Henry or not Henry: that is the question.

It’s fair to say that many an Arsenal fan has been dreaming of the day their favourite son and all time top scorer returned to North London to don the famous canon on his chest one more time, yet few would have ever actually believed it to happen again. Four and half years on since Thierry Henry set sail for the bright lights of Barcelona in a 16 million pound deal that broke the hearts of many, the signs are that he is coming home again.

Arsenal fans will be delighted and already hoping that he can pick up where he left off, rekindling some of the form that was such a huge part of one of Arsenal’s most successful ever periods. The reality is however that there is a chance, and just a small one, that it may not be the dream deal that everyone imagines it to be. Arsene Wenger will have thought long and hard about whether it is a good idea or not, as he does so scrutinously with every transfer he considers. That the deal is going ahead means for Wenger it is a gamble worth taking.

Putting Henry’s history with Arsenal aside, on the face of it, it is clearly a great deal for the Gunners. Currently they have a striker in Robin van Persie who is, at the moment, unquestionably the best in his position in the country. Aside from that, their only other real options in that area are Marouane Chamakh and Ju-Young Park. Chamakh, without sounding too harsh, appears to offer very little to the team. In recent cameo appearances he has struggled to even register that he is on the pitch. His confidence has completely gone and he is not the same player that forced Wenger to sign him from Bordeux, nor the one that started life quite brightly at the Emirates. Park on the other hand is not proven at this level and the fact Wenger has given him very little chance to prove himself shows he clearly doesn’t trust him to lead the line in games that matter. It has to be said that the Gunners have actually missed Nicklas Bendtner this season as he added an extra dimension to their game from the bench, something which Chamakh certainly can’t offer. Therefore the arrival of a proven world-class goal scorer that has won everything there is to win in the game, will surely only benefit and add much needed depth to the Arsenal squad.

When you add to this that Chamakh will be lost to the African Nations for a month, along with Gervinho, Henry’s arrival suddenly seems a lot more essential. It is actually a perfect move for Wenger as by signing him on-loan for two months, it deals perfectly with the hole in squad as a result of the African Nations and means he wont be forced to spend money on cover, which he may have been put under huge pressure to do so otherwise. Even if Henry is on the bench, where he will surely start until he gets some match fitness, he offers something huge. Arsenal’s bench at the moment just isn’t dangerous enough. No one screams of danger when looking at it and no one will strike fear into the opposition when they come on. The likes of Tomas Rosicky, Andrei Arshavin and Yossi Benayoun are all decent players but none are game changers these days, where as Henry possibly still could be - how Wenger would have loved to call on his talents from the bench in the recent draw against Wolves. The one player who really could make an impact from the bench and frighten a defence is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, yet Wenger, wrongly or rightly, has been very stubborn about including him on the bench week in, week out so not to stunt his progress. Yet while Wenger has admitted it may be time soon for him to get some real match time, Henry’s arrival could ultimately be the thing to stunt the youngster’s progress.

If you were to be critical on Henry’s arrival it could be said that it may disrupt the dressing room and the team’s current harmony that they have recently rebuilt ever so effectively since the 8-2 defeat to Manchester United back in August, after which it was in shatters. Will van Persie still feel like the leader of the team with such an influential character looking over his shoulder? Will the likes of Thomas Vermaelan feel like they have fallen down the pecking order in terms of experience at the club? Will some of the younger players be scared to express themselves on and off the pitch, like those back in Henry’s last season at Arsenal? Even Wenger admitted the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini, and the team as a whole in the 2007-08 season, really came out of their shells after the big man’s departure. To say all this however is both harsh and disrespectful to a footballing and Arsenal legend. He may come back wiser, simply wanting to help out his beloved team by imparting his wisdom to the rest of the team in whichever way he can. The fact that he has been training at the club for a while now means it is not like a stranger just walking into the team. Besides, in his last season at Arsenal he was a frustrated man. The Invincibles were disbanding and watching the club finish fourth two years running, whilst failing to challenge for the title was hard for the passionate Frenchman to watch. These days the goals posts have been moved and if Arsenal can finish fourth this season, considering their horrendous start to their campaign, it will be seen as a success and Henry will strive in his two months at the club to fight for the cause.

One worry for fans, and perhaps for Wenger too, is that the arrival could interrupt van Persie’s fine vein of form. He clearly thrives on being the main man, which can be seen in his goal scoring record since Arsenal have moved to 4-5-1/4-3-3 in which he has led the line on his own. His goals have been the main reason Arsenal have bounced back up the table and were Henry to disrupt this then Arsenal may not be playing Champions League football next season. On the other hand, if Henry still has what it takes then the sight of a partnership between himself and van Persie could be a magical sight. Throw in the pace of Theo Walcott and you’ve got a front three that could cause any defence in the world a problem.

Just imagine if he came back as effective as before, setting alight the Premier League and firing Arsenal up the table. There would then be problem for Arsenal and the New York Red Bulls to sort out after the allotted two months. Yes the move could be viewed as a slight risk if you are being fussy, but there is no doubt the pros well and truly outweigh the cons. I mean the man is one of only three people who have ever lived to have a statue of themselves outside Arsenal’s stadium – how can this move be anything other than a success?

The underachieving FIFA Club World Cup...

Another year, another FIFA Club World Cup comes along relatively unnoticed. You’d be forgiven for not realising that the tournament, which one would presume to be the ultimate club prize in football, was actually nearing its climax – the final takes place on Sunday. Admittedly Barcelona’s 4-0 semi-final win over Al-Sadd Sports Club has hit the news today however the biggest part of the story was not the actual result but the news of David Villa sadly breaking his leg. A Club World Cup should be big news in itself, not just a minor footnote in a story about an injury.

If the World Cup is the greatest prize, not just in international football, but in football itself, then surely a World Cup for club teams should be the biggest prize in club football. Given that the (international) World Cup is bigger than the European Championships, then why shouldn’t the Club World Cup, logically, be the bigger tournament to the Champions League. It strikes me that the FIFA are clearly missing a trick here. It should be a bigger and better, more prestigious tournament. The ultimate club competition. A tournament that FIFA can safely say is more worthy of winning than UEFA’s Champions League, just like they can do with their flagship World Cup to their little brother’s European Championships.

Why not take a leaf out of the book they used then planning the World Cup and stage the tournament once every four years to make it more valuable. Each club that wins their continent’s respected major trophy for the four years leading up to the competition could qualify, giving the tournament a lot more depth than it currently has. If Barcelona, for example, walk the Champions League every year then the beaten finalists could qualify as well. If people moan about the overall quality of the teams participating then perhaps extra European slots for teams with high UEFA Coefficients could be allocated, much like how in the World Cup Europe has more teams than Africa for instance. It could take place during a summer when there is no other major international tournament, allowing room for the extra fixtures, as opposed to the current tournament that annoyingly takes place just before Christmas, and is over before you even realised it had begun. FIFA should drop their Confederations Cup and replace it with this new brainchild, for the footballing world would be a far better place for it. Can anyone even name the past winners of that cup?

Can anyone name the past winners of Club World Cup for that matter? No, and that is the point. Nobody, from Europe at least, really cares about it. It is a minor tournament in the football calendar that certainly wasn’t worthy of Manchester United dropping out of the FA Cup for back in 1999/2000. FIFA need to revamp it, spend copious amounts of money and time marketing it as the most coveted prize in club football, come up with a theme tune to trump UEFA’s Champions League magnum opus of a masterpiece and make countries so desperate to host it that they’ll bribe FIFA bucket-loads of cash, or involve their Prince and Prime Minister as part of their bid. Now I’ll be the first to admit that this is all a load of wishful thinking and will probably never happen. But it makes sense. FIFA probably know it does too.

A sad night for Manchester.

Who would have thought it? Just a night after Chelsea overcame their ‘do or die’ encounter with Valencia to join the already qualified Arsenal, completing the duo of London teams safely through to the knockout stages of club football’s most prestigious tournament, the two teams from Manchester do the exact opposite. The two sides that sit first and second in the Premier League table, and the two sides that have played some of the most breathtaking football at times this season, will both be playing in the meagrely Europa League come next March.

Arsenal’s start to the season was to put simply, a disaster. The selling of two of their best players, in Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, without the adequate replacements initially brought in, was soon followed by calls for the head of Arsene Wenger and a set of uninspiring performances that culminated with the 8-2 defeat to Manchester United, their worst in 114 years. They have since found their feet, largely to do with the goals from their talisman Robin van Persie, and have not only risen up the table to become serious contenders for 4^th place again but became the first English team to progress to the next stages of the Champions League. They were already guaranteed first place with a game to go.

Chelsea’s have also had to deal with turbulence this season. Up until their recent 3-0 victory over Newcastle, they had won just two games from their last seven, in a season that was/is threatening to become similar to the ilk of that run last year, which effectively cost Carlo Ancellotti his job at the end of last season. In a league campaign that has already seen them lose to United, Arsenal and Liverpool, staying in the Champions League was vital for the team and for Andre Villas-Boas’ future.

Manchester City did all they could last night, beating an under strength Bayern Munich 2-0. Yet it was clearly too little too late. City came into the tournament as new boys, yet this wasn’t the same as Tottenham entering the unknown on their maiden voyage last year. City are a team full of superstars. Experienced Champions League superstars. Yes they were handed one of the toughest draws of all, yet if they want to be the best, which Roberto Mancini clearly believes they are on their way to being, they have to beat the best.

The side, who have thrived on the expectation heaped on them in domestic competition, have struggled with the same expectations in Europe. Teams lift their game when it comes to facing City as no doubt many clubs look on with contempt at the way they have risen from mediocrity so quickly, as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge will testify. They are the team everyone now wants to beat. Away defeats to Bayern Munich and Napoli, needing a last minute winner to spare their blushes at home to the woeful Villareal, the Tevez in Munich saga. It has been a campaign to forget and certainly not one any City fan, or Mancini, had envisaged.

It is United’s crash that is all the more shocking however, when you consider the group United had and that under Alex Ferguson they had only ever fallen at this hurdle twice before. Even after some stuttering group displays qualification was still in their own hands going into the final game and with only a draw away to Basel needed, you would certainly have backed them. Most of Ferguson’s previous United sides would certainly have got the job done. But this is a different United, one in transition and one that has been missing a world-class central midfielder. So much so that Wayne Rooney has had to fill in at times. Add to this that, due to injury problems, Ferguson has struggled to pick a regular defensive partnership this season (skipper Nemanja Vidic is now out again) one can see how these cracks have affected their Champions League performances this season, the two defensive displays against Basel being a glaring example. Yet in a group containing Basel, Benfica and Otelul Galati, Ferguson would have expected his side to finish first, let alone third. Being unable to beat Basel or Benfica home or away ultimately cost them and it means they deserve to be where they are. They had their confidence knocked after being out played in last years final and have not recovered at all since.

It’s been six years to the day since United went out to Benfica, their last early European exit, however they were spared of having to participate in Europe’s second tier competition as they finished bottom of their group. This season however they will be playing on Thursday nights live on Channel Five. That Patrice Evra says it is “embarrassing” to be in the competition says it all really. Is there any point in them taking it seriously? Whilst being one of the few trophies available that Ferguson has yet to win, I’m sure the Scotsman would not call it a success if they went on to win it. They would be better off focusing on winning a title that at the moment they are far from favourites for, rather than letting the new competition distract them. Even Ferguson has noted the disadvantages playing on a Thursday and then a Sunday could have on their ambitions.

City may have been challenging for the trophy last season, but they are a different team now to that one. Not simply with the additions of the likes of Sergio Aguero and Nasri but with the fact that they have been taking massive strides at every moment possible since then. Yet this catastrophe is one giant step back. Something that City are not allowed and not supposed to be doing, at least on their owner’s watch. Mancini has even admitted, “maybe now we think the Europa League is not an important trophy”. He is right. David Silva’s goal and performance last night show the likes of his talents are too good for the Europa League. Both teams could walk to the final, presuming they don’t meet each other first, but that’s not what they want. United wanted to show they could finally outdo Barcelona and City wanted to prove they were the new force in European football. They’ll both have to wait another year to do that now. Channel Five wont mind though.

Michael Owen used to be pretty good.

Young Michael Owen. What a future he had. I remember him scoring his first Liverpool goal on his debut away to Wimbledon at the end of the 1996/97 season. That would be just a taster for what was to come the following season. He finised the season as the Premiership's joint top scorer with 18 goals as well as being voted the PFA Young Player of the Year. However his crowning moment of the season was to come in an England shirt in that year's World Cup in France scoring THAT goal. The memory of an 18 year old Owen racing past the Argentine defence without a care in the world then to finish it off how he did will live long in the memory.

While he may never have managed to reach those heady heights again it can still be said that that the rest of his career up until 3rd July 2009 was a success. 2001 was a particularly special year as he helped Liverpool win their own version of the treble, including scoring two late goals against Arsenal in the FA Cup final, he got that famous hat-trick in Munich, as well as winning the European player of the year. He went on to score in the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the World Cup in 2006. Fair enough, he did have his injury problems and didn't exactly set the tournaments alight like in 1998, but it was still not a bad return. He also had what some would say were 'difficult' spells at Real Madrid and Newcastle however he did still manage 15 goals in 18 starts in Spain and 26 at Newcastle where his four years were plagued by injury.

Then on the 3rd July 2009 he signed for Manchester United. The mighty Manchester United. Signing for a new club was his chance for a new start. A new page. To put all his past injuries behind him and get back to what he does best, scoring goals. Fabio Capello would be recalling him for England in no time. But signing for current Premier League champions was to prove to be the end of his career. Flash forward a little over two years and Michael Owen's star is well and truly fading and on the way to being out full stop. Some may say it is not his fault as when he has played for United he has always done well. That last minute winner against City, the hat-trick in the Champions League, the Carling Cup final goal, his recent brace against Leeds. 16 goals in 50 substitute appearances is not bad considering most have been off the bench.

Yet it is his fault. He chose to sign for Manchester United. And is still happy sitting there on the bench (if that). Owen has proved he still has it. While he may not be able to command a starting place in the United's and Chelsea's of today, there is still very much a place for him in a team like Everton, or ironically Newcastle. Had he signed for a slightly smaller club he could be still be playing regularly and more importantly scoring regularly. Dare say it, he might still be involved in the England squad and been able to have claimed to have scored in another major tournament.

Michael you are not an old man, you are only 31. There's still a few years in you yet. You might not have as many medals to show for it but you'll be able to look back at your career when you're older with a little more dignity. If you want to save your career, leave now. Or in January at least.

The Regrets of Gary Neville

So Gary Neville has been retired for a good few months now. He's had a lot time to think about things. His career. The highs. The lows. What could have been. What shouldn't have been. One would think that he can't have too many regrets. He had a long and successful career at Manchester United, winning pretty much anything worth winning, and then some. He represented his country 85 times and played in numerous World Cups and European Championships. Ok, he could perhaps have regretted not winning anything with England (Le Tournoi in 1997 doesn't count), but then so has every player to ever don the three lions since Booby Moore et al. Yet the other day he dropped a mother of a bombshell when he exclaimed "There have been times when I've reflected on my international career and just thought: 'Well that was a massive waste of time.'" Clearly he has one huge regret in his career. Doing the one thing that every schoolboy dreams of. Playing for your country.

If England had won Euro 96 it would have been the most perfect tournament in footballing history. The tournament when 'football came home' had everything. Wembley, perfect weather, a well behaved English crowd, Baddiel and Skinner's Three Lions, Shearer was top scorer, Gazza's goal, the 4-1 against Holland, Seaman's save, Psycho's penalty. Gareth Southgate's penalty miss was the only black marker on an amazing few weeks for English football. Sure losing was heartbreaking, but it was an amazing tournament that every fan and player was proud to be a part of. Yet Gary must clearly regret being a part of this tournament? What a waste of time as England didn't win. Now football is usually all about the winning, but sometimes it can be about the memories that don't necessarily arrive out of a win. I can assure you, young Phil Neville would have given his right leg to play at right back in that tournament instead of sitting on the bench, even if it meant they still lost in the semi-final. My earliest football memories were from that tournament and they still remain as some of my finest. Do I consider Euro 96 "a massive waste of time"? No.

Being an England fan can be a painful experience. Going out in every tournament prematurely hurts, and when looking back at the defeats on highlights shows years later, the defeat can still be just as raw. But with every painful defeat, there is always the unforgettable memories to go with it. Michael Owen's wonder goal in 1998, David Beckham's penalty of redemption in 2002, Wayne Rooney's emergence onto the scene in 2004. Ok, not much can be said for the years 2000 and 2006, but you get my drift. Supporting England is hard, but is it a waste of time? No. The same surely applies for playing. Judging from Neville's attitude towards his country, when Steve McClaren failed to guide England to Euro 2008 and destroyed a nation's hopes for another two years, he was probably over the moon. An extra-long holiday!

Many a player with a talent less of Gary Neville's, not to mention many a fan, can only dream of representing their country 85 times. Yet to Neville he figures he could of been doing something far more useful in these 7650 minutes (plus injury-time, extra-time and penalties). Life is too short for regrets mate. Plus you won Le Tournoi. So what you talking about?

So Theo Walcott has an autobiography...

So Theo Walcott is the latest in the long line of footballers to release an autobiography. The latest in the long line of young footballers should I add. The latest in the long line of young footballers who's career have barely started and would be better off waiting until the end of their career before deciding to release the first part of their memoirs. And even then there may still not be much to tell. Do the names Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard ring any bells? We'll let Mr. Beckham off as his life has actually turned out to be pretty interesting.

Theo has decided to label his story Theo: Growing Up Fast. He is currently 22 years of age and is an important player for both Arsenal and England. In the current climate of football it would be fair to say there are many footballers of a similar age whom are both key fixtures for club and country. He is not alone. In the world of football he is not especially growing up too fast. If he was the age of 12 then he may have more of a case. Yes he did make the 2006 World Cup squad at the age of 17, but as events unfolded it was clear he there purely as Sven's mascot. What else was he there for except to hold David Beckham's hand and hit balls at Paul Robinson? He certainly wasn't there to play for England as Sven went on to prove.

The blurb of the book reads as follows: "The amazing story, in his own words, of the meteoric rise to fame of one of England's most exciting young footballers". Sounds more like an over the top Hollywood trailer for something along the lines of that dodgy film Goal! He is/was one of England's most exciting young footballers. Does that mean people want to hear his story? As good as Jack Wilshere is turning out to be do people want to hear his story? As much promise as Phil Jones is showing do people want to spend money and consume time by reading his new book? A resounding no. To all questions.

What could possibly feature in Theo's book that a) would be honestly exciting, and b) we would not know already? I have not read the book, nor plan to, but I have a feeling it goes something along the lines of was born, went to school, had my first kiss, discovered I was good at football, played for Southampton, got signed by Arsenal, etc, etc, etc. Surely the only people that can be excused for buying such drivel are kids. As a child, I was guilty myself for reading David Beckham's first installment (first?!), so would like to avoid any situation where as I may be referred to as a 'hypocrite'. Anyone who considers themselves an adult must surely be shot for reading this.

The thing that these footballers don't get is that we hear all the 'interesting' bits in the papers. In Theo's case, it was the revelations about his England boss, Fabio Capello. He refers to his regime as "stiff and starchy", and recounts a time in training where Mr. Capello threatened to "kill" him for cutting inside from the wing. This was was written in all the papers, and fair enough to Theo it is actually pretty interesting, but we know we can read such events in all the serialisations, without having to spend the money it costs for the hardback, nor waste a whole holidays worth of a read just for a few half interesting things. Asides from obviously hoping to make a load of money, it seems these players are just revealing the few things that they are too scared to do in an interview, whilst dressing it up in the dross of their school life and such other mediocre happenings. I hope the Capello dressing down was worth it Theo. I doubt it was for anyone who manged to finish the book.

The Opening Titles.

Friday 9th September. The opening day of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The alarm was set for 8.30 am (which if you're asking is rather early in my book), for the beginning of the opening ceremony. But before you start to pass judgement on me let me please explain that I hadn't broken the usual pattern of my body clock just to hear the usual customary spiel spieled off the lips of the head of state, about how this was going to be the best World Cup yet. I can assure you I hadn't awoken to see the awful cocktail of dancers, silver boats and Maori warriors either. The only opening ceremony I can imagine that was worth getting up for was the 1994 'soccer' World Cup in the States and Diana Ross's penalty miss. But of course this was learnt only with that wonderful thing called hindsight. No the reason i awoke with such eager anticipation was to see and hear ITV's new opening titles...

Television's opening titles of major sporting competitions have the power to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck and make you feel like you are gearing up to watch the most important game that has ever taken place in history of sport, when the reality is it's the rainy 3rd round FA cup replay between Stoke and Bolton. On the other hand they also have the power (or lack of) to leave the feeling of an anti-climax. You're supposed to be gearing up to watch the World Cup final, but instead it now feels like you're just tuning into a really dull and uninspiring game. Between Stoke and Bolton. Only because you have nothing better to do.

ITV hit the nail on the head with their opening titles for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68zHzcpyRkM

Vusi Mahlasela's anti-apartheid song, When You Come Back, bubbles along very nicely before reaching it's anthemic fiesta of a climax. Your feet start itching to dance and by the end you want to rejoice in jubilation. With Messrs Maradona, Johan Cruyff and, er, Roger Milla working their magic alongside it, the feeling that a truly special World Cup is upon us. One that is going to feature a carnival of goals, skills and just general magic. The fact that it was probably one of if not the most boring World Cups ever is besides the point.

And ITV definitely managed to deliver big time this year too. Gustav Holst's hero-inspiring epic Haxted kicks in, accompanied by a montage of legendary World Cup moments from memories gone by. Seeing Johnny Wilkinson kick his World Cup winning drop kick of 2003, or watching Francois Pienaar and Nelson Mandela celebrate the 1995 victory, and thus helping to unify the Rainbow nation, whilst being accompanied by Holst's momentous, behemoth of a classic makes you want to jump around your front room like you have just scored the match winning try. The fact that ITV are simply just playing the official song of the tournament like they do every year should be discarded. Also the fact that it is not Holst's original Haxted, but infact actually little-known Kiwi, Hayley Westenra, singing World in Union and hence murdering the original with lines such as "as we climb to reach our destiny, a new age has begun". If you can forget all that, it's actually quite good. And worth getting up at half eight for...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id-biRhgiVw

Club vs. Country

The club versus country debate is an old one that has time and time again managed to rear its head into football conversations in pubs throughout the country. Obviously there is the side to it that is more relevant to today’s game, that being the actual tug of war between both the club and the country’s respected managers. Both arguing over who has more say over the actual players and whom both throw their dummy out when they don’t get their own way. Heaven forbid what happens when a player gets injured ruling them out of either teams next fixture. However this tired debate is for another day. I’m talking about the ties of allegiance not with the managers or the players, but with that of the fans.

From my experiences from talking with friends and many other fellow football fans, it seems the majority, if not all, would always put their club first. It’s who they identify with, the team they support week in, week out, through thick and thin. Why would they care more about a team who can sometimes have to wait up to four months for their next game? Which even then it may only be a meaningless, boring friendly. Where as with their club, come april time, they may have a new fixture to look forward to every three or four days.

However there are the minority, myself included, who would always put their country first. From what I have heard, a lot of the England team’s away support is often made up of fans of smaller league clubs. Supporting a team like Grimsby, means for that supporter there is very little chance they’ll ever get to travel abroad, visiting some of Europe’s finest cities, whilst cheering on their team. Yet following England gives them this opportunity they have always dreamt of.

I personally am a Gooner, yet throughout my life I always went against most Premiership fans and chose country over club. That’s not to say my love for my club wasn’t great, it’s just that the thought of England ever winning a World Cup and potentially uniting the whole country, sparking off celebrations not seen since 1966 always overrode my desperation to see Arsenal winning a trophy, even the mighty Champions League. This led me to a period of attending England’s every home game, from when they plied their trade at Old Trafford to their return to Wembley. I used to get so excited at the most boring, meaningless friendlies, that mostly everyone else believed to be a complete waste of time. I even braved it all the way to snowy Austria for a dire friendly. Going into the 2010 World Cup I had never been so confident that England would triumph this time. I had said the same at every previous tournament I could remember, but this time was different. I actually believed it.

What happened next doesn’t need to be explained as everyone knows the shocking events that followed. After all these years of believing in them and sticking up for them whenever the club versus country debate ever arose, I now felt hurt and betrayed. England could never play another game again as far as I was concerned. And I have to admit I had never looked forward to a new Premiership campaign as much as I did this one. I needed it to get over the pain.

Ask me now who I would pick between club and country and without any hesitations I would say club. I casually watched England’s poor performance against the mighty Montenegro the other day in a pub with a few friends and I can proudly say I look back with far greater fondness over our recurring pub banter rather than that game that was on in the background. You’ll have to do a lot better England if you want this chap back on your side next time that old debate crops up.