike if England, has said, “this is a huge blow to English football and to the fancy follow it, it is likely that Rooney realises the error he has made. If he did not see what he had done as wrong it is even more likely that he would repeat this kind of mistake in the future.

“Personally, I believe that the English team can still succeed without him. Seeing how the team performs in these next three matches will give Capello an idea of what the performance of the English side will be like without Rooney.”

His ban from the pitch for three matches can be seen as good news for others who could potentially play on the English squad. They will be able to prove themselves so that they might be selected to play for the Euro 2012 finals which are being held in the Ukraine and Poland.

Jermaine Defoe who plays the Tottenham Hotspur, Danny Welbeck who plays alongside Rooney in Manchester United, Andy Carroll who plays the Liverpool, and Darren Bent who plays for Aston Villa are all in line to replace Rooney for the next three matches, and potentially over the longer term.

The Andy Morrison story the good, the mad and the ugly

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The Andy Morrison story the good, the mad and the ugly

The Andy Morrison story the good, the mad and the ugly

By Andy Morrison

Foreword by England legend, Joe Royle

Publication date: 10th October 2011, RRP: £16.99, Hardback

Published by Fort Publishing Ltd, ISBN: 978-1-905769-27-8

A gritty, brutally honest and enlightening football autobiography

Andy Morrison was a hero for the fans of every team that he played for in his career, he was also regarded as possibly one of the most troubled players of the game in modern times. He has recently published an autobiography detailing his career and the struggles he faced. In his career he was the captain of Manchester City, Blackpool, Huddersfield Town, and Plymouth Argyle.

Morrison was known for his inspiring performance at City, where he brought the club from some of its darkest days to some of its brightest. Manager of the club at the time was Joe Royle, he commented, “I’ve been in football management for a serious amount of time, Andy Morrison was, no question, one of the best players that I ever took on.”

While Morrison’s life on the field was very successful he was struggling with his personal life, after being born in Scotland he moved to Plymouth. Here he was brought up in one of the cities worst council estates and his life was filled with adversity. By the time he reached his adult life he had seen violence, dealt with alcoholism, been in trouble with the police, and had also suffered significant personal loss.

Morrison’s autobiography is an honest and frank book. It is a book that looks at a man who has been in crisis, but a man who has fought his demons, however painful they may be, and has never given into the darker side of his character.

In this new book he makes no effort to hide his problems, he talks about his fights with his managers and his teammates. He talks of the bar brawls and the pursuit of the fans who shouted abuse at him. He details his court trial where he was tried for benefit fraud, and talks about the hell that it caused his family.

Morrison believes that many of his problems can be traced to a horrific incident in his youth, one that he has never spoken about. Until now.

Andy’s story is a gripping, no-holds-barred read, which will make you wince, may shock, and goes a long way to explaining what has made Andy Morrison the man he is today.