Whenever someone is named a manager of the month for their league the media always start talking about the curse as they normally go on a bit of a losing streak. So my question is why don’t they get rid of these fucking awards if they are doomed to turn the fourtune of the winners?

You ask any fan in the lower leagues and they will tell you that finding out that their team manager has won one of these awards is not something to be proud of because they know their team is about to hit some dire form and slip down from their lofty position in the table.

A cynic like me might go so far as to say that these awards are dished out to certain teams, just as they are on a run, in a desperate bid by the FA to scupper their chance of promotion. After all, who in their right mind wants a team like Millwall in the Championship let alone the Premiership?!

I’m not saying that Millwall lost 4-0 yesterday soley because of the Manager Of The Month curse but I sure as hell am saying that I beleive it did not help matters and if we now go on a month’s losing streak you will know who is to blame!

Well what a weekend for me to start, a lot of games and I a lot of goals from all the English leagues this weekend, well I will start with the team that is punching above them self this season, that team is Dagenham and Redbridge, by beating Morecambe this weekend 2-1 away from home, they keep up there unbeaten run that is now 4 games in this new season, they top the table due to the great run they started with and the goals they have scored,

Its not just the front pair that are getting in on the scoring, they have Saunders who joined Dagenham back in the summer of 2005 from Carshalton Athletic, this season as been Saunders best so far and its only 4 games old, but then again that could be down to the 3 season that he has been on Dagenham’s book he as spend more time on the side line with a while range of injuries, but at least he can show the Dagenham fans that he was worth the wait and he will be a key player in there push for League One.

Sam Saunders is not the only player that as been on form for the draggers this season, for a 39 year old Tony Roberts as shown the fans that he is still number one at Dagenham Redbridge, By looking at him between the sticks you wouldn’t think that he was as old as he is, he still looks like he got a good couple of seasons in him, last thing I will say about Dagenham is watch out for them this season this is there year well it looks that way so far, I just hope I haven’t jinx them.

Now to a club that is for me not showing what they can do, that team is Derby I know they come down from the premier league with one hell of a crap season but with the players they left over and the players that Paul Jewell had they should be fighting at the top of the table not down the bottom where they are, 4 games in to the season and Derby lay 24^th in the Championship with just 1 point, if only they could use there great League Cup run into league run, in the league cup they have scored 4 goals in just 2 cup games when they have only scored 1 goal in 4 league games, if this carries on come the January window they will lost a lot of there players if they don’t turn there form around.

You don’t have to be in a team that is high flying at the top of the premier league to been seen by the England manager Jimmy Bullard will tell you that, even tho his club is laying in 14 place in the premier league he as been called into the England set up, to be honest he as been the only player for me that kept Fulham up last year when he come back from the long lay off he was like a life line to Fulham, he has kept that up this year as well and finally has been returned with a England call up I just hope he gets to put on that England shirt and actually play, he cant play as bad as some of the Centre Midfielder we have playing for England at the moment, what I want to see in the England line up is players that will actually play his socks off for his place and not just use his team and name to get him into the line up which it as been the last couple of years, but thankfully Fabio Capello come in and turned it around and actually picks players that have earn a spot, all you have to do is is look at the 23 man squad that he as pick,

England 23-Man Squad
Robinson (Blackburn), James (Portsmouth), Green (West Ham); Lescott (Everton), Bridge (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Brown (Manchester United), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Johnson (Portsmouth), Upson (West Ham); Barry (Aston Villa), J Cole (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), Bullard (Fulham), Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Downing (Middlesbrough), Bentley (Tottenham), Jenas (Tottenham); Walcott (Arsenal), Rooney (Manchester United), Defoe (Portsmouth), Heskey (Wigan).

There are a lot of players that have earn there spot like Robert Green, Glen Johnson, Matthew Upson but along with them you do have a lot of players that are in just to bring some name to the line up, like David Beckham there is no way in hell that Capello could of seen him play but then again you have players like Wayne Rooney, Paul Robinson and Frank Lampard that should not wear a England top again until they can show that they want to be apart of the team and not just not even try on the pitch like they do for there clubs, out of all the man in this group one name is missing that for me as done a great job in the last couple of games and that guy is Michael Owen, he as returned to Newcastle and he is playing more and more like his old self, getting into space like he used to and playing well with who ever he lined up with him, but I will watch both the up coming matches against

Well thank you for reading this first “The Arm Chair View” please come again and read my column again.

After not even getting to Euro 2008 England had to start to repay the faith the England fans have kept in the side, so going up against Czech Republic the last game before England start the road to the World Cup 2010, well to start of the match we found out that England are ranked 15th in the world, and to be honest I think that is a bit unfair on the ranking as over the last couple of years there have been more then 14 clubs better then us,

we have a strong looking line up the only thing I do go for is that we still keeping Joe Cole on the bench when he is a gifted Left Midfielder something that England have been missing for some time now even tho we have Stuart Downing and Joe Cole just the top of the list that can come in and come up to the level

Czech Republic took the lead in the match and to be honest we gave them the goal, at first I don’t know where the hell our right back was leaving the right side of defence that open that Czech Republic was able to get the ball down there and play with it, but overall Czech was lucky to get the goal as the wrack it took off Ashley Cole it should have really gone down as a own goal, seeing as James would have had the ball if it didn’t hit Cole

After the goal England did look like they wanted to get back into the game, just a chance that we still feel that we can score goals out side the box when at the moment we cant, we just don’t have the shooters they may do it for there clubs but they don’t do it when it comes to the National side, all the pressure we put one Czech did pay off in the hell when a corner from the right from Beckham was met superb by Wes Brown to knock it in the back of the net

seeing as the goal come from a corner I just would like to know why do Terry and Ferdinand even bother to come up for a free kick when its Beckham standing over the ball, I will never understand that as for some reason Beckham thinks he is the only player on the pitch when he gets the ball for a free kick, don’t get me wrong Beckham for me is still one of the best Right Midfielder we have had for some years now,

Half Time England went in level, the player of the half for me as to be Steven Gerrard he played great out of place on the left wing, knocking some great balls into the box for Defoe just sadly Defoe couldn’t make anything of the balls that he was getting, the restart of the match was with out Defoe which for me was the wrong move, Defoe was 2nd on my list for player of the half but then again I have been wrong to question subs that the England manager has made before,

Czech Republics 2nd goals was a great free kick don’t get me wrong but it should have never been given in the first place, England where 5’s at the back and made a silly tackle and gave away the lead, but at least again since the goal went England didn’t drop there head they attacked and tried to get the game back on lead pecking,

England 2nd sub was Joe Cole to come on for Steven Gerrard I have to say I know this is a friendly but my god what the hell is Capello was thinking by doing this taking off one of the better England players on the night when you have Barry and Lampard in the middle of the park who have done nothing to be honest for me,

the Czech could have been 3-1 if it wasn’t for the fact that the Czech player took to long with the ball and ended up in a back spot to shoot, as the hole of the England back line stop as they fought it was offside but one of the Czech players carried on and silly James come shooting out of his box and was run pass like he wasn’t even there.

I know the England 2nd goal was a mess but a goal is a goal and England will take that one even tho it looks like it was a own goal, this is probably the only England game I can not pick a man of the match but then again I was only watching the highlights

Full Time Score England 2-2 Czech Republic 2

The column, called Th View From The South Stand, was a very honest view of my take on football, I’m not just talking about the Premirship but also as low down as Non-league football and even Sunday league football.

Every Monday I will post a new column here at Football Reloaded.