Big Sams first England team.

Seems not a lot has changed to the England team even with Sam in charge. Same old same old.

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Sam Allardyce has kept faith inEngland ’s Euro 2016 flops.

Now-Manchester City defender John Stones is the only player named to face Slovakia in Sunday's opening World Cup qualifier not to have also started at some stage during the Three Lions' disastrous campaign this summer.

In fact, new boss Allardyce has selected EIGHT of the 11 players who began thehumiliating defeat against Iceland in Nice 68 days ago in his team for the weekend clash in Trnava.

Big Sam told the players his starting XI on Friday for the tough test awaiting them in their opening Group F fixture — the nations drew 0-0 during the group stage in France - and it features no major surprises.

REUTERS

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Stones makes the team after not playing a single minute at the Euros this summer
There is no place for new call-up Michail Antonio or fellow midfielder Danny Drinkwater , who did not go to the Euros despite starring in Leicester’s Premier League title success.

Allardyce has also kept faith with Harry Kane , despite the Tottenham striker’s disastrous Euros under predecessor Roy Hodgson and subsequent disappointing start to the Premier League season.

Kane has just one goal in his last 11 appearances for club and country, so Allardyce’s show of faith will be a major confidence boost for the out-of-form centre-forward.

The FA via Getty

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Kane keeps his place despite a lengthy goal drought for Spurs and England
Captain Wayne Rooney will start in a No10 role behind Kane, Stones gets the nod at centre-back and his new Manchester City team-mateRaheem Sterling ’s excellent early-season form is rewarded with a place in a 4-2-3-1 line-up.

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana goes straight in, despite being axed for the Iceland game, alongside club colleague Jordan Henderson.

Chris Smalling, Dele Alli and Daniel Sturridge are the three members of the starting XI against Iceland who miss out.

Allardyce has decided to reveal his team to the players well in advanace of the Slovakia game to allow them to work in training on formation and specific tactics.

It is a major departure from the days of Hodgson, who would often not name his team until the day before a match and would sometimes even keep the players guessing.

THE TEAMS
Slovakia (probable) Kozacik; Hubocan, Durica, Skrtel, Pekarik; Pecovsky, Gyomber, Kucka; Hamsik, Mak; Duris.

England Hart; Walker, Cahill, Stones, Rose; Dier, Henderson; Lallana, Rooney, Sterling; Kane.

 

You're right as in nothing has changed, I predict qualifying easily followed by a poor showing in the World Cup, followed by easy qualifying for the Euros and then a disappointing tournament and a new England manager.

Gareth Southgate will then take over and repeat the above.

 

You've forgotten the other certainty... The England manager saying how much they've learnt from the inevitable KO at the tournament finals.

 

Is that the Stone Roses in defence

 

Yeh but it's ok because Big Sam knows how to get his teams great at set pieces.

We'll definitely be winning the WC with that

 

Stone Roses are ****, so yeah, probably.

 

So a new manager meant 23 new players would miraculously appear?

 

One of the best bands ever.

 

Might aswell kept Woy on for a few more years

 

We'll have to disagree on that.


Try listening to them when you're not off your tits on eckies.

 

Oh right, I'll give that a go...sometime....soon. Maybe.

 

Mike Bassett was never going to do anything other

As if that set of over paid beauts is going to look at Sam's massive grid in the dressing room and be inspired by his agricultural football tactics.

They'll turn on him the minute something goes pear.

 

**** your tik a taka, **** your tactics. Up the middle for Vardy.

Seriously, we're not Spain, we're not Italy, but we can learn something from Portugal; play to your strengths. And don't concede.

 

Vardy isn't in the squad is he?

 

Is he not? Up the middle to Harry Kane then. Not sure that'll work so well.

 

England squad
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Alex McCarthy (Southampton).

Defenders: Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).

Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Michail Antonio (West Ham United), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal).

Strikers: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City).

 

...out of his arse. Yes.

 

But isn't the definition of insanity, doing the same things over and over again, but expecting different outcomes.
If he had binned all of the seniors that have continually failed at international level and started with the U21's, the results may have been disappointing but at least, for me, the direction we are heading would be more palatable.

 

bring crouch back - hoofball is the future