That for me is the crux of the debate. why are we considering a World Cup we haven't even qualified for when we have the Euro's imminently. We need players at the top of their game now not in 2014. when the World Cup comes along pick the best squad to win it but that is another problem for another day. Look at the three lads currently in the squad, for me all have ability but they are all young and a bit similar. With them there is no plan B. I think Campbell is OK but how can someone who has only played part of three games in over a year get the nod ahead of Holt and Graham who have played more and scored more against top flight defences? Looking at the Euros with no Rooney for the first two games and now no Bent surely the one thing England need is an option for a physical presence up front.; If Holt's form continues then they could do a lot worse than give him a shot but surely the time to do this is in a friendly. If he gets a chance and doesn't take it then this is down to him but to not give him a chance when the striking options are so thin seems poor management to me. I can't believe that Campbell is in with a serious shot of going to the Euro's given how little he has played and achieved over his shot career. Good yes but no way international class yet (even though he did get a screamer agoainst us).
Holt has to be one of the most underatted players in the premier league, he would deserve an England call up, and sorry to say a lot of us Ipswich supporters are jealous, we would secretely like a player of his style. However the thing that baffles me is why you would want him to play in a meaningless friendly match, when on Saturday you need players like him, as you in all probability are going to have a very physical match to play, and a very direct one, you need players like Holt fully rested.
I have to admit that I questioned how well Holt would do in the PL. But he has clearly worked on every aspect of his game this season, and had to fight harder for his place in the line up. I think the level of improvement is huge, especially his first touch (was good, but better now). He clealry has good football brain, it took a while to adjust but there is no question he is performing at the highest level, scoring against the best defences in the PL. All these facts lead in the same direction, bring on Holt to batter (and finesse) the Dutch
i think i speak for all norwich fans when i say that an england call up for holt would be the best thing that could happen. the guy has given his heart and soul to the cause over the past three years and has been instrumental in our meteoric rise through the divisions. the way i view it, it wouldn't just be a call up for holt, it would be a call up for every footballer in this country who has been told they are a failure, been told they aren't good enough, been told they are too small, been told they are too fat, been told they're too slow, been told their past it and been told they'd never get an england call up. it would be a call up for sheer determination and desire to be the best you can possibly be; something you can hardly label at all england players, thats for sure. it would be a call up for the people
We don't want it for the club. We want it for HIM! This is where we differ from a lot of clubs/supporters who don't want to see their players playing internationally because of the risk of injury or being tired etc but Holty DESERVES this
its the same with hoolahan too. how he only has one international cap for a nation evidently lacking in creative talent is one of football's great mysteries...
just to add to this good point from rich, our current team contains a number of individuals who we fans share an affinity with. its not just cos they are our players either - there have been plenty of norwich players in the past who i would happily just walk past in the street. but if i bump into holt or fox or lappin or ward etc, if i stop, they'll stop, they'll have a chat, they'll have a big beaming smile on their face and no matter how many times i ask they'll still not buy me a bloody pint seriously though, we all feel an affinity to this group of players because of what they've achieved but also because of their characters and where they've come from in their careers. most have started at the bottom and worked their way up and thats something everyone can relate to. they always have time for the fans and thats something evidently lambert has looked for in his signings as they all seem intelligent and respectful men. not often the case these days is it! truth seeker, how many ipswich players do the fans genuinely feel an affinity to? even if they don't know them or have never met them, who could ipswich fans say they genuinely respect? not many i bet - because you've lost that connection with your players. we haven't. that may change if things go wrong on the pitch but hopefully that won't happen...
There have been many players, favourites at their own clubs, who have been overlooked at England level for as long as I can remember. Years ago, I think this was probably correct. The players didn't play so much European football and you really needed guys who could step up to the plate once every 3 months or so. You needed class. Revie came along and gave players in form a game and got criticised for it. Englands results fluctuated and we were disappointing against "lesser" countries. However, we didn't credit that the other countries had improved because European football had arrived and Norwegians et al were playing abroad. Since then, the media, not the supporter has become the intrinsic value to FA and we have been in an era of once established you're set for life with England, bad game or not because the age of television coverage means retired players and managers tell us "never played at the highest Level" people (who watch football every week, they only play it) that its an exclusive club. English cricket only woke up to the fact that you don't have to come from the fashionable county to be a good cricketer and now we are the best team in the world.
This piece is a tad pro-Swansea, but I'm sure we know exactly what their point is http://hereisthecity.com/2012/02/28/five-players-snubbed-by-england-because-of-their-club-badges/
not sure about the omission of sinclair on that link - he's not exactly impressed this season. agree about guthrie on the comments below - he's been playing brilliantly, as has ryan taylor to be fair who they mentioned. for me nathan dyer should have been included ahead of walcott/downing. i can understand to a degree the difficulty to include midfielders because england actually look pretty strong in the central positions but in goal and up front we are incredibly weak (with the exception of hart)
Don't you think the problem with England is that there is this 'anyone can have a go at International football' culture with it now. A couple of years ago Crouch was scoring virtually every time he pulled an England shirt on and was still overlooked. Instead of chopping and changing all the time and letting average strikers into the squad, calling up Bent for the odd game, calling up Crouch for the odd game, we should be establishing an elite set of players who perform at international level. If someone's performing in the Premier League and they're of an age where they can contribute to the national set up as a long term option then give them a squad call up. For this one I wouldn't personally be looking beyond Welbeck and Sturridge for the first XI so after that I'd be looking at players that might have an England future like Graham or Wickham a call up for the experience over someone like Holt who at best could expect a ten minute run out.
we don't have any elite players though yorkie! we thought we did in 2004-06 but the stupidly named 'golden generation' weren't even up to it. international recognition should be down to how well you play, not who you play for and how much money you've got. players still get caps but they don't earn them anymore. crouch used to get in because he was a very good player playing well so not sure why you brought him up. but then you've mentioned connor wickham, which says it all really... he's had an awful season. you are totally and utterly blinkered - you should be england manager!
It's such a shame that the pundits, media and then fans in this country became obsessed with two things over the past 15 years. 1. Pace. England players should be greyhounds. (Worked with Owen, not so good for SWP, or Walcott so far) 2. Age. Since the battering by Germany, the only way forward is to do what they did and give youth the green light. Given the two criteria above that seem to matter so much, I wonder if Sheringham would have made it into this week's squad? And for the record, I've always liked Crouch. Terribly unfashionable, I know. But he's always tried his best in an England shirt, and scored more than a lot of other strikers who've got the nod ahead of him. (And yes, I know the line about how he only scores against lesser teams. That's because we play "lesser" teams a lot more frequently and he was never given a run at the "elite" teams). But here's the real question about this week's England squad, with the strikers available. Who leads the line? As far as I've seen, Wellbeck and Sturridge aren't considered good/experienced enough to do that job even at club level, and Campbell is only just back from a long-term injury. As we're not suddenly going to start passing the ball around like Brazil/Spain etc, who does the ball go to up front when the pressure's on and it needs to stick there for a few seconds, then be fed to a colleague advancing up the pitch to turn defence into attack?
wickham is so far off the pace its unbelievable. how ipswich got as much money as they did i will never know! i think he may have been found out already. very occasionally there might be a good touch or a good turn and shot but its been so rare that i can't think of any i've seen. thats the problem with man-children. they look great against players their own age and then they struggle once they come up against older players. he definitely has something about him and i think he'll do pretty well eventually but he is a billion miles away from the england squad. shame cos lets face it, england evidently need some decent forwards...
