Hey remember yesterday? Me neither!
Bad, bad news for Rio Ferdinand today, who was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee ligament injury. Fabio Capello has called up Spurs defender Michael Dawson to fill in for Ferdinand, who will miss what could possibly be his last chance at a World Cup title. Regardless of who he plays for, it really is sad stuff.
This means that, according to a statement released by the FA, Steven Gerrard will wear the armband:
England Captain Rio Ferdinand today suffered a left-knee ligament injury in training.
Further to a scan arranged by the England medical staff immediately after training on Friday afternoon, Rio has been ruled out for 4-6 weeks and will therefore unfortunately miss the World Cup.
Tottenham Hotspur's Michael Dawson has been contacted today and will fly to South Africa on Friday evening.
Steven Gerrard will lead the England team as captain in the tournament.
While it's certainly an honor for the Liverpool skipper, it's also a heap of pressure. Any World Cup captain carries the expectations of a nation along with them, but this is England, and it's the "Golden Generation," and it's the British press. Joy.
The injury to Ferdinand also opens the door for Jamie Carragher, who will now likely fight Ledley King and Matthew Upson to fill in aside John Terry. It's possible that Carra could now feature heavily no more than a month after international football was nowhere in the picture.
Again, sad stuff for Rio Ferdinand, but best of luck to Gerrard, Carragher, and Glen Johnson.
And just briefly, I have to mention that the "Who's Next" gossip section on the official website is f***ing classless. The seat isn't even cold yet, and the front page has two juicy links to the rumors about the next manager. I get it---it's going to be a fascinating process, it's a heavily sought-after job, and everyone will be linked.
But for some reason, it hits me as tabloidish (maybe because it links to the tabloids) and insulting. Particularly 24 hours after the only story on the front page was a link to the statement regarding Rafa's "mutually consensual" decision to leave the club. It's bad enough that they have a "transfer gossip" section, but to include the steady stream of bullsh*t that's going to filter through over the next couple of months about the next manager is beyond the pale.
Anyway, that's as close as I get to ranting, so apologies if I offended your delicate sensibilities. Enjoy the weekend, all.