The Guardian's 'Five Things We Learnt': "The Southampton striker had to endure what seemed endless patronising ahead of the biggest night of his professional life. Yet the truth was this was a move up for the 31-year-old whose England career had got off to a flyer with two goals in his opening two games. By the close Lambert could walk off having returned a display that hardly sparkled but did not disappoint, making the most of a contest in which he was given scant opportunity to add to his international goal tally. He provided a reliable target in the lone front-man role as the ball generally stuck to him whenever aimed his way, and he offered further evidence of the football brain that is required for this level. An illustration of this came when he hooked an astute around-the-corner pass into Theo Walcott that had the Arsenal wide man in on goal."
Seen him plenty of times. Much like Arsenal, he's a flat track bully. Fine when everything is going his way, but up against better players/teams... he's ordinary. England are not going to win anything anytime soon. Are you smoking your socks again?
Sorry Don, that's saints lenses. A couple were quite firm, but he coped with them brilliantly in the first half not the second. I'm Also on about the three or four that he tried to lay off and mis-hit, nothing to do with others not reading them. This is beginning to sound like I'm knocking him; I'm not. I just can't believe that people can't bring themselves to say he was t good in the second half, when he clear wasn't, no matter what the reasons. If Rooney or Wellbeck had the second half Rickie did, not one person here would mention lack of support. I was chuffed with him first half, he was good with the same **** he had in the second half; he just dealt with it better than he did in the second and that might be due in part to tiredness because if all his work, but that's football. It doesn't change that his touch and passing was off in the second half.
Didn't say they would, but you can have hopes for things that are unlikely. Flat track bully? He was man of the match against Barcelona in the champions league a couple of years ago. He's been set back by injuries but he's a very good player and could be a great one.
Anyway, some more images to add to this thread... please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
The Mirror - Rickie Lambert - 6 Looked horribly isolated as he led England's attack. Never got a look-in against Ukraine's well marshaled and disciplined defence. Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/ukraine-0-0-england-mirror-player-2264311#ixzz2eWrrBTBu Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook
I have seen Wilshire play better, but he has had a lot of injuries. I do agree though that if he played for a lower side, he wouldn't get that chance. England will persevere with him as we haven't exactly got an abundance of riches. He is young and I am hopeful he will come good. Hodgson has already said that if Rickie does well, even if he doesn't score, he will get other chances with England. However, I suspect that he will drop to the bench when others return. I am hopeful though that given the opportunity he may show enough over the next international break to think he offers enough to go to Rio. He has to keep scoring for Saints in the mean time to make it hard to exclude him.
Yes, see... please log in to view this image And this is what Andy Carroll and his West Ham chums were doing at the same time... please log in to view this image
Fine line between hope and delusion. Thinking England will win anything is delusional in the extreme. Ah the old "he was good against Barcelona" line. Well, he was **** against Ukraine & Moldova so I win 2-1.
England are good enough to qualify and sometimes good enough to get out of the group stage, but I don't expect a lot more. Nothing will change this time as we have no new exciting players (Lambert aside)...the fact we still have to play Lampard and Gerrard tells us that (with no disrespect to either of them). All I want is to see Lambert on Copacabana Beach in his socks and sandals and I will be a happy woman.
I wouldn't put it like that. Where was Defoe? He will always go with Rooney Sturridge wellbeck ahead of him but the fact he is playing him ahead of defoe suggests he has some concept of form. From his comments after the match it did sound like he blames the result on the lack of roomy/wellbeck/sturridge and that suggests he feels Lambert did not do well enough. Walcott was terrible but ran around more and I worry this will count as trying hard in his eyes. We need to remember that SRL was never going to displace rooney in this amount of time.... but we largely agreed that on the plane to Brazil it will be either Lambert or Carroll. Hang on, isn't he out for 6 months?!
That is basically a poor England team. We simply don't have anyone who can set a game alight and do something out of the ordinary. Last night they played too many long balls up to Lambert who was, in turn, isolated. If you want him to be the target man, you have to have someone playing off him. As always, he looked better when he stepped back a bit and laid off some neat passes. By picking Milner over Defoe, Hodgson was basically setting the team up not to lose rather than actually trying to win. I think most Premier league teams could beat that England team. Oh, and that Lampard free kick was so in Lambert territory!
He did play very well, but I don't agree that it was a difficult game for defenders. It was a difficult game for Kyle Walker, but apart from that neither team created much, and Cole, Cahill and Jagielka all looked comfortable (as did the Ukrainians). English is tricky for you isn't it? Mixing up "hope" with "think" now I see. Wilshere was also man of the match against Brazil, for what it's worth: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21364100 Maybe he's actually the opposite of a flat-track bully and he only plays well against good sides?
