World Cup qualifiers; Who’s Hot and who’s Not?

After the latest round of international matches I thought I would have a look at who’s hot and who’s not. I might be looking at the games with a warm glow after a certain team’s performance in Croatia but I don’t think I’ve let it affect my judgement! 🙂

Hot team
I honestly never thought I would say this, but it has to go to England! Let me say it just once more. The hot team award goes to England. I’ve never heard anything like that before. Wonderful! The quality of the performance in Croatia as well as the extraordinary result of a 4-1 win, was one of the best I have seen from an international side for a long time. Passing, movement, purpose, cohesion. No, it can’t have been England.

Not hot team
I’m really sorry about this because they did a decent job of hosting Euro 2008 and gave that tournament a pretty good go, but I have to give this to Switzerland. A 2-1 defeat at home to Luxembourg means there are no other contenders in the same league. I mean to say. Luxembourg! That was their first World Cup qualifying victory since 1972!!

Hot keeper
He might be a clown sometimes but there are few better around than David James. OK, he only touched the ball six times in Andorra and he wasn’t particularly special in Croatia, but if I’m going to pick England for every hot category, I’ve got no choice but to pick him!

Not hot keeper
I’m going to give this to Estonia keeper, Pavel Londak. He had conceeded five goals in seventy two minutes in Bosnia before he was replaced by Mihkel Aksalu. The sub didn’t fare too much better conceeding two more in the last eighteen minutes. This is a very abitary award as I haven’t actually seen or read about the game! If Pavel Londak had a wonderful game, I apologise unreservedly!

Hot defender
Surely the best centre-half in the world at this time. Once again, Rio Ferdinand was immaculate. He has so many doubters around the world, nowhere more so than in England, but I have felt for the last couple of years that he is the best and he showed it once again in this game. Quite superb.

Not hot defender
This has to go to Robert Kovac of Croatia. He was rightly sent off. Any player who leads with his elbow in the way that he did needs to be firmly dealt with. What had Joe Cole done to him? You would have thought that he would know better at his age.

Hot midfield player
Not sure if he really counts as a midfield player, but anyone got any arguments against Theo Walcott? He played wide on the right in place of David Beckham. I was one of the ones questionning the decision before the game. I’m sure Becks would have got a hat-trick as well. OK. I was wrong.

Not hot midfield player
It disappoints me to do this but I’m going to award this to Sionko of the Czech Republic. He probably doesn’t really deserve it but I feel that he has let me down. I raved about him at Euro 2008 and picked him in my team of the tournament. Anyone who knows me and watched the game in Northern Ireland would have thought, “Oh yes, this is that player that Fisher is always going on about.” They would have watched a very average performance and confirmed to themselves that I don’t know what I’m talking about! Thanks a lot Sionko!

Hot striker
He has had so much stick over the years, but it is a fact that England look a better team when Emile Heskey is playing than they do when he isn’t. He is big, strong and akward. He doen’t score enough goals but he creates so much space for others to do so. He was also subjected to disgraceful and moronic racial abuse from some of the crowd. I would give the award to Emile just to annoy those cowardly idiots if for no other reason.

Not hot striker
Another one from the Czech Republic I’m afraid. I know he had one good tournament a few years back, but does anyone in the world truly believe that Milan Baros is still an international footballer? I’m sure those who support Portsmouth probably don’t.

I haven’t been a little biased towards England have I?! Go on; let me get away with it. It’s not often that an England fan can show off!! Sorry. 🙂