Off Topic Bill Nicholson Arms

Good grief our squad looks so embarrassing on paper. Not even close to having a single truly world class act and it is frankly littered with players who have been underperforming all season.

 

The problem is that there isn't enough quality outside of it to displace anyone.
Kane and Rose being injured weakens it, but there are still big issues with no obvious solution.

 

I wonder if this was a match day, or does he wear Arsenal kit 24-7?

 

Did you not spot Phil Jones?

 

The guy filming says that Cech couldn't get into "the worst Arsenal team in history last night", referring to their 5-1 home loss to Bayern.
It's on Wednesday the 8th of March, so they didn't have a game for three more days.

 

So...will Dylan Duncan be drafted into our first team, or is it time for the Samuel Shashoua hype train to depart the station?

 

Bradley Lowery will be the mascot for the England game next Sunday, too.

 

That's precisely my point. The dearth of real talent is just sad. For all the 'golden generation's' failures, at least there were multiple players in that cohort who commanded real international recognition and dare I say it - respect.

You mention Kane and Rose but neither of them have proven themselves on the international stage yet.

No one in this group even comes close to the likes of Ferdinand, Seaman, Cole, Neville, Gerrard, Scholes, Shearer etc. And yes, we bash those players for underperforming as soon as they donned an england shirt, but when you look at the current crop is it any surprise we're being beaten by the likes of Iceland? I guess it only just hit me that Southgate is a perfect match for this level of squad. Beyond our lads all I can see is a couple of decent prospects mixed with generous helpings of utter bilge.

 

The current squad should still be easily good enough to see off a side like Iceland, if properly managed.
They're all Premier League quality. Iceland have a couple at that level.

A fully-fit England side would have it's basis in the Spurs team, if Southgate had any sense.
3-4-2-1, Rose and Walker out wide with Clyne and Bertrand as back-up.
I think Stones would even work out in that system, as it plays to his strengths.
It'll probably be horribly unbalanced nonsense, instead. Standard.

 

They need better options at Centre half. Yes, maybe Stones could play that role and we know Dier can (although he's listed as a midfielder and indeed will be needed there), but Smalling, Cahill, Jagielka. Not seeing an Alderweireld or Vertonghen replacement there.

 

I can guarantee that, if Michael Keane signed for one of The Usual Suspects in the summer, he'll start picking up England caps even if he hasn't played a single match for whichever club he joined, as if you pick up international class during pre-season training.

 

So, no, even after sacking Marc Wilmots the Belgian team is still woefully imbalanced: there isn't a single left back in the squad, and they're ludicrously overloaded with strikers

 

And why do they need 4 keepers?

 

Maybe Sels is starting at left back?

 

It's clearly not balanced, but I wouldn't say that they've gone that overboard with strikers.
They probably need three and they've got four. Four wingers is fine, but they've got five.
A little excessive and they've gone for talent over having a sensible squad selection.
It's like the manager just looked them up on a game and picked the ones with the highest ratings.

Four left-wingers, four keepers and a horde of central midfielders?
I wonder why Everton sacked Martinez?
Lukaku Jr must be fuming.

 

Sissoko failed to make the France squad, with Didier Deschamps explicitly stating it was because he's not played much lately.

Hopefully he doesn't try to force a summer transfer, that would be awful...

 

Bradley Lowery, (or someone on his behalf), tweeted how pleased he was to see his best mate, Jermain Defoe back in the England squad.

Defoe responded by tweeting, "See you there !" #Little Legend.

The guy is class.

 

Apologies if this has already been posted , ITV4 has the FAYC 2nd leg live tonight at 17.00 we trail 2.1 COYS

 

Some clubs and their fans don't change..... Just watched a Leeds thug push and verbally abuse a Brighton player off the pitch. Hardly raised a mention from the commentators!!!

 

Not been great, 3-0 down and missed a pen. Nothing positive to mention in the first half, tbh.