Image: A Love SupremeWell done Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck for their roles in securing the England Under 21s’ safe onward passage. Bravo Bardsley for your part in the plucky Scots’ defeat at the hands of the World Cup winners.
Not quite sure what to say to David Healy after Northern Ireland’s underwhelming performance in the Faroes.
But heartiest if most mischievous congratulations to Darren Bent for missing a return to South Africa 2010 form by England.
Deemed by certain arrogant supporters to be “not good enough for England”, Bent could hardly have fared worse that poor Crouch and Rooney as one of the Colchester Uniteds of international football held us to a dismal 0-0 draw. Yes, we had a clearcut penalty denied; yes, too, Montenegro came an awful lot closer to scoring a winner.
We have been disdainful here about internationals. I would sooner watch Sunderland in a game that didn’t matter much than … but then, I’ve said that before.
I wanted England to win last night, even if it did Bent’s international cause no favours (so an own goal winner would have been ideal). Now, I am just glad he was missing from this shambolic display, summed up for me by Rooney’s booking for a cynical trip moments after, in that hugely unappealing way of his, he was trying to goad the German ref into punishing a Montenegro foul (the man had been given a yellow for heaven’s sake, and it was never a red so what did Rooney want: a blue invented for the occasion?)
And if Benty can be fit in time to win the game for us at Ewood Park a few days fro now, we can all be happier still.
Monsieur Salut