Top 10 Young British Footballers - Part 2

If you haven't read Part 1, you can find it here. So, who do you think I will pick to make up my top 5 British footballers in the Premier League over the last year?

5: Jack Rodwell - Everton (DM)



It might be easy to forget that Jack Rodwell is still only nineteen. He seems to have been around the Everton team for ages having made his Premier League debut back in 2008 and has now made over fifty appearances for Everton. While originally a centre-back, he has moved forward to a move holding midfield role as he has matured. Unfortunatley, injuries have prevented him from forcing his way into Fabio Capello's England side, but with such composure and technique for a young man, it's only a matter of time. Having already been heavily linked with Man Utd and Chelsea, Everton face an uphill task keeping hold of him.

4: Jordan Henderson - Sunderland (CM)



Jordan Henderson is another sure pick for future England selection and a possible move to one of the bigger clubs in the Premiership. While originally played on the right wing, the absence of Lee Cattermole allowed him to move to his preferred central role and he has excelled in the position. Already a fan favourite, Henderson has played over sixty games for Sunderland and has been linked with Man Utd. Henderson's form was rewarded when he was selected for England to face France.

3: Jack Wilshere - Arsenal (CM)



Arsene Wenger didn't want Jack Wilshere to go back to Bolton after his impressive loan spell there last season. Instead, he wants him to try and force his way into the Arsenal first team. Arsenal boast an impressive array of talent in their midfield so Wilshere isn't guaranteed first team football. This said, he has managed to play an integral part in Arsenal's title challenge, showing off his vision, passing and movement. Having been compared to Paul Scholes, Wilshere will undoubtedly be a future superstar.

2: Andrew Carroll - Newcastle United (ST)



I know Carroll is technically over 21, but only by 4 days, so I'm going to break my own rules here and let is slide. After the departure of Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins after Newcastle's relegation, Carroll was one of the few remaining strikers left at St. James' Park. While his pairing with Shola Ameobi may have initially seemed unnerving to Newcastle fans they needn't have worried, as he finished the season with 17 goals in the Championship. He has seemingly managed to cope in the Premier League having already scored 11 goals. He has been linked to Tottenham but I think he should maybe stay at Newcastle for at least one more season to really develop his skills and Premier League experience.

1: Gareth Bale - Tottenham Hostpur (LB/LM)



Who else would you choose for you're number one pick? Gareth Bale has been in incredible form over the last year. Who would have thought it too, after Tottenham just couldn't find a win in 24 games when Bale played? However, after convincing displays and goals against Arsenal and Chelsea, Bale's form went from strength to strength. In a strong midfield alongside Luka Modric, Aaron Lennon and Rafael Van Der Vaart, Tottenham have many attacking options and are playing very well. Bale has been key to this form and inspired wins against Inter Milan as well as almost single handedly salvaging the first game against them, scoring a hat-trick in their 4-3 defeat. His speed, delivery and finishing are up with some of the best players in the world right now and he looks to improve every game.

Thanks for reading. Who would you put in your Top-10? Let me know!

Top 10 Young British Footballers - Part 1

The Premier League has become so much more competitive in the last two or three seasons. The so-called 'Top Four' clubs are no longer so dominant in what has become an ever increasingly unpredictable league. With so much pressure being put on homegrown footballer quotas, the weakness of the UK's international teams and grass root development, I have chosen 10 British footballers who I feel have really impressed during the last year of the Premier League and who I feel have the potential to become top players in football. The only rule I have set myself is that all candidates must be 21 or under.

So in reverse order:

10: Kieran Gibbs - Arsenal (LB)



If it wasn't for a number of injuries I believe Gibbs would be much higher up my list. I first saw Kieran Gibbs during Arsenal's Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford. I thought apart from some early nerves and a costly slip he played a fantastic game and managed to keep a certain Cristiano Ronaldo quiet. When he hasn't been injured he has looked a good player and even earned himself an England call-up in Fabio Capello's new look side. However, having only played one full game this season, Gibbs will be hoping that he can regain his fitness and show everybody how much of a good player he really is.

9: Chris Smalling - Manchester United (CB)



Chris Smalling must be doing something right. After a move to Fulham from non-leauge Maidstone United, Sir Alex Ferguson took a gamble and bought him to Manchester United. During his time at Fulham he made 13 premier league appearances, his first start against Chelsea which shows the management at Fulham obviously had some faith in him. After joining Man Utd for a reported £12,000,000 he had to bide his time. With the form of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic he has found it hard to stake a regular first team place. However, the inconsistent form of Jonny Evans has helped and Smalling started his first Premier League game for Man Utd against Stoke. If Evans can regain his form, Manchester United look to have a sturdy defensive pairing after Ferdinand and Vidic decide to call it a day.

8: Phil Jones - Blackburn Rovers (CB)



Phil Jones exploded onto the Premier League scene with a resilient display against Chelsea and looked more than comfortable as Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and co. tried to find gaps in his defence. He almost instantly became a regular in Blackburn's side and had started every single game of the 2010/11 season until a knee injury has unfortunately sidelined him for the next five months. Jones has been a regular in the England U-21 side and has already begun to attract the attention of leading Premier League clubs.

7: Marc Albrighton - Aston Villa(RM)



Aston Villa haven't had much to be happy about this season. With the departures to James Milner and then Martin O'Neill, the impressive form of Marc Albrighton has been a blessing. He has confidence to run at defenders and his crossing ability is also difficult for them to deal with. Having begun his career at Villa at the age of 8, it is refreshing to see players turning out for their boyhood teams. Despite the above mentioned departures, Albrighton, along with fellow academy products Ciaran Clark, Nathan Delfouneso and Barry Bannan, Aston Villa do have some exciting prospects in their ranks.

6: Séamus Coleman - Everton (RB/RM)



While on loan at Blackpool last season, Séamus Coleman was instrumental in helping them to secure promotion into the Premier League last season. Now back at Everton he has secured a place at either right back or a more attacking right midfield position that has seen him produce three goals already this season, his first coming against his old loan club Blackpool. I have been impressed by his consistency and while he hasn't started every match this season he has made appearances from the bench in all but three games. While he may never show superstar flair he seems very dependable and consistent and the young Irishman looks set to have a bright career.

Check back tomorrow when I reveal who I feel are the top 5 young British footballers in the premier league this season.

Tom

The 20 Most Dangerous Drugs - Response

I watched this documentary titled the 20 Most Dangerous Drugs. It's a BBC produced documentary so obviously has its own agenda and I found it a bit contradictory at times as well as being very rushed. It claims to dispel conventional thinking and base its finding directly on science.



What I did find most interesting, however, is the differing views of professionals. The list follows three criteria, the harm the drug does to the individual, how addictive the drug is and finally the impact on society. The link is here if you want to check it out for yourselves. If you can't be bothered sitting through the 49 minutes of it the count down is, as follows. It's quite surprising.


20. Khat
19. Alkyl Nitrite (Poppers)
18. Ecstasy
17. GHB (Liquid Ecstasy)
16. Anabolic Steroids
15. Methylphenidate
14. LSD
13. 4MTA
12. Solvents
11. Cannabis
10. Buprenorphine
9. Tobacco
8. Amphetamine
7. Benzodiazapines (Valleum etc)
6. Ketamine
5. Alcohol
4. Methadone
3. Barbiturates
2. Cocaine
1. Heroin

I can agree completely that heroin and cocaine are very damaging drugs but I don't think that they followed their own guidelines as thoroughly as they say. Alcohol is a very contentious inclusion at number 5 but if it were my list, I probably would have put it higher. While I admit that the additivity of heroin and cocaine are through the roof the actual harm on the body is negligible, unless overdosing. Heroin addicts are more likely to die when they begin to surrender more and more life necessities such as shelter and warmth in order to pay for their habit. The impacts on society inflicted by heroin or cocaine are nothing compared to alcohol. You might see a group of smack heads sat in a park but in comparison to the amount of pissed-up people wandering round town or the amount of money spent on anti-social behaviour, repairing damage or hospital costs caused by drunk people, the effects of alcohol on society vastly outweighs all of the other drugs on the list put together.



However, I do feel alcohol is given a bit of a tough break in the number of deaths it is attributed to. While ecstasy, sitting at number 18 is only attributed to 2 deaths a year, alcohol is apparently involved in 40,000 RELATED deaths. This doesn't mean that drinking too much alcohol kills a person (although it can), it means that when you're pissed you're more likely to step out in front of a bus or fall into a canal and drown. I think this is a little unfair as the results of related deaths due to cannabis or ecstasy aren't included and I feel you're still likely to be hit by a car when under the influence of these drugs as you are if you drank too much alcohol. The ecstasy death toll doesn't include the amount of people who die when dehydrating themselves or conversely, drink too much water and drown their own brain.

There are a few other wild cards thrown into this list. Cannabis and solvents are separated by only one place. Solvent users are around 30,000 and are responsible for 50-60 deaths per year, while cannabis users are up to around 3 million with only 1 death per year. When even first-time solvent users can die you would have thought it would be further up the list. Interesting, the same doctor who pretty much states on record that there are NO negative effects from ecstasy would probably put cannabis further up the list if she could. We all know that there are risks involved with cannabis such as developed schizophrenia and long term brain effects but this is still very theoretical. LSD is only at number 14 and fails to take into account bad trips or flashbacks.



Anabolic steroids are another tricky one. How many fights every weekend involve juiced-up, angry pricks looking to kick off? It's well known they can cause little dick syndrome (not the medical name) in men as well as having terrible consequences for the heart or liver. With the user desperate to maintain their image they begin to use steroids more and more, becoming psychologically addicted. This checks all three criteria so why is this so far down the list? Similarly tobacco. Incredibly addictive, can cause cancer and with the threat of passive smoking it effects members of society. Why does this only reach number 9 on the list?

As this documentary points out, this list will almost certainly be challenged and you might want to challenge what I've said. The problem is, for example, if you have a family member or close friend who has committed suicide and at the time smoked, what you considered, 'too much' marijuana then obviously you'll have you're own view on the subject and that's fair enough. I'm in a lucky situation where I feel I can make an unbiased view. I'm not defending any certain drug and deliberately didn't try and make my own table. First off, I'm no expert, I've not even heard of some of the drugs on this list nor do I think I could make a fair tally. I just question whether the scientists that made this documentary really considered the three criteria they set at the beginning.