Let's hope so! Just goes to show Radcliffe hasn't a clue what he's doing. Ten Haag is slowly getting there imho, needs another window or two to get his players in - clearly doesn't rate most of his defenders, CM is lacking quality with the exception of 42 year old Casemiro few decent signings and they will be fine for the foreseeable future but that goes out the window when Southgate makes Maguire captain again and buys Henderson for £40m
He is?! Disagree. Don't let the Liverpool game fool you, one swallow and all that. Liverpool had so many kids it makes our managers excuse for injuries seem utterly pathetic. Casemiro for £70m was terrible value and ETH desperately wanted Antony, whilst simultaneously destroying Jaden Sancho (who's scored and assisted in his last 3+ games for Dortmund). He's pissed about trying to fit Martial, Rashford and other idiots into a system that doesn't make a lot of sense! Nah, ETH is a dead man walking for me - if they hadn't been fortunate enough to have some good kids like Mainoo and Garnacho they'd be below Chelsea.
———————Pickford——————— Walker — Stones —- Maguire —- Shaw ———————- Rice ———————— Trent AA———Bellingham ———-Saka ————————Foden——————— ————————-Kane——————— This team would be the best starting 11 at the Euro’s. Unbelievable team. (minus Maguire)
I remember when I really cared about England...think it ended about 20 years ago and right now I can honestly say that I have no interest whatsoever.
They are all just plodders. Will never win anything. The English fans will hype them up only to watch them fail against Serbia and Slovenia.
So - the England kit... big uproar kicking off! TBH I don't care what insignia is on the kit or what you want to promote but not sure the changing of the national flag is something to be done. Personally I'd be fine with a chick with a dick spaffing the numbers onto the back of the shirt but change the flag? No thank you. Also the price of these shirts is outrageous (£124.99 for adults/£119.99 for kids) , I'll be going out and getting the 96 Euro shirt for £39. Always amazes me how badly wrong these big companies can get simple PR stunts.
It's just wokeness again getting it completely wrong. It's them saying "see how inclusive we are" when their target market's inclusivity purely needs you to be proud to be English. I mean, what are they trying to appeal to? The well known trans community of football supporters?
Massive mountain out of a molehill for me. There is a cross on the back of the collar in various shades of red / blue / purple. Nothing to do with pride or trans rights, instead just a design decision. The union flag had no red on it for London 2012, no one cared. Monochrome union flags are used on minis and triumph motorcycles. I just don't know what the fuss is about
I don't think that set of fixtures could have been better in Southgate's eyes'! We've manage to dispelled any inclination towards expectation with the results while playing a bunch of trialists effectively. ------------Pickford Walker-Stones-Tomori-Shaw ----------TAA-Rice Saka-Bellingham-Foden ------------Kane If we manage to put that team out consistently in the Euro's we'll go deep in the tournament.
For me I always see the Euros as the dress rehearsal for the big one 2 years later. Maguire will be 33 and Henderson, 35, and are not making that camp in 2026 so why bother taking them along in '24? Even Walker and Trippier will not make that squad at 35 although I think Walker makes this squad without question. Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold are ready made replacements for the pair of them anyway at RB in 2 years time. Players like Gordon, Mainoo, Branthwaite, Timori, Guehi, Rico Lewis etc. should all be in this squad to get the experience of serious competition for the national set up at the top level. Just mentioning all of those - it's a shame England don't enter the Olympics U23's as we'd be a shoe in for that with the crop of youngsters coming through: GK: James Trafford, Josh Griffiths RB: Tino Livarmento, Rico Lewis CB: Charlie Cresswell, Taylor Harwood-Ballis CB: Marc Guehi, Jarrad Branthwaite LB: Lewis Colwill, Samuel Illing-Junior CM: Curtis Jones, Lewis Miley CM: Kobie Mainoo, Tommy Doyle RW: Bakayo Saka, Cole Palmer CAM: Jude Bellingham, Harvey Elliott LW: Phil Foden, Emile Smith-Rowe CF: Nodi Madueke, Anthony Gordon All of those are 23 or younger and playing at the top level regularly for their respective teams this season bar a few like Cresswell or Harwood-Ballis who are in the Championship but still playing regular football. Can you imagine if that team rocked up at the Olympics?
Just in relation to the Euros I can’t agree that they are a dress rehearsal for the WC. In Europe it’s the next big thing in international football to the WC. We should play to win it. We can experiment in the two years after the Euros with newbies but for the competition itself we play the best team. That’s not to say we shouldn’t have been trying out different players leading up to the Euros which I think Southgate has failed to do adequately.
I'm not saying you'd take a team of window lickers to Germany but for me I'd always have one eye on the next WC - be lovely to win the Euros and you'd not see me for about a week after if we did but I would be looking at that 2026 World Cup and thinking - if players like Maguire and Henderson, even Trippier are coming to sit on the bench, and not making that next squad in 2 years, could we take someone who could do with the experience of a major international tournament.
No, I appreciate your point but for me there wouldn’t be any ‘the experience will be good for him’ type players. Every player should be in the squad for what they bring now and in expectation of playing in the tournament. Therefore, the best should get in regardless of age.
