Best England XI (1978 to 2020)

[Deleted Cyber]

We were on a week long trip to North Wales with school. Stopped off at a chip shop on the way back from somewhere and I volunteered to go in and get them. They had that on the TV and so I got to see Fowler's free kick.

That's a really good team given the normal hit rate you get in age group football! You see Nicky Butt there ahead of Scholes, all the coaches at United were adamant the former was going to be the next big star out of the group. Raved about him all the time. Good player like but it didn't pan out that way.

Schoolboy internationals were definitely on terrestrial TV up to about 1993 or so. Again, saw one when I was waiting for my game to start at some school chess tournament in Barnet.

I don't think my teachers looked that kindly on me constantly watching football or talking about football. Got a right bollocking when I was 17 and we were supposed to write an essay in French about the 1998 World Cup. I think they had the cultural impact of black-blanc-beur and the like in mind. I used a couple of thousand words to bang on about how France were a bit shit and were nowhere near the best team in the tournament, oh and their fans were shit as well, and England had the talent to go much deeper than they actually did.

It was very well written and everything I'll have you know, although I don't remember explicitly slagging Hoddle off which was a bit of a missed opportunity. Don't ask ambiguous questions if you don't like the answers. They brought it up at the next parents' evening and my Dad just said "well he's right, isn't he" :icon_lol: Cheers man.

Fair play to Dad there!

 

[Sniffer]

Left Backs Result

Ashley Cole 24
Stuart Pearce 17
Kenny Sansom 6
Graham Le-Saux 6
Wayne Bridge 1

 

[Sniffer]

Team so far.........

-------------------------------Seaman---------------------------------

Gary Neville------Tony Adams----Rio Ferdinand--------Ashley Cole

 

[Sniffer]

Left side of midfield next and for me this could be the toughest one yet as there is no obvious winner or glut of talent.

Result - Thursday midday.

 

[Johnny75]

Sterling
Barnes
McManaman

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Chris Waddle
Joe Cole
Nick Barmby

Slim pickings.

Saving Sterling for a potential spot up front and I can't be picking Barnes if I'm generally going with England form, he was largely terrible (although obviously a superb player at club level).

 

[Templeton Peck]

Sterling
Waddle
Cole

 

[Tony Towner]

Hodge
J Cole
Scholes (call me Sven)

Didn't have any time for either Waddle or Barnes in an England shirt

 

[Tredman]

Sterling
Barnes
Joe Cole

 

[Sniffer]

I've got a list of reason's why not to pick players in this position. Sterling might get in by default as although he's been good since the 2018 World Cup, prior to that just average. Waddle was mainly right wasn't he? Cole just filled in, likewise Scholes I think Gerrard did too, McManaman was average for England, ditto Barnes, can't be having Hodge, Barmby was just OK.

No I'm Sven

Scholes
Sterling
Waddle

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

McManaman
Cole
Barnes

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Waddle
Cole
McManaman

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Waddle
Barnes
Cole.

Barnes gets in for this moment if nothing else

Mcmanaman can go whistle the biased tw*t

 

[darlowolf64]

Ray Kennedy
Raheem Sterling
Chris Waddle

 

[Nando]

Joe Cole

Steve McManaman

Trevor Sinclair.

Christ almighty.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

Saw Rideout (on tv) play for England schoolboys. No idea why it was televised and he definitely stood out. Also no idea why I remembered his name but I did.

Funny I remember watching that match as well, was against Scotland (I think) and ITV used to show a couple of schoolboy internationals at the end of the season. I remember Rideout as well, he must have scored 3 or 4 goals in the game, based on that game and the build up ITV gave him before the game looked like he was going to be a future superstar.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

By the way Lee Sharpe should have been an absolute shoo-in for this team, but he chucked it all away.

 

[Sniffer]

We need more people to vote. Joe Cole is leading this and shouldn’t be anywhere near a best team of the last 40 years.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

This is your own personal Andy Thompson moment when running a competition...

I think in the original Wolves one I did, these liabilities picked fucking Cameron as well. I ask you.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Joe Cole did give us this which has to be close to being one of the best England World Cup goals ever.