Let's hope so
Apparently, Capello is picking a 30-strong squad today (why so many?)
This is the (23-strong) squad he should be picking:
James, Carson, Hart
Neville, Neville, Richards, Lescott, Woodgate, Ferdinand (Rio), King, Cole (Ashley)
Lennon, Wirght-Phillips, Gerrard, Hargreaves, Barry, Cole (Joe), Downing, Bentley, Young
Rooney, Johnson (Andy), Agbonlahor
No Owen - at the moment he couldn't hit a barn door with a sack of shit.
Hmm
Surely Gaz Nev shouldn't be in - he's broken.
And you're right about Owen - he's broken too, but in a different way.
And I'd give Beckham his 100th cap and tell him "Thanks, but goodbye" because I am sentimental or something. And then Capello could kick a boot at his head at half time.
Dont get my hopes up!!
The problem with that squad...
..is you left our best left back out.
Bridge>>>>>>Cole, this season by quite some distance.
I agree with leaving Owen out and I wouldn't give Beckham another cap just as a token.
You have too many wingers, leave Downing out he's pretty average.
But He's been playing well recently
I like Downing. I hope players who are in-form get picked. There've been murmurs about Kitson getting in the squad which I wouldn't mind too much.
And yes Bridge should be in.
Get Paul Scholes back in the England team.
hes not an inerntational quality forward
from what ive seen at least. against us he had several good chances to score which he wasted. he aint bad, but no way should he be in the england squad.
also defoe should be in the squad, he has proved his worth as a sub especially recently
I was just about
to make the same point. Ashley Cole is behind Bridge in the pecking order at Chelsea, so I'd think he'd get the nod.
agreed...no becks
let's watch a grown man weep
P Neville
for captain.
I second that
Phil would make a great captain.
Apparently I'm one of the few people in existence who likes him as a footballer.
He'd be a great choice
Never in the papers, never crawling out of clubs at 2am, fine fine man and a true professional.
Gary Neville shags his mum
shags his mum shags his mum Gary Neville shags his mum.....Philip doesn't.
Thats cos he's a model pro
If we're going on last month's form alone
I'd like to see Jenas in there instead of Downing, Bentley or Young.
Agreed Jenas for Downing.
.
I'm not a fan but Jenas
should be there instead. As should Upson, Green and Anton Ferdinand (who would have thought it)
Young
has set up nearly ever Villa goal in January and scored last weekend. He's one of the most on-form players in the premiership at the moment.
Pretty good, reptty good
although I'd say Green for Hart, Bridge for A. Cole, someone (probably beckham) for G. Neville and Defoe for Downing. I agree with the notion of giving Beckham his 100th cap, and captaincy for me, as a thanks for your services and good bye.
Yup
Beckham shouldn't be around afterwards.
But I'd keep Hart in as 3rd keeper. Green vs Carson for 2nd.
Keep Defoe away as well.
3 strikers though?
cahm on. James isn't the future either, but his experience would be good for the next campaign (on the bench centric). Carson and Green are the best two English keepers in the country imo.
let's see
Keepers: Almunia, Hart, Green
Defenders: Richards, Ferdinand, Bridge, Woodgate, Lescott, Upson, Brown
Midfielders: Gerrard, Barry, Bentley, Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Hargreaves, Carrick, Lennon
Forwards: Rooney, Crouch, Johnson, Kitson
that's my 23
Almunia?
get out
Almunia
can't play for England for several more months yet anyway
what can i say?
he's the only (potentially) english keeper in the big four other than ben foster
I forgot the rule that all
players must be from the big four.
you bellend
Hmmm
I prefer the one with all the wingers.
Agbonlahor's a forward
to be fair
he's really a wing forward, he plays both for Villa. mainly a winger last year.
Aaron Lennon is
chuffing useless. He can run fast. That's it. Can't pass, shoot, cross or tackle. Beckham may be a bit unfit, but he's still better than SWP and Lennon. And forget the 'looking to the future' argument people - we want the best players NOW. The U21s is for the future players.
Also:
Rob Green ahead of Hart.
Dave Kitson isn't very good but he is having a good season - should make a 30 man squad.
^What
How Beckham can be better than Shaun-Wright Phillips, Lennon or Bentley is beyond me.
You say that all Lennon can do is run, well all Beckham would be in for is his crossing ability, and there is no-one who can score headers up front. At least Lennon et al. can take defenders on and get into more advanced positions, Beckham will simply cross from too far back and no-one will be able to compete in the air for them. Crouch will win headers but his accuracy is pretty awful.
his passing is pretty good to
These players can also pass...
...Lampard, Gerrard, Carrick, Bentley.
So we don't need him basically, agreed.
you said all he would be
in is for his crossing ability which is wrong. They can all pass you are right, just not as well as Beckham.
anyway rumours
suggest he's being left out due to lack of fitness
They make up for a relatively small inferiority in passing/crossing.
With being better at everything else. And by having a lot better fitness.
"All Beckham can do
is his crossing ability". I'd rather have a player who can cross, albeit to a smaller striker, than someone who can beat the full back and not cross past the first defender. Height has nothing to do with how technically good you are in the air. Crouch is one of the worst strikers in the country in the air. You can't say that with no tall strikers all of Beckham's crosses will be too deep. That's poppycock (to coin Holloway).
Have you ever watched England play.
It's what happens, crosses go in no-one gets on the end of them and if Crouch happens to be playing he will win headers but basiclly as you said technically he's rubbish.
You need your wingers to beat players, we don't need Beckham's passing ability we need pace and people making forward runs and causing defenders problems. Personally I think Bentley's the best bet as he can cross but also beat players and scores goals, he has a nice balance to his play. Beckham's not even fit so this is a pointless argument.
Yes I have
watched England play - under clueless managers. I refuse to accept a man who has either scored or set up close to half of England's goals in the last 10 years can only cross to Peter Crouch.
Beating players is all well and good only if there's an end product. A winger who can't cross is completely pointless. Their job is surely to assist, not beat players. I agree that Bentley is a better option than SWP and Lennon.
Beckham = In the past.
He was great for England I'm not denying that but can he peform now.
He isn't fit enough, and plays in a sub-standard league.
Bentley would be the perfect replacement. I still think that Lennon and Wright-Philips are dangerous players despite their not that great crossing abilities. Wright-Philips has been playing more central for Chelsea recently and has done a really good job.
Italy
I can't believe people think Beckham is old. You pick the best players regardless of age. I think all of Italy's back four at the last world cup were over 30.
I also don't believe a substandard league will diminish his crossing ability - he'll always have it.
Just because the media football 'experts' are citing are the reasons you're giving doesn't mean you have to believe them.
Good argument :)
*all the reasons
I never said he was too old.
You can still be past it at 30. You can still be world class at 36, it depends on the individual.
I don't let football pundits influence my views, I make my own mind up.
Many football pundits really seem to like Andy Johnson, whereas I think he's very over-rated.
I know my football, this doesn't meen I'm necessarily right but I don't want people thinking I can't have my own opinions.
When Kaka first signed for Milan I said that he would be one of the worlds best players, this was before a lot of people even knew who he was.
I also predicted big things for Adrian Mutu and although he hasn't exactly set the world alight he has come a long way from his days as a Verona player where no-one seemed to rate him that highly. I was excited when Chelsea signed him, then he decided to get himself banned and we got rid of him.
Obviously I'm wrong sometimes I predicted that Cassano would be awesome when he was 17 and still at Bari, he got his big move and he really should of been awesome. His temperement let him down.
I realise I'm rambling and getting defensive. Definitely a good argument though, at least we agree there.
I'm bored
of talking about Beckham now. I think he should be in, you don't, let's leave it at that.
As long as you agree that Stevie Gerrard is the most overrated England player ever I'll be happy. He is the epitomy of the 'Match of the Day' player. Awesome for 5 minutes of a game, average for the rest.
I await the backlash.
I do agree.......
and I hate Liverpool fans who always wank over him. They think he's never played a bad game, which is total rubbish everyone plays bad sometimes.
He is still a very good player I must admit but not as good as he's made out to be.
That's a bizarre collection of players you've got there...
it's almost as if you've NEVER SEEN A GAME OF FOOTBALL IN YOUR LIFE.
Gary Neville is as good as dead, so he's out.
Hart over Green?
Andy 'filthy cheating scumbag' Johnson? Surely your reasoning for Owen applies to him to, no?
Only 3 strikers?
5 wingers?
STUART FUCKING DOWNING?
If I had my way
I'd play a
0-8-2 system with 8 wingers whipping in high balls for Peter Crouch and Les Ferdinand.
My team would beat yours
9 left backs, with two others who roam freely wherever they want.
You can't beat left backs.
One of my Wingers
is Ronaldo.
HAH.
One of my left backs
has legs made out of chainsaws and eyes that can shoot laser beams.
OR
I would play a system with 8 holding midfielders with Gerrard and Rooney in 'the hole'
Ahhh, Sir Lesley of Ferdinand.
A true legend of the sport.
agreed
I remember watching a Football Coaching video endorsed by Sir Les. It pretty much consisted of someone crossing into a box and the youth players heading it at the goal with Sir Les on the touchline saying 'Good 'eader' every single time.
This^
Makes complete sense, I agree entirely.
Aj > Owen
By several country miles.
insane
definitely
and I should know - he's my brother
he is
his brother, that's true.
I can't handle it
I am
But i'm not insane. If AJ is palyed as acentre forward rather than out on the wing where that fool McLaren put him then he's far and away a better player. When did Owen score last?
not the point
Owen is a better player than AJ imo, he certainly isn't miles worse. His scoring record for England and anyone other then Newcastle show this, and the amount of times people write him off just for him to come back scoring again is ridiculous.
Only sane in comparison to your brother
and his crazy England teams.
This is true
Goldenspuds
Beckham should have been put out to grass yonks ago,but now he`s on 99,it would be perverse to deny him 1 more. It would be quite funny though.
i'd just like to reinstate my love of DiS england team threads
utterly mental!
i reckon
1 GK Peter Shilton
2 DF Gary Stevens
3 DF Stuart Pearce
4 MF Neil Webb
5 DF Des Walker
6 DF Terry Butcher
7 MF Bryan Robson
8 MF Chris Waddle
9 FW Peter Beardsley
10 FW Gary Lineker
11 MF John Barnes
12 DF Paul Parker
13 GK Chris Woods
14 DF Mark Wright
15 DF Tony Dorigo
16 MF Steve McMahon
17 MF David Platt
18 MF Steve Hodge
19 MF Paul Gascoigne
20 MF Trevor Steven
21 FW Steve Bull
22 GK Dave Beasant
Sorted.
I'm not sure
I think Hodge and Platt have seen better days. I'd replace them with Carlton Palmer and Geoff Thomas.
Carlton Palmer indeed
if only for his skills as a pundit. Second to only Shearer.
robb
kick robbo out he`s over-rated & always injured...Peter Reid should be there though,original terrier.
...
Robert Green should clearly be in there
clearly
Beckham is not in the squad
according to the BBC. ouch.
it would be nice
if they had some more details. just a headline at the moment
How much more is there to say?
David Beckham shouldn't be anywhere near the squad
he shouldn't have been in the last World Cup squad either, he's basically done fuck all for England since scoring that free-kick against Greece at the skip. When picking this squad, and future ones, Capello needs to think what his strongest side might be when the next major tournament comes around, and start building a side of players that have a realistic chance of being there, whilst keeping a sprinkling of experienced older heads around for the timebeing. Players like Owen, Lampard & Ashley Cole need to know that if they're not performing for their country then they won't play, the old pals act MUST be broken, and if that means dropping most of the big names then so be it, i know i'd rather see a team gallant in defeat than one that goes through the motions and scrapes home every time. I guess that any new manager must give players a clean slate, though, but at the same time it would be nice if an England manager actually went off league form for once, initially at least. For me, the strongest England squad now would be (if all fit, and let's not have the Carragher debate again) something like:
Green, Hart, James
Richards, Gary Neville
Ferdinand, Terry, Carragher
Lescott, Ashley Cole
Gerrard, Barry, Hargreaves, Lampard
Bentley, Lennon, SWP
Ashley Young, Joe Cole
Rooney, Agbonlahor, Kitson, Johnson
and my starting XI would probably be:
Green
Richards
Ferdinand
Terry
Lescott
Joe Cole
Gerrard
Barry
Young
Rooney
Agbonlahor
I agree with most of that
though pretty much no players have done anything since the World Cup which is why England didn't qualify for the Euros.
Lescott is not a left back.
Play Bridge instead, apart from that good team.
he's not been doing too bad there for Everton
Bridge has been really good at left back and it's his matural position.
.
*natural
.
but his performance against Croatia was maybe the worst ever by an England player
One game!
They were all awful, should we drop Gerrard aswell because thats probably the worst I've ever seen him play.
He had a terrible game but that's one bad game in the last couple of seasons, he is one of the most consistent players in the premiership.
He's left footed and is great at getting forward and he can cross, what more do you want. Plus he is used to playing with J.Cole because they both play for Chelsea.
Lescott himself was pretty bad too.
I love Gabby
but his form his been pretty awful for the past month. Would like to see him in the squad though.
Sorry
Carragher shouldn't be allowed near an England team ever again.