What do we think. How rubbish were England??
Awful is not strong enough, but stand back and think from last nights fringe players getting an outing, what sort of team we could field if we were at strength.
I propose that a back 3 of Terry, Woodgate and Rio-the-camel-face, with Richards attacking down the right and Cole doing the same on the left, with Rooney and Lennon up front and a midfield of Lampard, Joe Cole and Gerrard has the makings of a hell of a team.
imagine the bench too. Carrick, Owen, Hargreaves, Wright-Phillips, Crouch and so many others.
All we would need then is a managaer who can inspire them.
What say the panel?

Ps i backed Spain last night :-)

Smug git ;-)
I think we have talent in abundance (keepers aside), but a serious lack of imagination. we always play with such rigid formations. Where are the attacking midfield runs, the centre halfs bringing it forward, the full backs who don't get a nose bleed when they have a shooting chance and the strikers who are not afraid to come back for the ball and create the space for the midfield or wingers to run into?
They are all there, but stifled badly by the strange notion that they have an area of the field to patrol and should not stray. Predictable and easy to defend against. A more fluid approach would bring out the best in some world class talent and surely a friendly is just the place to give them their head and let them play as they would like.
Just my opinion, but what a bloody shambles last night was.
Alan

Bosley - BRIDGE! Thats all I can say about that team.

Andy - 'Catch Upfront'? didnt quite get that one, if you mean play regularly then probably the fact that he's only just 17 and Pearce feels to embarassed not to play his 6million horse upfront (Samaras).
Now Andy, in 1 year he'll be running rings round neville on his wheelchair and powering it past that old boy in goal - maybe even the next derby.
But at least I can say we didnt waste as much as you on shit players like carrick, how he makes the england squad I dont know. He, when we are 1 nil down, stands in front of the 2 centre back and passes it around with them for as long as possible before attempting a pass above his skill level which subsequently finds the touch line. If we insist on playing the tosser that is G neville at Right back then play Micah where carrick plays, he's far stronger, quicker, has a better head and shot and could be far more useful. (Especially since he used to play there).
In one year you'll be admiring the talent of Daniel Sutrridge as the new England strike partner for Rooney, after all, Chelsea thought so much and tried to buy him this summer.

EW ... difference was even though we lost we went down fighting and the game was enjoyable for both sets of fans and neutrals ... we therefore did not feel the need to boo the team off the pitch :-)

Dil really - that game was not exciting and we were outclassed by Spain completely, although we were carrying a disability with us throuhg the likes of carrick and the neville's.

Think the boo's could have been more directed at Mclaren reather than the teams.

I was referring to EW's post re the Wales V Ireland rugby match GD , sorry for the confusion.

gd, i believe the new supercasino is going to be built next to the city of manchester stadium. the new casino will have all the usual games, slot machines, roulette, blackjack, poker, but the crap games will still be played next door ;)

Forget the football....what about this cricket match, it's a cracker Australia 252 England 218-4 with 31 balls to go!

Oh dear, I should have kept quiet! Flintoff has gone, 222-5, 27 balls left, it's not over yet though.

239-6, 14 req'd off 13 balls. Can it be done?

I've got my nappy on now. 245-6, 8 req'd off 8

4 req'd off 7. Collingwood for Prime Minister

Nappy now full, 1 req'd off 4

Unbelievable, an England win. That's it then, back to the football............replace the England squad with the Cricket squad, real fighters?!

They let them win .... got to sell tickets for 2 more.

Bosley, well at least your jokes are better than your team selection. city could beat them.

Now- weve got the second best stadium in the premiership and the new casino along with the plan for a new hotel will make city a massive investment opportunity for... maybe Mittal or the eventually released Khodorkovsky ha.

Oh, and I almost forgot, hows your Stanelco holding doing?

Kim Really enjoyed your commentary - after the event that is. What it demonstrates is how England are at rising from the ashes - or loss of them! Proves my point about the importance of Northumbrians, fighting spirit etc. You know, the Alan Shearer, Jackie Milburn thing. Dil and I share this celtic (not Celtic) Wales, Geordie thing. Newcastle have even been blooding Academy players successfully.

Apart from the selection horror of Phil Neville at left back the final nail in McLaren's coffin, from my viewpoint, was the paucity of the attcking play with long balls, third dividion style, into Crouch. I recalled the Hansen analysis of Manchester United last weekend - the movement off the ball of Giggs and Rooney being a good example. I suspect we are getting the lowest common denominator of McLaren and Venables.

But, just maybe, we could rise from the Ashes like our cricket 2nd eleven!

Eric

gd, that went last march :)
glad you like the joke. it was a bitter blue who told it to me.

DIL ..lol ....lf Manchester city are so good why does their only decent player in Barton J. want to leave. As for England ,,lol How i enjoy these little, yet regular, moments. Boring ,,,zzzzzzzz, utterly predictable, tedious,mechanical, and thouroughly bereft of imagination, guile and inspiration and PASSION which in the final analysis begs the question how did such a cretin as Mclaren get the job to start with . ? The mind boggles; and leaves me with that comforting feeling that France will utterly rip them to shreds . .Anyway i fell asleep at half time ..Without Gerrard, Terry and Rooney and perhaps Ferdinand ( and he is no Vierra in his day ) they are aS Eric says says a very ordinary mundane side aka Division 2 what WITH WITH ROUTE 1 FOOTBALL THEY PLAY ; and as for disposing of Beckham yet playing those pensioners as the Nevilles lol and Carrick and aww the list is endless. ....lol hehehe lol ...Does Carrick know how to pass a ball ?? An utter pedestrian and pure observer ..lncidentally they could start by dropping Lampard - his old man was better - and allow Gerrard to introduce a little space & fluidity into central midfield .,,,,No goalkeeper in England is worthy of the shirt ...They play like scared rabbits ...UTTERLY dire ...but makes my day ....hehe ..and illustrates why since the Premiership was formed juste why only l English born manager has guided his side to glory..........20 million Stanelco shares for he who even remembers ......lol ........ln a word England are LIMITED ..........@+ J

Dreadful agreeing with the French Connection but I take his comments as constructive. Fine playing one or two older players but they need to offer something different from the young. An argument for Gary Neville but why not run with Micah Richards. I thought McC's best selection was Foster - we can bypass a generation perhaps - we can groom him for the benefit of Man U! We are agreed on the disastrous adoption of Route 1 to Crouch. From the sounds of it the Under 21s performed well to recover to 2-2 and they have qualified for the European Finals. I am serious in suggesting players like Steven Taylor and Milner who have done a great job for N'cle, stricken with far heavier injury list than moaning Chelsea. Glenn Roeder makes a virtue out of necessity and has been blooding players from the Academy, doing a service to the English game in general. Scott Parker would be far better than Carrick in the holding role besides contributing more in attack with some goals. Play Dyer in his Newcastle role off Rooney (instead of Martins). Lookign forward to see how Martins and Owen combine - not a lot of height but you can bring the central defenders forward for set pieces. Walcott should be a super-sub. Hey, I am moving towards a French set-up!

Eric