England’s New Crop (and how we can undermine their potential)

Following a disastrous World Cup campaign England began to show signs of resurgence early on in their Euro 2012 qualification campaign. However, Adrian Chiles couldn't help but tempt fate in the build up to England’s home 0-0 thriller with a Vucinic-less Montenegro by stating that we may be looking to continue our recent tradition of breezing through qualifying and collapsing in the finals. This worry was soon dispelled as we huffed-and-puffed and failed to break down the Montenegrin door. The only shining lights of the night were a lively and full of confidence Adam Johnson and the resurgent Steven Gerrard. Each of which would have been allowed to make more of an impact in the 4-3-3 which has been serving Capello well. Unfortunately the 4-4-2’s flatness was again on show as Capello reverted to his old setup. It was testament to how little Capello has learnt that Shaun Wright-Phillips even made it into the squad let alone onto the pitch against Montenegro. The better choice could have been the biggest shining light in England’s latest generation, Jack Wilshere. The 18 year old is a great point of debate at the moment as we try and discover how to get the best out of the slight, talented play-maker.

The main task ahead for England is to usher in our new generation of talent through by providing them with regular club football and possible call ups to the national side. Utilising Wilshere will be important, as he could be the future of the English centre of midfield. Players of Wilshere’s ability and more importantly for some, size, are often treated as luxury items in this country and are subsequently shunned out onto the left hand side, where their ability to unlock stubborn defences is stifled. Two examples of this are Joe Cole and, most tragically, Paul Scholes. Possibly the greatest passer of a football this country or even the world has produced (the great Zinedene Zidane described him as “the greatest midfielder of his generation”) was wasted out on the left hand side of the English midfield for most of his 66 caps. We must hope that Capello doesn’t succumb to the temptation to waste Wilshere’s talents in this way.

In the longer term there are many more extremely talented young English players waiting in the wings. Micah Richards is starting to fulfil his potential at right-back this season and could easily provide a replacement for the increasingly unpredictable Glen Johnson. Other future defenders could have to wait a tad longer for their opportunity due to the primacy of Terry, Ferdinand and Ashley Cole. However, the promise of the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Kieran Gibbs paint a strangely familiar picture for the future England backline. Jones is a no nonsense centre back very much in the John Terry mould. Smalling, gifted with pace and the composure to bring the ball out of defence, could also be seen as a young Ferdinand. Kieran Gibbs is yet another small pacey left back off the Arsenal conveyor belt which has produced Cole, Clichy, Traore and now Gibbs. And let’s not forget Everton’s Jack Rodwell who could well be the perfect partner for Wilshere in the centre of the English midfield in coming years provided he continues his development.

In more forward areas Marc Albrighton has burst on to the scene at Aston Villa and is getting a consistent run in the first team so far this season. Andy Carroll is another young Englishman showing promise early this season, with the burly front man scoring four goals in three appearances so far. Daniel Sturridge is the most problematic of this current batch of players. With the right coaching and a decent run in the Chelsea first team he has the potential to be a world class front man for England with his explosive acceleration, skill on the ball and composure in front of goal. However his cocky attitude may cause issues in the future and hamper his career.

This talent on show in our youngsters is exemplified in their qualification for a third consecutive European championship with a 2-1 aggregate win over Romania last week. However, England need to pay close attention to the German model of development for our youngsters. Players such as Ozil, Muller and Neuer have been given greater responsibility in the German first team alongside a core of more experienced performers. A core of Terry, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard and Rooney supplemented with the talent of the likes of Wilshere, Adam Johnson, James Milner and Joe Hart, to name just a few, would allow for us to develop as a unit in a more effective way and pave the way for a potentially brighter future for England. The only remaining problem is that, perhaps, the stubborn Capello isn’t the man to do this.

Review: Inception

On walking out of Christopher Nolan’s most recent masterpiece, Inception, I found myself tragically plunged back into reality as the sticky floor of the cinema foyer reminded me exactly where I was. It was the pain of this realisation which verified for me that Nolan had achieved the primary goal of the filmmaker, to entirely envelop your audience into your own imaginative vision. Nolan’s film is not only a fantastic bit of Cinema, with its slick aesthetics, clever and well executed dialogue and edge of your seat action sequences, it is the accompanying thoughtfulness which sets him apart from his peers. Nolan’s conception of dreams and reality in the film become a self reflexive meditation on the nature of cinema itself, as it goes about allowing the audience to completely escape reality and slide into his own seductive and exciting dreams. After all, what is an audience but a group sitting together in room and sharing a dream, receiving a message, an idea, from the creators of the film?

In the build up to its release Nolan told The LA Times that he was influenced by the school of science fiction films which sprung to prominence in the 90’s. With the popularity of the Matrix setting off a trend of movies which ask the audience to question their conceptions of reality and the veracity of the world around us, Nolan goes about asking us: does the spinning top ever stop?:

“I think ours is of an older school, ours is more of The Matrix variety and the concepts of different levels of reality,” Nolan said. “The whole concept of avatars and living life as someone else, there’s a relationship to what we’re doing, but I think when I first started trying to make this film happen it was very much pulled from that era of movies where you had The Matrix, you had Dark City, you had The Thirteenth Floor and, to a certain extent, you had Memento too. They were based in the principles that the world around you might not be real.”

In terms of the film itself the cast are as good as they look on paper. The emerging talents of Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and the ever well dressed Joseph Gordon-Levitt match up well with the more established big hitters of DiCaprio, Nolan’s increasingly ever-present lucky charm Sir Michael Cain and the hauntingly beautiful Marion Cotillard. Page and Murphy especially seek to break typecast as the former exudes a new maturity in an attempt to escape her quirky roots and the latter bringing a new vulnerability to the screen which is distant from his previous Nolan role of the Scarecrow.

By now there is little need for me to review this film in a traditional way as everything that can be said about it, glowing or critical, already has. However, one thing which has really irritated me in a lot of reviews of Inception and of Nolan himself is the comparisons with Stanley Kubrick. They are both vastly different filmmakers who deserve to be regarded independently for their achievements in the field (although Nolan’s career is still a fledgling one). Kubrick was a master across genre, with each of his films warranting a seminal place in their respective genres, for example 2001: A Space Odyssey as sci-fi and Full Metal Jacket as a Vietnam War movie. Nolan’s films fit more into a genre which is indefinable in their originality and imaginative breadth, allowing for him to leave a legacy entirely of his own. It is truly sad that these two directors have to be compared simply on the grounds that they make big budget, Hollywood movies while maintaining artistic, emotional and intellectual integrity. Nolan has embraced and utilised the technology available to him to create stunning special effects that bring something exciting and also cerebral to his pictures. This can be opposed to the cheap thrills of most big budget Hollywood films being made today which seek only to distract their audience with more loud bangs and bigger explosions (Yes Bruckheimer I am looking at you). These two directors seek to maintain the pillars of what cinema should be, entertaining AND thought provoking and many in Hollywood should look at their example. Christopher Nolan is producing films which maintain my faith in the Hollywood model of filmmaking and in Cinema on the whole as it looked to be declining into an endless cycle of remakes and adaptations of already established material.

Taste of London Festival 2010-06-28

Despite not being a Londoner I enjoy going ‘uptown’ on occasions and sampling what I can of such a magnificently multifarious city, and this aspect can be exhibited no better than in its food. This was my first experience of the Taste of London festival which takes place annually between June 17-20 in the beautiful Regents Park and I must say I was extremely impressed with the event. First off we were blessed with some stunning weather which no doubt helped with the open air event. We were greeted by a complimentary glass of champagne and an endless stream of PR girls offering freebies ranging from tote bags to discount vouchers for some of London’s most exclusive restaurants. This was swiftly followed by a visit to the Waitrose tent for a freshly made cocktail each and we were more than ready to go out and sample some of the food. Most of London’s best restaurants have a stall set up and offer 4 dishes of varying price. This is an opportunity like no other to visit some of the most famous restaurants in the capital all in one sitting. For example you may have your starter at a Gordon Ramsey’s, main course at Le Gavroche and dessert at La Pont de la Tour, possibly followed by ‘a taste of afternoon tea’ a la The Dorchester. This line up would normally cost your about £300 before wine and a considerable amount more time attempting to secure tables.

The day is a glamorous and most importantly relaxed affair. All of the pomposity of the London restaurant scene is absent in favour of a relaxed attitude to open air eating. The glamour is provided by the celebrity chefs themselves (I went on the Thursday and Rick Stein and Michel Roux Jr. were two of the bigger names present, on the busier Saturday sitting Heston Blumenthal was pencilled in to attend) as well as the regular host of PR girls and even a bona fide celebrity in the form of the unmistakeable Gok Wan. Gok’s arrival spurred on my mother to wave frantically at him to which he replied “oh check you out, get a job,” a statement which caused some initial confusion until she took a step back to realise that she was sitting in the sunny garden area with a glass of champagne waving at Gok Wan at 2 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon, he may have had a point.

Another ‘celebrity’ encounter of the day was my meeting with Tristan Welch, head chef at fashionable Kensington outfit Launceston Place and a regular on The BBC’s Great British Menu. Now this may not be the most exciting celebrity chef encounter for many but I did have my 21ts Birthday Meal at Tristan’s exceptional restaurant. However he wasn’t present that night so I was pleased to finally meet him and have a chat. On meeting him here he was friendly and approachable and more than happy to have a photograph taken and have a lengthy chat about my birthday night, of which he knew a great deal.

The food throughout the day was, as expected, exceptional. Of my 6 tasters none were a disappointment but the highlight of the day for everyone I spoke to was the Asian cooking on show. My favourite dish of the day was the spiced sea scallop from Atul Kochhar’s latest Indian venture, the Colony Bar and Grill. The scallop was cooked to perfection and topped with a paste of red chilli, garlic and yuzu butter which miraculously complimented and didn’t overpower the subtle scallop. My brother opted for the Thai crusted calamari with ginger and peppercorn from London newcomer Busaba Ethai, his personal favourite dish of the day. Other highlights included the barbequed to order Gaucho Black Argentinean sirloin steak and creamed corn. The pick of the desserts was the theatrically made to order Pont de la Tour’s famous crepe suzette, the preparation being performed by a hot and very tired looking head waiter as the orders didn’t stop all day.

The food was complimented with drink stalls offering plenty of Pimms, cocktails, champagne and beers all perfectly chilled for a summer afternoon. There were also plenty of foody shopping opportunities and other nice touches such as a stall set up by the Barbados tourism board offering free Bajan food tasters and cocktails including Rum Punch and some exceptional Jerk Pork topped with a mango salsa.

So to sum up Taste of London festival is a feast of glamour, gastronomy and indulgence that isn’t to be missed by any food lover. It is an opportunity to sample the best produce and cooking this country has to offer in beautiful surroundings, surrounded by beautiful people for a fraction of the normal cost, as my grandfather would say, you best be careful, you might just enjoy yourself.

Life without Lost

I have been wondering whether to blog about Lost since the finale a month or so ago and have decided just to write a short piece summing up my reaction to a show which has been a huge and brilliant part of my life for the last six years. Now I apologise in advance for what will be a rhapsodic piece.

Lost as a television programme viciously splits opinion, either driving viewers mad with frustration or drawing them in to the world of the show. I for one am the latter viewer. Firstly I believe the reason behind this is the distinctly literary nature of the show. What I mean by this is that unlike ‘traditional’ television drama’s and soap operas that operate on a ‘realist’ basis, shows like Lost (Twin Peaks, Ashes to Ashes to name a few others) work more on a level with the modernist novel, incorporating within them elements of symbolism, intertextualities, mystery, common themes and recurrent elements all appearing through various narrative episodes. This leads to a more neurotic and challenging viewing experience, not simply chewing gum for the brain as the viewers must constantly engage with various elements introduced over the weeks. Essentially at its heart Lost has been based on a conflict between science and literature, science and faith, divisions which can be very black and white and which lead directly to such a division in popular opinion.

What the show does do is masterfully construct characters and situations which all crossover in a way that only the greatest writers, for print or screen, can pull off. It is this combination of the mysterious and the realistic, the strange elements that take place on the island versus the more realistic human relationships which take precedence off it that make the show so special.

Now, on to the finale. If you watched the ending and didn’t like or understand everything I read a great blog by one of the writers afterwards during my trawling of the copious lost forums in a desperate search for explanation and clarification. I’ll post the link up here for anyone who wants to give it a read, I found it highly illuminating: http://www.theoriesonlost.com/2010/05/everybody-you-have-to-read-this/. Now following this there is not a lot else I can say that has not already been said. All I will say to finish is that following the finale the show has securely crystallised in my memory as a brilliant piece of television that has kept me gripped throughout, will always stay with me and most importantly will take a hell of an effort to be topped by another shown in my lifetime.

South Africa 2010 - Players to Watch

Ok, I am going to alienate most, if not all female potential readers of this blog early doors by making my first post about the World Cup. However sleep easy, not ALL of my posts will be football related.

As I seek to entice debate I have compiled my own personal list of players to watch out for in the upcoming tournament. Let us begin shall we...

5. Rafael Van Der Vaart - OK not exactly a gamble from me here. As everyone knows Van Der Vaart is a hugely talented footballer and would be tipped to light up any game. However, after a frustrating season at Real Madrid he has dropped off many people's radars. Nevertheless for Holland Van Der Vaart is vital. He was sensational in a warm up game against Ghana earlier this week finishing up with 2 assists and a goal. He is so good for them that he has forced the brilliant Wesley Sneijder out of the attacking midfield position. Needless to say anything good that the Dutch produce in South Africa will come through the creative genius of Van Der Vaart.

4. Pedro, Sergio Busquets and Pique - Three players rolled into one for you here. The young and highly talented Barcelona trio will all play a part in South Africa and with Spain's injury problems Pedro and Busquets might figure more than first expected. A good tournament for Pique could also cement his place as a truly world class central defender, a tag which would have raised more than a few eyebrows a couple of years ago. Pedro is always good for a goal and will probably play a role coming off the bench for the European Champions and Busquets may just peek his way into the holding midfield position.

3. Aleksandar Kolarov - If you know me you may be aware with my obsession with this player. He is a consitent purchase for me on any Football Manager game. Kolarov is a robust, attacking full back. He is an exciting player capable of the spectacular (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjSQxr5HbHA) while also possessing the physical attributes to perform his defensive duties sufficiently. The Lazio player is being increasingly linked with big clubs around Europe including Real Madrid and Liverpool (I know 'big club' is debateable these days) Despite Serbia's embarrassment of riches in defensive areas we should get a good look at the Serbian Roberto Carlos.

2. Angel Di Maria - The Benfica winger has been attracting huge amounts of interest from Europe's elite in the last two years (as well as a reputedly huge price tag) and now he has the chance to prove his worth on the biggest stage. Despite the abundance of attacking players Maradona is blessed with Di Maria has figured consistently for his nation since bursting on to the scene and scored a magical goal in their warm up game with Canada, curling the ball with the outside of his left foot from outside the area into the far right hand corner of the goal. He is expected to start down Argentina's left hand side and could set the tournament alight with his exciting style.

1. Joe Cole - Yes I am highly biased towards Joey as a Chelsea fan but the boy can be a bit special. Despite an injury hit season Joe has contributed on every occasion he has played this season and helped us with a brilliant goal against Man Utd. Cole gives England something different and is easily the best player to play on the left hand side. His quiet season could just make him England's surprise package in South Africa.

And just to finish a quick list of players not to look out for in South Africa - Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato, Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti, Karim Benzema and Theo Walcott.