A Good Friday ramble

THIS IS NOT A RANT, BUT...

Eat Sleep Drink Blog Football is back, and yes, two years on C is still moaning! But for good reasons I'm sure you'll agree. 

1. Raheem Sterling, he does what he wants

"I don't want to be perceived as a money-grabbing 20 year old". Well, Raheem, it's funny that - it's a bit like telling me not to think about a pink elephant with spots sat on a car bonnet! The warning signs were there when he chose to leave QPR (the club that spotted him) aged just fifteen and not having ever played a senior game for them to sign for Liverpool. 

The same player has now publicly come out and effectively declared himself bigger than his club, and indeed bigger than the national team, feeding us lines that his personal trainer life coach agent has pre-prepared for him about being "too tired", "suffering burnout" and "wanting to win more trophies". I translate this as someone who has had his head turned by the poison in football influencing him to be demanding too much too early in his career and basically planting the thought in his head that he is too good to appear for England Under 21s or indeed for Liverpool and could sit on the bench at somewhere like Chelsea doing far less and earning far more. You're only 20 for Christ's sake, mate! Oh and PS there's this other young player called Harry Kane who wants to play every game he possibly can for club and country and doesn't grumble about it!! Quite simply, a ridiculous interview and major own goal Raheem...

2. Steve Evans

I could just leave it at the name couldn't I? I've mentioned poison in football above, but how the big red Scottish criminal continues to make a living managing Rotherham United with his managerial style of "go ballistic at everyone and everything and blame them when we lose, but take all the credit when we win" I do not know. What kind of a role model is this man to young Millers fans or indeed fans of any other Championship club who have to put up with his demeanor for 180 minutes a season? This week he managed to successfully demolish the FA's "Respect" campaign once more, effing and blinding on the touchline. Then after the game he had the audacity to say "I'm not questioning the integrity of Dean Whitestone (referee), I'm just saying he was atrocious today. You can write that in capitals for the Football League... Certain people don't want us in the Championship". This bloke is deluded and scum.

3. AFC Bournemouth - a "success story"?

I do enjoy watching the style of football that Bournemouth play, however this feeling they have managed to infiltrate the press with that they are "underdogs" and "wouldn't it be amazing if they made it to the top flight" is ridiculous - they, just like fellow nouveau riche Wigan and Fulham before them, have been bankrolled up through the divisions - let's be honest, how many clubs of Bournemouth's stature are likely to attract people like Kenwyne Jones to sign on loan for them? They would fade in to nothingness without the millions of Max Demin and Eddie Mitchell. I bet Harry Redknapp can smell the bank notes and should think he is a shoo-in to pitch up at his "local" next season as Director of Football.

And if they are so good and such a tremendous genuine lower league success story then what is the point in the blatant diving of today's televised fixture against Ipswich (Callum Wilson and Yann Kermorgant with particularly embarrassing examples of Ashley Young impersonations)?

On the plus side, watching the Nationwide Division Three West London derby between Foolham and Brentwood unfold was very entertaining - it's just a shame that five teams can't be relegated from the Championship this season! 

Felix Magath pictured enjoying the demise of the Cottagers

Finally I suppose you want to know my prediction for QPR tomorrow - 2-1 to West Brom. Individual errors to cost dear as usual. Performance summary: "Edit copy, edit paste".

C