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Our Two Penneth Welcome to Our Two Penneth, the blog that brings you all the best and all the worst from the footballing world, every day... GO DIEGO, GO! - He came, he saw, he (just about) conquered. The Diego Maradona roadshow rolled into Hampden Park last night and edged out a slender 1-0 win over Scotland. We know it's only his first game in charge and we know they played some nice football, but we have to say, we were kinda disappointed. Let's face it, Maradona's never been the kind of guy to start slow and build from there; he's all about burning bright for a short period of time, so it was a little underwhelming to see Argentina win by such a narrow margin. Come on Diego, where's the excitement, where's the verve, where's the controversy?! THREE LIONS ROAR ON - The fans are likely to concentrate on the defeat of an old enemy, but it's England's strength in depth that is the biggest bonus that can be taken from last night's otherwise fairly pointless trip to Germany. Missing some key stars, Fabio Capello's men were nonetheless in command almost from start to finish, and with Gabriel Agbonlahor causing no end of troubles up front, Stewart Downing setting up both goals and Michael Carrick ruling the midfield along with Gareth Barry, they proved they have class in abundance. Maybe all those injuries were a blessing in disguise after all... DOG DAY AFTERNOON - One of the peripheral stories from last night's game came courtesy of Patrick Helmes, who scored the Germany equaliser and pointed to the heavens after doing so. However, the gesture was not to honour a deceased human friend, but a canine one. "My dog was just like a little baby to me. I wept all day long after she died," explained the 24-year-old. "Now every time I score a goal I point my finger to the heavens and think about Emmy. She was just 17 months old, but she'd had kidney problems from birth. And three weeks ago she was in such pain I had to take her to be put down." Maybe all that buffoonish John Terry and Scott Carson bumbling was just a good will gesture. Maybe not... JOHN TOSHACK - This is a strange feeling. John Toshack? Hero? We've definitely got this right haven't we? Yeah? Ok. A unusual decision this may be considering his less than glittering past, but Toshack is hero of the day for slowly building an impressive, if unfashionable, Wales team on the quiet over the last few months and years. Last night's 1-0 win in Denmark was another triumph for the Dragons, whose mixture of youth and experience has helped them produce some fine displays against titans like Germany and Russia in the last twelve months. South Africa is likely to come a little too soon for them, but with Aaron Ramsey earning his debut and Ched Evans being given his first start yesterday, the Welsh are well-poised to launch a strong assault on Euro 2012 in four years' time. SCOTT CARSON - John Terry would be here as well were in not for his late winner, but poor old Scott Carson didn't have any opportunity to secure such atonement. It may not have been all his fault, but the West Brom keeper should have had greater control of his area for Patrick Helmes' equaliser, and the goal will have dredged up painful memories of last November and the disaster of Euro 2008 qualifying for England fans. On his day, Carson can be imperious, and maybe he'll get the chance to prove that again in the future. But Capello doesn't look like the second chance kinda guy, and the stopper could find himself out in the cold with the likes of David James, Joe Hart and Paul Robinson also vying for that coveted number one jersey. Our Two Penneth looks into the future to confidently predict (or take a wild stab at guessing) this weekend's results. Aston Villa 1-1 Man Utd Check out Tuesday's edition to see how we get on... "He's a proper manager, the kind which I have always wanted to play under and who covers every aspect of preparation and training." - Stephen Ireland has a subtle dig at Kevin Keegan, Stuart Pearce and Sven Goran Eriksson by suggesting that Mark Hughes is the first proper manager Man City have had in his time there. Germany fans unveil a banner at the Olympic Stadium thanking England for creating football. A classy touch from 'the old foe'. Maradona may be Argentina manager, but if this video is anything to go by, he's not quite as sure of his allegiance as that title would suggest. ************************ For the most recent in our series of blogs, CLICK HERE...
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