Townsend, Rashford & Delph will be the 3 to get bombed.
Agree with this. Can't understand the fuss being made by some people over him not picking Defoe. The guy is 33 and won't get a kick anyway. Hodgson is clearly only going to take 4 strikers (Rooney, Vardy, Kane and Sturridge) to the Euro's so there's no harm at all in giving Rashford some experience of the senior squad.
Only question mark i'd raise is how you can pick Delph over say someone like Noble who's been in great form this season. And yes i know Wilshere has barely played too but you have to take him as he's definitely one of our best midfielders.
See that makes no sense. If you are justifying Wilshere then it justifies Delph. Delph has been excellent in the England games he has played. Personally I'd rather have neither. Wilshere is massively overrated and has started 1 game this season and Delph hasn't played enough either. However, when the answer to these problems is Mark Noble then it shows the depth of quality for English players is very thin at the moment.
See that makes no sense. If you are justifying Wilshere then it justifies Delph. Delph has been excellent in the England games he has played. Personally I'd rather have neither. Wilshere is massively overrated and has started 1 game this season and Delph hasn't played enough either. However, when the answer to these problems is Mark Noble then it shows the depth of quality for English players is very thin at the moment.
I wouldn't have Noble within 1,000 miles of the squad, but ahead of him you have Dier, Wilshere, Henderson, Alli, Barkley, Drinkwater, Delph, Lallana, Milner, Ox, Shelvey. It's not a bad amount of depth.
One International class defender in Smalling, the rest are average/inexperiened/ better at going forward than defending. A shame because we look good in midfield & attack.
Wilshere is not match-fit and so has no place in the squad; Delph and Townshend aren't International standard; Sterling shouldn't even be in the squad on form. Quarter - finals at best, then the usual capitulation. In vino veritas
Rio World Cup part 2..Wales and Russia to qualify from our group after some nice football from England results in only two score draws but we are unlucky to concede a 94th minute penalty against the Welsh after a frustrated Rooney chops down Bale in the penalty box.
Roy is subsequently re-appointed for another 15 years to continue the pretty & pointless football project and Rooney is retained as Captain because of his superb leadership skills and ability to inspire others.
You know what, if all of you keep complaining like this you're going to get Pards. If you thought he couldn't reverse a slide at club level, see how tactically inept he is at international level!
I think we have a chance of both doing well and badly. You can make an argument both ways - but a lot will depend on the form we take into the tournament and the refereeing.
Rio World Cup part 2..Wales and Russia to qualify from our group after some nice football from England results in only two score draws but we are unlucky to concede a 94th minute penalty against the Welsh after a frustrated Rooney chops down Bale in the penalty box.
Roy is subsequently re-appointed for another 15 years to continue the pretty & pointless football project and Rooney is retained as Captain because of his superb leadership skills and ability to inspire others.
Think this will be a tournament where you can get away with having an average defence if your attack is gonna bail you out.
Go through the squads and defence is probably most sides weakness.
Rose/Walker/Clyne are all good attacking full backs which against sides like those in our group is important. It's why we done well in qualifying. Then if we finish top we play another average side in the second round.
In the World Cup our defence was found out by Luiz Suarez and Balloteli, we won't face that type of quality until the Quarters/Semis (apart from Bale who's gonNa be carrying Simon Church and his mates)
The only thing that gives me a glimmer of hope is if Kane and vArdy are allowed to play - the rest, barring possibly Ali, I'd the usual array of not quite good enoughs when it comes to the business end of an international tournament - reality will see Rooney shoe horned in and that will b that - home after the group stage
Rio World Cup part 2..Wales and Russia to qualify from our group after some nice football from England results in only two score draws but we are unlucky to concede a 94th minute penalty against the Welsh after a frustrated Rooney chops down Bale in the penalty box.
Roy is subsequently re-appointed for another 15 years to continue the pretty & pointless football project and Rooney is retained as Captain because of his superb leadership skills and ability to inspire others.
Absolute joke.
You realise we can still qualify third dont you?
Ah..good point..sorry...England struggle through in third place but after Rooney is sent home after being sent off against Wales, the young England Lions find their roar and play without fear, storming to a classic final against Germany, recreating the famous fixture from fifty years ago.
Come one boys..this can be our year etc etc (yawn.. when does the snooker start?)
See that makes no sense. If you are justifying Wilshere then it justifies Delph. Delph has been excellent in the England games he has played. Personally I'd rather have neither. Wilshere is massively overrated and has started 1 game this season and Delph hasn't played enough either. However, when the answer to these problems is Mark Noble then it shows the depth of quality for English players is very thin at the moment.
I wouldn't have Noble within 1,000 miles of the squad, but ahead of him you have Dier, Wilshere, Henderson, Alli, Barkley, Drinkwater, Delph, Lallana, Milner, Ox, Shelvey. It's not a bad amount of depth.
You're just naming midfielders there and not even ones that play in the same position as Noble. Just because someone is English and plays in the PL doesn't necessarily mean they are International standard. My point still stands. The midfield (along with practically the whole squad) picks itself, purely based on the fact that there isn't the required depth (see Wilshere and Delph being in there when had a similar level player who had been playing well all season would have been included instead).
I'm not intentionally being negative about England, in fact I am quite excited about this summer. There are some exciting young/new talents in there. I don't necessarily think we will go deep in the tournament based on the lack of depth we have but I think there will be some enjoyable moments.
I'd like to see Danny Drinkwater in the holding midfield role. Unfashionable because he plays for Leicester but he's been the best player in that position all season. I'm sure Jack Wheelchair will play instead though!
Always been quite impressed with Mark Noble when I have seen him this year, certainly unlucky not to be in ahead of Delph, who hasn't performed all year.
Was listening to some journo's talk about Carroll, and they all seemed to agree that the main thing holding him back was that the feeling among the coaching staff is that international referees don't like players like him, in that they are forever blowing up for fouls against them.
Apparently that is one of the reason's why Crouch struggled so much for selection, despite his good record - he gave away more fouls than the centre backs!
I had never really thought about it that way before, but it kind of makes sense.
Due to injuries Italy have no Verratti, Marchisio, Darmian or Perin. That's them ruled out then.
Tbf their preliminary squad doesn't include any Juve or Milan players at the moment. They still have quite a bit of talent available so I wouldn't necessarily rule them out of anything.
Makes me laugh really. Whenever a major Championship comes round England fans remind me of the expectant parents at school sports day who have the fat kid.
Comments
Agree with this. Can't understand the fuss being made by some people over him not picking Defoe. The guy is 33 and won't get a kick anyway. Hodgson is clearly only going to take 4 strikers (Rooney, Vardy, Kane and Sturridge) to the Euro's so there's no harm at all in giving Rashford some experience of the senior squad.
Only question mark i'd raise is how you can pick Delph over say someone like Noble who's been in great form this season. And yes i know Wilshere has barely played too but you have to take him as he's definitely one of our best midfielders.
Quarter - finals at best, then the usual capitulation.
In vino veritas
Weakest England defensive squad in living memory?
Rio World Cup part 2..Wales and Russia to qualify from our group after some nice football from England results in only two score draws but we are unlucky to concede a 94th minute penalty against the Welsh after a frustrated Rooney chops down Bale in the penalty box.
Roy is subsequently re-appointed for another 15 years to continue the pretty & pointless football project and Rooney is retained as Captain because of his superb leadership skills and ability to inspire others.
Absolute joke.
Go through the squads and defence is probably most sides weakness.
Rose/Walker/Clyne are all good attacking full backs which against sides like those in our group is important. It's why we done well in qualifying. Then if we finish top we play another average side in the second round.
In the World Cup our defence was found out by Luiz Suarez and Balloteli, we won't face that type of quality until the Quarters/Semis (apart from Bale who's gonNa be carrying Simon Church and his mates)
Come one boys..this can be our year etc etc (yawn.. when does the snooker start?)
I'm not intentionally being negative about England, in fact I am quite excited about this summer. There are some exciting young/new talents in there. I don't necessarily think we will go deep in the tournament based on the lack of depth we have but I think there will be some enjoyable moments.
France and Belgium squads look good.
Was listening to some journo's talk about Carroll, and they all seemed to agree that the main thing holding him back was that the feeling among the coaching staff is that international referees don't like players like him, in that they are forever blowing up for fouls against them.
Apparently that is one of the reason's why Crouch struggled so much for selection, despite his good record - he gave away more fouls than the centre backs!
I had never really thought about it that way before, but it kind of makes sense.
France could actually field 2 separate XI's and both would have a strong chance of winning it, some amazing talent in their squad.
And they haven't even picked the likes of Benzema, Valbuena, Lacazette, Schneiderlin, ben Arfa, Gameiro, Rabiot, Zouma (injured), Nasri.