England National football team thread

[MasterBlaster76]

Shut up.

I'm 99% sure we'll come back in for him in January, and with a proper offer, too.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

I'm 99% sure we'll come back in for him in January, and with a proper offer, too.

I don't think we'll sell in january. too big a disruption. We turned a profit in summer so there shouldn't be any bank pressure to sell so it'd take a borderline silly offer.

 

[War]

I don't think we'll sell in january. too big a disruption. We turned a profit in summer so there shouldn't be any bank pressure to sell so it'd take a borderline silly offer.

Ha ye, i doubt Everton will sell him, plus Baines doesn't look like the type to force a move even if he wants to leave. However he might rethink if United or any big club comes calling...

 

[ste_mc_efc]

Ha ye, i doubt Everton will sell him, plus Baines doesn't look like the type to force a move even if he wants to leave. However he might rethink if United or any big club comes calling...

Also at everton he's settled. he'll start every match when fit (oviedo may play if we get soft draws in the fa cup, i guess) and be one of our star men.

It's world cup year, if he's to edge out Cole and start the world cup as first choice LB he has to be playing football. At united there is a chance Evra will start some games ahead of him and his individual role in the team will be smaller when he plays.

 

[War]

Also at everton he's settled. he'll start every match when fit (oviedo may play if we get soft draws in the fa cup, i guess) and be one of our star men.

It's world cup year, if he's to edge out Cole and start the world cup as first choice LB he has to be playing football. At united there is a chance Evra will start some games ahead of him and his individual role in the team will be smaller when he plays.

There was a rumour in August i recall hearing an reading that if Baines did go to United, Evra would go back to his old club Monaco who of course are now spending big in Ligue 1.

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Wilfried Zaha looks for loan move away from Manchester United: Rob Shepherd - The Football Grapevine | Mail Online

Interesting England related rumours here:

Despite squaring up to Zaha in the England U21s 5-0 win over Lithuania, boss Gareth Southgate gave Roy Hodgson a glowing report about Morrison.
And as predicted in The Grapevine a fortnight ago, Morrison can expect to be fast-tracked into the senior squad for next month?s friendlies against Chile and Germany.

Morrison emphasised his ability with a brilliant solo goal in Tuesday?s match at Portman Road.

And on the back of the success of Townsend, Hodgson is determined to inject more young blood into his England squad with Morrison and Ross Barkley seen as two of the most likely of the contenders to stake a claim for regular senior inclusion, despite their relative inexperience.

Fraser Forster, who has emerged as the leading contender to challenge Joe Hart as England?s No 1, could emerge as a target for Manchester United. AC Milan have already declared an interest in the 25-year-old Celtic keeper.
But United could step in. Although the general form of Reds keeper David de Gea has improved, he is still prone to unforced errors.


Assuming he is picked for next month?s friendly internationals Jermain Defoe is set to get clarification from Hodgson whether dropping down to the Championship would cost him a place in England?s World Cup squad.
Harry Redknapp is still keen to take Defoe to QPR and come January would see him as the ideal marksman to make sure QPR bounce straight back into the Premier League.


A couple of weeks ago this column revealed that Leighton Baines would get the nod over Ashley Cole for the decisive World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland.

As it was, Baines was a seen as shoo-in when Cole pulled out with injury. But I understand Baines would have started both games even if Cole had been fit. Hodgson believes Baines is now the better, fitter and more reliable player from back to front.
So it could well be that Cole, capped 105 times, will slip out of the international scene quietly. Many see him a cert to make the World Cup squad next summer, but given that Baines is now first-choice then Hodgson is likely to consider it a better option to take Danny Rose, Kieran Gibbs or even Ryan Bertrand rather than Cole, who if not first pick might at this stage in his career not be the best tourist.

 

[War]

Injury monitor part 1

This will be important to monitor every week. As great as ENG played - ENG have a tendency to play very well in september. Fingers crossed, but the pressure of the league is always going to put someone player on the injury list.


In: Glen Johnson & Lennon returned. Good signs obviously given the Johnson is the main full-back & Lennon once he hits form gives Hodgson more of an headache for the pacy wing options.

Out: Cole, A Caroll, Walcott, Alex Ox. Cole & Walcott seems short term by all reports and could be back playing in the next week or two.

Carroll & Ox obviously long term.



John Terry should be recalled for England says Roy Hodgson | Mail Online

Ha i tell ya if Terry keeps Cahill on the bench, while showing the kind of defensive form that Ferdinand showed for a large part of last season - it would be hard to ignore him.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I've just heard Hoddle speaking about the new commission on Sky Sports and I have to say that I am so glad he's on it. He knows exactly what needs to be changed, what needs to be emphasised and so on - it's about time he was back in the England set up in some fashion.

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Also at everton he's settled. he'll start every match when fit (oviedo may play if we get soft draws in the fa cup, i guess) and be one of our star men.

It's world cup year, if he's to edge out Cole and start the world cup as first choice LB he has to be playing football. At united there is a chance Evra will start some games ahead of him and his individual role in the team will be smaller when he plays.

Yeah - in all seriousness, if I were Baines I'd stay put. Utd are going down with thick black smoke coming out at the moment. I was anticipating a bit of a drop back with the new regime, but I was not expecting this.

 

[War]

Sam Wallace: Roy Hodgson knows goalkeepers are different ? and will stand by Joe Hart - News & Comment - Football - The Independent

 

[War]

Sven-Goran Eriksson's book can help England manager Roy Hodgson's project in countdown to World Cup finals - Telegraph

Interesting revelations in Erickssons book over his time coaching England.

For me although Sven was a solid manager he did waste the "Golden Generation" at the peak of its powers between 2002-2006. Tactically he was weak in the sense that he could not drop star players to incorporate the best balance for the team. Scholes on the left on EURO 2004 which sent the man into retirement is easily the biggest stain on his legacy.

That team was good enough to win EURO 2004 & at least get to final of WC 2006.

The most pertinent point of the book that has been discussed in this thread & around England is the power of the premier league over the FA, which has prevented us from having a winter break until now.

As this season progresses one can only bit their nails & hope come May ENG don't suffer an elaborate injury curse.

 

[thedon5]

Getting rid of the Capital One Cup means there would be room for a winter break. I know you've always said the COC is the problem, but not because it fatigues players, but because it blocks up the schedule. The big teams have two games a week every week for the majority of the season which is a big problem, especially on the injuries front for players who have to play in most of these games.

Often when in England when there are COC games being played, elsewhere in Europe they are playing league games. A lot of those winter fixtures can be moved to these COC slots. Even if that will not clear up the fixture list enough for a winter break, at least the very congested schedule can be relieved to some extent. That would give the players much more of a rest, and at the very least the fixtures can be spread so that week in week out players don't have to play two games each and every week.

I think that would benefit the league as a whole as well. The smaller teams have just a standard game a week with the cups where they can rotate to some extent. These smaller teams need to have their squads stretched more IMO, such that there are league games more often at the start of the season and hence these smaller teams will have to have stronger squads and more fit players. Teams like Stoke don't deserve to stay up when they have an awful squad while teams like Norwich with extremely deep squads have trouble.

 

[War]

Ye get rid of the useless league cup, free up the fixtures list, less football for the players, slot in the winter break during january. That simple scenario has been known for years now, but for obvious frustrating reasons the FA has not been able to implement it.

 

[War]

BBC Sport - England squad: Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez called up

Southampton duo Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana called into England squad - ESPN FC

Goalkeepers

Fraser Forster, Joe Hart, John Ruddy.

Defenders
Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Kieran Gibbs, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders
Ross Barkley, Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Andros Townsend, Jack Wilshere.

Forward
Jermain Defoe, Rickie Lambert, Jay Rodriguez, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Daniel Welbeck.

Unusually big squad, but the southampton pair deserves to be called up. Thought Ravel Morrison was almost certain to be picked instead of Cleverley or Milner.

Also on current form i'd say Dawson & Caulkner deserves to be picked as the back-up defenders instead of Jones & Smalling.

 

[thedon5]

BBC Sport - England squad: Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez called up

Southampton duo Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana called into England squad - ESPN FC

Unusually big squad, but the southampton pair deserves to be called up. Thought Ravel Morrison was almost certain to be picked instead of Cleverley or Milner.

Also on current form i'd say Dawson & Caulkner Caulker deserves to be picked as the back-up defenders instead of Jones & Smalling.

I still wonder why Spurs sold him.

 

[War]

Indeed that was strange one from AVB, he didn't have to buy that new defender spurs have. Caulker could have be starting for Spurs right now easily, especially with Vertonghen able to play left-back so competently even though another young englishman in Danny Rose (the natural left-back) was recalled from his loan with Sunderland.

 

[thedon5]

Rose just doesn't look quite ready yet. Vertonghen doesn't like playing LB mind you.

Chiriches was definitely a risky signing, he has done well so far, but you don't pay that much for random defenders from the Romanian League, that's for sure...

Last season wasn't Caulker's best, but he was great for Swansea and IMO he would've been ready to permanently displace Dawson and Kaboul later this season or next season. He has huge potential as a CB by the looks of it.