Curtis Davies should be there. How Smalling and Caulker have got ahead of him is ridiculous. Cleverley getting called up deserves a good punch to the face for Roy. Also, only 3 CBs in the whole squad while there are 4 keepers. What a joke.
England squad-by-club: Liverpool - 5 United - 5 SAINTS - 4 Chelsea - 3 Everton - 2 Spurs - 2 Man City - 2 Arsenal - 2
Cleverley Some interesting choices. I'm very surprised Adam Johnson isn't in, and sort of surprised Barry isn't. Caulker isn't a bad shout, we look very light in central defence without Jagielka though. Phil Jones is injured I take it? Strange how probably our strongest area for so long is now our weakest. Think there are some pretty weak choices as well though, I can't see the likes of Cleverley, Defoe, or Townsend going really.
Yeah but Jagielka is out injured, although agree this obsession with taking so many keepers is pointless. I expect he'll name 3 in the final world cup squad, when we only need 2.
Happy to see another strong Saints contingent, the squad as a whole is still fairly depressing as an Englishman though.
With the 5th best defence in the league and stats which will tell you he's been the second best CB in the league this season (behind Lovren).
All teams are required to name three keepers in their world cup squads. He's been in England squads for a long time so he's probably there out of familiarity as much as anything else. He's going to have to pull up trees to make the final cut though.
I probably would as well, but the stats tell us he's been the best that we have available. But the reason he isn't called up is glaringly obvious. He plays for Hull.
How is it a team that's **** as Man U has 5 players in the England squad? Rooney and Welbeck, perhaps. Drop the rest.
Hodgson says he is pleased that he has players like Shaw, Lallana, Rodriguez and Lambert who all play every week. Says that is important and it's not all about who you play for.
Yeah, we were saying last season that Rickie wasn't getting called up because he played for Southampton. And then he got called up.
OK so if this was May, all these players plus the temporary absentees (e.g. Jones/Jagielka not Walcott) were fit, and there was no U21 squad, what changes would you make to the 30 man squad? For me: - Butland for Ruddy - Jagielka for Smalling - Jones for Cleverley - Johnson/Young for Townsend I actually think Roy's picked the right squad. There's definitely an argument for Barry, but there are already 5 central midfielders without him. I laughed when I saw Defoe had been picked, but there actually isn't a better alternative. If Young's form picks up or Johnson keeps playing well, I'd take either of them over Townsend. ''Ooh, but he runs at people and shoots a lot''. Yeah, and he's only got two goals and two assists this season. Apart from that, kudos to Hodge.
Difference being that he was the only Englishman who was scoring goals and it was literally impossible to ignore him. And there wasn't a tournament coming up. If there was a tournament last summer, I bet he'd have stuck with the old guard. Roy is afraid to delve below 10th place it seems, unless it is someone whom he has called up before (ie Caulker). No balls.
Personally astounded that Defoe has been picked - has barely played in the league this season, and is about to warm up for the world cup by playing in a significantly weaker league. Also I believe the need for the 'poacher' type striker is diminishing due to the emergence of more rounded strikers, and with Welbeck and Sturridge in the squad we have strikers who can perform that role and more.
