Summer Walkers

The summer brings with it a number of fantastic sights, sounds, smells and spectacles. Flowers in bloom, the sound of merryment and birds chirping, barbecues and beer gardens and World Cups and Olympics.

I don't want to talk about them, these things are great but lets face it you can buy a GQ and read a thrilling article about anyone of these topics from a noble writer. Instead i want to draw attention to and praise the summer walkers.

Who? i hear you ask.

Summer walkers , people you usually drive or take the bus to work but because it's sunny they feel like strolling to work rather than busing it. This group intrigues me most because alot of them clearly don't realise on what they embarked upon when they left home. For instance from my where i live to my nearest tube station is a 7 min bus ride, however it is a 20 minute walk,
and thats at a reasonable pace, and the return journey is up a small hill.

Some people who now join me on my morning walk clearly have not noticed this and one of my great pleasures in the early months of summer is watching the newbies drenched in sweat and clearly agitated try and race home or too work.

My nastier side thinks this is immensely funny whilst my nicer side thinks good on them!

In the meantime a word of caution to all prospective summer walkers, walking around everywhere may look pleasant but it does take abit of effort and please take note of the terrain you will cover. The trail of disgarded clothing left in your wake can't be good for the environment.

During Fabio Capello's first press conference after being announced as the next England manager he was asked - the Premier League is a fast paced league in which strength and workrate and are most important, how does he aim to convert the way the English approach to football into the more savy International style?

Capello answered this question by saying - good question, i don't know. My question is, does he need to change the pace England play?

Although it pains me to say it- the Premiership is the best league in the world, at the moment. Many top international players currently ply their trade in England and the Premiership was the most represented league at the 2006 World Cup. I suggest the English hustle and bustle approach to football may have seeped into these imports alot quicker than any previous attempts to tame Wayne Rooney.

I argue ENgland should play to there strengths and not worry about what pace they play at and Capello should worry more about having a variation on there 4-4-2 tactic such as a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 rather than worrying about how he could slow down players who clearly operate best at a high tempo. Russia's manager, Guus Hiddink, said it best after the draw of the 2008 qualifying groups "we fear Macedonia more than England because we don't know how they play".

I draw my arguement to a close by pointing out Greece and Italy as two examples of teams who have won recent international competitions without any Premier League players. Except the majestic Nikos Dabizas. Perhaps there lack of English footballing experience meant there players had not been put through the great leveller that is the Premiership.

Just a thought.