woodgate?

[InOffMeLeftShin]

I didn't think it was that bad in the first half. Second half was completely useless. But I think some of you are forgetting the mindless longball shit we played under McClaren.

Playing away in France in the first half we controlled the posession and played in a completely different style to they have been used to at International level for years, short passing. There was one spell in the first half where it looked like they had been told that they weren't allowed more than 2 touches (kind of like we all did in training as 10 year olds). Seemed very obvious to me that Capello was trying to get the basics right first and now he will know which of those supposedly big name players don't even have a grasp of that. He picked a very similar team to the one that finished under McClaren yet played in a very different style. I think that was very deliberate. Certainly Barry and Ashley Cole stuck out like sore thumbs, both found it impossible to take only a few touches and Coles final ball in particular was dreadful.

I think the next game we will see some of the old guard out of the team and some new players in. I expect at least Woodgate and Huddlestone to be involved next time around.

 

[nickspurs]

Poor performance, no Spurs players associated with it is great. Plus no injuries or fatigue. I'm Spurs and then England so it was a satisfactory night in respect of my first love.

Mistake by James might give a small ray of chance to Robbo....

 

[Cicada]

international football is of the past..

bores me to death

nice of david james to show that he's still a muppet though..his head was getting a bit too big

why england managers continue to play steven fucking gerrard is beyond me as well

 

[MattWilliams]

Why on earth is Barry in there ahead of Carrick? Bearing in mind the number of year's that Barry was playing great and couldn't get in the England team, no he's playing average he seems a first choice. What a strange old world.

The England team needs Carrick's passing in there. We also need a friggin striker!

?
Cole Gerrard Rooney
Carrick Bentley
Cole Ferdinand Woodgate ?
?

I haven't got a foggiest who to replace the ?s with though. Potentially maybe Ashton up top...? Clutching at straws slightly. Maybe Richards right back...?

 

[Shanks]

To be fair to the team, they don't need to play for results at the moment.

The manager is in a unique position, and we finally have a chance to experiment a little.
Yes our players are not as technical to be able to play a fluid passing game, but at times it worked last night. First half we controlled the game, bar a mistake from Terry (who got skinned!) and then James, the game would have been 0-0.

Problems I thought we had last night, we that, although we controlled the game, we had no pace going forward. Joe Cole tried running at defenders, with no success, but even if he had got behind the defenders, there was no striker in or around the box, as Rooney was often right near the person on the wing.

Lone striker, he needs to be on the last defender. Gerrard was aweful last night, I actually though Lampard would have been better last night!!

As much as I love Becks, he played far too deep last night, we needed someone on the by line, and for me, Wes Brown just doesn't do it. Johnson has been playing really well this year, might be a good time to get him some international minutes now.

I am sure we will get better results, but the biggest worry for me, is that we don't seem to ahve any strikers... Owen, seems terrible, Rooney, doesn't score that much, Walcott????

Defoe should have been in there, and I do think crouch is great at international level, provided crosses into the box are decent enough, which they weren't last night.

Although, France had 7 starting players missing and they still beat us, we are miles behind these days.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

Why on earth is Barry in there ahead of Carrick? Bearing in mind the number of year's that Barry was playing great and couldn't get in the England team, no he's playing average he seems a first choice. What a strange old world.

The England team needs Carrick's passing in there. We also need a friggin striker!

?
Cole Gerrard Rooney
Carrick Bentley
Cole Ferdinand Woodgate ?
?

I haven't got a foggiest who to replace the ?s with though. Potentially maybe Ashton up top...? Clutching at straws slightly. Maybe Richards right back...?

Hmm, I would be massively worried about that lineup. Carrick hasn't even really showed he can do it at International level, although he hasn't been any worse than any of our other midfielders. Bentley is a mile off if you ask me, he has looked miles out of his depth at international level so far. A shadow of Beckham. He is decent in the prem, although I think he is vastly over rated by many. Ashley Cole? Rooney right wing forward? 4-2-3-1 formation?

 

[MattWilliams]

I know, I know... but it's a tricky one. Rooney tends to play wherever anyway. He's certainly not the man up top and even for United tends to drift all over the shop. Bentley and Carrick is mainly for the potential creativity. I think you underestimate Bentley slightly, he's a tenacious little bugger with a fantastic passing range.

How you accomodate England's players in one team though I don't know... Rooney can't play up top on his own, yet Lampard and Gerrard can't seem to play in a 4-4-2, Joe Cole seems to become a headless dribbler at international level...

Owen Rooney
Cole Gerrard Hargreaves Beckham...

Oh hang on... I don't envy Cappello. Although I can't help but think that we just need to stumble across a good, big, fast striker who can hold the ball up... doh... Heskey...

If not Ashley Cole, who? I'm not convinced by Bridge anymore...

 

[tRiKS]

By some remarkable prescience, I knew it would be shite, so I caught up with 'He Kills Coppers' instead, and then watched Sugarlump making wankers squirm.

I love programs that are exactly what thier title suggests.
I can confirm he does kill coppers and will continue to until the end of the series.

 

[SpurSince57]

I know. I've read the book.

 

[idlepete]

Playing away in France in the first half we controlled the posession and played in a completely different style to they have been used to at International level for years, short passing. There was one spell in the first half where it looked like they had been told that they weren't allowed more than 2 touches (kind of like we all did in training as 10 year olds). Seemed very obvious to me that Capello was trying to get the basics right first and now he will know which of those supposedly big name players don't even have a grasp of that. He picked a very similar team to the one that finished under McClaren yet played in a very different style. I think that was very deliberate. Certainly Barry and Ashley Cole stuck out like sore thumbs, both found it impossible to take only a few touches and Coles final ball in particular was dreadful.

I think the next game we will see some of the old guard out of the team and some new players in. I expect at least Woodgate and Huddlestone to be involved next time around.

I agree with all of this. It's a totally different style, and should hopefully lead to changes in personnel and eventually some good football - lots of hard work first though.

But the game was truly fucking awful. The only entertaining moment in the match was the penalty, James sending Anelka cartwheeling into the heavens. I thought he was going out of the stadium. Oh, and when Ribery missed a shot and you could clearly see him mouth "Sacre Bleu!" That was funny.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

I agree with all of this. It's a totally different style, and should hopefully lead to changes in personnel and eventually some good football - lots of hard work first though.

But the game was truly fucking awful. The only entertaining moment in the match was the penalty, James sending Anelka cartwheeling into the heavens. I thought he was going out of the stadium. Oh, and when Ribery missed a shot and you could clearly see him mouth "Sacre Bleu!" That was funny.

Yeh I saw that. Becks getting the national anthem wrong was funny too.

 

[tRiKS]

I know. I've read the book.

I didn't even know there was a book.

there's a book for the film Lord of the Flies!!! how crazy is that!... human beings are brilliant sometimes

 

[inegve]

I have this feeling that if we bought Woody in the summer, by now he would've been without any doubt the player of the season.

 

[haxman]

I have this feeling that if we bought Woody in the summer, by now he would've been without any doubt the player of the season.

Our player of the season, or Prem player of the season?