Hodgson deserves respect

MONDAY night showed why I have become so bored with the England national team.

No not because of the manager or the players but because of the sheer amount, to paraphrase Roy Hodgson, of "f****** b*******' that surrounds an England match.

Since he took over, Hodgson hasn't had a chance with some in the media who wanted their beloved Harry Redknapp to take the national job.

Why was beyond me, yes Hodgson's managerial career in England is hardly one to write home about but international ly the man has more than enough experience.

Whereas Harry has never managed north of the Watford Gap.....

Failure at the World Cup gave the press the ammunition they needed. At no point did they consider England had an awful group, things would have been different had they had Argentina's group of Bosnia, Nigeria and Iran or France's group of Switzerland, Honduras and Ecuador.

Through it all, Hodgson remained dignified and respectful to a media which frankly showed neither of those qualities to him. 

And now he presides over a young, vibrant team full of pace and enthusiasm and one which should excite us Englishmen.

Gone are the last of the 'Golden Generation' scarred by tournament defeats and raised expectations.

Yet to read the tweets and coverage before Monday night you'd think we'd lost the last five games in a row.

The headlines were already written, 'Basel Faulty' some wanted to hail it. But England delivered big time and well done to them for it.

The critics? Did they praise? No they backtracked and said Switzerland weren't that good anyway! 

England made a good start and arguablely with the hardest game out the way this young team can look forward to a relatively easy group, gaining confidence as a unit and hopefully entertaining along the way.

Remember the Germans? they ditched the old guard in 2000 and this hungry young team won the greatest prize of them all just over a decade later.

Maybe, just maybe, if we are all patient then a lot more than football may come home in years to come....

Carswell defection shows Tory troubles

DOUGLAS Carswell's defection to UKIP has highlighted the very real problem for David Cameron and the Conservatives.

The darling of the backbenches, Carswell has been a thorn in Cameron's side for a while now.

Peace seem to have broken out when Carswell appeared to back the PM over his pledge for an in/out referendum should the Tories win in 2015.

However, something has changed in Carswell's mind. Either he thinks the party won't win in 2015 so has decided to jump now or this is some sort of weird stalking horse effort.

If Carswell wins for UKIP in Clacton, it could pave the way for other Tories to follow suit and persuade more traditional Tories to abandon the party for UKIP.

You might expect the Tories to respond, remind voters Carswell appears to have reneged on his backing for the party.

Instead the attack dogs were sent out online to attack Ed Miliband for 'not saying anything about Rotherham'.

We'll ignore the fact the party has called for the PCC to step down, that senior council figure has already resigned with more expected to follow....

And that sums up the Tories, when there is discord within the party, they lash out at Miliband and Labour. Carswell didn't defect because of Miliband, he defected because of Cameron and Osborne.

The killer line in Carswell's interview on Sky was the use of the word 'honest' in relation to Miliband's position on the EU.

The implication being Cameron isn't and that, whether the Tories want to admit it or not, is the Tories biggest headache.

If Cameron doesn't 'get it', then I'm afraid his dreams of an EU referendum will turn to dust.

Mackay case shows football's failings

I HAD a bluebottle infestation in my wheelie bin the other week. Did I remove one and let the rest carry on? No I cleaned the whole bin....

Yet in football again a case of alleged sexism/racism/anti-semitism has reared up and the character assasination of one individual has begun.

Malky Mackay is now in the firing line and will probably be ostracised from football by the time we put up the Christmas decorations.

Now before I go on, if these texts are proven then Mackay, an otherwise articulate man should hang his head that his 'banter' comes straight from the drains.

But do we really think Mackay is the only British football manager sending such texts and having such discussions?

I'd put good money on a number of managers making sexual comments on a regular basis. I know of one current manager who left a previous job not because of mutual consent but because he quite fancied 'consent' with a married female.

Racism is a whole different matter but if Mackay believes this in private he certainly doesn't show it in public.

I've seen the phrase 'Wee Egyptian' used  to beat Mackay..really? Every Scot uses 'Wee' and Egyptian is actually someone's nationality...surely it can't be racist?

My point being though is we've been here before, sexism storm sees Richard Keys and Andy Gray go, racism sees Ron Atkinson sacked. Has football done anything about it? No, it's easier to have a storm then just make money again

We have to have a dividing line, either vet everyone and have them hand over every text they have ever sent or accept there is a line between public and private.

Is it right what Mackay is alleged to have sent? Of course not no. 

But football has to choose what it wants from it's people. If it truly wants to 'clean house' then it might be uncomfortable with what it finds...

RIP Robin Williams

I SUSPECT I was not alone in shedding a little tear on the passing of Robin Williams yesterday, knowing he will no longer grace our TV or movie screens with his madcap humour.

But there is a great sadness in me that again someone who brought so much joy to others left the world seemingly feeling alone.

This is not a criticism of anyone in his life, especially not this wife or children who are clearly shattered by the loss of a loving husband and father.

Depression is not something I truly understand, I think if you do you are often a sufferer of it. But my empathy for those who do is immense. I hear all the time how 'How he is he/she depressed when he/she earns so much money/has such an easy life/has a wonderful family/career.'

But that is far too simplistic view of the illness and does not take into account the one person who matters, the sufferer themselves.

Imagine if you will life as a major movie star or sports star, you reach a huge high in your career with an Oscar or a huge movie role or the winning goals to win your club a trophy.

People around you then expect that every time you walk in front of a camera or on the football pitch and you put pressure on yourself to deliver.

Should things not go well, a movie fails or the sports star gets injured, depression can lurk in the dark corner waiting to pounce.

No amount of fancy houses and cars, a whopping bank balance or gorgeous wife and kids will offset depression, you can't fight the big black shadow off that easily.

Everyone who is lucky enough not to have met this shadowy figure needs to pledge to understand those who have and help in anyway they can.

We talk and understand cancer openly, it's time we did the same for depression. Don't look at person's wealth or fame, look at the figure in front of you.

Robin Williams touched the lives of many, made many people laugh and cry in equal measure yet felt so troubled he felt compelled to end his life.

We should remember his comedy, his wonderful range of acting and the moments which made you laugh so hard you almost wet yourself.

But also remember his depression, if we can stop just one person from replicating what happened in a mansion in California on Monday in a council house in Leeds next week then we might have a better and more understanding world.

RIP Robin, thank you for the memories, you were a comedy legend who has gone too soon. I hope you have found peace now and that in time so will your family and friends.

Forgive Colin, he made a mistake

MANY words have already been written about the actions of Sky News journalist Colin Brazier at the weekend.

For those who may have enjoyed the summer sunshine away from the 24 hours news cycle, Colin was at the scene (one of many) of the downed MH17 plane and came across luggage.

He reached in and picked up some items, before common sense came hurtling into his mind and brought him back into the real world.

Throughout, Colin was live on television, walking around an horrific scene, no doubt had a producer in his ear talking to him and his own mind's filter ensuring he only described what was suitable for an audience and

vetting some of the more ghoulish sights.

Then it happened, he came across the luggage, his cameraman films it, and for some reason only Colin knows he reaches in.

What he did was immensley disrespectful and wrong let me make that perfectly clear, but within 30 seconds he himself said 'We shouldn't be doing this...this is a mistake' and pulled away.

In a world where apologies have to be dragged out of people or done to avoid commercial loss (hello Luis Suarez), Colin's sense of taste metaphorically whacked him in the crotch hard.

Within hours the broadcaster had apologised and today Colin has penned an article for the Guardian, not one of the News International stable which part owns Sky, but an outside publication.

“At the weekend, I got things wrong. If there was someone to apologise to in person, I would.” he writes.

Pretty conclusive but in the court of human opinion that is Twitter, people are already criticising the apology including a well known former footballer....who once had to apologise himself for an 'error of judgement'.

When you watch television news, think about what that reporter sees and you don't, that man or woman has to go home with those images in their mind as Colin will.

There is no excuse, Colin has not sought to wriggle out of it, he got it wrong badly but apologised.

If you want to get angry, get angry at those who shot a plane full of innocent people out of the sky.

Get angry at a nation which invaded another with no remorse, get angry there is yet more conflict in the

Middle East.

Get angry millions die every year in poverty, get angry the rich are getting richer with tax loopholes and the

like.

See? I don't see those responsible apologising for any of that...

Resign Alastair and become one of the greats

SOMETHING strange happened yesterday evening, I felt sorry for Alastair Cook.

Strange in the sense I have been a huge critic of the England captain since he emerged from the 5-0 Ashes whitewash not only stronger but seemingly in an unsackable position.

I despise the way he engineered Kevin Pietersen's forced retirement from the England team and his inability to take criticism, especially the 'something needs to be done' comment about Shane Warne.

However, looking at the broken man who trudged off Lords yesterday evening having again been exposed outside his off stump, I felt sorry for him.

Now he wouldn't want sympathy, no cricketer would, he just wants to rediscover the magic, hit a blisteringly huge hundred and lead England to victory.

But looking at Cook, I wonder whether he is destined to join the likes of Gower and Botham as great England players but average captains.

Captaincy does not sit well with some cricketers but does others and does lead to a slump in form however Cook is not out of form he is technically exposed.

Some have suggested a sabbatical from the England team while he goes back and gets runs for Essex and then returns as captain and opening batsman.

It just won't work for a number of reasons, primarily because Cook is not out of form he has a technical fault with his game.

But also the England captaincy cannot be done on a caretaker basis, if England are to succeed they need a regular full time captain – look at the mess when Vaughan was out injured.

Quite simply, England need Alastair Cook the opening batsman more than Alastair Cook the captain.

Cook has not become a bad player overnight just burdened by the captaincy and, I believe, the impending Pietersen book which reveals what really happened in Australia.

If England do go on to lose the second test today, Cook should be prepared to stand down as captain.

Free from the burden and attention I believe he is strong enough to come back from this slump and certainly get the 739 more needed for another record – England's highest run scorer in tests.

Cook is only 29 so should he rediscover the magic he could also be the first Englishman to 10,000 runs in tests.

Already the leading century maker for his country, Cook should sacrifice the captaincy in the pursuit of those records.

Some may say that is selfish, but every good 'Chef' knows when to change the recipe to make the dish better.

Clegg's 'axe to tax' comments are a cheap stunt

THE Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg wants his coalition partners to ditch the 'Bedroom Tax' otherwise he will scrap it in the 2015 Lib Dem manifesto.

That is despite his party voting for it every time it has come through the House of Commons.....

What has provoked this 'crisis of conscience' for the Deputy PM and his party, new DWP figures? A tale of woe from a constiuent or even politicians just admitting they are wrong.

Or is it the fact one opinion poll this week showed the Liberal Democrats on six per cent....that's SIX per cent.

From the heights of 2010 and 'I agree with Nick', the Liberal Democrats have fallen faster than Luis Suarez did into Chiellini's shoulder.

However, those of you hoping for the Liberal Democrats to stand up to the Conservatives and flex their muscles will be disappointed, this is nothing more than a cheap, vulgar and hypocritical stunt.

This is not the first time Clegg and his party have voiced their disproval, remember the Royal Mail?

Remember 'We stopped the Tories from introducing 16 'heartless' policies'?

Remember as well the Deputy Prime Minister was once heard telling the PM they had to stop agreeing as they would have nothing to disagree about in 2015.

Clegg knows the Liberal Democrats face the abyss in 2015, the protest votes have gone to UKIP, some have gone to the Greens or Labour, leaving them with not much to smile about.

He knows opposing it on the surface now and pledging to scrap it in the 2015 manifesto might tempt some voters back.

They shouldn't though and anyway the opposition have already pledged to scrap it should they be elected....

Truth be told if Nick Clegg is serious about wanting to scrap this he ought to threaten a confidence vote in

the House of Commons.

If the Lib Dems voted to scrap it along with Labour then there would be no confidence in the Government and potentially a snap election could be triggered.

Or interestingly, the Prime Minister, tired of the junior partners whinging could force a confidence vote himself.

Then the Liberal Democrats would be faced with a dilemma, vote to back it and probably lose the last of any credibility with the electorate, vote to scrap it and potentially face the electoral wilderness...

Mr Clegg, it's over to you!