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His name is Rio, he’ll be watching in the stands..

Just as England thought their injury worries were easing as Gareth Barry joined in with team training in a sun-soaked Rustenburg, their World Cup hopes suffered a significant setback when Rio Ferdinand was taken to hospital with a knee ligament injury which will rule him out of the World Cup.

The Manchester United centre-back, aged 31, sustained the injury in what has since been described as a “normal tackle” involving team-mate Emile Heskey towards the end of training. His absence however, will be a huge cause of concern for the meticulous Italian Capello, who had to scroll through his recently used contacts and advise the previously uncapped Michael Dawson to catch the next plane to South Africa.

But just how much will Rio’s lateral knee ligaments affect England’s chances of reaching the later stages of the tournament?

Earlier in an injury-hit season for the united man, we saw Spain’s Fernando Torres as he tore past Ferdinand to crash home a drive and persistent back problems meant he only made 13 Premier League starts for United. The injury is a big blow for England and it would be easy to be dismissive of England’s chances due to the loss of a man who the squad looked upon for leadership, experience and charisma.

However, Tottenham’s Ledley King may represent a perfect replacement for the crocked Ferdinand so long as his own knee stands up to the test in order for him to try and emulate the excellent performances which played a huge part in Tottenham finishing in the 4^th and final Champions League spot.

Speaking to www.goal.com Former England man Bryan Robson spoke of a blow for England but also how Ledley King represents a pool of talented cover at centre-half.

“It’s unfortunate for Rio but now Michael Dawson, Ledley King and Matthew Upson get their chance.”

“I think England can still win the World Cup. There’s enough strength in that centre-half position to cope with Rio’s loss.”

Can Capello's 23 rule the world?

When somebody says 1966, one thing is likely to be prevalent in your mind: the year in which our footballing nation won the World Cup for the first time at the expense of West Germany at Wembley.

44 years on and still without another World Cup to their name, England travel to South Africa leaving people all over the nation asking if this is to be the venue where they shall cast away the years of heartache and sorrow that England fans have had to endure. With only two weeks before the tournament commences, it is time to cross our fingers and believe.

The usual songs, advertisement and traditions that people have become accustomed to every four years are in full swing and they are all aimed towards the nation pulling together, dreaming once again that on the 11^th July 2010 confetti will rain down on our 23 heroes and that any English tears which are shed are ones of unbridled joy – but can Capello’s 23 rule the world?

The expectancy levels are higher than ever and this is perhaps self-inflicted due to the efficiency which has been instilled by Italian boss Fabio Capello coupled with the form of Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

However, unconvincing performances against Mexico and Japan may have left England fans a little bemused and raised question marks over whether England’s 23 man squad really do possess the quality which is required to beat the likes of Brazil, Spain and Argentina in the finals.

England fans will also be hoping that neither the quality of the performances in recent friendlies and the disorganised nature of the squad announcement are carried into South Africa’s first tournament as hosts.

That squad announcement left plenty of room for discussion as Capello left out Darren Bent, in exchange for a goal-shy Emile Heskey who is seen as the man to help Wayne Rooney flourish in the tournament. This decision was criticised by many sections of the media who saw it as a significant reduction of England’s potency in attack – and who can blame them?

Bent’s exclusion must be a bitter pill to swallow for the young man who was third to only Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney in the Barclays Premier League’s top goalscorers, bagging an impressive 24 goals in 38 appearances for Sunderland. It could also be argued that this record is made all the more impressive when compared to the man boarding the plane instead, a mere 5 goals in 45 appearances for the Villa front man.

Theo Walcott’s exclusion was a surprise one, but one which in my opinion, justified by a lack of end product in the latest of England’s games in preparation for the tournament. His raw pace was there for everyone to see but his ability to get past his man and cross the ball was absent. This absence could well have been the final straw for Capello who like everyone else has seen little development since his hat-trick against Croatia.

Ultimately, only time will tell whether England can finally eradicate the pain of previous expulsion in the World Cup or whether 2010 will be another tragic of tale of what could have been.

Carson Yeung can walk tall after Blues transfer dealings

When Carson Yeung arrived at St Andrews in 2009, his pledge of up to 40 million pounds for transfers would have been met with a sceptical smile from Blues fans who knew from past experiences that promises are sometimes left unfulfilled.

The January transfer window was largely unsuccessful for Alex McLeish, whose Blues side were sitting pretty in the Premier League table, but bids of 9 million pounds and 10 million pounds for Liverpool’s Ryan Babel and Tottenham’s Roman Pavlyuchenko and completed deals for Michel and Craig Gardner for 3 million apiece were a representation that the money was there and Blues were not going to be held to ransom in negotiations.

It is perhaps in recent weeks though that Yeung has gone someway in fulfilling the pledge he made some six months ago with the 12 million he has given McLeish for the arrivals of Ben Foster and Serbian striker Nikola Zigic.

Alex McLeish made no secret of the fact that Blues had been plotting to buy a new keeper as soon as they heard the news from Manchester City that the much loved Joe Hart would be on his way back to Eastlands in the summer. The man to replace him? A man who is very much of a similar ilk to Hart when he first arrived at the club – a talented English goalkeeper, deprived of first team opportunity and hungry to prove himself at the highest level.

Although the departure of Hart, who forced his way into both the England squad and the Blues fans’ hearts with his displays, was one which left even him “choked with emotion” the arrival of Ben Foster for 6 million pounds, does serve towards easing their pain through the signing itself and what it signifies, a board who is willing to spend money and push the club forward.

Similarly, the arrival of 6ft 8inch striker Nikola Zigic from Spanish side Valencia, means Carson Yeung can begin to walk tall amongst the crowds at St Andrews as the capture of the front man for the same money paid for Ben Foster leaves Blues total spend just a few weeks after the close of the season at 12 million pounds on transfer fees alone and ‘Big Eck’ is certainly not going to stop there.

It is also interesting to note that Ben Foster spoke of the clubs ambition when he touched down at St Andrews, “When I talked to the manager, he spoke about the ambition of the club, the new owners are willing to put money towards it and they realistically want to target the European places next season and I think it is definitely within reach,” said Foster. Nikola Zigic also spoke of “the potential of playing in Europe” and with a few more faces to come in, orchestrated by the man who lead Blues to their best finish in 51 years, Blues fans’ have every right to dream.