Euro 2016 Qualifiers - The Road to France

[arklowolf]

See forwards in the mid 90s - Shearer, Sheringham, Ferdinand, Wright, Fowler, Cole, then the likes of Sutton/Le Tissier/Dublin never got a sniff. And this decade has seen us pick Carlton Cole and Jay Bothroyd.

The thoughts of these two in an England shirt actually makes me feel physically sick. The name Bothroyd immediately came to mind the other day when we were on the 'Bully in the top 20 worst England picks list'.

The best way I can describe England the last few times I've watched them is how I think Arsenal might play on Mogodon.

We struggle to break down teams who 'park the bus' because our build up is so slow and we haven't got a Gascoigne type player who can commit people and get past people. Besides which when we come up against teams who are equal or better than us and we simply can't defend against them, Baines, Jagielka and DW's favourite right back are guaranteed two or three blunders a game each and the replacements that have been tried don't seem to be up to the job. We've not really been able to replace Ashley Cole or Neville with equivalent players as far as I'm concerned.
I don't think we've got the players - full stop. We'll qualify easily and so we should, but as for winning or even challenging for anything? Nah.

 

[Kenny]

Serbia given a 3-0 win v Albania after Dronegate

 

[Edgmond Wolf]

Serbia given a 3-0 win v Albania after Dronegate

Then deducted points for the fracas causing it to be abandened

Good old UEFA giving a none decision as usual

 

[Jolemai]

England squad

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster, Ben Foster and Joe Hart

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Calum Chambers, Nathaniel Clyne, Kieran Gibbs, Phil Jagielka, Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling.

Midfielders: Ross Barkley, Michael Carrick, Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling, Andros Townsend, Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott.

Forwards: Rickie Lambert, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Welbeck and Saido Berahino.

 

[Nando]

Jack Cork should be looking to get in there soon. He's been brilliant for Southampton and is just about the only natural holding player have at the moment.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Carrick is a holding player, shirley. Surprised he has been called up though.

 

[Carrotdude]

Has Carrick even played a single minute this season?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Came on vs City and played well, albeit at centre half.

I like Cork but he is painfully slow and doesn't have the class of Carrick. I'd have Barry back in the squad if age suddenly doesn't matter again.

 

[Carrotdude]

Hmm not sure on Barry, heard he's been poor this season but haven't seen enough myself. Does seem that some are getting picked on past good performances rather than games/form in the league. Townsend, Lambert, Carrick etc. not sure id have brought Walcott back so soon, needs to be very careful with that knee

 

[Lord Knows]

Callum Wilson makes the under 21 squad.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

What I don't get is that Carrick was too old to bother taking to a World Cup (so we take no holding midfielder at all) and then we recall him?

Muddled thinking. I think he should be in there as he's the best we've got but there appears to be little by way of philosophy about Hodgson's England, it's all cobbled together on the hoof.

Downing can fuck off as well, I don't care if he's been playing well for West Ham. He's as much of an international footballer as Steve Sidwell.

 

[darlowolf64]

Stewart Downing...Really?

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I'd have Downing in there ahead of Townsend, at least you can argue he's won the call up on merit, not sure why Hodgson is so fond of Andros.

He does seem to mix it up a bit more than previous managers with his squads, giving the players on form such as Downing and Berahino a chance to stake their claim but then he goes completely rogue with shit like Townsend who barely even plays, he must pick the last 5 or 6 names out of a hat.

 

[Jolemai]

Still has some credit from that one time I guess. Not really sure about Walcott being there as he's only been back from injury for five minutes.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I've just noticed...No Glen Johnson! This changes everything.

 

[Sniffer]

Roy is keeping faith with a player who hasn't let him down in Townsend. His club form may stink but I can understand why Roy has kept him in. With regards to Carrick, with Lampard and Gerrard gone there is a role for an older wiser head in the middle of the park so I can also understand why he's back in now.

 

[YoungWolf]

As much as I love Carrick as a footballer, he was poor last season (though I still would have taken him to WC) and has played one game this season? Nothing Roy does makes sense. Cork is a really good footballer, though my choice would still be Huddlestone.

Why is there three left backs too?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

So long as one of the left backs isn't Danny Rose that is fine by me.

I too find Huddlestone's exclusion odd. Never mind, we have Jordan Henderson who has never done anything in his entire England career to date. As in literally nothing. No goals, no assists, not a single performance above adequate.

 

[YoungWolf]

Bertrand is probably ahead of him too, he's been great for Southampton so far.

Roy clearly doesn't fancy him. Lack of mobility is probably his concern but it didn't stop him making Gerrard his captain and picking him every game.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Put Huddlestone in a Liverpool shirt and Henderson in a Hull shirt (probably a better representation of their talent IMO) and watch which one he'd pick.