Tag Archives: Ukraine

WC 2014 Qualifying

England’s World Cup 2014 qualification is far from guaranteed

February 26, 2013 – 10:43 am

Speak to overseas football enthusiasts or even fans of our more neighbourly rivals and you’ll find that we England supporters aren’t always held in the highest regard. There are many reasons for this, endlessly diagnosed and debated and sometimes justified, and one of them is a sense of entitlement, the perception that we assume semi-final appearances in major tournaments.

Tags Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, San Marino, Ukraine | Permalink | Comment (1)

WC 2014 Qualifying

Match Reaction: England 1-1 Ukraine

September 14, 2012 – 10:19 am

“Disappointment for England.” I can’t remember who led with this sentiment in their post-match coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying match against Ukraine, but I didn’t really agree with it. The 1-1 draw was a strange match, in which England conceded in a good first half but scored in a poor one, and could have won but nearly lost. By no means was this a great England performance, but to take away a profound sense of disappointment seems to me to be an over-reaction.

Tags Chelsea, Frank Lampard, Liverpool, Steven Gerrard, Ukraine, Yevhen Konoplyanka | Permalink | Comments Off

WC 2014 Qualifying

Match Preview: England v Ukraine

September 10, 2012 – 9:39 pm

Already three points into qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2014, England face one of the most important matches of the campaign on Tuesday evening. With Moldova and San Marino unlikely to provide any resistance, Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine will be the teams England must overcome to secure the only automatic qualification place. If the home games all produce wins then England will have a solid foundation from which to build, and Ukraine are the first team to come to town.

Tags Chelsea, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Manchester City, Match Preview, Oleh Blokhin, Ukraine | Permalink | Comment (1)

WC 2014 Qualifying

Chelsea defensive duo ruled out of Ukraine qualifier

September 9, 2012 – 7:59 pm

England’s defence in the second FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying match on Tuesday evening will be without two Chelsea players, Ashley Cole and John Terry. Cole, not for the first time the subject of contract speculation at present, had hoped to be available for the game against Ukraine after being ruled out against Moldova with an ankle problem. But it was confirmed on Saturday afternoon that he has not recovered in time.

Tags Ashley Cole, Chelsea, Everton, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Ukraine | Permalink | Comments Off

WC 2014 Qualifying

West Ham United striker Andy Carroll ruled out of Moldova and Ukraine qualifiers

September 2, 2012 – 12:15 pm

It’s been a rollercoaster week for Liverpool striker Andy Carroll. The 23-year-old has been bombed out of Anfield by new Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, who quite rightly seems to believe that Carroll doesn’t suit the way he wants his team to play – given the evidence available to us about Rodgers’ philosophy, that makes a lot of sense. But it leaves Carroll’s future in the balance and a season-long loan at West Ham United was a more than satisfactory solution for all parties, although Liverpool would arguably have preferred a permanent transfer.