Starting role delights Lamps

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard admits he is delighted by his recent form for both club and country.

Lampard celebrate his goal against Brazil in a friendly game last week.

The 34-year-old is the subject of continuing speculation as to where he will be playing his club football next season - but served up a reminder of his powers with his ninth goal in his last 14 Blues appearances in Saturday's 4-1 win over Wigan.

Lampard, who may yet be offered a new contract by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, then continued his good form in England's 2-1 friendly win over Brazil in midweek as he coolly side-footed home the winner.

"It's not rocket science: the more you play you get sharper and you get match fit," Lampard told Chelsea TV. "Since I've been able to play regularly I feel like I've got sharpness and the confidence.

"I'm 34, you still need confidence of playing regular games. It certainly helps me, to get flow in your game; you ask any player that, I'm not on my own there.

"When you're playing regularly and you do start playing well, scoring goals, whatever position you're in, it's enjoyable to keep playing and it helps.



"You have to have an eye on the squad - it is a long season - so I'm not expecting, or asking, to play every single game. (But) it seems to me recently I've been able to play every three or four days, I've enjoyed it."

England fans vote for Gerrard

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard has been voted England's Player of the Year for 2012 by fans ahead of Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole.

The 32-year-old midfielder received 40% of the votes after becoming his country's sixth player to reach 100 caps in November's meeting with Sweden while starring for England 11 times during the year.



Gerrard is a second time winner and said after being presented with the award by Sir Bobby Charlton on Sunday at St George's Park: "It's always special to be recognised by supporters. You only have to look in the players in the team so it's special. I decided after the summer to stay involved, because of the players in the group.

"It means a lot to me when you look at the quality and standard of players in this squad. For me to be picked out to win an individual award is a bonus and something I'm really delighted with.

"It's always a proud feeling to play for this team and the manager believing in me and giving me the captaincy was a huge lift for my personal confidence. I think I've shown a level of consistency that maybe I haven't shown in previous years so it's been a good year."

Gerrard joins Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney in lifting the award twice.

Gerrard, who won the England Player of the Year award in 2007, impressed during the summer's European Championship - setting up Joleon Lescott to head England in front in the opener with France in Donetsk.

Rodgers: "It was a brilliant goal from him to beat Joe Hart from that distance. I thought his performance was immense."

As England skipper he also crossed for Andy Carroll to head home in a 3-2 win over Sweden and had a hand in Rooney's headed goal that beat co-hosts Ukraine.

Left-back Stephanie Houghton was voted England women player of the year.

Houghton was a star performer for Team GB during the Olympic Games and scored the winner against Brazil.

The men's U21 and women's U23 players of the year awards went to Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson and Toni Duggan.

FA chairman David Bernstein said: "Clearly The FA England Awards is about much more than prize-giving and honouring those who have achieved.

"The elite level is the pinnacle of a pyramid that makes English football so

special. They are the inspiration to over two million people regularly playing football in this country. All involved at every level deserve our recognition

and respect."



The evening also saw the Bobby Moore Fund put in the spotlight, with widow Stephanie Moore presenting three of the youth awards.

This month marks the 20th anniversary since World Cup-winning skipper Moore's death from bowel cancer.

Eriksson : 'Absolute leader '

Former England Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has picked Steven Gerrard as his favourite for the Player of the Year award.



At St. George's Park on Sunday night, all 24 England teams will be a part of the inaugural FA England Awards.



And Three Lions captain Gerrard is in line for one of the eleven prizes up for grabs.



The Liverpool midfielder was on the five-man shortlist in the running for the Senior's Player of 2012. Fans voted for their choice via an online poll on TheFA.com throughout December and early January, but we have to wait until Sunday to find out who's claimed the trophy.



Eriksson, who was in charge of England for 67 games from 2001-2006, handed Gerrard the England armband for the first time when they faced Sweden in 2004.



He believes that Gerrard's leadership in 2012 would make him the perfect choice for the award.



“It would be Steven Gerrard for me, he is the captain of the team and played very well last year for England," Eriksson told TheFA.com



“It was very easy for me as England Manager to have Steven Gerrard in my team, to work with him was very easy.

Gerrard gets Sven's vote for the 'Player Of The Year' Prize.

"He is a fantastic football player, he can attack, his passing is outstanding and he can score goals. He is very good at defending and is one of the best midfielders you can find in the world."



Eriksson added: “Steven was captain for the first time under me, against Sweden, and he has grown from that moment.



"He is a leader, absolutely. When he speaks everyone listens, no doubts about that.”

Hodgson: Dreaming of World Cup glory

England boss Roy Hodgson says the team should fight the doom-mongers and believe they can lift the 2014 World Cup.

The 65-year-old replaced Fabio Capello in May following the Italian's resignation



and led England to the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 in his first major championship at the helm.



England's only tournament triumph was the 1966 World Cup, but not having reached a semi-final of a major event since Euro '96, few will expect too many fireworks on the biggest stage in Brazil in 18 months.



But pointing to Chelsea's hugely unlikely Champions League glory last season, Hodgson told BBC's Radio 5 live: "You could say we are far from being favourites for the World Cup so therefore winning it is not a likelihood.



"But you've got to shy away from 'impossible' in football. There are plenty of events that we could point to in footballing terms that you could have said were impossible, but people have done it.



"It wasn't likely that Chelsea would become champions of Europe, especially having to change their manager in mid-stream but they did.



"That was by beating Barcelona and Bayern Munich, two of the best teams in Europe along the way, so I'd like to keep that dream alive."



The former Fulham manager strongly denied the claim that there was a severe shortage of quality players available to him.



"I hope that I will never been tripped into saying, 'well, we don't have enough players or there's not enough players good enough to play for England' because that would be a very sad indictment," Hodgson added.



"I know there are a lot of foreigners in the league, but there's plenty of English ones. There were seven Englishmen playing for Manchester United the other day and they're top of the Premier League.



"I hope I'm not going to be tricked into saying that some time to disguise my disappointment in a defeat or to try and shift the blame to somebody else."



Many of England's players were lambasted for a lacklustre showing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, after being knocked out in the last 16 with a 4-1 crushing defeat by Germany.



But Hodgson was adamant the general public needed to appreciate the pressures of performing at the highest level, adding: "I would like to see a little bit more kindness sometimes offered to the players.



"There's no doubt in my mind there are as aware of anybody we need to win, we need to bring something back to the English public.



"But sometimes if you put so much pressure on these young people there's no doubt they can be hampered by that rather than encouraged.



"And it's that delicate balance of having the expectation which propels you forward because you want to succeed and you want to show people you can meet their expectations or freezing a little bit because you feel, 'whatever I do is never going to be good enough'."



England currently sit second in World Cup qualifying Group H, two points behind Montenegro after four games.



Hodgson said: "We are aiming to finish on top of the group and not have to go through a play-off situation where you can quite easily lose as well.



"If we can't win the group let's hope to God we can come second and give ourselves a chance at least in the play-offs because the goal is to reach Brazil in 2014.



"In an ideal world we would do it by winning the group and sailing through and be ready when it comes around, but there's no guarantee of course that winning the group and sailing through your group stages helps you when you get to the final competition. We've seen that with England."



England went out of Euro 2012 following yet another penalty shoot-out defeat and Hodgson said he liked the idea of taking spot-kicks after friendlies next year to prepare players for the real thing in front of a packed crowd.



When asked if the England job would be his last, he said: "It would be nice to think it could be.



"It would be nice to think I could be in the job for a sufficient period of time when the time comes to an end to say, 'that's been a great career, I've enjoyed it, I'm quite old, now it's time to pass over to younger people'.



"But it's a dangerous thing to say as well. Football's in your blood."



Hodgson also urged people not to trust everything they read about him.



He added: "I was told by my sister that on Wikipedia I have two sons and I



don't know where the other one's come from. And that I'm a great Rolling Stones fan and, with great respect to the Rolling Stones, I was brought up with soul music and rhythm and blues.

"There're a lot of things that can the written about you. Another thing I



heard strangely enough was that I'm a harmonica player. Someone less musical than me would be hard to find."

Rooney: Tipped to perform well at the World Cup

Roy Hodgson has tipped Wayne Rooney to be one of the stars of the tournament at the next World Cup in Brazil, but admits the pressure to perform can be too much for even the best players.

Rooney failed to impress at the 2010 World Cup and, after being suspended for the first two games of Euro 2012, barely made an impact in Poland and Ukraine this summer.



Hodgson hopes the atmosphere in Brazil will bring out the best in Rooney and has revealed just how determined the Manchester United striker is to leave an impression on the greatest stage.



"Wayne could thrive here on this stage. He's a great player, a player who decides games, and he could be one of the stars of the tournament," Hodgson told The Times on a visit to Rio de Janeiro this week.



"He's an unbelievably talented player who, in his own opinion, still has unfinished business there.



"He would love, I'm sure, to have a great World Cup. He's a player who desperately wants to do well for England and he was desperately proud when I gave him the captaincy against San Marino.



"Nobody wants to do better than him, but of course he bears that burden every time he steps on to the field."



There is a huge level of expectation on Rooney and Hodgson appreciates how difficult that can be to handle.



"The whole of England, including the press, expect him to play at the very, very top of his game and sometimes, of course, he can't do that being a human being," explained the Three Lions manager.



"Quite often in World Cups the responsibility falls upon one outstanding player to bring his team through, and it can be too much. I remember 1994; Roberto Baggio was a massive star - I worked with him later at Inter Milan - and the pressure upon him to really deliver for Italy proved a little bit too much.



"At the last World Cup, we all thought Lionel Messi was going to be the man and perhaps he wasn't.



"Quite often the players have had this burden to carry on their shoulders. We've seen it in glimpses, but at the end they maybe haven't quite done so but still rank among the world's greatest players."

Tuesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- David Beckham is in line for a role at the FA after Chairman David Bernstein hailed the former England captain as a unique sporting figure.



- Manchester City are monitoring developments with Paris St Germain defender Mamadou Sakho, according to Dailymail.



- Manchester City have entered the chase for Sampdoria midfielder Pedro Obiang who has also been tracked by Chelsea and Tottenham, according to the Daily Mail.



- Arsenal and Manchester United are both keeping tabs on Hamburg prospect Jonathan Tah, according to sources in Germany.



- Arsenal are plotting an audacious January swoop for out-of-favour Manchester United winger Nani, according to the Daily Mail.



- Arsenal have hit another brick wall in contract talks with Theo Walcott, according to the Daily Mail. Walcott is out of contract at the end of the season.



- Kevin De Bruyne intends to return to Chelsea at the end of the season and stake a claim for a regular first team place.



- Chelsea scouts will run the rule over Corinthians star Paulinho on Wednesday - to try to decide if he can be the answer to their midfield crisis. Chelsea have also looked at Cheick Tiote of Newcastle and Everton's Marouane Fellaini.



- Paris Saint-Germain insist they have no plans to launch a January bid for Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder, who continues to also be linked with Manchester United, with coach Carlo Ancelotti telling reporters: "The transfer window for PSG is very clear: the only arrival will be Lucas, there will not be any more."



- Liverpool starlet Raheem Sterling has been urged by team-mate Joe Cole to stay at Anfield following reports linking him with a move to Manchester United.



- Liverpool have made a move to sign Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez.



- Tottenham could launch a shock January bid for Wesley Sneijder, according to reports in Italy.



- Demba Ba will leave Newcastle United as soon as the transfer window opens in January, according to Mirror.



- Reading are lining up a shock transfer window swoop to bring flop Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko back to the Premier League, according to Mirror.



- Steve Sidwell has called on Fulham to pull out all the stops to tie down Brede Hangeland to a new deal at Craven Cottage.



- Premier League strugglers Sunderland will face competition from Palermo to land Manchester City starlet John Guidetti next month.



- Radamel Falcao has dashed Chelsea and Manchester City's hopes of signing him in January by claiming that he is happy at Atletico Madrid.



- Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham target Mehdi Benatia is set to sign for Napoli.



- Sergio Ramos says he wants to spend the rest of his career at Real Madrid.



- AC Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani has told Roberto Mancini to forget about a swap deal involving Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy.



- Santos coach Muricy Ramalho says Neymar should sign for Barcelona if he leaves Brazil due to the teams' similar playing style.



- Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim is unsure whether the club has made an approach for Kaka after admitting his interest in the Real Madrid midfielder at the weekend.



- The agent of Juventus star Arturo Vidal has handed Manchester United and Manchester City a transfer blow by claiming the midfielder is already at the "biggest club in the world".



- The agent of young Serbian star Lazar Markovic has denied that the player will be leaving Partizan Belgrade in the near future.



- Spanish champions Real Madrid have joined Fulham and Sunderland in the race to sign Rayo Vallecano hotshot Leo Baptistao.



- Schalke's general manger Horst Heldt insists Arsenal have not made a move for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and says rumours of an exit are 'fairytales'.



- Ajax star Christian Eriksen has all but ruled out a January switch away from Amsterdam - but he has opened the door to a move at the end of the season.



- Feyenoord have made youngsters Kaj Ramsteijn and Anass Achahbar available for loan as they look for the pair to gain first-team experience.



- Striker Dexter Blackstock has urged Nottingham Forest to open talks over extending his contract, with his current deal set to expire in the summer.

Beckham: I’d love to play for England again

David Beckham road show is moving on but do not think for a minute it is winding down.



After six seasons in the States, Becks plays his final game for the LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup Final against Houston Dynamo tomorrow.

But ask him, at the ripe old age of 37, if he’s thinking of retirement the answer is an unequivocal “No”. Becks has not even called time on his England career.

Clubs in mainland Europe, China, Australia, Brazil and England would still love to sign Becks. However, he appears to rule out a return to the Premier League with QPR or West Ham.

Faded glamour team Monaco have now jumped to the head of the queue as favourites even though they are currently in the second tier of French football.

They are top of the table and backed by a Russian billionaire and you would have to say a stint on the French Riviera sounds very in-keeping with “Brand Beckham”.

It would be particularly appealing to Becks’ wife Victoria and her fashion projects.

Meanwhile, Beckham is also in talks about finalising his dream of becoming an owner of an MLS franchise.

The result of that will, he revealed, be announced ‘soon’.

Becks said: “Retirement hasn’t even come into my head yet, to be honest.

“I feel great, physically good. I’ve scored seven goals, had nine assists and played in the majority of games and physically I do feel I can play on “I’m happy I’ve played in America for six years but now is the time to go and do something different.

“Everyone knows I’ve always enjoyed a challenge in my career and done pretty well with them.

“I feel I’ve got another one in me. “I’ve been discussing a franchise with my manager for the last six months.

“I’m in talks, I can’t say who with, but it’s an exciting project.

“I’m going to enjoy being an owner, It will be announced pretty soon we are going over small details.”

Beckham made the last of his 115 England appearances against Belarus at Wembley three years ago and accepts it is unlikely he will wear the white shirt again.

But he turned down the offer of a farewell cap from then England boss Fabio Capello and refuses to write of his international career completely — despite new manager Roy Hodgson building a future with younger players.

Beckham said: “I’ve not played for my country for quite a few years now.

“Would I like to? Of course. That’s why I’ve never come out and said I’ve retired from England because if there was any chance at any point that there was hardly any players fit then of course I would love to be playing for my country. Will it happen? I doubt it but you never know.”

The MLS invested around £22million in taking Becks to the MLS and the general consensus is that it has been money well spent.

Beckham’s aim was to increase awareness of the MLS and to be successful on the field — and he believes both have been achieved.

This is his third MLS Cup Final and Galaxy are aiming to retain the trophy at their very own Home Depot Center tomorrow.

He added: “On the field has been most important because I want to win trophies and championships.

“Off the field has become important because I want to leave a lasting legacy — and a league that’s in a great position to push forward to challenge to be one of the big leagues.

“I’m happy with what I’ve done getting to three finals in six years, winning one and hopefully winning another one.

“I’ve seen six new stadiums built, there are six new teams, and attendances have been in the top three in US sports “Also Thierry Henry, Robbie Keane and Tim Cahill coming over is great for the game.

“The biggest thing is that people are talking about it in Europe now. Going back to England they talk about the Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls and Seattle.”

Beckham insists the move was not about money even if there are those who refuse to believe him.

He asked: “Do people still question my motives?” he asked.

“My career has never been about the money. Wherever I’ve gone in my career I played the sport because I love it. It was never about the money and never will be.

“I’m excited to be in another final. The emotions will come out and the realisation it’s my last game for the Galaxy.

“But to be in a final at our own stadium in front of our own fans is kind of a nice way to go out.”




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Gerrard - I am a six out of 10

Steven Gerrard has accepted his international career could have been better.

The Liverpool captain will become only the sixth Three Lion to reach 100 caps when facing Sweden on Wednesday night, following in the footsteps of Peter Shilton, David Beckham,Bobby Moore, Sir Bobby Charlton and Billy Wright.



The third and fourth names on that list stand out immediately as true icons of the English game, the man who captained their only World Cup-winning team and its best player.



So often lauded as one of the best of his own generation, it is that standard Gerrard judges himself by.



100 for Gerrard

And, in comparison, the 32-year-old does not believe his own achievements stand up to much scrutiny, as he said: "If they are a 10 I would rate myself as a six or seven.



"(Moore and Charlton) will always be heroes of mine and heroes of English football.



"In football, hero and legend status get given out far too easily. As far as playing for England goes, there are maybe 14 or 15 heroes. The rest haven't really delivered."



It is hard to escape the view that Gerrard's time has coincided with one of international disappointments.



The assessment is not one he disagrees with, particularly when he looks back to the period between his debut in 2000 and Euro 2004.



At the time, Sven Goran Eriksson seemed to have presided over a decent period, reaching three quarter-finals in a row for the first time but Gerrard knows it should have been better.



"I don't really like talking about the 'golden generation' but, front to back, that was a really strong team," he said. "I totally agree that group of players underachieved at big tournaments."



Now Gerrard's aim will be to ensure the next generation, the likes of Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha, are given the best possible help at the start of their England careers.



"I don't want any of these young lads to fear me," he said. "I'm approachable. The first thing I do when someone is new into the group is speak to them because I know how intimidating this set-up can be, especially for Wilfried.



"He has come from the Championship and is not playing against these players every week, so doesn't get a chance to speak to them. I told him if he needs anything, I am here."

Sterling and Osman will start

Roy Hodgson will create a new landmark when he thrusts Leon Osman and Raheem Sterling into the England fray against Sweden in Stockholm on Wednesday evening.

Osman, at 31 years and 181 days and Sterling, at just 17 years and 342 will create the biggest age gap between Three Lions debutants since World War II.

With Tottenham's Steven Caulker included in Hodgson's starting XI as well, his first international appearance since being embroiled in the atrocious scenes after the U21 clash in Serbia, suddenly a late autumn trip to Sweden has taken on greater importance.

"Steven Caulker and Raheem have been playing regularly for the Under-21s and have made that transition," said Hodgson, who has taken the unusual step of naming his starting XI. "Leon Osman is the odd one out. He has been performing regularly and well for Everton but has been passed over.

"I thought it was time to give him a chance because he has been one of the unsung heroes of a very good football club and a very good football team. He is a very energetic player. And the fact he is 31 surprises me because he plays like a much younger man.

"Let's hope that continues and I won't have to worry about his birth certificate."

If Osman is getting due recognition for his selfless contribution to the Everton cause, it is the man who hails from the other side of Stanley Park who will get all the attention, as Sterling will become England's fifth youngest international.

"In some of the Liverpool games I have seen, he has pretty much been the star player," said Hodgson, who first noticed Sterling properly when he was at Anfield and blooded the youngster in a pre-season match against Borussia Monchengladbach, at which point he was only 15.

"He is extremely dangerous with his ability to run with the ball, his pace and directness. He has even scored one or two important goals. If he can do it on a regular basis for Liverpool in the Premier League I have every right to think he can do it playing for England as well."



England team to play Sweden: Hart (Manchester City), Johnson (Liverpool), Cahill (Chelsea), Caulker (Tottenham), Baines (Everton), Gerrard (Liverpool), Cleverley (Manchester United), Osman (Everton), Sterling (Liverpool), Welbeck (Manchester United), Young (Manchester United).