Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City) Seems like a fairly straightforward selection, to me. Not sure who else was pushing for a place, to be honest. Have I forgotten anyone obvious? Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Kieran Gibbs (Filth), Phil Jagielka (Everton), John Stones (Everton) Seems very light and unbalanced. Only six defenders? Has Wenger started a trend or something? Clyne deserves his place and he's a welcome addition, but Stones as the only cover at right-back and centre-half is just silly. Midfielders: Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Scum), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea City), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Wilshere (Mugs) Heavy on numbers, light on quality and balance. No real holding player, lots of runners and some questionable selections. Townsend's not played either enough or to a high enough consistent standard to justify a call-up, nor has Oxo-Cube and Wilshere's exceptionally fragile. Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Danny Welbeck (New Pele) Fair enough, I guess. Lambert's not really done anything this season, but there aren't exactly a horde of players to dislodge him.
May as well do the U21s, while I'm here: Goalkeepers: Jonathan Bond (Watford), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Sam Johnstone (Manchester United) Butland's decent, but not playing often. Don't know the other two. Defenders: Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Garbutt (Everton), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Carl Jenkinson (West Ham United, on loan from Arsenal), Michael Keane (Burnley, on loan from Manchester United), Jamaal Lascelles (Nottingham Forest, on loan from Newcastle United), Liam Moore (Leicester City), Luke Shaw (Manchester United) Decent standard and a number of them are playing regularly at the top level. Nice to see them getting a game, rather than sitting on the bench in the main squad. Midfielders: Lewis Baker (Chelsea), Tom Carroll (Swansea City, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Jake Forster-Caskey (Brighton & Hove Albion), Will Hughes (Derby County), Thomas Ince (Hull City), Alex Pritchard (Brentford, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Nathan Redmond (Norwich City) Not bad and again a number are playing regularly. Decent. Forwards: Patrick Bamford (Middlesbrough, on loan from Chelsea), Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Cauley Woodrow (Fulham) Don't know Woodrow, but the others are all doing well. Positive selection.
I would back the U-21 side to beat the full squad. That has to be the worst England squad that has been selected for many years. If it wasn't for the fact that the U-21 game is a two legged playoff game and the opposition for the full squad is extremely weak I think about five of them would have been in the first team
Clyne deserves his call up, arguably England's best RB right now. Should've had a call up much earlier though. Lambert and Lallana have barely played. Pretty sure Milner has been a sub more often than not too. But it's Hodgson so I don't expect miracle's anyway, even if we had the whole of the Premier League roster to choose from regardless of their actual nationality he'd still **** it up and find a way to call up Titus Bramble.
Easily. Butland, Chambers, Dier, Keane/ Lascelles, Shaw Baker, Carroll Ince, Hughes, Redmond/ Pritch Berahino That side would do well in the Prem, let alone against the overhyped, underperforming senior squad.
Might be because Rose took that knock against the South Londoners, he's out of tonight's squad vs BJK I think too but not sure how serious it is. I find it weird Townsend was selected anyway though, barely played for us in the League.
The problem is Townsend will probably look good against the part-timers and one of his hopeful 30 yard shots may accidentally go in the goal. He will be hailed as England's saviour again and the press will get on our backs for not selecting him. Over Chadli or Lamela? I don't think so
Players that could've been picked, based upon their stats in the Premier League, not including anyone in the U21s: Tom Heaton of Burnley or Rob Green of QPR? Not for me. Ryan Shawcross or Phil Bardsley of Stoke, Ryan Bertrand of Southampton, Aaron Cresswell of Spam or Wes Morgan of Leicester? Shawcross, maybe. Stewart Downing or Mark Noble of Spam or Jason Puncheon of Palace? Downing. Widely disliked, though. Gabriel Agbonlahor of Villa, Fraizer Campbell of Palace, Jamie Vardy or David Nugent of Leicester? Nah. Agbonlahor at a stretch.
Bertrand has looked decent for Soton, Cresswell looked good against us in the season opener. Neither better than Baines though. Gibbs on the other hand looks decent but seems very injury prone.
Left backs we have in droves though. Centre half is a problem position for me, along with right back, but that has been for 20 years.
Most of the squad concerns me to be honest mate, it's just so average yet so overhyped by the English media that too many people begin to believe it. When you look through the England side, there genuinely isn't one world class player throughout. Barkley and Sterling have the potential to be special players if they work on a few things and strive to improve but bar that, it's such a bang average side that will just continue to fail against true, top class opposition. Rooney is/ was the closest player we have to being world class but even he wouldn't be named in a list of the top 20/30 players in world football.
England did quite well v Switzerland by playing effectively on the counter. Against these two lesser sides we can't do that so do we have the guile to break them down? There is some pace and some experience (although a lot of inexperience too), but little international quality skill or guile. I'd fear for that lot against the top international sides at present. Nobody to shield the back four, nobody to win the ball consistently and no playmaker. No outstanding goalscorer and defenders who rely much on honest toil.
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/cmpwc/CmpWC1990Squad.html Just 24 years ago! Look at the difference in terms of quality and experience!
There's two main lessons to learn from that squad: * Players weren't picked on the basis of which club they played for, with players from QPR, Derby County and Wolves getting called up * Top English players were happy to go abroad and improve, rather than stay in England to line their pockets and remain mediocre For the latter, Waddle was at Marseille, Lineker had returned from Barca, while Platt and Gazza were soon headed to Italy.
They were going abroad to line their pockets, Croydon. This was at the end of the European ban from Heysel and the Premier League had yet to form. The English national team may have benefited, but this wasn't due to some difference in ambition back then.
I doubt Barca, Marseilles et al were paying the equivalent of £200k per week to bog standard players.
"Look at the difference in terms of quality and experience!" Note that : 1. The top N of the league did not comprise the majority of the starting XI by default 2. Players in the squad who would have a strong understanding of eachothers' game as club team-mates (Butcher/Stevens, Pearce/Walker, Gazza/Lineker etc) . 3. A fair bit of meritocracy (Steve Bull - even though Wolves were in the 2nd division)
