So another humdrum boring mean-nothing friendly that raises some questions for me.

 I was so happy when the ginger twat was given the boot (all too late though) and Capello took over the reigns. I thought Capello was a manager who could make up his own mind and not bow to outside pressures or player-power with regards to team selection.

I also thought that these friendlies, especially given the quality (or lack there-of) of the opposition, were a great opportunity to experiment and try new players and combinations. But no. Last night we see practically the same bunch of passionless, spoiled, prima-donnas come out and do barely what is necessary.

Why was Beckham playing? He could hardly be a consideration for the next world cup. How many times do we have to see that Lampard and Gerrard cannot operate in the same midfield? David James surely cannot be seen as a bright prospect. And Wes Brown?!

There was a distinct lack of pace to the side with Becks and Gerrard on either side. A lack of creativity throughout the team. Apart from a couple of changes (Defoe and Brown) this was the same tripe served up by the orange one. Sure we can get past the likes of the Team USA Soccerball international but what happens when we meet real competition. Yet again nothing is moving forward in the England camp.

Too many players will again feel comfortable about their selection and keep taking a rest during internationals. Please lets see some new faces who REALLY want to play for their country. Let's see what Theo can do. More Bentley. Give Shorey a go. Anything to shake up these complacent, passionless rich-kids who turn up to have a kick-about with their other millionaire buddies every inernational fixture.

There are a lot of things I've missed since moving to the US some eight years ago. I miss my family. I miss the pubs (no-one can recreate the feel of a real English boozer). I miss football. More than just missing football I miss talking about football.

Living here it is difficult. There isn't just the games. It's the players. The fans. The humour. Everything that revolves around the sport. The sport has it's own culture.

I don't want to appear disrespectful and I understand that most Americans are new to the game but, why is it that the first football related question I'm always asked is "So what do you think of David Beckham coming here?". And the next question is "So you like Manchester United?". When I reply that I do not care for United and am, in fact, an Arsenal fan I am, usually, met with a blank look.

There are a few Americans I've met who do have a good understanding. My brother-in-law for one. He's a Galaxy season ticket holder for the past 5 years. He likes Blackburn Rovers and Fulham for some perverse reason. I've tried to educate my wife but her interest in the game goes little further than who she thinks is hot and Wigan because she thinks the name is funny.

On occassion I will meet a fellow countryman or other European and then we'll ignore all others for hours. Just the other week I bumped into a guy from Bolton in the supermarket and we yapped for over half an hour about Arsenals 3-2 win over them. Another time I met an Italian guy at a party. He turned out to be a Napoli fan. We talked for hours about each others teeam, players of the past and present. I made jokes about Maradona's weight and coke problem. Great times.

So I'm going to use this blog to record my experiences of being a football fan in a country that doesn't even call it football. There will be social commentary. There will be talk of games  and transfers and all sorts of things. So this is a start. I just hope it gets better.