If he's gonna stay for the next two years, he needs to have a direct objective: build for the future. Starting now. It's great that he's said that there will be changes for the Costa Rica game, to give others some experience of playing at this level. But he needs to carry it on after Tuesday. This is what I would do if I were him: The Premier League has a total of 165 English players listed in first-team squads that are under 30 (under 32 for keepers). That's 11 keepers, 64 defenders, 55 midfielders and 35 forwards. Not all of these are going to be good enough, but i'd take a good look at all of them, and call around half of them together for a couple of days of training, meetings and stuff. I would tell them that they are all in the frame, it's up to them. Then send them back to their clubs. I'd talk to the club managers, getting buy in from them to encourage and build the younger players and give them the opportunity to shine. Then for the squads going forward, I'd only pick from outside that elite squad when either injury or suspension demands a replacement, or someone's form demands their inclusion. rest of the time, the best team from that squad gets picked. From that 165-man list, You'd get a 23 man squad something like: GK: Hart (Man City) Heaton (Burnley) Butland (Stoke) Defenders: Walker (Spurs) Richards (Man City) Baines (Everton) Shaw (Southampton) Jones (Man Utd) Dawson (WBA) Cahill (Chelsea) Flanagan (Liverpool) Midfield: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott (Arsenal) Barkley (Everton) Henderson (Liverpool) Johnson (WBA) Livermore, Townsend (Spurs) Shelvey (Swansea) Forwards: Sterling, Sturridge (Liverpool), Wickham (Sunderland), Austin (QPR) (Yeah - I snuck in Austin, but he's good enough. If you don't agree, then swap out Austin for Ings of Burnley. I picked Charlie because he's a target man, and Ings isn't) That's just on 5 minutes thought, but I'm struggling to see how that squad could have performed worse than the one we sent to Brazil. There's youth and experience there in abundance, players with the right attitude, that will give everything and will all still be playing in 2, 4, and 6 years time.
Great piece Willy. This is never going to be an overnight fix. In my opinion our players are basically not as comfortable on the ball as their opponents. We lack the technical ability and movement to retain possesion at this level. Once a player has passed the ball, 9 times out of 10 he thinks his job is done instead of positive movement to try receive it back. There is honestly not a team at this world cup that I think we would beat and thats a very strong statement. The algerians for all their faults retain possesion and pass better than us. The Iranians certainly defend better than us! I had no expectations of qualifying from this group infact I have a running accumulated bet of losing every game 2-1 and Chile to make the final which would fatten my wallet a tad. Football is all about opinions so the right manager is key but not everyone will agree. I dont really believe anyone thought we could win the world cup especially without any world class players so why not blood the future now!. Rooney is a good footballer but not a Messi, Ronaldo, Robben or even a Bale. He hasnt done anything for a few seasons now. The fact that our defence is at best average and not up to this level is very worrying considering our back up of Smalling and jones being the best of the rest. Positives for me were Sterling whom after such a key performance in the number 10 role was switched to accomodate rooney baffled me. Sturridge whom I think is the only one with a selfish streak and the technical ability. Until we stop talking about grass roots football and actually take action then nothing will change fir the better.
Interesting stuff Bob and Willy. What do you make of the fact that Hodgson is by some distance the best qualified English coach for the job? In fact, off the top of my head, he's the only one to have managed overseas at a decent level. We worry about our players not getting any experience playing club football abroad, I worry equally that our coaches aren't seen as good enough to manage big clubs either in England (none of the inevitable top seven) or elsewhere, and I can't see this changing before we replace Hodgson in 2016. If we this the national coach should be English the current candidate list (unless we are going to get Hoddle, Venables or Graham Taylor out of retirement) would seem to be (in no particular order): Allardyce Dyche Pardew Bruce Pearson Redknapp Monk Which personally I find completely uninspiring.
England at last IMO look to have a good band of players coming through its the only one to do things My friends son Solly March recently played in the under 20's tournament in Toulon against the world's best up and coming players England need to however flood these teams with every new prospect as I have direct reports that there England were no where near the French or Brazil etc But at last expression is getting recognised as the key factor. Solly March plays like that and James Ward-Prowse is the future of the England team The current England set up is currently miles away IMO and they will probably cock up this really good promising batch coming through. Rebuilding means exactly that and that mean learning from the Spanish and the French who will just kept turning out world class players Spain will rebuild for the euros just watch them and France has a wealth of talent coming through Southgate is doing a great job there and picking Solly March shows he knows real talent: Already had a bet that Solly will be in the next world cup ... got a couple of shirts signed this weekend from him and again told his dad to get playing for the hoops ... all he has to do is hold his current shirt sideways to understand http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/28/england-under-20s-south-korea-toulon-tournament Brazil won it against France this year and England got 4th .. there's your future England use it wisely ... If anyone wants a better model for England's future ... then it's easy... move to France
Woy I' am afraid well past his sell buy date ... Give the job to Southgate and let him run every team from under 17's to the national side.... it's the only formula I can think off to produce 5- 10 players for each position ... the team grows itself regardless of club form... in effect you grow a team France is the model: I doubt very few on here even knew all this midfield before the world cup and they will all become world class ... too busy talking bollocks about England Yohan Cabaye (PSG), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Remy Cabella (Montpellier), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton)
Some really good points made from people on here My first point of call is for Hodgson to resign with dignity. He stated in the media that the team had given everything for him.....and we lost both games. That said it all for me. First point of call is to establish the system. All our England teams should be playing 4-3-3. It's the modern way of achieving the balance between attack and defence with the numbers in the middle of the pitch. You always traditionally build from the back, and it's here where we have the biggest problems. If you don't concede in a match then you don't lose it. Luke Shaw and John Stones should be targeting long term places in the starting 11 and their next club moves should be to teams where they'll play every game. We lacked a holding midfieder who could break up the play effectively and find England players with passes. Steven Gerrard was never going to be that player. He should retire from International football immediately. Oxlade Chamberlain, Barkley, Sterling, Walcott, Lallana and possibly a fully fit Andros Townsend are all options to fit in the two positions either side of the Centre Forward or in the Number 10 role. Daniel Sturridge is the clear choice as the number 9 but he should be told to stay there. If he drops deep to collect the ball then I'd sub him asap. His pace should be causing defenders all kind of problems and creating space for our midfielders to exploit. He just gets in the way at present.
Hodgson is most likely the most qualified person out there in terms of experience at various levels. That to me sums up everything that is wrong with English football!!!! We are governed by dinosaurs at every possible level, whom still work from a coaching manual 50 years out of date! We need more fresh young managers to be given a chance at premier league level but that wont ever happen due to the money involved and potential risks. Brendan rogers granted is welsh but a great coach. Sherwood, we will wait and find out how good he is when he gets the opportunity to do it his way. Just about everyone on here could pick an england team more likely of gaining a point at a world cup. It takes balls to drop certain players and select others. The hierachy of the FA want a yes man, not a thinking man.
Some outstanding articles in today's Times reflecting on the end, with Gerrard and Lampard, of the 'golden generation'. And in truth our worst failures were under Sven, when we had the talent, not Roy, where we haven't.
