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I used to think people were crazy to complain that foreigners in the Premier League were killing the England national team. But now I think they’re right - only it’s not the foreign players, it’s the foreign owners that are to blame. The massive influx in money (highlighted by the recent madness at Manchester City) has created a culture in the Premier League where winning and staying in all competitions is important not just for the fans and players, but also to the long-term financial health of the club. Meaning that trivial things like World Cup qualifiers and even cup games are given second-class status to Premier League weekend games and European competition.

Take the example of Steven Gerrard’s latest injury. It seems that Gerrard has been playing on a groin injury for a while, even after further aggravating it in a midweek Champion’s League qualifier that Liverpool had to win. So what does Manager Rafa Benitez do? Asks him to gut it out for the weekend Premier League game and then schedule surgery for the international break - which, as you can imagine, did not initially sit well with England Manager Fabio Capello.

Rafa Benitez insisted he had made his peace with England coach Fabio Capello yesterday and dismissed claims of a breakdown in communication over Steven Gerrard’s latest injury absence.

Gerrard will have the second of two minor groin operations today and will miss Capello’s first two competitive games in charge, as England begin their World Cup campaign against Andorra next Saturday and Croatia four days later.

Capello was reportedly unhappy at being kept in the dark over Liverpool’s decision to arrange surgery for their skipper in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday night’s Champions League qualifying round win over Standard Liege.

Now it seems that captain John Terry, Frank Lampard, Owen Hargreaves, Wes Brown, and Ashley Cole will also miss one or both international games - which leaves me wondering how England is expected to get a result against Croatia - the team that will most likely be their toughest competition in the group - in a competition where, unlike Euro 2008 qualifying, winning the group is paramount to qualification. I know it happens on-and-off already, but is this going to get to the point where clubs will start to come up with all kinds of excuses to keep their best players out of all international games?

I suppose the good thing is that some non-regulars like Fulham’s Jimmy Bullard will get a chance to impress Capello. But without some kind of continuity in Capello’s system, how can the team be expected to play as a unit? Some would say Capello should drop the overpaid regulars and give the young England stars more consideration. But Capello seems to have a fondness for a more grizzled England team (see:David Beckham) with Michael Owen the only notable exception.

I say instead of picking an England All-Star team, just send Aston Villa. They seem to be the only Premier League team stockpiling young England talent (Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor, Gareth Barry, Steve Sidwell, Luke Young, Curtis Davies, etc.) and there’ll be no worries about not playing together. I suppose they need to find someone to replace Carew, Laursen, Friedel and a few others, but it would certainly have saved them from paying both Shteve McClaren and Fabio Capello all that money when they could get the guy (Martin O’Neill) they probably should have hired after Sven left. Of course we’ll look past the fact that Villa’s owners are American and their manager is Irish!

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I can’t imagine what the jokes about Ronaldo would be like if Terry would have made his kick.

One plane ticket to Moscow…£239.
One night accommodation in Moscow…£159.
Watching John Terry throw it all away…priceless

Samaritans are offering counseling to all Chelsea fans. Call 0800 101010 – that’s 0800 won nothing won nothing won nothing.

Police this morning reported to Avram Grant that there had been a break in at the Bridge. Avram asked “were there any cups stolen?” “No Sir,” the policeman replied. “They didn’t make it to the kitchen!”

Frank Lampard and Joe Cole were allegedly spotted out in Red Square last night, having clearly had one or two drinks. They were reportedly singing: “We’re forever blowing Doubles.”

Did you hear about the new ‘Chelsea Bra’? Lots of support but no cups.

Ryan Giggs speaking about the Champions League cup: “It’s like a Chocolate Orange - It’s not Terry’s, it’s mine!”

The Verve have released a tribute song to John Terry after his penalty blunder. It’s called ‘The Studs Don’t Work’.

Its lashing it down with rain in Moscow, poor old Avram Grant is soaked… mainly from John Terry’s tears.

John Terry is going to start making is own brand of vodka - made in England but bottled in Russia.

Stamford bridge a European Cup free zone.

Missing: 1 x Bottle
Last Seen: 21st May, Moscow
If found please return to: John Terry, Stamford Bridge, London.

Heard about the John Terry tyre? Excellent durability but not so good in the wet!

Good news: Josef Fritzel, the Austrian cellar rapist will be given the death penalty.
Bad news: John Terry is going to take it!

Why can’t you get a cup of tea at the Bridge? All the mugs are on the field and all the cups are at Old Trafford.

John Terry always listens to the same song before a game - Born Slippy.

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It’s the Cold War Final. An English team with a Russian owner and an English team with an American owner playing in Moscow a week after a Russian fan was stabbed in Manchester and 18 months after a Russian defector at odds with Vladimir Putin was poisoned (allegedly) in London … with Polonium. Throw in an Israeli coach, a distant cousin of Mariah Carey, the no-tolerance police, rat infested jails, traditionally binge-drinking English fans and Russian hooligans bent on revenge and you have all the makings of a grand spectacle!

Dan Roan reports

Sie sind die besten, indeed!

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The new England manager is introduced to the press - and he doesn’t speak English. Surely a sore spot for the proud English football supporters.

And the newspapers were right on target with the derision. The Sun:

So what did we learn yesterday? Precious little to add to what we already knew.

The mountain of information made available to us had included his love of philosophy, classical music and art.

He is even rumoured to have a £5million Chagall hanging on his wall. Which made a change from Sven, whose own taste was more along the lines of Shag-all.

He also likes hiking in Tibet and visiting archaeological sites.

Well, he’s come to a classic one here.

England, the country whose football is in a similar state of disrepair to the Foro Romano, the ancient Roman ruins he knows so well from his time in the Italian capital.

The Daily Mail seemed a little more perturbed:

But when the formalities were completed, it was clear it was not Capello being welcomed into this New England, it was us.

We are now outsiders. We wait for some translated banality to be passed on like grateful tourists in our own national game. All thanks to a governing body that has so completely lost sight of its duty that the country’s team has merely a passing acquaintance with England.

In fact, the only evidence of a meaningful English presence in this entire charade is on the banknotes bearing The Queen’s face currently being whisked away to an Italian bank by Capello and his legion of coaching staff.

But The Telegraph gave him the respect his experience and presence commanded:

Fabio Capello swept into an auditorium at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London yesterday like a distinguished emeritus professor from Italy intent on educating a bunch of unruly English undergraduates. His audience was swiftly captivated, spell-bound by the presence of a managerial heavyweight now in the Football Association’s employ.

The FA have been involved in some momentous calamities in recent years -building the white elephant that is Wembley, dithering over the much-needed National Football Centre, and appointing Steve McClaren - but yesterday they displayed a fitness to govern by asking Capello to bring some method to the madness of English football.

From McClaren to Capello, from the Wally with the Brolly to the Man with the Plan, in 26 days: even by England’s surreal, switchback standards, this has been a staggering turnaround. The game’s maturing process from penalty-missing, tournament-missing adolescence to trophy-chasing adulthood has only just begun.

It’s going to be an interesting and fun four years. Expect Becks to get his 100th and play some part on the bench in a leadership and experience role. At least for 2008.

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• England player, including John Terry, trying to save McClaren’s job. How admirable But it may be too little too late. #
• YouTube - Droopy-Dixieland Droopy http://urltea.com/22wm - one of my favorite cartoons. #
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• Google to acquire Sprint Nextel for Mobile WiMax? - Engadget Mobile http://urltea.com/22wy I don’t think this will happen but interesting! #
• This Kevin Garnett Thing is Working Out Quite Nicely, Huh? http://urltea.com/22wz “Only unbeaten team left… Best shooting team in the NBA” #
• JS Online: Video: Time-lapse photography at Vikings-Packers game http://urltea.com/22×3 AWESOME! #
• NOTRE DAME IS F’N TERRIBLE http://tinyurl.com/24l8mw Check out the pic http://urltea.com/22×5 hilarious! Poor Charlie. #
• Benayoun a doubt for Israel clash http://urltea.com/22×7 England supporters are gripping with fear. At least Becks is back. #

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The eyes were on the Home Depot Center last night as David Beckham and the LA Galaxy took on Chelsea FC from London. It was Becks’ MLS debut, filled with drama, intrigue, and injury. ESPN had severl cameras including a Beckham cam that dominated the broadcast. Good thing it was only a friendly. The stars were out including Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Baby Suri even made friends with Baby Beckham. Oh - and Chelsea won 1-0.

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