Phillip Lahm Retires

cafctom said:

East Kent Addick said:

I don't get this international retirement mullarky surely you want to play for your country for as long as you're still being picked? Isn't this the pinnacle of your career?

Typically I would agree with you, but bowing out as the captain of a World Cup winning team is a special circumstance.

I think this is just another example of how right Germany are getting it and how many light years we are from even competing on the international stage. They obviously have a conveyor belt of talent ready to step in (ie Goetze - who Low knew back in 2010 would be ready for 2014). There's probably another Lahm ready and waiting. I would say 30 is a bit young, but the guy's probably thinking, can it get any better than this? He might hang on for the Euros in 2016, but he'll be 34 for 2018 and might not be guaranteed a starting place.

In the article the head of the German FA said he didn't try too hard to change his mind as he knew it was made up, but I also reckon in the back of his mind he was thinking 'we've got this covered'.

Basically it is another embarrassing example of the pile of crap that is the English national team. As @Nug points out, our average players hang on till the bitter end. The likes of Lampard and Gerrard remind me very much of the singer Madonna. That old dog has been past her prime since about Vogue in 1990 yet she's still thrashing around, collaborating with any contemporary pop star that her record label can find in the hope there's still some interest.

Don't get me wrong, someone like Lampard's record for Chelsea was immense, but it was in a team of other international superstars for the most part. Put these boys in the shirt with the 3 lions, compare them against the players of their generation who are at the top of their game (Xavi, Iniesta etc), they're miles away.

I'm still bitter about the world cup and England in general. I'm not looking forward to the start of the new Premiership season when Rooney gets a hat trick away at Leicester and Hamer's picking the ball out the net, the commentators are lauding him etc. I can see the likes of Wilshere involved in 30 man passing move for Arsenal at home to someone like Burnley and Jonathan Pearce saying 'he's the future of English football, playing for one of the greatest footballing teams ever, he'll learn so much and be ready to make his mark on the international stage'.

No Pearce, Arsenal always score great goals against the lesser teams, and they always bottle it when it comes to winning against the big teams, and Wilshere's only impact on the international scene to date has been to get caught smoking in a swimming pool in LA.

Got myself all worked up writing that. FFS.