...Article on the This is Futbol website....Basically saying what we are all thinking. http://thisisfutbol.com/2013/05/blo...ert-not-selected-in-the-current-england-squad
I'm quite glad he wasn't picked this time to be honest. He's not been in the best form recently and was supposedly carrying a knock at the end of the season. Let him rest up and come back to pre-season fully fit and raring to go.
He hurt his back slightly in the Reading game, apparently the pitch surface was very hard. He's not been 100% since then so definitely needs a rest. He should have been selected earlier in the season though.
Q. Why was Rickie Lambert not selected in the current England squad? A. Because he plays for an unfashionable club
I too am glad he's not been picked, purely on the selfish grounds that he was playing with an injury during the last month, and he needs to rest up. But those who commented probably aren't to know that. This one made me smile... Think World Cup, European Championship Think England missed penalties in shoot outs. Think Ricky Lambert’s 100% penalty record. Think better not take him to Brasil then.
If he had a yard more pace. Or any pace at all come to that, I suspect he'd be in like a shot. However, like everyone else, I'm actually glad he's not, particularly with that injury that he's been carrying. He needs and deserves a good break.
Because he plays for Southampton FC Danny "Danger man" Welbeck plays for Man utd so is obviously a better choice with his 2 goals this year. Duh.
He's not in the current squad because he has scored one goal in his last seven games and is carrying an injury. The bloke deserves a rest.
If he was going to get in it would have been back in February/March, his (and our) form tailed off at the end of the season, whilst Sturridge's surged and Carroll did what was required to get himself into the squad (I.e. not very much ). From here on out it will take some electric form or a lot of injuries for him to get his deserved shot, but I fear the boat has sailed for Rickie. A shame, but in our best interests as others have said.
The match tonight reminds me that the trouble at the last match with the ROI ruined Matty's chance to shine for England.
Pretty much finished me, as far as any England interest is concerned, when Hoddle asked Le Tiss to show him what he could do, and Matty played for Saints like a demon and scored 4 goals against Russia, and still got left at home. And Rep of Ireland score with an excellent goal from Shane Long, and a leap that Ron Davies would have been happy with.
I don't think that it would've hurt Rickie much to play in tonight's game....let's face it, he was fit enough to play in a pretty meaningless end of season match against Stoke and it's unlikely that he would've played the full 90 minutes against Ireland. England caps don't come along every day and even if he only plays once, he will have it for life
The England team isn't for players playing for the likes of Saints but for a lot of top six bench warders. Strangely most England fans are not top six supporters but fans of the teams where players are completely ignored which is why it is so frustrating watching this dross!
One could argue that Lambert's form dropped towards the end of the season as Carroll's picked up. However, once he was injured and Welbeck is out we have a thin forward line and do not see why as the top English striker in terms of goals he was not at least called up even if he did not play. Who will we have against Brazil?
Maybe Lambert should call Hodgson up and offer his services. I wonder if any player has done that and been successful.
