Must Read: Martin Samuel on Eduardo Tackle

I cannot recommend Martin Samuel's work this week in the Times of London any more highly. He's the best football writer I know of, but this week, he's outdone himself on the Eduardo tackle.

Wednesday's column is a keeper. Talk about perspective, the guy has it nailed on the tackle and subsequent drama over the severity of punishment that should be doled out, to the dignity--or lack thereof--demonstrated by the respective coaches, to the pragmatism demonstrated by Eduardo via one simple quote: "Shit happens."

Then today, Samuel offers a sample of email and letters he's received since the incident.

I will do neither any justice. Read them both for yourself.

Feb. 27: "Mike Dean’s action at odds with the tolerance of brutality"
Feb. 28: "Tackle that divided a nation"

England's Next Manager is?

Martin Samuel of the Times of London is quickly becoming a must-read in my daily Web surfing. His take on the FA's search for an England manager is spot-on, as usual. I'll let Mr. Samuel tell it:

If [FA chief executive Brian] Barwick genuinely needed a third party to tell
him that José Mourinho and Fabio Capello are half-decent managers, he should
not be in the job. If he required an outsider to vouch for Martin O’Neill,
he has not been paying attention. Barwick acknowledges that the
process for selecting the last England head coach was wrong, but has failed to
appreciate that no single procedure will be right every time. The key is to
respond to events. As befits a football job, this is about tactics. Barwick’s are all over the place, like the bloke he appointed to succeed
Sven-Göran Eriksson.

For those of you not paying attention, it's been two weeks since England was eliminated from the Euro 2008, and more than a year since Steve McClaren started sucking as England manager.