Former England international Wayne Rooney is set to appear for the national side one last time in a friendly game against the United States. The game planned for the 15th later this month would see Rooney earn his 120th cap for England.
Russell Martin believes that Scotland are better off with an underdog status when it comes to the World Cup 2018 qualification campaign. Scotland were one of the home nations to miss out on the Euro 2016 final tournament.
Despite having a top manager like Gordon Strachan, the team was unable to make it through whereas the likes of Wales and Northern Ireland featured in this major tournament. As a result, there is a lot of pressure on Scotland to qualify for the World Cup 2018. The more number of teams taking part in this tournament does give them a great chance, but Martin says that Scotland should approach games with an underdog feeling.
Strachan’s team are in the group containing England and Slovakia. Both these teams are expected to be the favourite when it comes to fighting for qualification. Only the top two teams will be able to qualify for the World Cup. In fact, even the runners up in the group will have to go through a play-off in order to determine their participation in the final. England are the overwhelming favourites to top the group despite undergoing a managerial change. Scotland, though, will be relishing their underdog status according to Martin, who saw the team secure an impressive 5-1 win over minnows Malta in the opening group match. Continue reading Scotland Happy with Underdog Status, Says Russell Martin
FIFA has raised the green flag to video refereeing and the next 24 months would be the trial period for it.
There would be an additional game official sitting away from the action having television footage from various angles at his disposal and the referees would have the luxury to fall back on him for assistance in case of any hesitancy regarding any incident.
However, it doesn’t mean that the video assistant can come into the game only when the on-pitch referee wants him to. The intervention can be made by him even when he is not called upon.
If he sees that the on-pitch referee is faulting in any decision, be it related to the booking or goals or anything else, he can immediately stop him and convey to him what’s wrong and what should be done. So, by no means is his role limited. Continue reading FIFA gives Consent to Video Refereeing
Anthony Hudson has been a man under pressure for a few months now. Since taking over the New Zealand National team managerial job in 2014, the Brit has been trying to get a major competitor victory under the belt. New Zealand have been without a win for almost 2 years.
The last victory tasted by the team was back in September 2013 when a narrow 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia is fondly recalled. Even though Ricki Herbert helped the national team qualify for the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, he was soon replaced by Hudson due to a poor run of results.
The victory marks an important progression for the New Zealand national team, as Hudson used four debutants in this victory. The progression of youngsters like Henry Cameron is an important element in the success of any national team. Featuring for the national teams will help these young players to get much more attention when it comes to club football. This will indirectly help the national team once again. Hudson was happy with the performance of all his players and the team can now look forward to a good start to 2016. The 1-0 win over Oman was down to a solitary goal from Leeds United striker Chris Woods. Continue reading Anthony Hudson has been a man under pressure for a few months now
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