Could not believe my ears when listening to Hodgsons press conference ? He said Jamie can play in any of the forward positions and if he played Vards at centre forward, where would he play players already playing in that position ? ****in ridiculous ... Don't we ever learn ? It's that same pathetic reasoning over the years that has seen our national team win Jack ****e since 1966... You couldn't make it up ! GOBSMACKED.COM
England news conference Football Posted at14:37 Roy Hodgson said he will not be swayed on where Leicester and the Premier League's top scorer Jamie Vardy, should play in the team. His team-mate Kasper Schmeichel believes Vardy should play as a central striker, rather than being stuck out wide. Hodgson said: "Jamie has only played a handful of games for England, he should be happy to be in the squad and even happier if he makes the team. He has a job to convince us he has the ability to play as a centre forward and not get too hung up about where he plays." Perhaps Woy should at least watch MOTD ... What a Bell ... surely the question Woy should be asking himself is whether Shrek still retains enough ability to play as a centre forward? ... certainly many United fans would prefer seeing Anthony Martial there rather than Rooney ... we won't be playing San Marino at the real tournament Woy
... I fear it merely confirms that England will be doomed to further ignominious failure in France because Woy will inevitably pick players from the 'Big Clubs' rather than those who are actually in form ... Lurch, Shrek, Banana-Llama and Milner-Skuffit will be shoe-ins for the starting XI despite sucessive past failings ... only consolation may be that it will be the end of Hodgson's tenure as England coach #DeadManWoyking
Fosse, did you not hear the bit where he questioned where he was supposed to play his established strikers if he played Vards in his more suited centre forward role ?
Didn't listen to it buddy ... merely saw the transcript - probably a good job that I didn't, with blood pressure in mind
It's also a friendly ffs... Good time to see if Vards can play C/F role at international level, though would have thought being the most senior Manager in English football he might realise that he plays against International defenders , week in week out in the Prem !!
No England manager will drop a ´big name´ playing for a ´big club´ because they ain´t got the bottle. Born & bred in Leicester & English through & through but I don´t give a flying **** about our out of date, still way way way behind Italy, Germany & Spain, boring, no sorry, very boring national football team. Full of premadonnas & crap & they´ll get stuffed at the euros. Sorry but how can Rooney be ahead of Vardy right now ? The Guy is on a run & his pace will trouble almost, if not all, every DEF on the earth. They´ll have to foul him to take away the threat. **** the national team it pisses me off when we have these breaks in the premiership. It´s o.k I´m done now.
I agree with every word you say. The reason and only reason I am watching England at the moment, is because of Jamie Vardy. FFS have the balls to drop Rooney, or at least play him in the number 10 position and play JV down the middle.
We're inevitably doomed because we just don't have the quality of players required to win international tournaments. Rather a sweeping statement but I just don't think the young players of today really give much of a flying f*** about playing for England - they're more interested in money & material possessions. Alan Ball, Bobby Moore et al must be turning in their graves. I have always felt Rooney has been somewhat overrated but at least he always gives 100% and I'd take a team of Rooney's and Vardy's over the over hyped prima donnas anytime. What was it Gerrard said, some of the younger players in one of the world cup squads were complaining because they had to walk 50 yards to get their daily massages when they were used to the masseur coming to them! ****s
No, but here's the summary of it: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-boss-roy-hodgson-calls-6776896 Roy Hodgson has delivered an amazing put-down to Premier League hot-shot Jamie Vardy AFTER naming him in the new England squad. Hodgson told striker Vardy to forget about demanding to play as a centre-forward for the Three Lions, despite his current red-hot form for Leicester. Vardy is the Premier League’s 11-goal top scorer and wants to play through the middle after his two starts for England so far came on the wing. But boss Hodgson said: “When you have only played two games, you are in no position to go to the coach and say, 'I will play for England but only in this position.' "That is the point I am trying to make. "I am just trying to defuse hype and make one very important point which is very, very obvious to anyone who has been following England for a long time. That is: An England shirt is a very valuable commodity. “I think Jamie Vardy can play in any of the front three positions. "Jamie has only played a couple of games from the start. He should be happy at the moment a) to be in the squad and b) even happier if he makes the team. “His job, I think, should be definitely to try to convince that he has got the ability to play as a forward in an England team and not get too hung up like some people if he only plays here [in a certain position].” Vardy is on the brink of making Premier League history after scoring in eight consecutive games, which is just two short of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record. It is a remarkable success story for the 28-year-old, who only got called up for the first time in May, having restarted a career that stalled when released by Sheffield Wednesday as a kid in non-League with Stocksbridge, Halifax and Fleetwood before his £1m move to Leicester in 2012. But even Hodgson - who announced his squad for the friendlies away to reigning European champions Spain next Friday and at home to Euro 2016 hosts France four days later - admitted he has been surprised by Vardy’s remarkable rise, and he clearly does not want the Leicester striker to get carried away. Hodgson added: “I would be lying if I didn’t say I was surprised, pleasantly surprised. "When we selected him, I don’t think there were a lot of people in the room saying ‘Fantastic – “He wasn’t actually playing as a 100 per cent regular for Leicester not so long back - he had some spells on the bench. "Now he is their main man. Now he is the top goal-scorer in the league. Now he has got a record at his fingertips. “There is no doubt the qualities he has a football player are very useful. [And] They may be useful qualities for an international team.”
Pretty sure its not Vardy himself saying he should play through the centre, but all the pundits saying it Woy. What a dumbass
The Vardy situation is a tricky one. Normally you would say that a striker who is on a run of form like he is should be a shoe-in for starting up front as a central striker. But you look at the players who might start in midfield and you have to wonder where the service to Vardy would come from. Of the current crop, none of them are used to playing at club level with a striker like Vardy. The last midfielders England had that were capable of feeding a fast striker were Lampard - Drogba, and Gerard - Suarez. England have become entrenched in playing that slow possession type of 'technical' game that we really aren't very good at. We beat some third rate countries in qualifying matches, but when it comes to the finals we just can't compete, as we showed at the last 2 World Cups. But hey! Best stick with that because that is how the top teams play! Playing Vardy down the middle and playing to his strengths would require a whole different approach and I don't believe Woy will dare to give it a go. The problem for him is, he would need to change too much for the sake of one player, and that won't happen. If Woy is contemplating playing Vardy wide right or left then he'd be better off not playing him at all, because there are better players out there in that position. I think we are in for further helpings of uninspired, turgid stodge from England at international level for the foreseeable.
I kinda hope he doesn't play, would hate him to get injured and miss out on possibly equalling the consecutive games record, can't he pull out after his "groin strain" today?! Please!
