McCLaren secures Dutch title with Fc Twente.

Two years on from Steve McClarens failure to guide England to a European championships, he has restored some credibility with a magnificent success in the Dutch Eridivisie. He has only been manager of Fc Twente for two seasons but has already made himself a hero by securing a league title with a 2-0 victory over NAC Breda. A break from English football has proved to be exactly what McClaren needed as critics bombarded him as the worst England manager to record. Out of the media spotlight, McClaren has masterminded Fc Twente's success and has loved every moment of his time in the Netherlands. Formally labelled as "the wally in the brolly", Mclaren has reinvigorated his managerial career and will look to put that cold wet night at wembley firmly behind him. Speaking after the game McClaren said it was "a fantastic achievement." He was clearly in buoyant mood after his success as he spoke to the English media in his infamous Dutch accent. Despite not mastering the Dutch accent, he has clearly mastered Dutch football and speculation has already begun that he may soon return to English football at the helm of West Ham or another club. He went onto saying "to win this championship is more than a miracle", and it was he and his players who perfected such a miracle. Beginning the season as underdogs to Ajax and Psv Eindhoven, McClaren wasn't sure if he had a team capable, but they rose to the occasion to secure the title for the first time since they were founded in 1965. English managers who have managed abroad have always returned with a sixth sense for the game, an added intellect of the game. Examples such as Roy Hodgson are evidence for this who is working wonders for Fulham. Much criticism has been laid onto the English managers and accusing them of being incapable of managing the national team, perhaps if they were to go abroad like Hodgson did with Norway and McClaren with Fc Twente, then they may develop their managerial abillity.

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Should King go to the World Cup?

A player who over the years has been plagued by an endless amount of injuries to his knee. A player who cant train with his club team every day of the week. A player about to go to the world cup?

This season, Ledley King has made Fabio Capello's pressure driven job of delivering a world cup that ever bit harder with decisions like taking King on the plane to South Africa. One thing that is definite is that King's performances for Tottenham have been nothing less than brilliant for a man who is constantly surrounded by injury. Recent performances against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United make it even harder to deny King a place on a world cup journey that a couple of years ago would have seemed impossible. At the moment King substitutes the average training session for swimming twice a week and only once with the rest of the team. More significantly, he is unable to play more than once a week which if in the starting 11, would be required from him in the 2010 world cup. Despite the injuries, could anyone deny such a talented and solid centre back such as Ledley King even if it is to be for a place on the bench. Unlike the other centre back options, many would argue he is the only one that offers real competition to the ever present Terry and Ferdinand. Ledley's boss Harry Redknapp believes that "he is a cert to go to the World Cup." Its a decision causing great debate and controversy, but with a six day break between games in the World Cup, could this be enough for King to recover. If so then fine, but surely its important to see how he does in the friendlies against Mexico and Japan. With the usual centre backs Terry and Ferdinand seeming vulnerable for the first time in years, is Ledley King about to make a late charge onto the plane and also into a centre back position?

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Time runs out for the Owls.

This was a game that didn't disappoint and certainly lived up to the hype surrounding it, palace and Sheffield Wednesday put on a cracker. The reaction from the seasoned Shaun Derry epitomised exactly what this game meant to the players and fans as he was reduced to tears of joy as the referee blew the whistle on not only the game, but also Sheffield Wednesday's spell in the Championship. Indeed, the majority of the bumper crowd in Hillsborough left disappointed from the heartbreaking result, but also proud of the positivity their side showed at times through the pace of Jermaine Johnson and the inspiration from Darren Purse. But they came up short to a Palace team who only needed a point to secure their status as a Championship team for another season.Goals from target man Alan Lee and the prolific Darren Ambrose were enough to doom Sheffield Wednesday back to the 3rd tier of English football, a goal from Darren Purse came in the 87th minute but it proved too little to late for the Owls. So what now for both sides? Crystal Palace will hope that this can inject some life back into the club and some money so they can progress on in the Championship next season whiles hoping for a light in what has been a very dull affair off the pitch this year. The club will hope that the passion displayed in today's game can convince any potential buyers that they are a club worth investing in. The Owls on the other hand will need to re-group and assess over the summer which way they now want to go in order to progress. Alan Irvine is a highly experienced manager and has a proven track record despite this blip in his managerial career. With the likelihood of players such as Marcus Tudgay, Luke Varney and Jermaine Johnson being sought after from other clubs, Wednesday will need to ensure to keep the bulk of the team intact and ready for a tough yet optimistic season in league 1. With the passion that Irvines side displayed today, it bodes well for next year when they will need to dig deep on occasions if they are to stand any chance of returning to the Championship.
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