Yes, it's time for another break from real football. Gareth Southgate takes on the international game's equivalent of the X Factor this time. Will he be laughed off like one of the early weirdos or tell a sob story and get a contract? Who knows? How many people still care? We'll see, I guess. First up, it's fake injury news. How many players will take the piss and do a runner? Quickest off the mark this time is Raheem Sterling, which makes a change from yesterday's game. He's replaced by a player who's been in good form recently, one Andros Townsend. Basically you're not in if you haven't played for Spurs at some point, I think. Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, on loan from Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley) Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Stoke), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham) Midfielders: Eric Dier (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Dele Alli (Tottenham), Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace) Strikers: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester) Expect half of those names to change in the coming days and call-ups for Mason, Livermore, et al.
Best copy over the squads I posted in the Bill Nick... FRANCE Goalkeepers Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda Defenders Lucas Digne, Laurent Koscielny, Layvin Kurzawa, Aymeric Laporte, Jeremy Mathieu, Bacary Sagna, Djibril Sidibe, Raphael Varane Midfielders Yohan Cabaye, Antoine Griezmann, N'Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi, Dimitri Payet, Paul Pogba, Moussa Sissoko, Kingsley Coman Forwards Nabil Fekir, Kevin Gameiro, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Anthony Martial BELGIUM Goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois, Matz Sels Claims to be a Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet Defenders Toby Alderweireld, Laurent Ciman, Christian Cabasele, Nicolas Lombaerts, Jordan Lukaku, Thomas Meunier, Jan Vertonghen Midfielders Nacer Chadli, Steven Defour, Moussa Dembele, Thorgan Hazard, Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!, Axel Witsel Elbower in Chief Marouane Fellaini Forwards Michy Batshuayi, Christian Benteke, Yannick Carrasco, Eden Hazard, Dries Mertens, Kevin Mirallas, Divock Origi
Glen 'Effin' Johnson! Sweet Jesus! I thought we had seen the last of that crap excuse for a footballer. Pretty ropey squad all round to be honest (Spurs players apart). Not many in-form players apart from Rashford, Townsend and our fullbacks (Alli not quite back to where he could be yet). And Lingard is very uninspiring.
Surely this isn't on, given he hasn't even returned for us yet? I hope his hamstring is 100% recovered
Glen Johnson pulls out of the England squad. Southgate's response is to call up a centre half. So that's our right back returning bolloxed in the same way that Danny Rose was after the last ****ing round of joke games. What's he going to do if Kyle gets injured? Amateurish.
Looks like Tripps will be playing against WBA then. Danny will hopefully be rotated with Bertrand for one of the games so should be fresher for our trip to the Hawthorns.
We should pull Walker out now. They're taking the piss. The only real alternative is Dier, who won't be used.
It's a right kick in the teeth for every other English RB as well. Basically Southgate is saying "You're all so **** that I'm just going to call up another defender who doesn't even play in your position and adds nothing to the squad whatsoever. Look, don't bother really. Go toss fries at McDonalds".
Walker, Rose, Dier and Alli should have a night on the town and post a video on Facebook singing Gareth Southgate is a ****er. That should do the trick.
He'd still play them all, because the alternative is to poker call certain other clubs on their "injured" England players.
Rooney bound to start against Malta. Chance to add to his international goal tally innit. So sayeth the Football Association of Rooney. Please don't tell me he's going to the next World Cup as well!