If "Carrick" didn't want a place in the squad (not that I'm implying the decision was made for him by a manager who has seen a lot of player retire from internationals once they turn 30...), the other options to understudy Parker for the tournament are what's left of Owen Hargreaves and Jake Livermore. Hargreaves would've been a massive gamble for so many reasons (mainly his injury record and lack of match fitness) whilst Livermore would've been a gamble based on lack of international experience. If those are the options, Jagielka is a smart decision as an understudy - albeit one who is more likely to play at right back. Which is where Micah Richards should be playing. This is going to go around in circles, isn't it?
Mad isn't it, no-one in MF to get their foot on the ball and dictate from deep, a MFer gets crocked, so we bring in a defender, agreed a good defender who can do this and that, so why not pick him as a defender in the first place??? On the strength of all that...I'm out too!
hmmm we are **** arent we? we being England. i saw a tee shirt in Asda last week which said...'England' we invented football'....i just rolled my eyes and resumed my shopping.
I think Hodgson's decided Jones will now be a midfielder for us, although he'll still needed as a right back too Oh well, in Woy we twust
Our hero Klinsmann has said that the media are our enemy and the enemy of the England coaches ,basically. sad when it is so obvious.
Not in my lifetime. We had a better team when we failed to qualify in 2008 IMO. There are some really tempting bets on offer due to England being over-rated, and it starts with the friendly on Saturday. - Belgium are 7/1 to beat England! - Highest scoring game in group D: France - England - 11/2. Reckon that will be 4-2 or something like that. - England 3/1 to finish 3rd - France 9/5 to beat England. Easy money! Edit: Sorry since I checked yesterday, Belgium have shortened to 6/1.
I don't see t-shirts saying "Brazil/Argentina/Italy/Spain/Germany/Holland/France/Croatia/Mexico/Portugal - we made football better" anywhere, though...
yes loads...i hope you havent been overrating them Boss..because to put it quite frankly in my lifetime i can only recall the Italia 90 squad and to an extent the Euro 96 squad having anything to crow about..the other squads have been dire...golden balls up.
Not over rating as even the squads under keegan and sven had more talent then this pile of crap, this squad is so bad and says a lot about the standard of young players that this country produces.
wellbeck, carroll and defoe are the best three strikers this country has to provide the firepower while rooney is out? downing on the wing! come on, it is depressing for England!
Fat Frank ruled out. Jordan Henderson ruled in. Phonecall asking if Jake Livermore is available this summer in 3...2...1...
To be fair to England's footballers though, the squad's been depleted a little by some poor choices, in my opinion. If Richards or Walker had been selected (though the latter's not available), then the defence, keeper and first choice holding midfield player would all be very good. The balance of the midfield and strikeforce seems quite badly off to me, but it's arguable that certain omissions are at fault for that. Have the likes of Henderson, Carroll, Welbeck, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones or Butland done enough to earn their selection? Issues about the English national side do need to be addressed soon though or it may head the way of the Scottish team.
