Bent snub left me angry but not surprised
SO Darren Bent won't be going to the World Cup. I can't say I'm surprised – gutted and maybe a little angry – but not surprised.
It seems that Bent is to be judged on 100 minutes of international football under Fabio Capello – 55 minutes against Brazil last November, and 45 minutes against Japan at the weekend.
Admittedly, the Sunderland striker didn't cover himself in glory in either of those encounters, but then neither did England as a whole.
While I say I'm not surprised, I'm still a little dumbfounded because the more I look at Mr Capello's 23-man squad, the more one name stands out – EMILE HESKEY.
I can hear all the arguments about him being a different type of player to Bent, and those who insist Heskey takes the pressure off Wayne Rooney.
However, I just can't get away from the following facts – Bent played 38 Premier League games last season, scoring 24 goals, while Heskey turned out 31 times and managed just three goals.
I'm no super tactician, and perhaps the England boss sees something in Heskey that eludes me, but can you imagine any other country picking a striker with just five league goals because they take the pressure off other players?
Could you really see Spain putting their faith in a frontman with Heskey's goalscoring record?
It's a huge disappointment as a Sunderland fan to see Bent miss out, but as an England fan it's just as upsetting, if not more so, to see him left out for Heskey.
I gave up the air-punching and kissing the three lions a long time ago (I think it's called growing up), but I still cheer on England at any given opportunity.
The way I'm feeling at the moment, I don't know if I can even bear to watch.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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