For once.....no real complaints, which is odd, because i f**king hate Hodgson and like sticking the boot in.
Think he did it to strengthen the u21s, it is only San Marino, he could name a squad of 10 with 3 keepers and still get 3 points
The question is will Callum Chambers, Eric Dier, Luke Shaw and Berahino get more experience playing 90 for the u21s or being part of the squad to face San Marino, and perhaps not starting or even playing, if people think that will be more useful then it is a good excuse
There's others not involved with the u21s. If he's only ready to consider 21-25 players & no others, then we really are ****ed.
What footballing experience would you get from playing San Marino? It's a team of taxi drivers and plasterers, hardly the world's elite.
A better one than sat at home watching & thinking there's no chance of ever breaking into the squad because it's a closed shop environment. Experience is more than just playing.
Apart from Townsend getting in over someone like Dyer at Swansea. At least he finally got the balls to drop Man Utd defenders.
Agree with Ben. Can't see any reason not to call up a full squad. The U21 argument is valid but then you just take some who aren't eligible. Tom and Curtis wouldn't have said no.
True, but if they're geuninely good enough they shouldn't be worried about being good enough to be called up. The reason footballers (should) get called up to their country is because they are the very best available players at the managers disposal. With England, it seems like the players getting called up aren't necessarily the best, they're just the ones that look good on paper because they play for big clubs. Shelvey has done well to get a call up and fair enough he's a good enough player, but Eric Dier has started the season so well, why isn't he involved? Conversely, Rickie Lambert has hardly set the PL alight this season, so why aren't Agbonlahor, Crouch (who imo is having a decent season at Stoke) or Defoe involved?
Unless we get a manager who is a bigger persona than the majority of the club managers then we will always get a top 6 squad. The likes of Hodgson will always say that the better players end up at the bigger clubs. Also, if he was not to pick the likes of Smalling and Jones when fit, then he is on a hiding to nothing. The press would crucify him if we lost and those players were not selected.
Jones I could understand, he's got talent, but I know Sunday League defenders who are better than Chris Smalling. He was getting called up to the England squad when he was still a reserve player, but there were better English CB's available at the time. Which to me is like Bebe being called up for the Portugal squad instead of Cristiano Ronaldo.