John Keyes

The bragging rights are coloured red on Merseyside tonight, as Liverpool beat Everton 1-0.

Dirk “He-man” Kuyt continued his good scoring run, and turned in another all-action display. He continues to confound his critics, with his never-ending enthusiasm and knack for goals in big games.

I think the signing of Maxi was a great move, and it is no coincidence that Monster is starting to raise his game. Here’s hoping his improvement continues.

Update: Forgot to comment on the referee’s performance. I think any tackle with two feet off the ground (even if you don’t connect) is a straight red, so I’ve no issue with Soto’s sending off. Fellaini went in over the ball, with every intent on injuring Soto, and it was without a doubt a straight red too.

Worse tackle of the match was Pienaar though, and Monster was lucky to escape so lightly (as was Pienaar!).

I’d closely follow that with Fellaini making sure he connected with Kuyt’s head after Kuyt had already been fouled.

Glad everyone made it through the match okay though, what would a derby be without passion (we see enough of them in London every year).

Ireland started their 2010 6 Nations campaign with a 29-11 win over Italy. A poor game to watch, but as is the nature of games against Italy, because they slow the game down, they are rarely wonderful rugby spectacles.

There were some pluses like Paddy Wallace’s impact from the bench. He looked like a creative spark on an otherwise dull day. Earls too added some much needed energy. It’s amazing that we have such a strong bench nowadays, even taking our injuries into consideration.

The back row was pretty quite today, which says a lot for the how Italy controlled the type of game. Cullen and O’Connell were very good in the lineout, but about the park O’Connell always makes more of an impact when O’Callaghan is on his shoulder.

O’Leary is still caught behind the ruck too often, he needs to get himself clear quicker. O’Gara had a great day with the boot, and his pass to Trimble in the first half was just peachy.

It’s a pity D’Arcy didn’t get a chance to show more, but with the ball flying over and back above his head that was never going to happen.

A win is a win, roll on Paris.

I’m not sure what I want to write about this sorry affair. On one hand I couldn’t care less, on the other some of the bile that is being spouted has nothing to do with the issues at hand.

There is a lot of same-old, same-old in this story. Rich footballer shags model. Chelsea footballer cheats on this wife. Blah, blah, blah. I don’t give a toss about this side of the story. A lot of men give in to temptation when beautiful young women put it on a plate for them. It’s rag worthy when it involves a footballer, especially an English one, because we know how the English love to tear into their own.

What interests me is the fallout. For example, should Terry have been axed as England captain? What would I do if I was England manager..

The first thing I’d do is have a meeting with Wayne Bridge. I’d ask him one question “Would you play for an England team captained by John Terry?” If the answer was “No” then I wouldn’t bring him to South Africa with me anyway. If the answer was “Yes” then I know this boy will do anything to help his country win a World Cup.

The next question would be who to appoint next when I strip Terry of the captaincy? The general consensus seems to be that the England captain has to set a good example for young players coming through. This example has to be both on and off the pitch.

Lets go through some of the leading candidates.

Wayne Rooney is out, as he abuses referees and has sex with old prostitutes. Steven Gerrard is out, as he punches lads in bars. Rio Ferdinand is out as he abuses referees on a weekly basis, and misses drug tests. Ashley Cole could yet be dragged into the Terry saga, and he’s hardly a good role model. Who does that leave?

For me, I’d have to go with Gareth Barry. Leads by example on the pitch, and appears to lead a quiet life off the pitch. With it looking increasingly likely that Owen Hargreaves is going to lose his fight for fitness (here’s hoping he can win it, another good guy), Barry looks like being an automatic first choice too, so all the boxes are ticked.

I’m glad I’m not English manager though, Mr Capello is a much more skilled fire-fighter than me.

Nominations for this years awards are closed at 3PM today.

I’m giving the iPhone tumblr app a spin. First impression is that it’s a wee bit confusing.

It took me a few minutes to find the ‘Open advanced options’ section.

I’ll try it out for a bit anyway and see how it goes.