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Attack on Togo team so sad

What's this world coming to? A week ago the Togo team were attacked as they drove to the African Nations Cup being played in Angola. People were killed and injured. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. When people start attacking footballer players with machine guns it makes you despair.

I don't what kind of point these people were trying to prove by attacking the team and I wondered whether it would have been better if they had called the tournament off. I honestly don't know. And I also wondered whether the tournament should have been given to Angola in the first place since that country has been affected by war for years and years.

Now it makes me wonder about South Africa hosting the World Cup. But South Africa is not Angola and I hope and pray something like this doesn't happen this summer.

This is the second time within a year that sportsmen have been attacked. Last March gunmen killed seven people in an attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team who were in a bus going to a match in Pakistan. And look what has happened since. No team or players will go to the country. And you can't blame them. This is your life you are talking about. And then we all remember what happened in 1972 at the Munich Olympics when the Israeli athletes were killed.

We see so much fighting around the world these days. Politicians are fighting and poor people are angry. And when people are angry they lash out and hurt others.

Just look at what is happening in this little Island of ours. It is terrible and has to stop. It seems that no one is immune.

The Togo players will be affected by this for the rest of their lives and who knows what is in the minds of the players at the tournament.

* * * *

Only a few games were played last weekend in England but hopefully we will get the full schedule this weekend.

Normally I would say that Liverpool should take all three points when they travel to Stoke for the early Saturday game but now I am not too sure.

They have been having a tough time of it lately and this week they were dumped out of the FA Cup by Reading. The pressure is on Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez especially since the key injuries in Wednesday's 2-1 extra time FA Cup loss.

Striker Fernando Torres is now out for six weeks with a knee injury and skipper Steven Gerrard is out for a couple of weeks with a hamstring and midfielder Yossi Benayoun, who I really like, is out for a month with a rib injury. This is going to cause Benitez some sleepless nights and Stoke is a tough place to go to. They give it their all and will be up for this game – as will their fans who really make themselves heard.

Liverpool are out of the Champions League as well and are seventh in the league. It will be interesting to see how long Benitez survives if he doesn't turn it around. One thing is for sure – all those players he has brought in and are sitting on the bench are going to have to step it up.

Benitez does have Argentina winger Maxi Rodriguez coming in from Atletico Madrid and he is a good player. But how long will it take for him to adapt to the Premier League?

One person who has seemingly adapted quickly to the English game is American striker Landon Donovan who joined Everton on loan from the LA Galaxy. He had his first game last weekend against Arsenal and a exciting game it was, ending in a 2-2 draw with the snow coming down hard.

I thought Donovan did very well. We all knew he could play but his time spent in Europe before in Germany was not the best. But against Arsenal he looked sharp but the Gunners are the type of team that will allow you to play good football. We will have to see how he reacts when he comes up against a team that likes to kick people!

The other week I mentioned how impressed I was with Birmingham and their Scottish manager Alex McLeish. Well I keep getting more and more impressed. Last weekend they drew with Manchester United and in fact were a bit unlucky not to win. Birmingham are now on a 12-match unbeaten run and will probably win against bottom-placed Portsmouth.

This is one of the tightest races in the Premier League in years and the team to watch out for are Manchester City who take on Everton today.

City are playing some good football and are now a lot stronger at the back since the arrival of Italian manager Roberto Mancini. And Tevez is knocking them in. I also like the fact that Micah Richards is playing a more central role rather than being left outside where he is a bit more exposed. He seems more composed now and England should be looking at him to take to South Africa. He is a big strong boy who heads the ball very well.

City will obviously have striker Emmanuel Adebayor in their thoughts today. The Togo striker is on compassionate leave following the deadly attack on his national team's bus.

Tomorrow Aston Villa will host my boys West Ham and I hope Zola can get some injured players back.