DEL POTRO UP AND RUNNING

DEL POTRO UP AND RUNNING
I think it best to draw a veil over England’s performance at Euro 2016, though it is not with the benefit of hindsight that I say Roy Hodgson was never the man for the manager’s seat. I said it when he was recruited and nothing has happened since to change my mind. How you could not even take Andros Townsend, when teams tend to play ‘narrow’, after his superb displays for Newcastle plus his ability to go past on both sides together with dead ball delivery and goals from out of the blue?
If it’s really the case that Roy missed Iceland’s final game before they played England, there is nothing more to add. His overall record in the English game was patchy at best – ask anyone at Blackburn – and he will not be missed. Having said all of that, the players lacked leadership on the pitch and were panicking almost as soon as the second Iceland went in. Fraser Forster would have caught that in his big left hand; if you were never going to give Joe Hart a rest under any circumstances, why have three keepers in the party? Unbelievable.
Personally I’d go for Alan Shearer now and have Gareth Southgate working with the players, with Shearer making final selections. But he’s been too critical, of course, and the suits will say he hasn’t got the experience. Roy Hodgson had plenty of experience, of course…..
Wimbledon is going better and it you took the advice to ‘sell’ Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber on the spreads you were paid out more or less straightaway. I don’t think Petra Kvitova is mentally right for it, either.
Meanwhile, when writing about Juan Martin del Potro for two weeks in succession, I did not think he’d be tipped as the main danger to Novak Djokovic in the Racing Post! There was some 100/1 so I hope you’re on, though that price will have disappeared following his victory over Stan Wawrinka. Djokovic is in trouble as I write these notes on Saturday morning and all the thoughts will be about Andy Murray having his best chance since lifting the trophy. That would definitely be true; del Potro will fear no one now, however, and still looks as dangerous on grass as anyone.