Whoopsie, I was busy yelling at ESPN for their ability to talk up Michael Bradley at Chievo Verona and forgot to put up a post. So talk on -- how will Tim Howard do against Samir Handanovic? How long has it taken Kirsten to learn to spell the Slovenian goalkeeper's name? Will the fog affect the play between the USA and Slovenia?

Oh, and Ireland plays Estonia today. Considering they thumped a nine-man Estonia team in Tallinn, there's not a lot of hype surrounding that match. It's almost certain that Ireland will head off to Poland / Ukraine next summer for Euro 2012. It's also almost a given that Croatia, playing their second leg against Turkey, will move on to the tournament. The only real question is between Portugal and Bosnia -- who do you think will move on?

Finally, there's CONMEBOL qualifying later this afternoon, as well as an epic matchup between Luis Suarez and Mario Balotelli in Italy vs Uruguay. I hope fireworks are involved.

Oh, Aston Villa and their injury woes. First, it was Gabby Agbonlahor that needed to pull out of the England squad with hamstring trouble. We cried, we moaned, we gnashed our teeth. Agbonlahor's first call up in two years, and of course his hammie goes. He was scheduled for a scan on Friday, but we don't have any new information on whether Gabby will be fit for the match against Tottenham Hotspur next Monday. More news after we get it, or, more likely, after one of us wakes up.

Now, it's Nathan Delfouneso that's picked up a hamstring injury (aside: what the hell has Alex McLeish been doing to these players? They were both away at international duty, so they didn't run the military gauntlet. Hmm). We mentioned last week that Delf was hurt against Iceland, but now it's been confirmed that it was a hamstring injury, and he won't be traveling to the England U21 Championship Qualifier in Belgium. Sigh.

Anyone who doesn't think that England are going to be thoroughly demolished by Spain today is somehow a bigger optimist than Robert. Phil Jones has to deal with Xavi. Just read that sentence again, will you? Glen Johnson and Joleon Lescott are in defense. Have fun with Davids Silva and Villa, guys.

Spain, meanwhile, are missing Carles Puyol. Really looks to have weakened them. They are likely huddling together in terror in the dressing room as we speak, wondering just how they're going to take down this strong English side. Well, that or simply saying their prayers that none of these guys break off any of their body parts.

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Sorry this is a bit late everyone. Go nuts! I will probably be indulging in profanity laced tirades against Jurgen Klinsmann should time allow, so stick around for that!

SOB. I'm just in from a night of carousing, only to learn that Gabby Agbonlahor has withdrawn from England's friendly against Spain with a hamstring injury. This is horribly depressing news, as it's the first time in ages that Gabby has actually been called up for England -- and a most deserved call up as well, I might add -- and now, once again, his damn hamstring is acting up.

Agbonlahor was assessed by the England national team's medical squad, which I'm sure are totally up to date and current on all forms of injury, and it was decided that he couldn't train with the Three Lions today, so they shipped him back to Aston Villa. In all honesty, I'm shocked he wasn't hurt during one of the Villa's military training sessions. Are we really so sure that having him back at Bodymoor Heath is the best place for our star player?

We all know the story of Ireland's failed attempt to make the 2010 World Cup: France and the Republic of Ireland were involved in the playoff rounds, with the winner taking the spot in South Africa. Les Bleus won the first round, played in Dublin, but Robbie Keane scored first in France. The game moved on to extra time, where William Gallas scored the winner -- but captain Thierry Henry admitted he'd handled the ball in the run-up to the goal. Karma took its revenge on France, however, with the squad being eliminated in the group stages.

Flash forward two years, and Ireland are involved in yet another playoff match, this time to earn qualification to Euro 2012. The Irish haven't qualified for the Euros since 1988, when they were eliminated in the first round. In this year's Euro 2012 qualification, the Boys in Green were in a group with Russia, Slovakia, Armenia, Macedonia and Andorra. It seemed a simple enough group -- yes, Russia would likely take top, but it would be easy enough for Ireland to take second place. But the final places in Group B weren't decided until the final round, with Slovakia folding like a cheap table and Armenia putting up a surprisingly good fight.

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Something that always strikes fear into the heart of Aston Villa fans: the news that Shay Given has had to sit out a training session. Turns out our beloved goalkeeper had a bit of a stiff neck -- I wonder if he's experiencing a bit of residual pain from having crinked his neck while watching Anthony Pilkington's free kick sail by? Speaking of the Norwich City forward, the Republic of Ireland might want to consider giving him a run out, if only to have him on hand for set pieces. Ay dios mio.

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Scotland play Cyprus in a friendly on Friday, and -- surprise! -- many of their best have pulled out of the squad, forcing Craig Levein to call up players from the SPL, the Championship, and League 1. Congrats, Scotland, you're officially Slovakia now.

In Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has pulled out of the squad with a knee injury, although somehow I managed to miss this news in the papers. It's entirely possible that Levein watched the performance on Saturday and asked Hutton if he could make up some sort of excuse for missing the trip to Cyprus.

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