Woy never ceases to amaze me. Drops the CM who played pretty much every minute of a title winning campaign but took two guys who's fitness are major concerns, one of them only played about 3 Prem games all season! Plus taking the inconsistent Barkley - don't get me wrong Barkley's a great talent but hasn't merited a spot over Drinkwater. Then takes another injury concern in Sturridge while leaving us short in wide areas, in which Townsend excelled in the latter part of the season when he moved to the Toon. Bravo, Woy, Bravo I feel so comfortable knowing you lead our team to a major sporting event.
... as you might imagine ... pretty much sums up the feelings of most Leicester fans ... Henderson too ... him and Lallana can only be in that squad because they play for Liverpool ...
I like Roy as a bloke, but as a manager, this squad selection is embarrassing. Apologies for bringing my mate Harry into this, but he would surely have been a better choice than Hodgson.
In the same position as Utd fans at the end of this season, wanting the team to do badly so we can get rid of an inept manager. Even Sterling over Townsend is so much nonsense. The guy has been invisible for the second half the season, whereas Townsend has looked a threat in each of the last 10 games.
Thing is I actually like Henderson as a player but it's just pure idiocy to select him while he's an injury concern over a guy who's just won the Prem.
It is the inconsistent spouting of complete bollocks that irritates most ... not going to be taking taking players carrying injuries or up to full match fitness? ... Wislhire, Sturridge and Henderson ... not playing players that have been out of form? Stones, Barkley and Sterling ... Drinkwater has been immense all season, concluding with a stunning goal against once of Europe's top keepers (and a potential opponent in the knock-out stages) in the last competitive game of the season ... Rashford has been very good but in only a handful of games, yet cements his position in the squad with a goal against a woeful Australia ...
Let's be honest here, dropping Drinkwater is an easy cop out for Woy and if truth be known, that's probably why he has done it. Same for Andros Townsend. Hodgson won't get so much media backlash now as uch as he would if he had dropped Wilshire etc.
... I think he may have miscalculated on that front - some of the tweets are bang on the mark ... http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/T...ng-England-s/story-29341752-detail/story.html http://talkingbaws.com/2016/05/ever...danny-drinkwater-has-been-dropped-by-england/
Big Sam took a dreadful Sunderland side and organised them into a capable side in 6 months. Roy's been England manager for 4 years and we're going into a tournament with no idea what system we're going to play, where the captain will play or whether some of our squad are even fit enough to play. I don't think Hodgson learned anything from the last 2 tournaments. The FA backing him has just made him complacent and the worst thing about it is that he's probably right to be. A quarter final will probably be enough to get him a 4 year contract.
"I would rather have 23 players who are all fit and ready to go...I wouldn't be happy to really take players with us in the hope that they will become fit during the tournament." - Roy Hodgson, November 2015. Obviously he forgot to mention that would not apply to his favourites.
Agree with all the above, plus its a complete lack of plan B. Several players who are relatively similar but others that are a bit different ignored. For example we've been guilty of ignoring what we do better than other international teams and trying to be lesser copies of them. But as an international manager you've got to play who might work best, not what the media want or try and shoehorn the "best" players into an XI that then can't work as a team. As supporters we've also got to accept that the best people for the international team aren't necessarily people we like. For example, love him or hate him we've got Andy Carroll. I don't think much of him as a player, but I'd actually have him on the bench for England. So if one striker isn't doing so well, we've had others that are similar on the bench. Yet I think Andy Carroll is someone that the international defences would have a problem with, particularly if supplied with decent crosses. So instead of being Spain-lite, we can actually be old fashioned England for a few minutes if the original plan isn't working. Similar arguments for why I thought Crouch should have had far more caps. *Evidence* showed that he had a great international scoring record, so whether he "looked the part" or not, he should have been played more. Anyway, not feeling much hope for England by way of management. The only chance we have is if club familiarity works with the Spurs players being a core for the team etc. And even then he may well put in Clyne ahead of Walker for no reason I can think of other than he tends to pick Liverpool players if available. FFS play the guys that already play for the same team if they're of broadly equal ability.
Drinkwater plays virtually the entire season, wins the league and features in a position where England have limited options. Wilshere played a couple of hours of football though, so he's the obvious choice.
.. I honestly thought Woy might just show some balls on this one ... the other thing that Drinkwater has is an almost telepathic understanding with Vardy ... the ball he played for Vards against the Turks that allowed Vardy to tee up Harry Kane was just the type of incisive play that England will need as we will not outpass technically more able teams ... Spurs and Leicester finished at the top of the tree on merit ... the focus should have been on building a team around those succesful in form players not succumbing to the tired and failed format of past tournaments ... If Rooney, Wilshire, Sturridge, Lallana, Cahill and Milner are in the starting XI ....I will be watching The Great British Sewing Bee ............... or some other bollox ...
All very true, Vim. The national side play nothing like a Premier League team and then wonder why they don't do well. Attempting to change the way that they play on a weekly basis for a short tournament is stupid. Having no Plan B is equally dumb. Crouch scored more goals for England than he had starts. Emile Heskey? Not so much.
now don't you go knocking Bruno, Polly ... he was Michael Owen's preferred strike partner for both clun and country for a very good reason ...
England have never picked players that are used to playing together, though. It doesn't seem to feature into the thinking of those that select the squad, for some reason. As much as I hate the Woolwich, you'd have thought that their defensive unit under George Graham would pick itself. Back four and keeper who barely concede any goals and play together every week? Obvious choice, surely? Nope.
Michael "Never scored 20 goals in a Premier League season" Owen? Maybe they'd have done well as a partnership on the bench?
Similar has been said for how the England team never used the Steve Bruce/Gary Pallister pairing - which was doubly gutless considering Bruce never got a full call-up.
They didn't seem to have any problems showing Jason Wilcox, despite his resemblance to the Sloth victim in Seven please log in to view this image
