England V Algeria

Why play 4-4-2 when it clearly doesn't work. When we played 4-5-1 (More like a 4-3-2-1, see below) against Croatia in the qualifiers I finally thought we had a manager with new ideas and a team that was responding to him in a positive way. In my eyes the team that would give us a performance is this:

 

...................................Hart..................................

Johnson............Terry............Dawson............A.Cole

Lennon......................Barry...........................J.Cole

.................Lampard................Gerrard...................

................................Rooney.................................

That is what i would have played tonight, just can't see F.C going with it now though.....

Come on Algeria, beat the overpayed bastards. ;-P

Was enjoying every minute of the game seeing Algerans hold on England. Come on Slovenians, show the world why You eliminated Russians.

It seems a fan got in the dressing room and gave the players a mouthful...................good on em

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8749232.stm

Ha, and he has the cheek to question the loyal support England are given? Look around the stadium mate - infact, look around any stadium where England are playing. There is no substitute for our support. Allegedly, the US bought the most tickets but there is no better supported following around the world. Yes, the dutch travel well and yes, the Brazilians do too - but England's following is always exceptional.

That said, booing doesn't do anyone any favours...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8749232.stm

 

Ha, and he has the cheek to question the loyal support England are given? Look around the stadium mate - infact, look around any stadium where England are playing. There is no substitute for our support. Allegedly, the US bought the most tickets but there is no better supported following around the world. Yes, the dutch travel well and yes, the Brazilians do too - but England's following is always exceptional.

 

That said, booing doesn't do anyone any favours...

I condone booing. **** all this new age encourage encourage encourage ****. Always best to be told the truth, in black and white. they deserved to be booed. it really was pathetic, and im so ****ing angry im kinda glad my battery is dying and i left the charger at work

rooney shove your comments up your arse you stupid useless bald headed shrek

Personally, I think we've too many players who are scared. The weight of expectation is and always has been enormous. They'll never admit it publically but it shows when they play. Rushed, forced, rigid... they didn't look like a team who are comfortable with themselves. If you look, on the other hand at the most free-flowing teams; Argentina, Mexico... they don't like scared. They don't like expectation is smothering them.

It's weird.. under Sven I was always frustrated with the lack of fluency and professionalism in qualifiers but we seemed to always play quite well in tournaments. With Capello, it appears reversed. It looks like, despite SGE's failings the players were more relaxed. He let them 'express' themselves on the pitch. He left it uncomplicated. He let the players think for themselves. Fabio, perhaps, rules far too much with an iron first. Maybe he is too meticulous. Maybe he is too forthright in dealing with the soft and fragile ego's in the dressing room.

Yet, despite all this I do believe we have players of the highest calibre. To me, it's just something that isn't working cohesively at the moment.

Hmmm, I don't know. So many different conclusions, connotations, theories....

So what IS going wrong in everyone's opinion?

Apparently, 4-4-2 is hugely out-of-date, at the highest World Cup level now. I don't doubt it. Football tactics are like war tactics, except no individual dies when he is beaten. This England team aren't short on skill or effort. Just like the Saints teams of recent years, they are short of rising to their potential. The expectation weighs them down. Plus, they appear to have the footballing brains of a tortoise. I bet tortoise's brains are brilliant at chess. But not football.

Thank goodness I have another country to be a fan of.

What do you expect Mr Rooney you all give it billy big ****** but fail to deliver. The England fans have spent thousands to watch in person the pile of sho!te you lot dished up tonight, it maybe small change to you but most of those folks have worked a damn sight harder than you will ever dream of to pay to watch a conference team performance. They have paid in full to have the right to voice their displeasure.

Nice to see Lampard is back to his Invisible Man standard. Swap a tiny winger for a....................... tiny winger!! I can not see Gerrard handing out a captains bolloc-king on the pitch. Thank god Carragher (?) got a second yellow (he looked ****ed after 4 minutes). Rooney has looked carp, even for Manure, since his injury.

As someone else has said a team of Championship (and even some league 1) players would have more fight an passion than that bunch of £30k a week wasters............................ But the bottom line is in this World Cup there are no crap cannon fodder teams in this World Cup. 4 of Europes "elite" Germany France Spain & England have all had their noses bloodied by "little" teams.

Thank the lord I will be working next Wednesday afternoon!!

Rooney, what a nob, always said was over rated

It's silly. Not so many years ago, England beat Germany 5-1, in Germany. You could see, even back then, how surprised the England players were in scoring as many as they did. It had nothing to do with Owen, Heskey, or any individual players, it was about what they had achieved. They simply didn't quite believe they were worthy of the 5-1, in the same way as the present team don't believe they are quite upto the task. It's a confidence issue, as it has always been with England sides. They are good enough, they just don't believe they are.

It's silly. Not so many years ago, England beat Germany 5-1, in Germany. You could see, even back then, how surprised the England players were in scoring as many as they did. It had nothing to do with Owen, Heskey, or any individual players, it was about what they had achieved. They simply didn't quite believe they were worthy of the 5-1, in the same way as the present team don't believe they are quite upto the task. It's a confidence issue, as it has always been with England sides. They are good enough. They are good enough, they just don't believe they are.

Spot on... y'know, when I watch the interviews and they keep affirming how great they all are they really, really don't sound like they believe it truly.

For me though, they are...

Maybe Rooney would like to reimburse all those fans their expenses of getting tickets and travel to The World Cup, only to see such an inept showing 2 games in a row.

He has totally gone down in my estimations.

How is his slagging the fans off any different to the fans booing the team? Did he expect the team to get a standing ovation for their display?

Bellend.

Slovenia only need to draw, we need to win, so we already know how they are going to set their stall out. So.....

James

Johnson, Terry, Dawson, Cashley,

Lennon, Barry, Gerrard, Joe Cole,

Rooney, Defoe

= Pace, Firepower & Creativity.

No Heskey & Lampard, Barry and Rooney forgiven one really poor England performance. Club link ups between Cashley & Joe Cole up the left, Lennon and Defoe up the right. Barry is Gerrards anchor for Gerrard to attack. Dawson and Defoe score goals. Capello move over, where's my 6 Million?

So glad i didn't go to the world cup now, i had tickets for all of Englands group games...if i'd have turned up to these first two and seen those performances i would have been SERIOUSLY annoyed after paying £2,500-3,500!

Well following the USA game it was good to see that Rooney backed up all his 'posturing' in the press about 'now is the time to deliver', 'the players are raring to go' etc, etc with a really world class performance. Aaahhhhh maybe not then. You would have thought by now that we would have learned to stay 'low profile' when it comes to major tournaments. I know that we English like to think that we are the best at everything, but the reality is we are pretty mediocre. Personally I'm soooo pleased that we played Algeria tonight - it could have been Brazil or Argentina, and that would have been embarrasing.

 

I think the kindest thing now would be to go out with a wimper in the final game - it could actually turn out to be a blessing in disquise, let's face it, we really don't want this shower of shyte coming up against the 'big guns', we would get slaughtered.

This.

Come home boys, it's time for bed. I wonder what sort of reception they'll get at Heathrow?

I've just listened to David James interview on 5 Live and he makes some extremely unsubtle digs at Capello. I think there is a lot of disharmony in the dressing room due to Capello's bonkers idea of not letting players know if they're playing until two hours before the game.

Almost every time algeria got it they knew what to do and where to go with it.

really? With 6 in midfield there just passed it about with the extra men they had before having some random 30 yard long range shot which either went wide or hit JT. They were just as bad as we were. Trouble is they sat back when we got the ball and we couldnt get through the numbers. Saying that we had the best chances to win. Lamps nearly scored but for a good save, Gerrard should of shot instead of crossing. Couple of clear sights from the edge of the box but straight as the keeper. We just needed that first goal to open them up, just never came.

We are not out of this WC yet....although going by this thread you would think we are. PMA people.

Well, having slept off the effects of the Bullfrogs and awoken to the Cold Light of Day, the chance to make a more informed opinion.

Utter complete and total garbage.

Listless, lightweight and slow

Ponderous and predictable

I think it is quite clear, the longer that an England Team spend together, the worse they get. They are clearly training every day in set formations and groups and they come out onto the pitch and play like pre-programmed Duracell Bunnies running on cheap Chinese Batteries.

There is no invention, and Gerrard apart, no player determined to take the ball and really INTEND to do something with it. Everyone else gets the ball and says "The boss told me to...."

Did we really break at pace once in the last two games?

How many times in 180 minutes has an England player got to the By-Line and pulled a cross BACK?

Lennon isn't using pace and when he does cross it is forwards towards the goal for defenders to easily attack and clear. How many times has he beaten a defender for Pace? (Or SWP for that matter)

So WHY take light-weight wingers? Their pace has been negated so that means their passing accuracy and presence is all they are there for. SWP & Lennon couldn't pass the buck let alone a ball.

Rooney? nowhere. Although in his defence, the ball is nowhere near him either.

This World Cup is seeming to be about playing the 9 - 1 formation and breaking at pace as a unit. We are playing 4-4 fecking 2 and apart from Gerrard (and the ineffective Johnson) everybody else on the team seems terrified to get out of position. Have we not PRACTICED breaking this formation down? FFS every single pundit TOLD us this would be the formation of choice this Word Cup, WE knew, so how come we don't seem to have a clue how to play against it? Everyone ELSE can.

Walcott is supposed to have not developed his "Footballing Intelligence" and so has had a bad season. Looks to me that if you were to add up the footballing intelligence IQ's of the England Team it might JUST sneak into double figures without Gerrard.

Something is very wrong. They have 4 days to turn it around. I honestly don't see it happening, although nobody could see the last England manager who was pilloried for performances and 4-4-2 pulling it off. Is Fabio the new Mike Bassett? Will it be a movie miracle? Are we about to do an Italy?

Hope hasn't completely died but it's getting awfully close to Norwegian Blue territory

Last night has shown how far we have slipped in the quality of our players, to many imports playing for our so called top clubs.

Not many permutations left now. Lose/draw against Slovenia and we're definately out. No more picking a team to not lose the game.

Win on Wednesday and we're definately through. Beat Slovenia by more than USA beat Algeria by (if they do) and we go through on top of the group. We've been very, very lucky.

And, to put things into perspective (ignoring the past couple of performances), if we'd been offered "beat Slovenia for a place in the last 16 of the World Cup finals" six months ago, we'd have grabbed it.

It hasn't been pretty, and it has been very frustrating, but hell Italy won the last World Cup.

Why on earth is Harte not selected? He has made zero mistakes all season. full of confidnece, a man mountain and the future if English keeping. Why was he not given 3 games prior to the world cup and then he would have been as experienced as Green? Cole was totally restricted by the selection of Gerrard not freed. He offers zero cover and left him exposed. Algeria didn't take advantage but more luck than judgement. Terry is slow. He must have a little bit of pace next to him. Why wasn't a pacey centre back selected in the squad other than Rio? Capelo's reliance on Carragher to replace Rio just shows how weak we are in that position. Christ, he wasn't selected previously because he wasn't good enough, so why select him now? Barry just didn't look match fit and now that Capello has made him the `lynchpin' (Laughable seeing as he is just an average club player) of the side we have problems. Lampard thrives in a five man midfield where he can roam. He has never looked good ever when asked to do a proper centre midfield job. Gerrard can not play at left midfield. Where has Lennon's balls gone. Go on son beat the man FFS or give someone else a go. Getting the ball once every 15 minutes can't help much. Heskey can't get in the Villa side. Enough said. This the world cup not the league cup. Why is Rooney collecting the ball deeper than Lampard?

Rooney - most over-rated player ever.

V Good league player, ok international - not in same class as Forlan, Messi etc

Well, having slept off the effects of the Bullfrogs and awoken to the Cold Light of Day, the chance to make a more informed opinion.

 

Utter complete and total garbage.

 

Listless, lightweight and slow

 

Ponderous and predictable

 

I think it is quite clear, the longer that an England Team spend together, the worse they get. They are clearly training every day in set formations and groups and they come out onto the pitch and play like pre-programmed Duracell Bunnies running on cheap Chinese Batteries.

 

There is no invention, and Gerrard apart, no player determined to take the ball and really INTEND to do something with it. Everyone else gets the ball and says "The boss told me to...."

 

Did we really break at pace once in the last two games?

 

How many times in 180 minutes has an England player got to the By-Line and pulled a cross BACK?

 

 

Lennon isn't using pace and when he does cross it is forwards towards the goal for defenders to easily attack and clear. How many times has he beaten a defender for Pace? (Or SWP for that matter)Agree with most of what you say. So WHY take light-weight wingers? Their pace has been negated so that means their passing accuracy and presence is all they are there for. SWP & Lennon couldn't pass the buck let alone a ball.

 

Rooney? nowhere. Although in his defence, the ball is nowhere near him either.

 

This World Cup is seeming to be about playing the 9 - 1 formation and breaking at pace as a unit. We are playing 4-4 fecking 2 and apart from Gerrard (and the ineffective Johnson) everybody else on the team seems terrified to get out of position. Have we not PRACTICED breaking this formation down? FFS every single pundit TOLD us this would be the formation of choice this Word Cup, WE knew, so how come we don't seem to have a clue how to play against it? Everyone ELSE can.

 

Walcott is supposed to have not developed his "Footballing Intelligence" and so has had a bad season. Looks to me that if you were to add up the footballing intelligence IQ's of the England Team it might JUST sneak into double figures without Gerrard.

 

Something is very wrong. They have 4 days to turn it around. I honestly don't see it happening, although nobody could see the last England manager who was pilloried for performances and 4-4-2 pulling it off. Is Fabio the new Mike Bassett? Will it be a movie miracle? Are we about to do an Italy?

 

Hope hasn't completely died but it's getting awfully close to Norwegian Blue territory

I must say that I agree with most of what you say.

The game was the worst performance that I can ever remember from England. We seem to have adopted the "W" pattern of passing; pass it back, pass it forward, pass it back, pass it forward. I was going apoplectic in my armchair and needed one of those foam bricks to throw at the Telly whilst I shouted "get the bloody ball forward! As for the passing, I'm amazed that players who are so highly rewarded and supposed to be able to call themselves professionals at the highest level, can more often find an opponent than one of their team mates. We could still have been playing now and not have scored, so predictable were we.

For all that Capello believes that Walcott hasn't developed into the player he ought to be, I couldn't help myself imagining how his pace out wide would have torn the Algerians apart. On the other hand, why does he persist in choosing that old donkey Heskey up front? Many of the pundits said he had a good game against the USA, but I disagreed. I can't remember the last time that he scored for us. Why leave somebody like Crouch on the bench when his presence in the box causes teams problems and his goal-scoring record is good.

I'm increasingly forming the opinion that if offered a pair of tickets to go and watch England play an International, or a pair to watch Southampton at home, I'd rather watch Saints. At least I'd witness a team playing with honest endeavour and pride and the entertainment value would also be far superior. I can't say that I blame any of those fans giving those overpaid prima ballerinas the bird. It was a disgrace.

We didn't play 4-4-2 last night or anything like it. Lennon played wide right, Heskey pretty much on his own, Gerrard in front of Barry next to Lampard, nobody on the left, occasionly Cole but but he was tied down by the Algerian right. Rooney wandered all over the place. This meant we played like a three legged dog, no blend or balance.

Gerrard and Lampard don't blend, unless Gerrard plays up front and I'm not sure he should, one of them should be dropped. I personally think Cole has to play left side and Rooney up front with Crouch, Gerrard could maybe play wide right provided he stays there and doesn't just play where he wants.

Last night was a prime example of the sum of the parts not being anywhere near the collective talent on show. FFS it's the teamwork that's important not a collection of individuals playing it their way off the cuff. There was no shape and no balance and unless that is put right we are coming home.

I agree to an extent about the players being crushed by the expectations, but these are elite professionals who play in massive games in the Champs League, Premier League and to a lesser extent the FA Cup. They get conditioned by sports psychologists etc to deal with that sort of pressure. If they can't hack it, they shouldn't be there.

This is the greatest stage on which to prove yourself as a footballer and last night we learnt that they haven't even got the ******** to go for the jugular against spirited but limited opposition.

All the other major nations deals with similar hype, if anything the Italian, Brazilian, Argentinian, Spanish and German press are as bad, if not worse, than ours.

I've got the utmost respect for what Capello has achieved at club level, he's absolutely first class, but he's been tactically inept in South Africa. Last night was the perfect opportunity to introduce Joe Cole, because we were short on ideas going forward and Joe Cole has the flair to change that, look how Brazil benefited from Robinho's creativity against a stubborn N.Korean defence. Also, what's the point in bringing on Crouch on 83 mins? By the time he's settled into the game, it's over, so a pointless change.

I really hope we can't get any lower than this, but Rooney's reaction afterwards suggests the players are going to blame others rather than admit that they were disgracefully poor. If you were Capello would you tear into them after that or put an arm around the shoulder and take the softly softly approach?

Maybe he needs to show them the Carlsberg teamtalk ad before they run out against Slovenia?

Why the hell they've been given the day off has confused me, they should be up, watching BOTH games on tape, reading the papers and out training!!

Don't blame the manager ! Capello is a proven manager and will prove himself again in the future when he returns to club football.

IMO England looked very pedestrian- no speed (due to age), and no flair. They obviously are playing to a game plan. This works with skilful players but I am afraid we haven't got enough of them. We looked like a team of 'has beens' with some players living on their reputations alone.

Contrast this to the side that Glenn Hoddle built !

IMO we will draw our next match and will come home early.

Lampard and Gerrard just dont play together.A decision has to be made which one has to be dropped. Gerrard for me is the best of the 2 and when he was more in the middle he clicked with Rooney.

Play Rooney as he does for Manu as a lone striker and then use the pace on the wings with midfielders coming on supporting.

Barry is a plodder and whilst we need a defensive midfielder his touch and slow control stops any momentum going forward.I dont know who else we have in the squad who can do his job.

The key , should we try and plod through to the next round or go for bust ?

Lampard and Gerrard just dont play together.A decision has to be made which one has to be dropped. Gerrard for me is the best of the 2 and when he was more in the middle he clicked with Rooney.

Play Rooney as he does for Manu as a lone striker and then use the pace on the wings with midfielders coming on supporting.

Barry is a plodder and whilst we need a defensive midfielder his touch and slow control stops any momentum going forward.I dont know who else we have in the squad who can do his job.

Lampard and Gerrard just dont play together.A decision has to be made which one has to be dropped. Gerrard for me is the best of the 2 and when he was more in the middle he clicked with Rooney.

Play Rooney as he does for Manu as a lone striker and then use the pace on the wings with midfielders coming on supporting.

Barry is a plodder and whilst we need a defensive midfielder his touch and slow control stops any momentum going forward.I dont know who else we have in the squad who can do his job.

This is part of the problem, neither of them will be.

Can anyone name one England game in the last 5 years when either Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, Rio haven't started when fit regardless of how badly they've played?

The key , should we try and plod through to the next round or go for bust ?

This is part of the problem, neither of them will be.

 

Can anyone name one England game in the last 5 years when either Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, Rio haven't started when fit regardless of how badly they've played?

Quite agree, for too long we have tried to play our so called best players at all costs at the detriment of the team. Go back to when Ramsey won the WC and he didnt play Greaves, who was the best goal scorer in the day. Can you imagine the media and fans outcry now if a manager tried to do that now? The media focus was nothing like it is now.

We have to grasp the nettle and play Gerrard in his best role, Rooney in his and the rest may fall into place.You can see Gerrard and Rooney think as one, wheras Lampard!!!!!

Quite agree, for too long we have tried to play our so called best players at all costs at the detriment of the team. Go back to when Ramsey won the WC and he didnt play Greaves, who was the best goal scorer in the day. Can you imagine the media and fans outcry now if a manager tried to do that now? The media focus was nothing like it is now.

We have to grasp the nettle and play Gerrard in his best role, Rooney in his and the rest may fall into place.You can see Gerrard and Rooney think as one, wheras Lampard!!!!!

Call me cynical but I think whether an England player starts depends more on how many replica shirts they'll sell and not how well they perform. Lampard is the epitome of it.

Don't blame the manager ! Capello is a proven manager and will prove himself again in the future when he returns to club football.

 

IMO England looked very pedestrian- no speed (due to age), and no flair. They obviously are playing to a game plan. This works with skilful players but I am afraid we haven't got enough of them. We looked like a team of 'has beens' with some players living on their reputations alone.

 

Contrast this to the side that Glenn Hoddle built !

 

IMO we will draw our next match and will come home early.

Don't blame the manager.....he is not doing club football is he? he is at a WC with our national team!!!

I knew you were barmy with your incessant Hoddle ****e but honestly you are round the bend!

He sat there watching that lot of bumbling clowns for 63 minutes and changes a winger for a winger!

Thats was almost Burleyesque last night and he turned into Mike Bassett...clueless.

Anyone with half a brain could see in the first 15 minutes we gave them far too much space and time on the ball yet he did nothing didn't tell them anything from the sideline just stood waving his arms looking like Desperate Dan.

At half-time we should of had Heskey and Rooney off and Crouch and Defoe on.....Crouch got 7 minutes FFS....but don't blame the manager.

I am still livid after watching that pile of ****e.

I recon if the best english players from the championship and leagues below were picked they would have won that game and played better football.

As Bridgey said in an earlier post, this current lot are made to look good in the domestic league because they are surrounded by top class foreign players, take that away and they are crap. I dont care that Gerrard is played out of position, or Rooney feeds of Heskey (supposedly) blah, blah, blah, this shower could not even get basics right last night, like cross a ball, find another player, first touch control, it was all missing.

Rooney and Gerrard looked lazy and uninterested and Lampard ran about like a headless chicken. These players are meant to be world class and yet I have seen better football in League 1. Oh, and what a revelation Barry was, well worth the Aston Martin DB9 he drives about, feckin not!!!!

Watch Switzerland V Spain and see how hard the Swiss players worked all night, not much talent in the team but they ran and worked for eachother till they were dropping and won againt the favourites. Perhaps we should adopt that mentality because we definately are not talented enough and definately did not work hard, we were lacking in every part of the game.

Depressing. Watched it with an Algerian guy here, so two depressed fans, although football's not important to him.

But how pedestrian and predictable it all was. The only saving grace was that I didn't expect much more: I was hoping for a headed goal from a corner from one of our tall guys, but that was about it. When Saints bring on Papa Waigo or Antonio off the bench you think they might do something and there's a bit of a buzz, but does Wright-Phillips do the same for England? Does he ****! Where's the guile, pace, what the Italians call "fantasia", intelligence, oh ********.

All those England fans with their flags and enjoying their holidays will go back to Chelmsford or wherever and think, great holiday and atmosphere and crap football and be relieved as all of us that they have a local team they probably support who'll give them far more honest satisfaction than watching England.

For me the biggest problem we have is that we always play the big names regardless. Look at Brazil, they haven't taken Pato or Ronaldinho, but Frank Lampard walks into our team even though he is consistantly awful.

Joe Cole must be doing his nut, he for me is a match changer. He has that little bit of skill that can unlock defences, of course sat on the bench he can't do this.

Lennon hasn't beaten a full back once in two games, drop him.

Heskey has looked OK, thats how bad we have been. Joe Hart, apparently is inexperienced?? If you're good enough, you're old enough, start the guy in goal.

Last night Rooney was the worst player on the pitch for me, his second touch was always a tackle. He looked dis-interested and his little strop at the end was frankly pathetic.

I was watching the game with my brother and mentioned how when I play football, if I'm losing and playing poorly, I get ****ed off and want to just basically hit someone hard in a 50/50 tackle. England didn't get close enough to the Algerians to make a tackle.

what a truck load of crap

heskey is a complete joke...what a fuking embarrassment he is...

why on gods green earth joe cole has not got on that pitch yet I dont know..?

SWP..ffs

hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooof

One major problem is that the three 'Billy-Big-B0ll0cks' (Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard) don't want to be team players. They're basically selfish ball-chasers who won't hold down a position and do the job they're allocated ...

Good post - astute and to the point. Essentially we had three players who at club level are regarded as the kingpin of the team and the club manager builds the side (and tactics) around them. Maybe Rooney and Gerrard can work together but if so then Lampard has to go, not because he is an inherently bad player (20+ goals in at least the past two premiership seasons) but because for whatever reason he unbalances the side. However, if Rooney really is as off-form as he looks or is carrying an injury then maybe he and Gerrard should go, because Lampard brought infinitely better form into the WC than Gerrard did who spent a season alternately sulking and fretting under Benitez.

Jo Cole has to play the next game ...

beckham to be next england manager..

we should move on from getting club managers in...just go for the figure head like most other nations

If you go on form for last season : -

James - good game against us, but hardly ever fit.

Johnson - disapointing

Cole - OK

Terry - Terrible after Bridge-Gate

Carrigher - Legs have gone, Liverpools Benali

Lennon - Great start to the season, but not yet recovered form since injury

Gerrard - Terrible season, some of his perfromances would embarrass a park player

Lampard - Good 2nd half to season, but can't play with gerrard

Barry - Steady season but not fit

Heskey - Lucky to get on the bench at Villa

Rooney - Great season , but not fit since April

Based on that, I am not sure why anyone expected us to do well. The problem is, I can't think of many better alternatives, other than Crouch and J Cole, who should be fresh after only playing about 10 games this year.

Jaglelka, Noble, Parker and Adam Johnson perhaps , but that's about it. The future does not look bright. Maybe Ricky Lambert will get the nod for the Euros's ?

Hodgson to be England boss by August. The only sensible option if this pans out the way it looks like it is going to, with an ignominious early exit.

Lampard was shocking. He & Gerrard cant play together. I actually thought Gerrard was our best player last night. Barry did alright as well. Heskey, Rooney, Johnson & Lampard were inept. Capello also.

Why oh why Zamora did not go I dont know, much more hussle and bussle about him than the likes of powder puff Heskey, plus Zamora scores goals.

Has something gone on between Joe Cole and Capello? Quite how he keeps getting overlooked is troubling me, SWP and Lennon, well you know what you get with them, they are one dimensional, with J Cole you get a real talent, someone capable of doing something 'Brazilian'. I can't believe he hasn't even come on as a sub.

Next game for me would be to start with J Cole and put Gerrard back into centre midfield. We have to drop Lampard as I would keep Barry in the first 11.

Would Capello do the unthinkable and drop Rooney? He has been very poor and maybe a Crouch/Defoe partnership would get goals.....or play Gerrard behind Rooney?

Either way, we need to change, it's too rigid, the players look like they have seen the ghost of SGE on the touchline, it's as if we have gone back to the dark days of his mismanagement. Mind you, we can keep blaming the managers all we want, ultimately it's the players who are failing, year in and year out.

No width, no pace, no passion, no balance,no desire, no hunger, no commitment, no leadership.

We are missing Beckham. The buck stops with Capello though its his squad his selection and his formation, Why he didnt take adam johnson, Purely because he is our best left sided player, i find strange. The best player in his squad for that position is Joe Cole yet he hasnt even had a sniff!!!

For me we should play this team against slovenia

--------------James--------------

Johnson Dawson Terry A.Cole

---------------Barry---------------

Lennon Lampard Gerrard J.Cole

-------------Defoe------------------

I would keep James in as he played ok in last game although my first choice at start of WC was Hart, Dawson and Terry are quite simular players but id rather have Dawson than that ****e Upson!

Lennon is the best RM in his squad. Id play Defoe over Rooney for two reason one he doesn't look fit and also because of his comments ( Terry got punished for less ie captaincy imo).

Also no Rooney does anyone remember the shocking WC from a certain superstar from Brazil a few years ago?? When Ronaldo had that shocking WC in 98 i believe, think this is simular to much pressure on rooney and he is NOT fit!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8749232.stm

 

That said, booing doesn't do anyone any favours...

Maybe they were shouting "boo-urns boo-urns" ?

The manager does have an inpact after the game kicks off but only with subs and half time team talk. The players out there are supposedly the cream of English football. They swan around earning 90k a week and haven't the brain or where with all to take a game by the scruff of the neck. It is nearly universal that Lampard and Gerrard do not gel and so ,Lampard shoudl go as he is not the captain and Gerrard does have move drive.

To not qualify from that group would be disgraceful, it is time they stood up and be counted.

No width, no pace, no passion, no balance,no desire, no hunger, no commitment, no leadership.

 

We are missing Beckham. The buck stops with Capello though its his squad his selection and his formation, Why he didnt take adam johnson, Purely because he is our best left sided player, i find strange. The best player in his squad for that position is Joe Cole yet he hasnt even had a sniff!!!

 

For me we should play this team against slovenia

 

--------------James--------------

Johnson Dawson Terry A.Cole

---------------Barry---------------

Lennon Lampard Gerrard J.Cole

-------------Defoe------------------

 

I would keep James in as he played ok in last game although my first choice at start of WC was Hart, Dawson and Terry are quite simular players but id rather have Dawson than that ****e Upson!

Lennon is the best RM in his squad. Id play Defoe over Rooney for two reason one he doesn't look fit and also because of his comments ( Terry got punished for less ie captaincy imo).

 

Also no Rooney does anyone remember the shocking WC from a certain superstar from Brazil a few years ago?? When Ronaldo had that shocking WC in 98 i believe, think this is simular to much pressure on rooney and he is NOT fit!