First up today I'd like to apologise to all Spurs fans, well not all, just any who I like. Last week's blog was meant to be about Spurs, their wonderful striker Jermain Defoe and specifically their resounding victory over Wigan. As I began to write about their chances of getting into the top four Liverpool got knocked out of the Champions League and suddenly my attention was averted elsewhere. Since then Spurs have gone to Villa Park and got a very good point against Martin O'Neil's side and looked good doing so.
Enough of that! It's been a whole 12 days since I mentioned England, of course I blogged about international football after what is now one of the most famous footballing moments of the modern era, THAT handball.
Talk of international football is to be expected, we are only 7 months away from the World Cup and excitingly only 5 days away from the draw. Week after week we are shown images of Fabio Capello and Franco Baldini as they sit in the stands of yet another Premiership team, eyeing up the players already in the England squad and perhaps more importantly those not.
And with talk of which players will or won't get to join J.T, Wazza, Stevie and the boys (I've got to give it the Steve Mclaren it was quite fun to call them that), some names start to creep in that might just surprisingly force their way in. At the beginning of the season Jack Wilshere was amusingly mentioned. Keiran Gibbs is another Arsenal youngster with an outside chance and more recently David Dunn's shining performances for Blackburn have been praised at the highest level. Of course sometimes players aren't good enough for the press to consider them that the player themselves must mention it, enter Tyrone Mears.
For me the surprise name that Fabio may well want to pay close attention to is a midfielder whose surname begins with B. A talisman for whichever team he's played for. Who inspires with his football ability and his personality. A player who has had his fair share of injuries, with a special talent for dead ball situations.... NO NOT BECKHAM! It's good old smiley Jimmy Bullard!
Go back to January of this year and perhaps the the most surprising of that window's transfers was that of Bullard from Fulham to Hull. The £5 million Phil Brown handed over seemed to be an absolute bargain for a side who had started to sliip down the table after such a fantastic start to the season. Bullard's enthusiasm, skill and hard work makes him an all round fantastic central midfielder and one who had performed solidly for Fulham and had them dreaming of a place in Europe. Phil Brown though needed to reinvigorate his side who had gone backwards since the start of the season that could of had then dreaming of Europe.
Suddenly though disaster struck! On debut for Hull Bullard picked up an injury on the same knee he'd dislocated during his time at Fulham. It was cruciate ligament damage and would rule him out of the rest of the season. The Tigers went on to struggle for the rest of the season as the ex West Ham youth watched from the sideline. Relegation may have been the nightmare turned reality had the form of Newcastle and Middelsborough not been so poor.
This season though Jimmy is back, and with a bang! Again Hull have found themselves struggling, and Phil Brown has found himself in danger of being sacked/resigning/leaving by mutual consent (same thing different PR companies). But the ex Wigan player seems to be saving his manager's job almost on his own.
8 valuable points in the last 4 matches have come in some way or other via a piece of magic from Bullard. It is not always his goal or assist that has set up the points for his side but it is certainly his personality that has been stamped on every game, no more so than on Saturday. Playing against City, Hull were looking like the inferior side that they are. Mark Hughes though played straight into Phil Brown's hands. When Robinho was taken off, understandably considering his recent injury and hard work during the match, it left a bigger hole for Bullard to occupy. As the three points seemed to be heading for the home side Hull won a penalty. Up stepped Bullard and with the calm and collectiveness of the best around he dispatched it beyond Shay Given and the points were shared.
Of course that wasn't the end of it, Bullard then went and mimicked his manager's moment of madness from last season. That moment was of course when Brown gave his half time speech at the City of Manchester stadium on the pitch with his side 4-0 down last season. Bullard stood, circled by his team mates, and pretended to tell them off. Even Brown found it funny, and how could he not. All the pre game talk had been about that moment derailing Hull last season and here was the man of the moment taking the piss out of it, the line under that moment is thoroughly drawn.
Who could tell me J.B (yeah I'm at it again) isn't worth a place on Capello's plane to South Africa in the summer? Put it this way; in a match where Lampard is injured would you rather Michael Carrick of Jimmy Bullard replace him? Exactly what I thought.
His exuberance alone is something that is not only rarely seen in football it is certainly seen no where else in the England squad. Along with that he has excellent dead ball taking skills, highlighted by his ability to step up at the most pressure filled moments and score a penalty.
If there is to be any major surprised in the England squad for next summer's World Cup then we should forget all about Arsenal youngsters or even Blackburn veterans and go for the shaggy haired blonde....no not Beckham... Jimmy of course!
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