The Hart Foundation

The England team have a crisis. A goalkeeping crisis to be more precise. The New Year is now just a sniff away, which means just six months till the World Cup kicks off. So who do England turn to as their number one?

Step forward Mr Joe Hart. The 22 year-old has been in the form of his young life this season, keeping eight clean sheets for Birmingham so far pushing them up to the dizzying heights of eighth in the League. An excellent display at home to leaders Chelsea recently, pulling off a number of sublime saves and keeping a clean sheet in the process, only reinforced people's beliefs that Hart really could be the solution to Fabio Capello's headache. Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti said afterwards, "there were some very good saves by their goalkeeper Joe Hart, who played very well." Birmingham boss Alex McLeish echoed the sounds of praise - "I know that Fabio Capello and his staff like him. He has improved since he came to us. His form has been brilliant and let's face it, he is looking a big, powerful bloke between those sticks right now. Joe has as good a chance as anybody else to be in the England squad." If he keeps up the outstanding performances he could well find himself first choice let alone in the squad.

David James was England's goalkeeper throughout the majority of the World Cup qualifiers but recent injuries and Portsmouth's rock-bottom position in the League have hindered his national number one status. The same can be said for Robert Green. West Ham currently dangle just above the relegation zone and should they, and Pompey, go down in May it can only disrupt the two keepers' concentration right before the global tournament gets underway.

Chris Kirkland is an able shot-stopper but his career has unfortunately been plagued with injury. Paul Robinson's international career faded quicker than Steve McClaren's English accent did when he moved to the Netherlands. Ben Foster is overrated and Manuel Almunia...well, let's not get started.

This all leaves Joe Hart as the prime candidate. He's remained modest when asked about it - "You can only take it with a pinch of salt - one bad performance next week and I'll be another young kid who needs to be replaced by someone with more experience." Hart need look no further than the 1990 World Cup to keep the faith. West Germany went on to lift the Jules Rimet trophy and their keeper was Bodo Illgner who not only became the first goalie to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final but was also just 23 years old.

Acts to watch out for in 2010

I'll get straight to it; three acts you need to listen to now - The Gadsdens, King Charles and Ou Est Le Swimming Pool. I predict good things for all three in 2010. The Gadsdens, are an indie/pop band from East London. Their music is melodic, Jody Gadsden's voice is distinctive (to the extent of being haunting), and their tunes are addictive. Deservedly they have been getting a lot of high praise - NME, BBC Radio 2, MTV.co.uk and The Guardian are all fans. I can only echo the critic Tom Robinson's summary that they are "like Tracy Chapman on uppers and Stevie Nicks on downers." Check them out at www.myspace.com/thegadsdens and then find their rendition of Beyonce's Halo on Youtube to be truly blown away.

King Charles is original, not just in his appearance but with his music too. One minute his songs can have a nod-along, lyrical, folksy sound before suddenly exploding into a synth-filled, high-octane buzz of energy that turns your nod-along into a head banging rave - www.myspace.com/kingcharlesuk He's already performed at Glastonbury this year on the BBC Introducing stage so watch this space.

Fancy named Ou Est Le Swimming Pool hail from the far away land of Camden. Their sound is dance infused electro pop. Their style is eclectic; one dresses a bit like a chav, one is stuck in the 80s and the other looks like a Eurovision song contest finalist. Together though they look damn cool. Check out their single Dance the way I feel at www.myspace.com/ouestleswimmingpool

I think I should mention two acts who, if I'm honest, didn't really do it for me the first time I heard them. However, the more you listen to their songs the better they become. Darwin Deez looks like Richard Simmons crashed onto the set of Napolean Dynamite and landed on the central character's brother. Once you get past this though, his songs are feel-good summer hits. Especially his single Constellations - www.myspace.com/darwindeez
Another band with a very unique voice to watch out for are Wild Beasts. I can only describe the lead vocals as being a cross between Alison Moyet, a choir boy and Anthony Hegarty from Anthony and the Johnsons. Again though their songs are contagious and the voice, after your initial shock, you have to admit is shamefully good - www.myspace.com/wildbeasts The Fly describe in their magazine how the band made the album of the year so worth a listen.

One last thing - look out for the second coming of the Klaxons, Hadouken and Lightspeed Champion who all release albums in 2010.

We're in for a good year.

Crouching Tiger, Swinging Nordegren

With the continuing Tiger Woods saga tarnishing his career, forcing him to retire from the game he dominates, losing his fans, his sponsorship deals, his credibility, his wife, his car, and some teeth apparently, I have thought of five moves Tiger Woods could make next when the storm dies down:

1) Take up a hobby. Perhaps carpentry may be of appeal - Woods by name, woods by nature. A fine selection of wooden tigers, lovingly hand-crafted, could be a delightful peace offering.

2) Become the face of Frosties cereal. Tony's getting on a bit now and Kellog's will need a new tiger. Plus, everyone knows the crunchy, frosted flakes are just grrrrrrrrrrreat.

3) Hang out with Mike Tyson. Mike likes Tigers. Tiger needs a bodyguard from the Mrs.

4) Release a single - "Eye of the Tiger." Err...actually on second thoughts, maybe that's a wrong choice of song words.

5) After spoiling the wife and begging for forgiveness, Mr Woods needs to show the world he has a heart. He should therefore donate several millions to cheated wives or endangered tigers, and then appear on Strictly Come Dancing.

My only fear now is for Roger Federer. After this scandal and Thierry Henry's cheating hands lets hope there isn't a curse of the Gillette advert.

A New Year's resolution is for life, not just for Christmas

I Wikipedia'd New Year's resolution and this is the opening sentence: A New Year's resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. Now I know most people try to give up smoking or lose weight or their virginity or whatever but I'm not looking to sacrifice anything. I am looking to acquire something. That something could be the key to unlocking my breakthrough in the freelance world. That something I want to acquire is (drum roll please) a taste for Scotch whiskey. Nothing commands more respect than a guy drinking a Scotch on the rocks. You see any man drinking whiskey from a fine tumbler and you instantly take notice. You think, "hey look at him, he's a real gent. He drinks a man's drink without spoiling it with a mixer. He must be a philosopher among his people. That man is Moses." Give me a Scotch egg, no problem. Scotch tape, let me at it. A glass of Scotch old boy, err...any coke with that? All the greatest men drank the stuff: Dean Martin, Winston Churchill, Ron Burgundy, Johnnie Walker...the list is endless. A short time ago I came home from work determined to drink a glass. My heart beat as I approached the famous grouse. We stood facing each other in a stand-off. My fingers twitched, the atmosphere was tense. I raised an eyebrow at it; the light caught the bottle and momentarily illuminated the liquid. Damn! 1-0 to the grouse. I reached for a glass not taking my eyes off it but I couldn't reach one from where I was stood so I had to break the stare and step back to pick one up. The bottle stood its ground still watching me. Damn! 2-0. I roared and lunged at the bottle tearing the lid off its neck with feral ferocity. I poured myself half a finger, glared at the whiskey in my hand, snarled and then knocked it back. Immediately my taste buds screamed at me, "what have you done you fool!" I spat out spraying the sink, window and cat with the victorious grouse's poison. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand I looked at the bottle and muttered under my breath, "you may have won this battle but you haven't won the war." Two days later my girlfriend came home to find me sat in front of the TV with a whiskey on the rocks in my hand, a concentrated look on my face and my chin rested between my thumb and index finger. Before saying hello she laughed. Not a good start. I remained composed though. She asked me what I was doing. I acted casual. "What? Oh this. Nothing. Just relaxing." I took a sip whilst looking at her, tried my best to stifle a grimace and gingerly swallowed the content. She shook her head, laughed again and walked away calling me an idiot or something of the sort. After finishing the drink nearly two hours later I vowed that one day I would acquire a taste for it. That time is now. So going back to the Wikipedia interpretation - reforming a habit, yes I will be reforming my habit of disliking it; lifestyle change - vastly, I'll no doubt have a new aura about me; advantageous - you bet your bottom dollar it will be. This time next year the grouse and I are going to be partners in crime. Watch this space. Cheers!