Die Planung » in the first. Montreal went ahead 2-0

English football wasnt having a good week until a ball was finally kicked in anger shortly past 8pm local time at Wembley on Friday night. With no club matches and a full weeks worth of newspapers to fill, the stories across the land were of the current state of the national team and whether or not a young kid called Adnan could one day play for them. It was, quite frankly, a frustrating week for the consumer. Sports fans demand quick resolutions. The great thing about sport is that it rarely goes away and it delivers strong, forthright messages straight to you, whether or not you want to receive them. Whether or not England need an FA commission, a teenager born in Belgium, or even Glenn Hoddle, to help them are questions the future will answer. On Friday what they needed the most were three points in a crucial World Cup qualifier against Montenegro in Group H. What coach Roy Hodgson needed the most was a victory that was easy on the eyes and a 4-1 win gave him just that. For now, there will be no more headlines from ex-internationals having their two cents on the problems for England, with the attention instead turning to Andros Townsend, Tottenhams winger who had a man of a match performance on his debut. Hodgsons decision to use the attack-minded Townsend and Danny Welbeck out wide, helping out Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge, appeared to be brave but, upon reflection, against a very average opponent, was a very sensible decision. The use of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the middle, starting for a 55th time together for England, wasnt a sensible decision but, for once, that wasnt the story on this day. The two wingers worked well stretching the field in the opening half, and intelligently coming narrower as the game wore on to help full backs, Kyle Walker and, more often, Leighton Baines, provide overlaps in wide areas. Baines is not as composed defensively as the injured Ashley Cole but he is unquestionably superior in the final third, which is needed, particularly, against mediocre opposition. Townsend and Welbecks desire to cut in helped Rooney and Sturridge to find more space as the Montenegro defenders looked uncomfortable against what was often a front four. Townsend will be the toast of England after an excellent debut, which included a goal, and deserves all of the headlines that will come his way. It is quite unusual for an English player to be given his first cap in such an important match but this speaks to the value of the league he plays in. The English Premier League has been criticized on many platforms for now only being one third English and not helping the national team enough but Townsends performance at Wembley on Friday counters that point. The 22-year-old has started each of Tottenhams last six league games and, although he has been inconsistent, he has been very important for Andre Villas-Boas and his staff, often shining against clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea. Townsends maturation process has been enhanced by the league, in which he plays in, being much stronger than many of the teams he will face while playing for England. On Friday he will have had butterflies at representing his country for the first time but once he settled in the game he probably realized he was playing a side that would struggle to beat the majority of the Premier League teams he faces regularly. Montenegro, of course, have some excellent footballers but missed a key quartet at Wembley, struggled at keeping the ball when they got it and tired badly in the second half. Townsend is far from the finished article, however, and this now becomes the next challenge for him and Hodgson. The English press have a reputation for building a player up and Saturdays newspapers will have a field day with the countrys newest hero. How he and the entire English camp react is very crucial, not just for him but for the culture they absolutely must set going forward. Athletes across the world are excelling at a high level younger than they ever have before. This very week in Pittsburgh I sat in the crowd watching a 22-year-old rookie pitcher get close to throwing a no-hitter in the biggest baseball game of his life with his team in a win or go home playoff game. The average age of quarterbacks in the NFL has never been younger and we now live in a world where an 18-year-old number one overall pick can go from the draft to playing in the National Hockey League in a matter of months. Experience has never been valued less by coaches but when their young phenoms excel it is up to them to temper expectations and, above all, continue to make them better. Nine years ago a 22-year-old right winger made his debut for England, scored a goal and was very impressive that night against Ukraine. Now Shaun-Wright Phillips is playing outside of the Premier League and will never play for his country again. Another example of a wasted talent, not nurtured at the club and international level properly. Many England players have gone down the same path, but in a world where youngsters are excelling more and more it is up to England to ensure Townsend, and the likes of Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere and many others, do not do the same. Expectations with the national team have never been lower in England. Should they beat Poland on Tuesday and qualify for the 2014 World Cup, no one expects them to do any damage in Brazil, so while they continue to try and make small steps towards short term, achievable goals it is imperative they make large steps to help achieve long term, ambitious goals. Adrian Beltre Jersey . -- Scottie Wilbekin sat on the bench for the final minute, holding a bag of ice against his left knee. Bartolo Colon Jersey . PAUL, Minn – The clock lingered for what seemed like an interminable two minutes and 51 seconds before Mark Fraser finally escaped to the bench during a wildly one-sided first period of an eventual loss to Boston. http://www.officialrangersgearshop.com/R...se-Kids-Jersey/. While plenty of statistics illustrate Torontos turnaround in the second year of manager Ryan Nelsens tenure, stopping goals is not one of them. Nolan Ryan Jersey .The law passed on Friday, in a 128-62 vote in the lower chamber of parliament, was prompted by FIFA bribery scandals in recent years.Switzerland-based sports leaders such as FIFA President Sepp Blatter and IOC President Thomas Bach are now classed as politically exposed persons in wider legislation covering money-laundering. Russell Wilson Jersey . Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton and Kole Calhoun all homered to help the Los Angeles Angels get their first win of the season with an 11-1 rout of the Houston Astros. SUNRISE, Fla. -- Max Pacioretty kept the Montreal Canadiens on a roll. Pacioretty had two goals and an assist to help the Canadiens extend their winning streak to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. Thomas Vanek added a goal and an assist for Montreal and Carey Price made 36 saves. David Desharnais had an empty-net goal. This was the first time Pacioretty has scored goals against the Panthers. Coming into the game, Pacioretty had never scored on 50 shots in 16 career games against the Panthers, although he did have eight assists. "Its a good feeling. I havent been able to score against this team so its nice to come into this building a put a few on the board," Pacioretty said. Both of Paciorettys goals were similar; standing near the crease and waiting for a pass to redirect into the net. "I got set up perfectly for both goals," he said. Paciorettys second goal put the Canadiens ahead 3-0 in the second period. Pacioretty camped at edge of the crease and tipped in a pass from Desharnais at 14:00 for his 35th of the season, a career high. Pacioretty has 11 points in his past 10 games. "Nothing really special (about the number of goals) Im trying to get better every year, and every year my game has gotten better," Pacioretty said. The Canadiens are playing their best hockey at an opportune time, winning eight of their past nine. "Obviously, were trying to make a push toward the playoffs. Its all about timing and being able to play well at the right time," Price said. The Canadiens seem to be hitting a groove, with good efforts from top players such as Pacioretty and Vanek and solid goaltending from Price. "They played really well again tonight," Canadiens coach Micheel Therrien said.dddddddddddd "The chemistry is there; they are having a lot of fun playing together and it worked out again tonight." Brad Boyes scored for Florida and Dan Ellis stopped 15 shots for the Panthers, who have lost five of their past six games. The Panthers closed to 3-1 on Boyes goal. Boyes took a pass from Sean Bergenheim and wristed it past Price at 16:09 of the second. Boyes leads the Panthers with 19 goals, but that was his first in eight games. "No finish. We generated a lot of shots, a lot of chances ... again, a lack of scoring obviously hurt us," Boyes said. The Canadiens two leading scorers each had goals in the first. Montreal went ahead 2-0 on the first goal by Pacioretty. Daniel Briere passed from the left side across to Pacioretty at the right side of the crease, who tipped it in with 2:57 left in the first. The Canadiens took a 1-0 lead on Vaneks goal. Vanek took a shot from the slot that Ellis blocked but the puck drifted under Ellis pads toward the net. Ellis couldnt find the puck but Vanek did and he skated in and poked it in at 10:47 of the first, his 27th of the season. Vanek has six goals and 10 points over his past seven games. Desharnais empty-net goal came with 23.4 seconds left. "Price was the biggest difference," Panthers coach Peter Horachek said. "Theyre a very mature team that capitalizes on their chances." Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo missed the game after sustaining a neck injury during a collision with Carolinas Radek Dvorak on Thursday. Luongo is day to day. NOTES: The Panthers recalled Scott Clemmensen from AHL San Antonio on Saturday to back up Ellis. ... Canadiens C Tomas Plekanec missed Saturdays game due to personal reasons. ' ' '