NY Coed Soccer

Man Utd Lose To Southend

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said his side must quickly put behind them the shock 1-0 Carling Cup defeat at Southend, the Championship's bottom club.

''It is a great reminder to everybody in the club that things can slap you in the face and even I am not impervious to it," he reflected. "There will be no suicides, no mass sackings, no need for counselling after this but there will be some recrimination. For Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, this will be the first time they have experienced something like this. Defeat doesn't harm anyone."

And here's the goal:  Southend 1-0 Man Utd

"Hey! Hey! -Tell your pal that he's just cost me my job."

One of the last haunted cries of Graham Taylor’s reign as England manager, chasing a helpless linesman down the Rotterdam touchline after the referee failed to send off Ronald Koeman for upending David Platt as he ran through on goal. Yes, the Ronald Koeman who, naturally, went on to score the free kick that ensured that England wouldn’t be going anywhere near the 1994 World Cup Finals.

In reality, poor old Taylor would soon lose much more than his job. Already christened Turniphead by the newspapers, the Channel 4 documentary "An Impossible Job" - which focused on Taylor’s management through that qualifying campaign – would strip him of the remainder of his dignity and coin the classic managerial phrase of the time, "Do I not like that!"

In the program, Taylor’s increasing desperation – and sidekick Phil Neal’s unrelenting sycophancy - was vividly exposed during another abject England showing in Poland, where that great philosophical puzzle "Can we not knock it?" got its first airing...

The documentary reveals exactly the kinds of conversations that occur in dug-outs. When, for example, Des Walker knocks a misplaced pass to John Barnes:

Taylor: "Ooooh, f**king... Do I not like that!"
Poland win the ball, break downfield and score.
Taylor: "What a f**king ball. What a ball, eh, from Des to Barnesy. What a f**king... It was our possession."
Phil Neal: "I know."

Taylor: "It was from our free kick. We've come square, and the ball... Des and Barnesy, eh? F**king ball, eh? You can talk till you're f**king blue in the face, can't you?"
Phil Neal: "Yes boss."

It's a must-watch and the full documentary can be seen:  An Impossible Job

McClaren Feels The Pressure, Seattle Trip Off

Steve McClaren has abandoned plans to undertake a fact-finding mission to the Seattle Seahawks NFL franchise next week in the wake of Wednesday's defeat in Zagreb. It was judged that the PR damage that would flow from McClaren studying American football after his team had demonstrated a lack of familiarity with the basics of the English version outweighed the benefits of the trip. He will instead spend the week watching candidates for his next squad for the friendly against Holland on November 15...

James Lawton of The Independent:

"In the alphabet of England's decline into chaos, Z for Zagreb is appropriately the last letter. It is also the last word in failed leadership, squandered, if overstated, talent, and a total misunderstanding of the nature of the challenge facing a team for whom underachievement has become not a threat but an unshakeable habit.

The basic problems were written in the Croatian sky. McClaren should not have been appointed to his four-year, £10m contract. He was hopelessly compromised by both his high-profile years with the inept Sven Goran Eriksson and a body of work so erratic that his job at Middlesbrough was deeply imperilled. But the move was made against all intelligent analysis":  McClaren

Rooney Unimpressed With Fans Exposure

Wayne Rooney was involved in a bitter confrontation on Wednesday night with an England supporter who exposed his penis at the 20-year-old forward and who can count himself fortunate to have received only an alleged V-sign in response.

The incident took place as a crowd gathered outside the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb to rage against their team following the calamitous defeat to Croatia. With the England squad on board their coach awaiting a police escort, the majority of the congregation vented their frustration by chanting "You're not fit to wear the shirt", "What a load of rubbish" and calling for the return of exiled former captain David Beckham.

One supporter, however, singled out Rooney as he walked towards the team bus and launched a tirade of abuse. Though Rooney was condemned on England supporters' websites yesterday, several witnesses close to the player insist the diatribe was ignored until the supporter pulled down his zip, grabbed his penis and loudly informed the Manchester United striker that he wished to urinate on him. Rooney is then alleged to have raised two fingers at his odious aggressor.

A spokesman for the striker, who last month gave the Blackburn defender Michael Gray a black eye following an altercation in a Manchester restaurant, said: "Any gesture Wayne may have made was directed to one, and only one, particular England fan, whose behaviour towards him appalled the other England players who saw it and horrified the rest of the England fans. Wayne has total respect for England fans. He accepts and understands their disappointment at Wednesday night's result."

England Boss: I'm In Charge, Not Players

England manager Steve McClaren today rebutted claims that he will let his players decide which system the team play in this weekend's Euro 2008 clash with Macedonia.

Since taking over from Sven-Goran Eriksson in August, McClaren has been at pains to distinguish himself from the man he previously served, and being accused of succumbing to player power - which the Swede was frequently said to be guilty of - has clearly riled him :  England

Beckham: Now & Then

David Beckham was late for Real Madrid's evening training session - on the night England played their first match since he was dropped.

The 31-year-old had to train alone after arriving at Real's Valdebebas headquarters an hour-and-a-half late and may be fined by boss Fabio Capello. His private flight from London on Wednesday was delayed because of heightened airport security in Britain.

Real begin their La Liga campaign against Villarreal on 27 August but Beckham is not certain of a first-team place. Capello preferred Brazilian Cicinho to Beckham during the recent pre-season tour of the United States.

Meanwhile, it's 10 years since one swoosh of Beckham's right foot changed his life. Here's how the Guardian reported that goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon:  Becks

A New Era For England

Tonight sees the opening game of Steve McClaren’s reign as England manager. But his team against Greece will not feature West Ham striker Dean Ashton, who suffered a broken ankle during training and now faces three months on the sidelines. Hammers boss Alan Pardew was naturally upset…

While Ashton’s injury casts a small shadow over proceedings, McClaren expects this to be the only cloud as the English face the European Champions. He has talked a good game in the past few days and is expecting a vibrant, up-tempo performance from his players to prove to a half-full Old Trafford that there is substance beneath his bullish style.

McClaren has stuck to a conventional 4-4-2 this evening, with one notable change. If David Beckham had been wondering whether he might return from his exile in Madrid, those hopes will have quickly perished on learning that Steven Gerrard has taken his place on the right.

In his early days at Middlesbrough, one of Steve McClaren’s players likened working under him to “being in the bloody Big Brother house”, a reference to the plethora of cameras that he had installed to track their every move, ensuring that there was no hiding place on the pitch. McClaren will be doing likewise with England:  Big Brother

Meanwhile, after the heady success of 2004, Greece manager "King" Otto Rehhagel is in need of responding to a poor World Cup qualification :  King Otto

For US viewers England vs. Greece is being shown live on Fox Soccer Channel, beginning at 3pm ET

Terry Named As Captain As Becks Loses Sparkle

David Beckham's name will be missing when new England manager Steve McClaren names his first squad later today. The 31-year-old, who stepped down as captain in June, had an Achilles injury but returned to action in a friendly for Real Madrid this week.

However, BBC Five Live's Jonathan Legard understands that Beckham will not be in the squad to play Greece in a friendly at Old Trafford on 16 August. McClaren will announce his backroom staff and squad at 1500 BST.

The new England manager has already revealed that Chelsea defender John Terry will take over as captain from Beckham. After stepping down following England's World Cup exit to Portugal, Beckham expressed his desire to carry on playing for his country. However, it appears that McClaren will stamp his authority on the new England regime by leaving out the Real Madrid midfielder.

"Beckham may have wanted to continue to represent his country but Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor clearly has other ideas," reports Legard. "The FA is making no comment but I understand from other sources that Steve McClaren's England plans do not include adding to Beckham's 94 caps. I understand a recall is not completely out of the question but is highly unlikely."

The Independent on how "Steve McClaren won a personal battle with the Football Association when he appointed John Terry as the new England captain despite reservations in the governing body about the Chelsea defender's suitability for the job":  England Captain

The London Times on the "End of an aura: star who lost his sparkle":  Becks

But Becks shouldn't worry too much. On tour with Real Madrid in the U.S., it's obvious Americans love him. Expect him to arrive in the MLS within the year :  Becks In America

McClaren To Do It "His Way"

Steve McClaren began his term as England manager today by saying he would do things "his way". He declined the opportunity to reveal his plans for the future of the England team, instead promising the gathered press he would steer his own course through "a great adventure".

"It's very exciting," he said, "I can't wait to actually get started. It will be a great challenge and a great adventure. It's going to be totally different, I'm going to do it my way. It's going to be different from Sven, I'm looking forward to the big challenge."

There are many key issues that McClaren faces and thankfully our friends at The Guardian have conveniently list 10 of them :  McClaren

Hell Hath No Fury...

"There were two ways for England to react to the pitiful performance of its team in the 18th World Cup.

One was for the players, the public and the Football Association to take a look at themselves and perhaps benefit from a rare bout of self-examination. The other was to brand as a cheat Luiz Felipe Scolari, the man who had the temerity to turn down the “mother country” of football - and then beat them for a third straight time."

No prizes for guessing which option has been taken, as James Lawton of The Independent examines:  England

Even more depressing (and embarassing) is that The London Times is quoting 'police sources' as being concerned about the reaction the Ronaldo will receive from the fans next season.

A nameless, talking head said, "“It’s fair to say there are grave concerns about how supporters might react to Ronaldo next season, certainly in the first few weeks of the season. I don’t think they are anything more than that at this stage. I don’t know what Manchester United’s plans are, but it’s an issue that may well have to be addressed nearer the start of the season. It has been a talking point. I imagine other [police] forces might have been having similar conversations amongst themselves..."