Kasper Scmeichel has withdrawn from the Denmark squad with a "hamstring" injury. Please take the hint Spurs and do the same with as many of our players as possible.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-owe-debt-tottenham-boss-7637881? Eric Dier: "We did all get together in the dressing room. It’s great for us five - Walks didn’t get on but for the five of us to be here was amazing. We have to be thankful for [Pochettino], for being able to put us in this position by giving us a chance at our club and improving us. Us Spurs boys know how lucky we are to have him because he’s been brilliant. He demands a lot of us, always wanting us to improve. That’s what’s made us able to be in the position we are now so we’re very grateful for him and we want to repay him. We really enjoyed it and I think all four of us put in good performances. I am really happy for Danny Rose because I think it’s a long time coming. For me, he has been the best left-back in the Premier League this season."
Partly it was Germany’s quality, but England looked woeful, and woefully disorganized, defensively. I don’t rate Cahill at this point, and have never liked Smalling, though I think he’s been better this year. I’d give other players a try, maybe including Dann and even Shawcross. But the key may be getting whoever plays on the same page. If only Spurs had a couple of English CBs...
A couple of Press ratings had Smalling & Cahill at 6 and 7 out of 10. Not sure what game they were watching...... Would have given both 4 and that's being generous! Clyde didn't do bad, but only Danny Rose came out with defensive plaudits. It was down to the efforts of Dier in front of the CB's that meant we got anything from the game. Shawcross & Dann surely couldn't do any worse.......?
Michel Vorm has been called up to the Dutch squad, following the withdrawal of Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. Klass-Jan Huntelaar broke his nose in training with this rather dodgy challenge: He was later helped from the field, looking rather unhappy and out of it: please log in to view this image Not sure why Tony Pulis was there, though...
Hodgson confirms what we all suspected: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/27/roy-hodgson-wayne-rooney-euro-2016? This is what I don't get about England managers: why can't they just come out and admit the reason why the likes of Beckham and Rooney have been taken to tournaments despite being injured is because sponsors have forced their hand? It's not going to reflect badly on the coach if he does that, and it's not like The FA will sack them under orders of their corporate overlords because The FA would cop the flak when the public see through whatever excuse they come up with for sacking them.
The premise is very simple : Take the everyone in the Euro 2012 squad. Add 4 yrs to their ages. Do the intersection of that squad with those players who have played for England 2015-16. 1. Who is in the common list of players 4 yrs on ?? 2. Has their international tournament / club form in that time period been consistently good ?? If Woy has been doing serious rebuilding, that common list should be very small indeed ...
Euro 2012 squad Goalkeepers: Hart, Green, Butland Centre backs: Terry, Jagielka, Lescott, Jones Full backs: Baines, Johnson, Cole, Martin Kelly Central midfielders: Gerrard, Parker, Henderson, Milner Wingers: Young, Downing, Oxlade-Chamberlain Strikers: Rooney, Walcott, Defoe, Welbeck, Carroll World Cup 2014 squad: Goalkeepers: Hart, Foster, Forster Centre backs: Cahill, Jagielka, Jones Full backs: Johnson, Shaw Central midfielders: Gerrard, Lampard, Henderson, Wilshere, Milner, Barkley Wingers: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sterling, Lallana Strikers: Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck, Lambert Recent call-ups Goalkeepers: Hart, Butland, Forster, Green, Heaton Centre backs: Cahill, Jagielka, Smalling, Jones, Stones Full backs: Walker, Rose, Shaw, Clyne, Gibbs Central midfielders: Dier, Alli, Henderson, Wilshere, Milner, Barkley, Mason, Drinkwater, Delph, Shelvey, Carrick, Cleverley Wingers: Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sterling, Townsend, Lingard Strikers: Rooney, Walcott, Sturridge, Welbeck, Kane, Vardy, Ings, Austin Names that appear on all three* Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster Centre backs: Jagielka, Jones Full backs: N/A Central midfielders: Henderson, Milner Wingers: Oxlade-Chamberlain Strikers: Rooney (* denotes that, in some cases, players missed out due to injury - for example Walcott missing the 2014 squad)
Nicely done, hbic. So injuries (when England duty calls) has prevented us from seeing how dogmatic Woy has been. Perhaps these injuries (as far as MF/attack goes) will be a blessing in disguise come the summer.
But if those injured players are available, then the players that really made the difference in Germany wouldn't get in the team. That's how crap Hodgson is as a manager. He's more or less said that if fit Wilshire and Rooney will play for example. If a different team starts at the Euros then it's no credit to Roy, it's as a result of injuries or reasons so obvious even he couldn't ignore them. Can you imagine how the media would have reacted had Rooney scored either Kane or Vardy's goals? But he doesn't because he is way past it and shouldn't be anywhere near the squad. Admittedly pundits are now catching up (a bit) what the rest of us have known for years about Rooney. Some are now saying stuff like "nobody is saying that he is an automatic starter, but he must be in the squad" - apparently for his leadership and experience, not that his leadership and experience have done us any good before!
Toby's dropped out of the Belgium squad with stomach flu What're the odds the tabloids jump on that while overlooking Benteke also pulling out?
''Rooney is captain and therefore must go.'' I don't get it. Who decides who is captain? Maybe he shouldn't be captain. Same thing with regards the fact that he was in all the qualifiers. So what! They are now history. Games played two years ago were played two years ago. New and better and younger players have emerged. It's why we always failed with the attitude-''we must play Gerrard and Lampard''. We failed with them and we have always failed with Rooney so why does anyone think he must be in the squad?
Yeah, this doesn't make any sense at all, does it? Roy's picked Rooney before and given him a leadership role, so he has to pick him forever? Why?
