Euro 2016 watch

[Deutsch Wolf]

It'll be Heaton, Alex McCarthy is a better keeper but isn't playing at club level. In practice it doesn't matter as I think there's one instance ever of anyone using three keepers at a tournament (something tells me USSR did in 1990, could be wrong though).

 

[Freddeno]

Ruddy has been abysmal this year..Ben Foster for me

 

[Kenny]

Ruddy has been abysmal this year..Ben Foster for me

Foster is rank these days. Plus he "retired" until he wanted a free holiday to Brazil so he can do one.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If we wanted to do something a bit left field then we could take Jordan Pickford. Extremely highly rated, by rights he should be Sunderland's number one now but BFS won't take that risk given their league position. Potentially he could be our keeper in the (extremely) long term, take him and give him the experience of being at a major tournament. Would be harsh on Heaton who's had three perfectly decent seasons but I think everyone knows he's never going to be England's goalkeeper bar the odd token friendly appearance at most. The FA would have to field some Daily Mail outrage about us TAKING A PLAYER WITH ONE PREMIER LEAGUE GAME WHO IS HE IT IS A DISGRACE SIGN OF THE TIMES WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IN GORDON BANKS' TIME but fuck it.

Admittedly that approach didn't do anything for Richard Wright when we took him to Euro 2000, but that was his own fault for being rubbish when he got a chance at Arsenal and Everton.

 

[Freddeno]

Foster is rank these days. Plus he "retired" until he wanted a free holiday to Brazil so he can do one.

He has been great since returning from injury TBF

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Realistically, is there any point in taking a 33 year old keeper who has no chance of displacing either the first or second choice?

 

[Freddeno]

I get your point, if not pick a very young third goalie that has the future ahead of him

 

[North West Wanderer]

Pickford is a decent shout.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Hodgson has said that Wayne Rooney is still a major factor in his plans for Euro 2016.

 

[North West Wanderer]

As he should be.

 

[darlowolf64]

As he should be.

If he has proved he is fully match fit...

 

[Aikiwolf]

Tbh Hodgson has made a difficult situation for himself by making Rooney captain, he isn't in form (or fit) but he can't drop him to the bench without causing a media uproar over dropping his captain.

Plus I don't think strikers should be captains!

 

[darlowolf64]

I don't think it should matter who the captain is (the best leader/most experienced player on the day)...We really do take the captaincy thing way too seriously

 

[Johnny75]

I don't think it should matter who the captain is...We really do take the captaincy thing way too seriously

I agree, total nonsense made more important from an increasingly irrelevant sports media.

 

[Tony Towner]

Tbh Hodgson has made a difficult situation for himself by making Rooney captain, he isn't in form (or fit) but he can't drop him to the bench without causing a media uproar over dropping his captain.

Plus I don't think strikers should be captains!

There weren't many options 18 months ago though and even now the obvious alternatives Cahill and Henderson many wouldn't have in the side. Hart has done it before, but I assume if you don't think a forward should be the captain then the same goes for a keeper?

 

[darlowolf64]

I have no problem with a keeper being captain. They can see everything that happens but just need a big gob to be heard/get their message over.

However, back to the "best leader/most experienced on the day" for me

 

[Aikiwolf]

There weren't many options 18 months ago though and even now the obvious alternatives Cahill and Henderson many wouldn't have in the side. Hart has done it before, but I assume if you don't think a forward should be the captain then the same goes for a keeper?

No my reasons for not liking a striker as captain are that:
1) a striker needs to be selfish
2) a striker often plays with his back to the game and so can't see the pattern of play

I agree that there weren't too many options - perhaps Roy should have said the captain will be picked on a game by game basis?

 

[FrankMunro-371]

I don't think it should matter who the captain is (the best leader/most experienced player on the day)...We really do take the captaincy thing way too seriously

Agreed. Pick your best team and give one of those players the captaincy.

 

[Freddeno]

I would have smalling as captain, leader, will play every game and not too young

 

[North West Wanderer]

If he has proved he is fully match fit...

Goes for a number of them Mike. Hart, Sterling, Shaw,

Tbh Hodgson has made a difficult situation for himself by making Rooney captain, he isn't in form (or fit) but he can't drop him to the bench without causing a media uproar over dropping his captain.

Plus I don't think strikers should be captains!

He was doing fine before injury, before Christmas he was unusually poor.
He can't be in form when injured.

Your second point is far, I prefer a defender or CM myself, but there's no one else