blonde poker forum

Ok, having heated arguments with my housemates over what the England squad/team should be as they think its fine to take like 20 wingers.

Ok, the squad is max 23.

Goalkeepers (3)
Green
Robinson
Hart

Defenders (7)
Glen Johnson
Ashley Cole
Bridge
Richards
Terry
Ferdinand
Upson

Midfielders (8)
Gerrard
Lampard
Milner
Beckham
A.Young
Barry
Lennon
Walcott

Forwards (5)
Rooney
Defoe
Crouch
Heskey
Agbonlahor

Starting 11

------------------------------GREEN-------------------------------

Johnson----------Terry---------------Ferdinand--------Cole

Lennon-------Lampard---------Barry-----------Ashley Young

-----------------------------Gerrard-------------------------------

----------------------------Rooney-------------------------------

Left a few big players out, Joe Cole etc. Terry/Bridge? Starting team? Thoughts?

Why would Walcott get in but no Joe Cole both got no form but Cole is much better player to have there imo,esp if you take 5 strikers.I rate Walcott highly as well just think Joe Cole is very close to World Class when at his best whereas Walcott's only showed promise.

Also Milner makes the team ahead of Lennon everytime for me.

Goalkeepers (3)
Green
Robinson
Hart

Defenders (7)
Glen Johnson
Ashley Cole
Warnock
Jagielka
Terry
Ferdinand
Upson

Midfielders (8)
Gerrard
Lampard
Milner
Beckham
Barry
Lennon
Carrick
J Cole

Forwards (5)
Rooney
Defoe
Crouch
C Cole
Owen

Starting 11

------------------------------Robinson-------------------------------

Johnson----------Terry---------------Ferdinand--------Cole

Lennon-------Lampard---------Barry--------------Gerrard


--------------------Cole--------Rooney-----------------------

surely Emile Heskey is bang on to be in the squad and starting ....... no?

When fit, Joke Hole has to be in the side imo, as he's proven on numerous occasions for England. 

With Capello. But this is what the squad should be not will be.

as long as becks makes the squad im happy, took the 8/13 about it in october.

fwiw my team would be

                                                           Green

Johnson                     Terry                                    Upson                  A.cole


Lennon                    Barry                                   Gerrard                     A young



                             Rooney                               Agbonlahor

http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/world-cup-2010-countdown (http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/world-cup-2010-countdown)

My team (and i know Beckham will never happen but it should!)                     


                                                    James

Johnson                     Terry                                    Ferdinand                  A.cole


Beckham                     Barry                                   Gerrard                    J cole



                             Rooney                               Heskey

I thought you were serious for a second until I saw you had him in your starting 11

lol @ Trigg.

I wouldnt have Abonglahor in my top 10 English strikers never mind in the starting line up.

He misses sooooo many absolute sitters week in week out.

Upson is slower than me.

im gona have to assume your post is a level and youve caught me.

Goalkeepers:
Hart
Green
James

Defenders:
Johnson
Richards
Cole
Lescott
Terry
Fedinand (scum)
Upson (but only coz there is a lack of viable other options)


Midfielders:
Downing
J. Cole
Milner
Lennon
Barry
Gerrard
Lampard
Carrick (scum)

Strikers:
Walcott (i assume he will get back to form b4 June)
Crouch
C.Cole
Defoe
Rooney (scum)

It was a tough choice between Downing and Young, but Downing and Milner have made Villa this season, theyve been class, whilst Youngs form has been patchy.

Starting Line Up:

Green

Richards
A.Cole
Ferdinand
Terry

Lennon
J.Cole/Downing (cant decide, might need Downing as a pure left winger to nail them in for Crouch)
Lampard
Gerrard

Crouch
Rooney

Richards is vulnerable and a weak link imo. He is physical but technically he is awful and gives the ball away all the time.

how come hes made your squad then mate?

I dont think hes a worldbeater tbh, but the last 3 times ive seen Johnson play for England hes looked out of his depth and equally given the ball away all the time. Is there anyone else?

Yeah I wasnt saying bad choice by you, just putting it up to debate. I really struggled to pick 7 good defenders, Upson, Lescott, Bridge, Richards, Jagielka?, are all just standard good defenders, not world beaters. I think Johnson is better than Richards, but dont feel easy with either of them. Milner right back?

Or how about



------------------------------------green----------------------------------------------

          rio--------------------terry-----------------upson


milner---------------------------------------------------------------------cole


------------------gerrard-----------barry---------------lampard


---------------------------rooney---------------?

This way we get Barry, Lampard and Gerrard in same team. Can get Ashley Cole forward and Milner works ridic hard so would be good for RWB? Left footed LCB too

lol

Keepers:

Green
James
Hart

Defenders:

Johnson
Terry
Ferdinand
Cole
Lescott
Upson
Richards (for RB only)

Midfielders:

Gerrard
Lampard
Barry
Cole
Walcott
Milner
Lennon Young
Hargreaves?

Forwards:

Keskey
Crouch
Defoe
Owen
Rooney

                      Hart

Johnson   Terry    Ferdinand    Cole


                  Barry

       Gerrard(C)     Lampard

Lennon                          Young

               Rooney

Subs/Squad:
Green

Jagielka (If he gets fit)
Lescott
Richards
Warnock

Milner
Carrick
Hargreaves (If he gets fit)
Walcott

Defoe
Crouch
Heskey

Thoughts on Dawson going as a centre half? Also Scott Parker as a central midfielder?

NO & NO

Neither one should be making the squad

parker- certainly good enough but it's hard to see him impressing the boss in the right way whilst in a relegation dog fight
dawson- highly unlikely, if there's a position you want experienced players in it's cb, can't see anyone new breaking through now

Unless Scott Parker has improved a lot since he played for us which i suppose is pos he's defintly not good enough and I'd put half the midfielders in the prem ahead of him, he was so one dimensional for us.

thoughts on becks being in the squad for his experience and presence?

Bh, upson is an absolute animal in the air, he wins absolutely everything. He would die in there.
Gabby is about the fastest and most raw striker ive seen for years, his pace wuld cause so so many problems.

Dawson - shouldn't get in the squad if everybody is fit but i think he's behind Cahill and Shawcross even if we have injuries.
Parker - no chance. He can't play the holding role and is miles behind the options we have going forward.
Beckham - he definitely be there for me. Experience. Can put a quality ball in with 20mins to go if we need a goal. It'd be between him and Milner as reserve right back as it's a position i wouldn't double up on.
Agbonlahor - I think he's hit and miss and his pace could be lethal but he's not in my squad as if Rooney isn't fit i go with Crouch and Defoe as they've formed a partnership at Spurs and i still want owen there as if there is anyone in the world i get to pick to take a chance to win the world cup it's him.

he'll be in the squad on merit, noone else has the same ability to deliver a ball. his experience/presence will be a huge bonus but not the reason he's there

Only two goalkeepers  ;carlocitrone;

I doubt Ashley Young will get in the squad, let alone the starting line up, He has not played well all season, Capello seems to pick players that are in form and not on past performances.

Dawson is really reliable, he is 100% commited and could be a good back up centre half, definetely better than Richard/Lescott/Jagielka. Scott Parker has drive, similar to Gerrard really, he is in top top form at the moment in a weak West Ham team. Should be ahead of the likes of Hargreaves/Wright Phillips/ Jenas.

How about Tom Huddlestone I think he is better than Gareth Barry, unreal distribution - his range of passing is sick. Better goalthreat than Barry and also bigger/stronger.

Ive never been a fan of taking 3 keepers, it basically just takes an outfielders spot.

Ashley Young has been poor for the last few games, before that he has been vv good. I see him as the best left winger England have. What are the options Downing? Cole? Milner? I'd take Young over them every day. Just my imo of course.

not really. squad sizes were increased to 23 to allow for the 3rd 'keeper. before korea/japan it was always 22

After thinking about this abit mroe and watching more games, I think if we are going for 4-4-2 he really needs to choose between Gerrard and Lampard. We are blessed with lots of good wingers, it would be a shame to play with such a narrow formation especially with Crouch/Carlton Cole up front.

i stand corrected, if you've not just made that up

Surely this raw pace is covered if Walcott goes. Plus Walcott can finish better and play on the right and has already done it in a pressure cooker environment for the senior team.

Too many question marks over Gabby for me.

Dawson over Jagielka? Jagielka is immense. Dawson is committed....errr, that's about it.

Scott Parker??? lol! Gerrard and Hargreaves both who have done it at the very highest levels for some of the biggest clubs in world football. He's not even close to their calibre on his very very best day.

There is 0 chance Jagielka should go to world cup imo.

The more I see him the more I realise Citeh bought the wrong centre half last summer.

Fair if you think that Jagielka isn't good enough but then Dawson is even further away as he's pants.  No positional sense, lack of pace, prone to huge mistakes and no sense of timing whatsoever. He's not in the top 6 choices for centre half.

He typifies why england have failed so many times in the past, all blood, guts and thunder and no knowledge of how to play footall.

Fair, I was meaning more because of the lack of games Jagielka has played. Everyone is going on about how good Englands team is but I think we are very poor. No good right backs, no good centre midfielders, no world class wingers, one world class striker, no decent goalkeepers and two centre halfs with huge problems. Back England now then lay then when they go through their easy group stage imo.

Cant really argue with that.

I think Capello has to stick to what he's done so far. Use the big man up top to bring the Rooney & the midfielders (our best assets) into play.

If we are going for the "big man" I think it's imperritive we use his wisely and play two out and out wingers, most probably Young and Downing as they have the best delivery and offer the best service. BUt I'm pretty sure Cappelo will play Gerrard, Lampard and Barry which I just really dont like/dont think works. If he does insist in playing them all. Then 3-5-2 works so well.

Left sided centre half? No problem, Upson.

Wing backs who have the energy to get forward and help defend too? No problem Milner and Ashley Cole.

Midfielder who is content sitting there? No problem Barry

Midfielders who can score goals and are effective in final third? No problem we have arguably the two best in the world, Gerrard and Lampard.

Until his injury and then subsequent dip in form, Johnson was Liverpool's best player this season imo, and was on the whole very good defensively.

and would also be a fantastic wing back, infact it would suit his and ashley coles games perfectly imo.

We're not playing a big man to cross to though. We're playing him for Rooney to play off.
Gerrard on the left and Lampard in the middle has been working well. Barry hasn't been amazing for Man City this season but i think thats because they are making him go forward more. With England we're happy for him to play just the holding role.
Lennon or Walcott are favourite for the right hand side as we also want the pace option.

In my opinion we have 1 good right back and 1 world class centre midfielder (2 actually but 1 will play on the left).
I don't see Terry having any problems at the moment but i agree Rio needs to come back and get some form before the World Cup.

Ok, so if we aren't putting a big man in to score goals, but to work 110% and supply Rooney with lots of ammunition then Heskey should defs be the strike partner imo.

How is it ever right to play a Striker who isn't expected to score goals,although Rooney's in sick form at the minute we can't just rely on him for eveything obviously gerrard/lampard contirbute but the 2nd striker has to also.

Crouch >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Heskey

Our whole team should be based round Rooney imo. Ask any of the England "main strikers" in the last 10 years who they rpefer playing with and they will say Heskey. I agree in a vacuum that Crouch >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. Heskey, but for England I definitely think Heskey. Neither are world class or good enough to play for a World Cup winning team though imo. Oh and when is Defoe getting a look in here?

this 100%. has to be heskey

He's role will be as a sub only.I'll leave it to Capello to decide who's best, he seems to have a clue :)

For goals yes but you can counter so much of Crouch's game by winning the second ball. Heskey can easiy take two men out of an equation.

I would prefer Crouch at my club but Heskey/Cole are better at the side of Rooney imo. Capello has it bang on.

This.

if fully fit there are 8 players that for me pick themselves

cashley, terry, rio, johnson

gerrard, j cole

rooney, heskey

add in a keeper of your choice and that leaves 2 starting spots up for grabs to be chosen depending on the opposition

I'd add Hargreaves to that if he ever gets fit.

the only reason he's not on my list is I can imagine the odd situation where I wouldn't start him (like we need to win by 4 clear goals) whereas the other 8 I would always go with unless we have a dead rubber. he would however take one of my 2 available spots in most games

Do you see this happening then ??

Kinda of agree with Heskey just think Crouch is the better player and Heskey's scoring stats are a joke for a striker but it's working so no need to change it i guess.

Lampard is a definite starter for me but not at the expense of making Gerrard play out of his preffered position.On current form Milner would definitly be in my thoughts for a start at rm

The pleasing thing being an Eng fan at the minute for me is I'm 100% confident Capello will pick the right team and have the right tactics so if we don't win it'll be down to not being good enough and not because we had a shit manager

highly unlikely, more chance of a dead rubber with the group we've got


lampard is never a starter for me if everyone's fit as joe cole has to start on the left which means gerrard in the middle with probs hargreaves

abs no chance of everyone being fit though so it's purely hypothetical, IRL he probably will start

Agree with almost all of this , esp the J.Cole bit as he's always performed for England. At present though I find it quite hard to argue that Gerrard should start ahead of Lampard for England or be considered more important, based on current form and past peformances for England, esp in major comps. Obv Gerrard has had a season disrupted by injury thus far. FWIW this comes from someone who is neither a Pool or Chelski fan and also believes that Gerrard is second behind Rooney in the 'wrap in cotton wool prior to the World Cup'.  Obv Lamps and Gerrard can both play for England, thx in no small part to their versatility, I just hope that Gerrard gets back to full fitness and form before June.

Based on this season Gerrard wouldn't make the 'B' team imho.

When he regains form (which he has threatened to do recently now that he doesn't look injured) he'll play left as he's more versatile than Lampard, and under Capello it doesn't really mean chalk on your boots, it's more of a licence to roam. It's also better protection for Cole's runs forward than J Cole.

I'm not saying it's what I'd pick but I'm fairly sure it's what Capello will do.

The more I think about it the less I think Aaron Lennon will go.

How come? Even though i think hes a little scumbag i think hes the best right midfielder we have by miles, hes been Spurs best player up until his injury.

heskey?

are you guys mad?

Agree with Horneris, he can absolutely rip teams apart, I cant think of many world class left backs in the world. He has blistering pace and will lterally tear some of these teams apart, he is a must imo. I really dont think J.Cole warrant a place in the starting 11 and would sturggle to get into my squad, I love Ashley Young, Walcott, Lennon, Milner, Downing etc etc they are the future of England and I really think they are all in awesome form with huge amounts of confidence. Joe Cole slows the game down, England need to keep the "british intensity" high for us to win the world cup. If we start playing slow boring football then the other teams will grind us out as we just arent used to it. Do what we do best IMO, have fast, aggressive players and take the game to the opposition. Get two fast bingers to the byline and pull balls back for Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard and that's where we will win the world cup.

I hope its ok for an Irishman to comment in here but I'm going to anyway.

Imo Theo Walcott is terrible and i cant see why he seems to be so popular on this thread all he has is pace he barely ever plays well for the Arse, so why all the clammer to have him in? Very very lucky if he makes the squad.

My squad

Robinson Hart Green 

Johnson, Ferd, Terry, Cole, Cahill, Richards, Upson

Gerrard, Lamps,Young,Lennon, Milner, Downing, Barry, J cole

Rooney, Crouch, Defoe, Agbonlahor, Heskey

gary cahill mate of mine born 200 yards down the road from me, unfortunatley has a blood clot in his arm and will be out for the rest of the season.

I don't disagree with this. However everything in his arsenal is covered by Walcott who offers more end product and goal threat and has done it at senior level already. Plus he can play up front. If he finds form I cannot see him being left behind.

So then you have:

Beckham
Walcott
Milner (?) atm he's in imo

Also the option on that side for Cole and Gerrard (although I agree both will probably play left if picked) so you sort start to think would you really want another place gone to a player whose attributes are in the side already.

Then you have Glen Johnson who whilst he may not be he best RB on Earth, he offers it all going forwards.

I just think Lennon could miss out which would be sick after his form.

Dont understand why everyone wants Ashley Young in the squad for, the guy has not played well all season.

Best left winger England have, he's been poor last few games but before that he has played v well. I'd have him ahead of any left sided player in England.

In previous seasons i would have agreed with you but this season he's end product has been brilliant. He's been the best right winger in the country just ask any spurs fan how much they've missed him the last few games! If he's fit for me he has to start, he absolutely terrorised the 2 best left backs in the world this season (Cole and Evra).

Fwiw i think England are one of 4 teams that can win the world cup, the others being Italy, Spain and Brazil.

when did he play against charlie mulgrew?

cashley broken ankle. thank fuck he did it last night and not in a couple of months

My main concerns for England are, on the assumption he plays Johnson and Cole, that we are left exposed at the back. I've always felt Ferdinand was a liability when he's sitting in the back with the wing backs having gone forward. He passes the ball about too much when I'd much rather he just hoofed it.

I'd like to see Hart in goal for England because I think ability wise, he's by far the most talented of the lot. He just makes god awful decisions.

If we're going to play a forward to hold up the ball and generally be a target man, I prefer C. Cole to Heskey.

England look so much better with Carrick in the team.

Leave Lampard at home imo.

Walcott might have played himself out of it


Wes Brown definitely has lol

wright phillips ftw...

Really?
Can't think of many right back options if Johnson isn't fit.

We looked better with Carrick but still had chances with Lampard on just didn't finish. I fancy Lampard to do better against the better teams when it matters.

Lampard has always been poor for england... maybe the world cup will be the last chance for him to shine...

Wes Brown was shite tonight ...

Rooney/Heskey or Rooney/Crouch ?

Crouch's goal scoring ability puts him in front imo.

What? He was England fans player of the year in 2004 and 2005 and if google is right, 21 goals from 76 caps. He might have not had the best of games tonight but to say he's always been poor for England is a bit rich. IMO over careers thus far he's played better in an England shirt than Gerrard and this is from someone who supports neither Chelsea or Liverpool and thinks Gerrard is the better of the two players.

Cant really argue this.

Lampard >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Carrick

Rooney and the midfield will be what gives us a chance at the world cup and Heskey is better at bringing them into play and drawing defenders in and creating gaps. For this reason Heskey for me by a nose.

He'll probably cost us by missing a chance any decent goalscorer would score but Heskey ahead of Crouch for me and it's not close.
Half of Crouch's goals have come in friendlies and not many of his goals have come against decent teams. We play so much better with Heskey in the team.

Carrick probably assured himself of a place in the squad tonight. Walcott needs a good end of season to get him on the plane.

Surprised with the team Capello played tonight. I thought Hart would have started so we headed towards a world cup with 3 goalkeepers that have played for England before. I've got a funny feeling that Foster may go ahead of Hart now which i'm not too sure i'm happy about.

Right back could be an issue. Brown hasn't looked good for United but our lack of options sees him starting for England. If Johnson isn't fit for the World Cup are we really going to play Brown? I know it's probably not a position that will win us the world cup but i thought Milner would have started to test him out a bit more at full back. Any englishman that has a half decen spell at right back in the next few months is in with a decent shout of making the squad.

SWP is probably 2nd choice for right mid behind Lennon (Maybe Milner is but he's 2nd choice for every position). We need Theo to hit some form and Joe Cole to give Capello a bit of a selection headache as i'm not convinced by SWP.

Quite relaxed about this World Cup. Nice to be there after the Euros shambles. With Rooney we'll be in the shake up - quarter finals and from there we'll give anyone a game. Without him and we're one of the underdogs.

I would've played Milner ahead of Walcott last night,I thought Capello only picked players in form ???

The Crouch/Heskey debate is an interesting one I'm mixed on it but as I said previously in the thread I'm confident Capello will make the correct decision.Didn't actually see the game where defoe/rooney poor together ?

England have virtually no shot at winning the World Cup.

The goalkeepers are moderate in the extreme. Whoever Capello picks is likely to make a howler or two. Hart is probably the best, but he can hardly pick him after the debacle of what happened to Maclaren after he picked a rookie keeper.

The defence is just not good enough. A good, but not world class, team in Egypt cut them to shreds on several occasions. The fact England had only kept 6 (I think) clean sheets under Capello was just amazing. And those were against the usual suspects of Trinidad, Andorra etc.

The midfield includes some above average players, but they have proved time and again they aren't as effective together as they are for their clubs.

Rooney is the one world class player who performs at a world class level for his country. But the choice of partners is just lol pathetic. Heskey, Crouch or Defoe.

England are a fantastic lay at 6/1 for the WC at the moment, but the good news is they will only get shorter because their group is trivially easy. I will be laying for my maximum.

McCamel speaks sense.

Sandy

If they win all 3 group games do you think they'll drop to 4/1 Camel?

Obviously depends on the way the draw pans out and how Spain, Brazil and Argentina are playing.

But 4/1, 9/2 sounds about right.

I agree with the keepers

The defence comment I totally disagree with,the egypt game lnite had 3 players in the starting line up that without injuries prob wouldn't even make the squad.I think the starting defence if everyone's fit would be Johnson,Terry,Ferdinand,Cole.Out of them four if they are at 100% three of them are World Class,no doubt about this imo,Rio I have concerns about as he hasn't seemed "on it" for a while now but Terry and Cole who has a good chance of being fit in time are both solid/consistent performers at the top level.I also think Johnson is a very good right back I think he took some unfair stick for maybe 1/2 at most bad performances a Int.level.The liverpool fans on here same to rate him highly so I'm happy with him as 1st choice.Lescott and Richards are good back up players imo.

As for the midfield,above average ?? Although i agree with your comment about not playing as well for country as they do for club Lampard and Gerrard are both world class midfielders Gerrard on his day is as good as anyone in the world.I blame the previous performances as much on poor managers as I do them and with this being probably there last WC for both of them I'd imagine they'll be up for it more than ever and I think Capello can get the best out of them.

I agree with the striker comments to an extent as the rest aren't great.

I think the core of our team in Terry,Gerrard and Rooney gives us an outside chance of winning but the goalkeeping situation is a worry.I don't think anyone other than Spain and Brazil have a better chance than we do,we will need to get lucky but we are due some.Really looking forward to it,World Cups are heaven.

Johnson is fantastic coming forward, but he is not (and never will be) a world class defender.

Cole is way way overrated imo.

Did you see the way Terry was exposed for pace when one against one v that Egyptian forward last night? He had about a 2m start over 30m and was 2m behind when they reached the ball.

Frankly it was embarressing.

Terry is playing shit at the minute obv has his mind elsewhere

Not many better LB in the world than Cole imo

I agree Johnson will not be World Class but do think he's very good and  3 WC defenders with 1 very good can't be beat by many other teams.

Spain are so strong everywhere but anything can happen in a WC,I'm not that concerned by Brazil but they are better than us

Egypt aint no mugs and its hard to look at the defence too much as it was a 2nd string.

I do hope however he starts with crouch upfront come the real games.

i'm pretty sure we will win the world cup this year, i always am though. I can't wait, win or lose it's still a great few weeks.

How would you price up the main teams in the tournament Camel?

Darren Bent. he won't be on the plane but really should be

once again in world cup year he's playing out of his skin, his goals are single handedly keeping sunderland in the premiership. he now has 18 of their 36 goals with the next highest scorer on 7. only rooney and drogba have scored more this season and he's not just scoring against the crappy little teams, he has apparently (though I've not checked this) scored against all of the top 4 this season

Can't argue with the above, but who would you leave out for him? Up top it's Rooney+1, of course if England play 4-2-3-1 then it's just a 1, anyway... i'm assuming Rooney, Defoe and Crouch, barring injury, are on the plane which basically leaves one spot in the squad for a striker. That spot is probably going to go to a big/strong type striker and realisitically Bent is behind Heskey and Cole in that queue. Of course whether he should be or not is, I guess, the debate. What Heskey lacks in goals he makes up for in understanding, in terms of minutes played with Rooney.

that's the problem and also the reason I say he won't go even though he should

for bent to be behind cole in the queue is lol but sadly true

Cole and Hesky wont ever change games or get you the goal you need in the last 10mins of a game, Bent will and he is a proven prolific scorer in both average and shit teams.

I'd happily leave out Defoe but they are both average. Cole isn't much better but would suit our style of play better i believe.

 I take the point about the big man might not get you the crucial goal in the last 5 mins etc, but every time someone mentions Michael Owen (as an e.g.) its ''oh I'd take him to the world cup, if we need a goal in the last 20mins bring him on'' (ZZZZZZZ) etc etc, players like Heskey take the attention/space away for goalscorers to move into, as well as playing unselfishly...

When needing a goal, its not simple someone who taps it in from 5 yards solely responsible for it.

Yep I know, but I would take a finisher who scores alot over two donkeys that cant hit a barn door from 1 yard.

Cole has scored more goals than Owen this season (there was a bet on it in our house so we have the tally on a white board) i haven't checked how many games played but i imagine its quite close and Cole plays for a much worse team.

Anyone but Darren Bent for the love of gawd. Bent wouldn't suit Capello's ethic anyway tbh.

Theo booked his place last night imo.

Maybe he can book himself a 1st team spot at Arsenal soon enough!

we should pick arteta for a laugh. apparently he's said he won't play for england but I wonder if he'd really turn down a chance to go to the world cup

cashley's back tomorrow. please stay fit

PLZ defo need him at LB

fyp

How is Carragher getting into the England squad?
Carragher has been outstanding for Liverpool for probably the last 7-10 years but this year was i reckon he showed his worst form for about 10 years. Usually Liverpool have been so hard to beat but they've been substandard in all competitions. I know people will say they didn't have the money to compete but the players they did have did not perform.
He's never been a right back. He gets dizzy if he crosses the halfway line. Liverpool play Mascherano at right back rather than move him from centre back so i don't really see that he plays 2 positions. Johnson will probably be right back and if he is injured it should be Milner imo and next up would probably be Neville. I'd rather ring Hargreaves and ask him if he fancied a game at RB than play Carragher.
At centre half he has been unlucky that his peak was at the same time that England seemed blessed with good centre backs. I can't see how after this season he makes the squad even if Rio can't prove his fitness.
Ferdinand
Terry
King
Dawson
Cahill
Jagielka
Upson
Lescott
Shawcross
Carragher
Campbell
(These are in no order just making a list)
If we take 4 CB's for me it would be Terry, Ferdinand, King and Dawson and if Rio doesn't make it Jagielka.
Looking at that list is there anyone who would put him in their squad - nobody has so far on this thread but thats because nobody thought he would be available. Would be interested in what people think now it seems he is available.

For me our starting 11 based on form/capabilities:

Hart

A Cole
Terry
King
Johnson

Lennon
Lampard
Milner
Gerrard
Johnson

Rooney

Taken from bbc sport website gossip page....

OTHER GOSSIP

England manager Fabio Capello has sent e-mails to 45 players, including Fulham striker Bobby Zamora, advising them they are under consideration for this summer's World Cup, while Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is set to be named in Capello's 30-man squad on Tuesday. (Daily Telegraph)

Sunderland striker Darren Bent and Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves are also on Fabio Capello's e-mail list of players being considered for a World Cup place.
Full story: the Times

WTF is he wasting time emailing Owen Hargreaves for? Surely we have better youngsters than that crock! Also applies to King!! Will be wasting a place in the squad if we take him!!

Lampard is the no 1 penalty taker isn't he?  Rooney no 2?

famous last words but I like our Quarter final penalty shoot out chances

5 takers

Gerrard
Milner
A Cole
Lampard
Rooney

is that boris johnson in midfield? he's got as much chance of being in the startin 11 as any other johnson in the country not called glen

Will Barry not be in the line up?

He also a pen taker isnt he?

no, adam johnson

my point stands

He got injured against Spurs........OUT

I know he did but he's only out for a month so should still be in the squad right?

Why? No training for a month/part of sessions......Capello wont include him im sure

Will be better than including a crock like Hargreaves or King!

King maybe a crock but he is the countrys best defender when fit....and he has shown over the last month of the season he can play 2/3 games in a week!

LOL he sure is!!

Wont be able to play any games if they take him and he gets nobbled in training and then we have wasted a spot in the squad!!

yep he is sure is, He never trains anyway so know worries about that....and he has played more games this season than ferdinand so i can see him starting!

GG englands world cup hopes then!!

Terry, Lescott, Ferdinand, Upson and Dawson >>>>>>>>>> King!!

Just lol

Gotta disagree Girgy, King has been absolutely unbelieveable in the last few weeks and prob the reason Spurs will be in the Champs League next season.

The man has been stealing a living from Spurs for god knows how many years!!

Stop it.

Stealing a living? If they really thought that im sure they would have got rid of him years ago and not offered him a new contract.  You seem to be the only person i know that wouldnt take him to the world cup, Would u really want say Upson to replace Ferdinand if he got injured again? If u do then u really dont understand the game!

Girgy! King is the best we have,sadly with the worst knees.he will be included tho

No he isnt! IMO

how is upson > king?

thats like saying west ham > spurs

LOL

Girgy knows football.

Screw England anyway.

I know enough to have an opinion that Ledley King is not the best CB that England have!

Should Joe Cole go? It's looking as though even if he's in the initial 30 he won't go to South Africa which I think is a shame, although it is hard to find a place for him in a squad of 23.

I'm biased as I've always been a fan of a winger/wide man who likes to run at defenders can beat a man with trickery. Before his long injury lay off he'd made the left side of midfield/front three his spot and was one of the best peformers under Capello (as he was at the 2006 WC) IMO he offers something different to the other wide men, who are blessed more with pace than trickery. He's also got versatility on his side in that he can play either flank and in the hole. Still with Lennon, Walcott and Milner nailed on to go I guess it bolis down to one from J.Cole/Downing/SWP/Adam Johnson/Ashley Young.

fk king lets take girgy as the backup defender

this!! I'd do a better job!

and girgs takes a mean penalty

You know it!

but you know he'd fold on the rebound

There is no rebounds son! They all end up in the onion bag!!

Yr too big for penalty taking me old son just give it up to a supreme athlete

No Scholes is linked with a call up!
FFS what year is it?

I bet Terry and Cole are licking their lips at this

http://www.thefa.com/England/News/2010/Thailand_100510

Its all in the technique old boy!

PAH

power m8 power

Squad list

Goalkeepers
Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green
Defenders
Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders
Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Forwards
Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney

is that the provisional squad ian? if so capello may just be my hero

My Team for this list would be.....

Hart

G. Johnson
Terry
Ferdinand
A. Cole

Lennon
Gerrard
Lampard
Milner

Crouch
Rooney

No Girgy.

He will start with Heskey and Rooney

He will also play Barry in front of the back four if fit

Note Milner is the reserve right back too

I don't think Hart will be first choice either, its one world cup too early for that. It will be James

Notable omissions?

from a 30 anyway


Lescott? Zamora? Young/Agbonlahor?

Did i not say MY team would be?

He may do all those what u suggest but if I was the boss then that would me my team!

Sky news doesn't have Joe Cole in their list

Praying Parker and Carragher get injured so there is no chance they make the 23.
Would have liked to have seen Zamora in the squad.

as your minority view of one on Ledley suggests, its best you stick to the theoretical  ;) :D

parker's been incred for 2 years, good to see a manager going with those on form. I'm with you on carra though

pleased for Parker, been v good in a bad team


can't see him making the 22 though

Baines v Warnock for one spot

one centre back doesn't make it (Upson?)

one winger doesn't make it, I hope SWP is the one who doesn't

another cm (Huddlestone?)

I think Parker is a good player but i don't see where he fits in for England. He has said before he isn't a holding midfielder and going forward he doesn't get enough goals. I like him but i see it as a wasted pick. Lampard and Gerrard are ahead of him in the attacking role (Milner arguably too) and i don't see when we will ever turn to him whether we are chasing a game or holding a lead.
Add Upson to the get injured list aswell please.

FYP

Girgy, you don't want Walcott in the 22?

this is like talking to Scottish Dave about betting matters, you are on a different planet son.


Walcott is a sure thing, I think. Pace. Lennon first, then Walcott

Im not a fan! I prefer SWP

oh boy.

You've learnt a lot from the anti-messiah Peter Taylor clearly. Both bonkers  ;) ;D

Went off the boy when they took him last time when he was too young and never played.

gtfo lescott and young!!!

I prefer Walcott to Lennon, I think he has more goals in him, can't ever see Lennon getting a hat-trick.

Baines
Huddlestone
SWP
Bent
Dawson
Warnock
Parker

Think these will be the 7 to miss out.

waa just picking the same all included to be dropped barring injuries

GG

Bent
SWP
Warnock
Upson
Parker
Carrick
Barry/Hudd svp

so you're not a fan of one of the best players in the country because you didn't like him when he was 17 and hadn't even played a top flight game? I'm with tighty on this one, bonkers

I just prefer other players in the team to Walcott! Simples

Hasn't Walcott simply not been all that good this season? even allowing for him being injured he's not really been impressive, has he?

Carrick is GTD a place in the Squad

I'd pick carrick ahead of lampard in my team

This.

I'm gonna give Girgy a bit of back up here, I have previously mentioned in this thread that  people must see something taht i dont. Walcott isnt a regular with Arse by any means, he has barely had a good game all season(ever) all he has is pace thats it , he panics when he has to try and beat someone his crossing is poor, where is all this hype coming from, he just isnt very good

wiiiiiiii

Lennon>>>>SWP>>>>Walcott!!

That wasn't what i think, it is what i want..

Scored a hatrick against Croatia. Pace ripped open Barca. The pace could be killer and he's probably only reserve right midfielder. I know he's overated but he is a risk that could pay off. Much better than SWP who has the pace but we know can't put a final ball in and isn't a goal threat and also has had a poor season.

WTF, so many levels in here it's untrue.

Upson > King?!?! lollllll

Carrick > Lamps?!?!? lollll


Hart

Johnson Rio Terry  Cole

             King

Lennon  Lamps  Gerrard  Milner

              Rooney

pmsl biggest level ever is you'd put an untried keeper into the world cup??

Fyp

king in the holding roll!! Lolz

King played about 10 games in the holding midfield roll before and never looked out of place....he has never let england down when he has played for england... so why all the hate for him all time?

Cos he's got knees made of chocolate!!

good effort complaining about levelling and then levelling yourself. didn't get it through though

Why because he might make an error? James is biggest error prone keeper in the world. Hart is by far the "on form" number 1.

maybe but he is in the top 3 defenders in the country...i wouldn't really be worried about King's knees anyway because if the rumours are correct than we should be more worried about Ferdinand, because apprantely he can't get himself fit and won't be able to play!

MBN to be Brazil, not even taking Ronaldinho and Adriano!

Racist

Girgy what would your starting 11 be ?

that would depend if he was referring to white,plain or milk chocolate

very much this.

No manager in the world would put him in

slanderer!!


read the thread!

I know it was due to an injury but Casillas was younger when he played for Spain i think in 2002 and wasn't the number 1. Just came in did the job and has been there ever since.

is it just me or would any others on here drop gerrard from the starting 11?  We all know gerrard and lampard cant play together and i think lampard has had a far better season

{Doesnt matter what 23 are picked, Engerlund dont have a chance of winning it.

Where's the Scotland squad thread?

It never got off the ground

just like their campaign

wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

saw you were online and knew you would be the first to bite.

gg pelham fish.

I don't get why the Scottish say this. You should be building up our hopes so that when we fail it hurts more.

Reports breaking that Terry has fractured a metatarsal.

Sigh couldnt it of been King FFS!!

how stupid does wayne bridge feel now?

is anyone that bothered by losing terry? my first reaction was 'meh'

we've got plenty of cover there, there are several other positions where it would hurt a lot more to lose someone

Whats your top 5 list of priority players Engalnd cant lose, in order gatso?

rooney, cashley, johnson, gerrard, james, lampard, hart

any of those, in that order-ish, would've bothered me more than terry plus becks was a much bigger blow too imo

I'd probably want James injured first followed by Carragher

Reports are there is no break. Should be okay for the world cup

Terry just released a statement saying he hopes to train tomorrow and play in the fa cup final

If/when I was/am England manager (expecting call-up anyday now - once news of my heroics of football manager for iphone has spread)

                              James  
Johnson            JT                  Rio                Ashley Cole            (JT broken foot? swap for king, barry in DM)
                               King                                                       (or Barry if his chocolate knees melt)
                 Lampard             Gerrard
Walcott                                                   Joe Cole
                             Rooney

GG rest of world, ship the trophy.

Bench:
2 keepers
Baines, Carragher, Upson
Milner, Johnson, Lennon, Carrick (grudgingly - shame Hargreaves still injured)
Defoe, Bent, Crouch

Dawson? get out.
Heskey? would rather take RedDog.

IMO, there is absolutely no way he plays King in midfield.

Surely Heskey is nailed-on to start up front with Rooney in a 4/4/2.

It would seem so,Heskey's never going to get any praise because he's a striker who doesn't score goals but despite that he could have a big part to play in how we do,I find it hard to convince myself he should be ahead of Crouch but I have full faith in Capello which is nothing something I could say about an England manager in the previous few tournaments we've been at so we will see.So looking forward to this CMON ENGLAND

                                   James

Johnson          Terry             Ferdinand        A.Cole

                     Gerrard           Lampard
Walcott                                                    J.Cole

                       Rooney         Crouch

Hart
Carragher
King     
Milner
Lennon
Barry
Defoe

level?

How does Walcott make anyones team ahead of Milner ??

lol George?

Its the same team as Numpty Dumptys except Crouch in for King.

Crouchey is quality, his goalscoring record for England is the best in the squad by a long way including Rooney.

The reason for including Walcott ahead of Milner is because we need a winger with a lot of pace imo, Milner plays better as an attacking midfield centre and hes brilliant, just not quite as good as Gerrard or Lampard. Walcott is also faster than a cheetah. I would though have Lennon in instead if he shows hes fit and in top form but i dunno if he will.

There is no chance that them 2 will start together in centre mid. Capello has always had a defensive midfielder in there since he's been in charge.

Totally agree with BH team apart from Lennon in for Walcott!!

Heskey is a sack of shit that spends most of the game on the floor! Crouch has a better scoring record for England and is a perfect partner for Rooney IMO!!

So u now would have Joe Cole in for Milner aswell?

Didnt clock that but i dont mind J Cole!

Joe Cole shouldn't even be in squad. Gerrard and Lampard together = failure. Needs King/Barry/Milner in the middle.

I don't agree with the Gerrard Lampard combo.

Walcott is much better from the bench.

Crouch/Rooney seems a decent combo

Is there any weight to playing Rooney up front on his own and having 3 in midfield instead?

This keeps baffling me. Why would these two not be able to play together? As long as there are clear rules and instructions as to who does what and when, they should be fine.

Edit; That way you could also play Rooney up front by himself and play two wide men.

Sounds like it is Gerrard and Lampard together centre midfield if Barry doesn't make it.
Gerrard to play "quarter-back" with Milner left.
A Johnson to make the squad if it happens.

Been listening to talk sport?

Catching up with Henry Winter on twitter. Guess if it's come from a couple of places it's probably on the mark.

what was you saying about King girgy??

LOL results orientated much?

He sure has had a good game defensively,Whole defence has looked really bad didn't notice much of Rio but the rest looked very uncomfortable at times.

Please some Jap crock King on Sunday! Kthnxbye.

King showed enough tonight to be worth a place in the squad - might not have been his best game ever, but he is class above in many areas.

Thought Carrick had a pretty poor game, and Baines looks a bit of a liability against a decent winger.

Big concern at the minute is Gerrard's form.
He is playing like a pale imitation of what he was a year or two ago.
On form, he is fairly important to England. 3 weeks is a very short time to get his confidence / form back.

^^^^^^

Agree with all of this,However I think once the time comes Gerrard will be on it 100% a think but we'll see.Does Johnson only getting 5 mins mean he definitely doesn't go ?

king is a good player BUt will he be fit for most of the games? I dont think its worth risking

Kings hardly a risk..

He:
     A) probs wont start anyway
     B) is hardly a crock (he played 4 games in 11 days at end of the season for Spurs and got better and better during those games)
     C) is the next best CB you could ask for, way ahead of a Carragher, Upson or Dawson.

And even if he is needed to play some part theres a 5/6 day rest period which is plenty of time.

If you can't see this, your either blind or don't really understand the game of football.


The big problem like someone said, is getting our big players to perform, the Gerrards, Lampards and whoever plays on the right wing is going to play a huge part imo.
Did fancy Lennon ahead of Walcott, but with him just coming back from injury and Walcott doing ok yest its got a lot closer. Obv expect both to go, and he might just prefer Walcott because hes got more experience on the International stage.

lol

Girgy. you are clueless. Clueless in a nice way of course, like a ball of fluffy cluelessness driving a white van ogling at breasts, but clueless nonetheless

Walcott has pace but he never seems to be able to get the ball past the 1st man when he crosses! Lennon used to have the same problem but his final ball is sooooo much better than before! Isn't anyone worried that Ferdinand still hasnt played 90 minutes of football this year?

Baines doesn't look up to the job. I thought Carragher looked rock solid and was alive to any sort of danger well before anyone else, King and carragher as back up is great in my book, i'd have carragher ahead of terry personally because i despise the scummy twat.

I hope Barry makes it, midfiled looks so much better with him in it.

Lol love him or hate him he is the best we have imo

Lennon over Theo for me. I also thought carragher was solid and I'm far from his biggest fan. Gerrard through the middle looked good. Would like to see Gerrard off rooney ahead of a midfield with lennon lampard huddlestone and johnson/cole against japan.

FYP's

Geo

Lennon >>>> Walcott

Girgy >>>> King

Walcott, out, apparently

Big surprise to me

I hear that aswell, Bent also out apparently

Thank god Walcott ain't going, he can now concentrate on the 100m olympics in 2012 thats all he is good for!

SWP in

Joe Cole in

Adam J out

all leaking through the press

Unconfirmed reports that King is out and Dawson is in!

If all reports are true how can you not play Warnock and Dawson in either friendly and then still pick them for the World Cup?

Maybe had no intention of them ever being in, just had to have 30 in the squad so they were making up numbers............

Didn't think Baines and King were worth a spot but gave them a chance to prove him wrong?
Can't see why SWP is in. Not too fussed about Theo not going but i'd have taken Johnson and Cole for the left and had Lennon and Milner on the right.

Pretty redic how its all coming out in dribs and drabs

Players texting to Journo mates obv...........

BBC and SKY reckon King is in. NOTW think he is out.
Love it. Really building up the excitement for the World Cup.

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

theo walcott isnt going - at last someone has seen that he can just run quickly - zero end product

Yea I have posted on here a couple of times about how overrated Walcott is, Looks like Capello agrees. It will disappoint alot on here though he seemed to have a big fan club.

Should have been announced in a press conference with all 30 players lined up against a wall, with Fabio picking each player one by one, just like in the playground.

Haha  Brillaint idea.

lol yeah that wud be com.

Not totally surprised that Walcott isnt going, hes been shite all season and got chances in both friendlies and didnt exactly do a lot. SWP has always done ok for Eng and made a decent impression in the game with Japan.
Strange not to give Warnock any playing time in the friendlies, then select him for the squad though.

Reckon startin 11 should be:
4-4-2
James, Cole, Terry, Rio, Johnson, Barry, Gerrard, Lamps, Cole, Rooney, Crouch.

or  

4-5-1
James, Cole, Terry, Rio, Johnson, Barry, Gerrard, Lamps, Lennon, Cole, Rooney.

Cole is an absolute must imo.

hahaha i was just thinking this

LOL -   sf this - how brilliant would that be

Personally speaking if i was going to pick the Starting XI from that squad i would go with.....


                                                 James


Johnson                      Ferdinand             Terry                             Cole



Lennon                                 Lampard               Milner                   Cole


                                    Gerrard

                                                Roooney

Dunga just emailed me mate, said theres breaking news regarding England's gap in midfield, devised a plan already he has.

Sneaky Dunga.

Lol i know what yer saying mate, its a somewhat Flamboyant(sp) team, at least it would be entertaining though, instead of the usual tripe that England serve up.I dont mind seeing England do well but only if there playing good football not boring teams into submission


Edit I'm confused now, not sure whether you were referring to the spaces i put between the names or the fact that i didnt have a "holding" Midfielder in.

ENGLAND'S 2010 WORLD CUP SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.
Defenders: Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney

lol, nothing too deep, just the space in the diagram.  :)

anyone think that the 2006 team was better?

i keep hearing that this is our best team for years - not sure i agree

I guess Rooney is offering more atm, but just think that Gerrard has lost his edge, no beckham, no Gary Neville, no realy 2nd striker of true international quality?

no

2006 squad maybe had more depth but I prefer the current starting team. it's pretty much the same as 2006 but with the key players being more experienced

Gerrard has been at 60% of his true capabilities this season, but form/permanent, etc.  Rooney seems to be carrying the weight of the whole country on his shoulders.  Fortunately, he's used to carrying around that massive shrek-like thing on them - so he should be OK. 

Cole again will show why he's so key for England, and hopefully a few others will shine too. 

As for who was included and who'll be left at home, I don't think the 'warm-up' games were as key to his selection as much as what he's seen in training.  I'm sure the games were used to give some players a last chance to shine, but were probably largely irrelevant.  Some of the players were getting 45 minutes here, 90 minutes there, and they weren't exactly playing alongside an established team line-up in order to accurately assess their play.  The manager isn't going to pick the squad from those brief excursions (imo).

depth is v important at a world cup

I cant think of a single 1 since 82 where there hasnt been a few players make teh whole duration either thru injury/suspension or even form

also, im not sure that most of these players are better than they were in 06 - other than rooney - they havent had a big game experience since then either (or very little)

No not as good as 2002 or 2006. We were a striker short in 2002 and a manager short in 2006. In 2010 we're just generally not as strong all over the pitch but have a bit of pace this time and less expectation.

agreed but I was answering your question. if you meant was the 2006 squad better than the current one then I'd say yes. injuries/suspensions could really hurt us this time round

Has there actually been a press conference by Fabio? Must have missed it?

Neh can't really can he? Came in and said he'd pick players on form and basically didn't so why put himself through a difficult press conference when he's got to work out how to get Heskey to score like he did against Denmark in 2002.

Meh I think he did fine, but there is no point discussing it as we will all disagree and the discussion will end up like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjDy8fYJcuw

Agreed. Not the exact squad i would have picked but not far off but i don't think it was picked on form but thats something he said would happen 2 years ago wheras now he probably wants to have the best chance of winning the world cup and doesn't really care what he said back then.

This picking on form thing is bs, is anyone saying if Rooney had been out all season and just regained fitness that he shouldn't go because he'd have no form ? Joe Cole has shown he is capable of doing it at the very highest level and was a must to go imo.As for the Heskey debate I can understand why he's going,Crouch would play ahead of Heskey for me but just because they're both tall doesn't mean they are there for similar reasons as they are very different players,Heskey is much more of a target man than Crouch and Rooney's scored nine goals in his last ten games with Heskey,but only two in ten without(bbc updates ftw :) ),and that's the sole reason he goes.Darren Bent is unlucky it was a straight shoutout between him and Defoe and for me it's Defoe everytime.

Spot on Ray

Anyone who says Joe Cole should not be there has not got a clue imo. I'm glad Emile got the nod aswell even thou he'll prolly come off the bench to save us in the Q/F and miss a sitter

WTF

This guy has been stealing a living for donkeys years! They say strikers have more eoles than just scoring but all Heskey does fall over and miss sitters and might occasionally nod a ball down for a scoring chance!

As Mond said....

Crouch and Rooney's scored nine goals in his last ten games with Heskey,but only two in ten without(bbc updates ftw Smiley )

England make 11.5 hour flight to SA tonight - which member of the 23 would you least like to sit next to on a plane for that long, and why?

Ashley Cole- He might try steel my birds number out of my phone while im asleep

Carragher - language barrier

Couldn't hack Carragher's whining tone for that long methinks.....................however if it meant I was going to SA to watch the WC I'd be happy sitting on John Terry's lap tbh.

Even as a Jock, I get real excited during the WC, especially when any the home nations are playing. Not sure England are better than a semi - final place but if they get there they have a chance I suppose.

Good luck guys

Geo

WTF? Does that possibly mean you want us to win?

Rio, tilts me pretty hard.

One step too far there mate.   ;)

fyp

I love my football and am in the camp of the Premier League being up there with the Spanish league as the best in the world, the SPL is an embarrassment tbh.

Whilst I hate the thought of another 40 odd years of constant thrown in the face gloating, I'd be quite happy to see England win it as reward for providing such a great league.


Geo

Thanks for that, but I'm fairly sure you will soon be banished from your homeland...........

1. James
7. Lennon
9. Crouch

Can't believe Crouch is going to be starting. Reckon that is a Fabio smokescreen

Squad numbers mean shit!

Should probably start a world cup thread and leave everything in one place but i found this interesting.

North Korea's cunning plan to use their third goalkeeper spot for an extra striker has backfired badly.

Fifa have told them Kim Myong-Won, who usually plays as a centre-forward, will only be able to play as a goalkeeper in the World Cup.

Coach Kim-Jong Hun only named two regular goalkeepers in his squad, opting to choose Kim Myong-Won as a back-up keeper.

But in a statement, Fifa said: "The three players listed as goalkeepers can only play as goalkeepers during the Fifa World Cup and cannot play outfield. This will be communicated to the teams in the team arrival meetings and will be enforced on match days."

I always thought they increased the squad size from 22 to 23 so that you could take 3 keepers but i never thought it was a strict rule. I was discussing the other day with a friend whether we'd make any subs from our expected starting X1 in the 119th minute if it was heading for penalties. I said i would bring Joe Hart on for an outfield player. Doesn't look like that would be possible now.

Rio injured. Gone for scan

knee injury. replacements allowed until just before first game

SIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aye means king will get a game now!!

Rio is out, Dawson on his way to replace him

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

JUSTICE ALWAYS COMES AROUND EVENTUALLY.

Ledley will step in, hes class (getting my stfu Girgy in now).

They are saying Gerrard for captain, might be a blessing in disguise if it can make him reproduce his Liverpool form for England

Just about to say let the "who's going to be captain" debate begin but just heard Gerrard is now captain.

u can stick sol campbell up your arse....u can stick sol campbell arse....u can stick sol campbell up your arse...u can stick sol campbell stick sol campbell up your arse...................because we've got ledley at the back...because we we've got ledley at back... because we've got ledley we've got ledley...we've got ledley at the back!

Good news though, Drogba is injured so we can all have a laugh at him

Oh dear, Ferdinand was injured when Heskey collided with him.

GTFO,Fk whatever he did to Leeds he's one of our best players and will be a big miss.On a side note is Girgy more obsessed with his hatred of King than his love of breasts,it's close imo.

It's a shame obv, no one likes to see injuries at this stage

That said, I don't think King for Ferdinand weakens the team at all, Ferdinand has been struggling with his back all season and looked still to be so in the friendlies. We'll just have to see how King holds up now

nahhh, hes no Phillipe Albert. Ledleys just as good.

As a pair though are King and Terry not a tad on the slow side. I don't mind King as a replacement for Terry but didn't really want Rio injured.
(aftertime alert) That said i backed just about everybody but him to be captain against USA as i thought his chocolate back would give in and he wouldn't make it.

We run so bad that he's Belgium,sigh.He sure is just as good.I like King though he is good so we will see.BTW I'd have Carragher ahead of King.

racist! ban plz

LOL - the newsreader on Sky News just asked someone, as a serious question, 'Are England's chances of winning the World Cup now over?'

On Sky Sports they seem to have grabbed some random guy outside the hospital asking him to describe Rios Limp and grimace.

lol I doubt one Italian reporter asked that 4 years ago when Nesta, Italys best defender, got injured.

haha NH - Just listened to this to make up for it
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0NFO2jMvIw

Rich,

what would be your thoughts on Carragher and Terry together as CB's?

Geo

A bit one paced. but then so would any of King/Carragher and Terry be. Ferdinand apart we are a bit short of pace at cb, assuming he won't play Dawson

Horner are you a Scotland fan or something?

GG winning the world cup without Rio

Agreed on the pace problem. For a situ like this I just think Carragher's no-nonsense stopper-like play is ideal in getting others in the team to settle and just get on with the job. King takes too many risks imo.

England have always benefitted when asking an old roll up your sleeves, reliable pro to step up.

Geo

we have has much chance of winning it without rio as we do with him

Gerrard is a better captain for the team too

Lol if you think Rio would be the difference between us winning and losing the WC.

Except the last friendly, King has looked awesome this season. Nearly as good as Campbell at his peak after he moved to Arsenal.... ;) (cue Nem....)

This is the positive in the Rio injury,I'm hoping it will spur Gerrard on after what's been a terrible season by his standards and hopefully get it done,who is vice capt now ?

Lampard

You reckon the pecking order would ultimately have Dawson ahead of Terry because of what went down? Or you think that after a couple of obvious players they would just give him the arm band and say 'watch where you put yer knob next time'?

Hopefully, not his form from the season just gone though.

Is todays game on the telebox? 

Being shown on SkySportsNews

Ta,

Will prob watch the stream on the BBC website, only have freeview at work.

Joe Hart starting in goal - could he actually start in the world cup?

Thought he looked most impressive of the 3 keepers in the 2 warm up matches

not on bbc anymore, but it is on SSN :)

Will be intersting to see if Green or James plays the second half or if Hart gets 90 minutes. Is James still injured? Having said that SWP, J.Cole and Defoe all start too and of them probably only JC has a chance of staring against USA

Full line-up: Hart;Johnson, King, Terry, A.Cole; SWP, Lampard, Gerrard, J.Cole;Defoe, Crocuh.

Why is it only on SSN? 

Think James is kind of injured and a doubt for the 1st game vs USA.

Just been reminded how tilting the vuvuzela's are and this is in a warm up game.

Skyplayer ftw, forgot I had that.

lol adverts during a live match.

Spose that comment about gg world cup was a little strong. Guess what I don't understand is cheering for one of your best players getting injured just because they play for a club side you hate.

Put it this way if Gerrard broke his leg tomorrow I'd be gutted not cheering cos he plays for Liverpool

Thing is I wasn't like that for Scholes, I'm not for Lampard or Joe Cole. I wouldnt be if Rooney was injured. But I really don't like Ashley Cole, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand - it goes beyond the club they play for. It's a bit hypocritical to hate them all year then support them suddenly.

For example, I wanted Chelsea to beat Utd in the CL final in 2008 but couldn't support John Terry's spot kick. Proper funny when he missed lol.