The Road to Russia 2018

[Johnny75]

Gotta love Southgate no doubt we'll be having another inquest in 10 months time after another debacle at a major tournament.

I think we might be lucky to get that far. It's shades of Graham Taylor. Just daft selections and clueless tactics. Even Venables would be embarrassed picking that many defenders.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Outstandingly there are mooks on Twitter asking why the fuck he hasn't picked Josh King.

 

[Sam-Wolf]

Literally every time there's an England announcement I can't believe quite how I'm more dissatisfied than I was with the last one.

 

[Jinky]

Absolutely bang average group of players at international level.

Maguire. Fucking hell. We ran rings around him at Molineux a few weeks back and now he's getting a call up for England.

Chalobah & Livermore are not international class footballers. Henderson has failed time & time again at this level. Maguire already mentioned above. Lingard & Oxlade-Chamberlain cannot get in their club side regularly yet still make the national team.

Defoe is nearly 35 and Sturridge spends more time injured than playing. And all that before you consider Southgate clearly wanted to call up Rooney.

Good God, the state of that squad. Goalkeepers, Alli & Kane aside, we're a shocking international squad - we really are.

 

[The Bear]

Outstandingly there are mooks on Twitter asking why the fuck he hasn't picked Josh King.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We have a massive problem in central midfield at the moment, we've got nothing. Tons of AMs but not much to back them up. Though how Tom Davies isn't getting a call I don't know.

------------------Butland---------------

Walker------Stones-------Keane-----Bertrand

----------Henderson---Dier----------------

------Sterling----Alli---------Welbeck

------------------Kane----------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------Butland-------------------

------------Dier-----Stones-----Keane-----------

Walker------Henderson----Alli----------Bertrand

----------Ox----------Kane-------Rashford-------

Two possible ways he could go and neither of them are particularly poor teams on the face of it (other than Henderson being locked in, the mouth breathing nonentity). It's all the filler and the nonsense balance he has to every squad he picks. You don't need ten fucking defenders.

 

[Nando]

Absolutely bang average group of players at international level.

Maguire. Fucking hell. We ran rings around him at Molineux a few weeks back and now he's getting a call up for England.

Chalobah & Livermore are not international class footballers. Henderson has failed time & time again at this level. Maguire already mentioned above. Lingard & Oxlade-Chamberlain cannot get in their club side regularly yet still make the national team.

Defoe is nearly 35 and Sturridge spends more time injured than playing. And all that before you consider Southgate clearly wanted to call up Rooney.

Good God, the state of that squad. Goalkeepers, Alli & Kane aside, we're a shocking international squad - we really are.

Rashford, Sterling, Walker & Rose are all good options too. We're truly rancid at CM though.

 

[jd1981]

I think we might be lucky to get that far. It's shades of Graham Taylor. Just daft selections and clueless tactics. Even Venables would be embarrassed picking that many defenders.

We only need to beat Malta and Lithuania and avoid defeat in the home games and we should be fine.

 

[YoungWolf]

We have good attacking options, decent full backs and keepers but at centre back and midfield we look so short. Chalobah has done well for watford and has come through the youth ranks for England. Needs an opportunity.

When Henderson is a clear first choice centre mid you know it's bad thoogh.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I haven't completely given up on Wilshere yet but by Christ is time running out for him.

Never forget though that Graham Taylor dropped Gazza for Sid Cowans once and I vaguely remember him pairing Carlton Palmer and Andy Gray. Things have been a lot worse. In fact that was doubly bad because he left out the likes of Waddle, Beardsley and Le Tissier by choice. Out of who is fit and available now...who is missing out? Walcott maybe but he isn't one of the best wide options and will never be a striker for England. Tom Davies as I say, but he isn't the messiah or anything, he's just better than wank like Livermore.

I'm hoping Loftus-Cheek can have a big season at Palace.

 

[YoungWolf]

yep we need Loftus-Cheek to continue his good form, as with Chalobah. Both very capable players IMO.

It would be great as well if the u19/20 group that have just had their successes cam get senior football this season. Several players who can be stars for us

 

[b3h]

To now

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's all Heskey's fault. Came on against France and was a clumsy oaf, giving away a freekick that Zidane scored from to set us on the way from a class win to a defeat. So Sven didn't trust him (in fact I'm not sure he ever picked him again). So when Rooney went off vs Portugal, he ended up panicking and sending on Ower Darius despite him and Owen being a comically unsuitable strike force. Cost us the game because everything kept coming back at us.

Though equally he should have just gone five in midfield and sent Hargreaves on.

 

[Alan]

Isn't Loftus-Cheek playing as an inside forward for Palace?

 

[Carrotdude]

Isn't Loftus-Cheek playing as an inside forward for Palace?

He plays further forward than I thought he would but he's looked decent from the bits I've seen. Could surely do a job in central midfield if he's not playing there already

 

[Alan]

If anyone can find highlights to today's qualifier between UAE and Saudi Arabia, I highly recommend you check out UAE's second goal. One of the best I've ever seen.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

If anyone can find highlights to today's qualifier between UAE and Saudi Arabia, I highly recommend you check out UAE's second goal. One of the best I've ever seen.

It's just a big hit, you get 10s on those scored every season, it's no better than Daniels' strike against City.

 

[Alan]

It's just a big hit, you get 10s on those scored every season, it's no better than Daniels' strike against City.

It's the skill leading up to it combined with that.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

It's the skill leading up to it combined with that.

He only poked it round the defender, just because he did a little pirouette round the other side doesn't make it anything special from a footballing point of view.

 

[Del Woppio]

You're forgetting the hipster points you get for saying you watched UAE vs Saudi Arabia tbf