“WELL my time on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ has finally come to an end! I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a great experience. I was disappointed that I couldn’t stay on the show for longer as it is great fun to work on and my partner Erin really helped in getting my fitness up to the level required for the show. As well as losing a few notches on the belt I have learnt so much and feel confident when dancing which I know will always be handy! Alesha Dixon gave me some great tips each week and was very fair in her assessment of me each time I stood in front of the judges.
“Back to football and what a crazy few weeks we have had! Wayne Rooney has certainly dominated the headlines and the situation underlines how player power has come to dominate the game. Unfortunately money rules the modern-day game and like in any walk of life if you are offered double your money to work in a new job, you would find the offer difficult to turn down. Clubs are always quick to let go of players if they don’t need them so if Rooney could get the assurances he wanted then I say good luck to him!
“I have concerns over people at the top of the game, they are spending money that they don’t have and we then have instances like at Liverpool where they were days from going into administration a shocking reflection of how football has changed.
“One club that I really admire for their principles and beliefs are Arsenal. They are run like a proper business while maintaining a strong challenge in the Premier League. They have invested heavily in youth and that has started to pay off as they have had a great start to the season. “They have always had a great tradition of churning out decent players from their academy and I am happy that they are doing so well, they are a shining beacon for football in general.
“The Premier League is shaping up to be quite the contest this year and with four clubs all in the running for it, I think we can expect some drama over the coming months.”
Goalietastic
Peter Shilton’s Goalietastic – Vital Wins Against Bulgaria And Switzerland
“THE victories against both Bulgaria and Switzerland were vital to getting England back on track for their Euros campaign.
“Both wins will give England a real boost and many will argue that the standard of the opposition wasn’t high but you have to beat whichever team is in front of you. I think it takes a degree of pressure off Fabio Capello and the players and they will feel relaxed going into the next phase of qualifying games. Their performances in the World Cup were poor and they needed to get off on the right foot which was exactly what they did, scoring seven goals in the process!
“I take Capello’s comments on quitting after 2012 with a pinch of salt, I don’t think this is anything to get worked up about, at the end of the day he will be so eager to prove the critics wrong and win a major championship with England; this will be at the forefront of his mind. I am sure he definitely wants to win something with England and if he does at the Euros, I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes on to try and win the World Cup in 2014.
“Two major postives for England and Capello can be taken from the performances of Adam Johnson and Joe Hart. Joe has made such great progress in the last 18 months and he is now looking like a strong number one. The real test will come when or if he makes a mistake and how he deals with that. He has a real opportunity now and I really hope he grabs it as he is such a naturally gifted goalkeeper.
“Adam Johnson has made a really positive start to his international career, scoring in both games will give him great confidence and he looks like a player that can create as well as contribute to the goal count. These last two games have given the manager a real selection dilemma for the next set of internationals, a dilemma which is for a change nice to have!”
Goaltastic signs England legend Peter Shilton
GOALTASTIC is over the moon to announce it’s latest signing – England legend Peter Shilton.
That’s right, the most-capped England player of all time, a veteran of three World Cups, the joint-holder of the World Cup clean sheets record, the man in goals for Nottingham Forest’s two successful European Cup campaigns, the man who has played more competitive football matches than any other professional, has agreed to write a regular column, Goalietastic, for this blog.
He said: “I am delighted to be able to give my regular thoughts to the Loughborough Echo and hope you will all enjoy my blog!”
To say we’re pleased at the news woudl be a bit of an understatement – Peter has more records than Radio 1, and with a Strictly Come Dancing appearence coming up soon, he’s as high profile as you get.
Welcome to the team, Peter!
His first installment follows later today.
Goaltastic 