england

[awgazzm69]

so so spineless just had a conversation with a mate and he raised the point "how many of our england players are actually international standard"and after a couple of minutes we had all agreed only rooney and cole(sadly dispicable little twat) and both of them dont do it on a regular enough basis to be classed as "world class" so all in all were shite and the younger lads coming through dont exactly fill me with hope either

[Sam Slater]

Hart is one of the best keepers around, though having a shit season.

Johnson is good going forward but a liability the other way. Hence he couldn't get into the Chelsea team and none of the big four wanted him.

Cahill is ok. Not as good as Ferdinand or Terry.

Lescott is shit.

Cole was world class. Still good.

Milner puts in a shift, but runs like an old man with arthritis.

Carrick is great in possession and positionally excellent. Doesn't take games by the scruff of the neck when things are going pear shaped, though.

Gerrard only plays for himself, hence the long shots and hollywood passes to the opposition. Like Lampard, he is dangerous in and around the area, which keeps him in the team, but for me he doesn't work hard enough off the ball and can't keep the ball in tight spaces.

Cleverley is tidy and always available. England need that as it eases pressure. Like Carrick, though, when the going gets tough he can become anonymous. He's still young enough to change.

Welbeck is great at closing down and his one and two-touch play is great. Can't score to save his life, though, which is a downer for a forward.

Rooney is our best player but too fat for a top athlete. It slows him down (as do his heavier boots to protect his metatarsals). In an England team with Gerrard and Lampard he gets frustrated as they just can't keep possession long enough to bring him into the game, hence why you see a lot of Rooney in an England shirt in his own half trying to get hold of the ball. A future of Wilshire and Cleverley might change that.

[awgazzm69]

yep you nailed that sam but ...we are still nowhere near the top sides we seem to rely on the old english never say die spirit and sadly its just not good enough, ive been to several clubs as a kid and watched a lot of training sessions in the premier league lately and all i can say is if we spent more time with a ball instead of exhaustive stamina training we might have a chance in closing the ever widening gap between ourselves and the top four or five teams, frankly we are nowhere near them at the moment

[Arginald Valleywater]

Watched the first 20 mins and switched off. There is no team spirit and you sum up Gerrard well. He is like Beckham and Shearer, me first, me second, me third and how many shirts with my name on have we sold...? Hodgson is doing a fine job with low talent and large egos..

[awgazzm69]

spot on arginald

[Bob Singleton]

Arginald Valleywater wrote:

> Watched the first 20 mins and switched off. There is no team
> spirit and you sum up Gerrard well. He is like Beckham and
> Shearer, me first, me second, me third and how many shirts with
> my name on have we sold...? Hodgson is doing a fine job with
> low talent and large egos..



Stevie Me to a tee!!!

I really can't understand why he's still in the squad, let alone captaining the side. He brings very little to the team when things are going well and apart from the odd stab at self-glory in the dying minutes (when there are better options available to him), does even less when we're up against it. Gives the ball away far too often, and I don't just mean his so-called "Hollywood passes" that are nothing more than hopeful punts in the general direction of a team-mate 60 yards away... so often you see him attempt a "simple" short pass that goes straight to an opponent.

[cockneygeezer2009]

Cheer up guys:) England have only won the World Cup once and that was on home territory with a dodgy goal). If England were really that good we would have won EVERY World Cup we entered. Some people need a reality check.

[Arginald Valleywater]

It pains me to admit I think the Champions League has dwarfed international football, both in players and the fans eyes....better players and better teamwork. Add in the power of the PL, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga and the national teams are small change....

Add in the fact we have a captain who plays for an under performing mid table team and that shows how weak our home players are....

[David Johnson]

"Add in the fact we have a captain who plays for an under performing mid table team and that shows how weak our home players are...."

Really?

Maybe someone should have explained that to Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst and England captain Bobby Moore when they were members of mid-table West Ham United in the year England won the World Cup.

[Robches]

You just have to look at the flags of the England fans to see what England means. When did you last see a flag from a Premiership team?