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?

Slater I agree with you for once pretty much on everything.

I disagree G Neville is past it, I still think he's one of the best and fittest full backs in the country, though Micah is the future.
P Neville is and never has been a full back, he plays centre mid for Everton and thats where he's best.

Lampard is the form player at the moment out of the central two.

GD Potts your obviously a typical bitter blue, how the hell can you suggest Daniel Sturrudge up front when he can't even catch upfront for the most impotent team in the Premiership?

McClaren never would have got the job had it not been for two very lucky cup results that coincided with Scolari turning down the job.
O'Neil for me, way ahead of anyone else, unless Scolari changes his mind.......

erm .... , it was only a meaningless friendly.

but i do like picking teams.

mine would be

foster,
g neville, woodgate, terry, a cole
gerrard, carrick, hargreaves, bridge
rooney, walcott

subs bench, (which, if you think about it, has become just as vital as the starting 11),

robinson,
richards, ferdinand, campbell, downing
lennon, , lampard, scholes, j cole
young, owen

Meaningless friendly?? Yes.
But if you are gonna put on that kind of shite, do it on the training pitch away from paying viewers. It was awful and whatever McLaren learned better have been worth it.
Lets see a bit of passion from the squad. Does anyone think Wenger / Ferguson / Jose would accept such low standards, even in a friendly?? I don't.
Get the team right and play it every time. Stop fiddling and get a team spirit going.

BTW, Bos. that midfield looks a bit plodding and defensive for my tastes. You been working with McLaren recently??
;-)
Alan

plodding!!!! ? defensive !!!? nay lad. the pace is upfront and on the flanks where it should be. the two lads in the middle can tackle, run and pass all day long. i'm particularly impressed with me subs bench; lots of quality and ability. feckin' easy this international manager lark, innit . don't know why they always say it's a hard job. i'll be telling macca that next time he calls me up for a chat about tactics ;)

Bring back the "grasscutter" Ray Wilkins!!

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

:-)

Dil: what was the result against Ireland (rugby, I mean)!

My suggestion is that we play a Premiership team which would include the so-called 'foreigners'! In other words, when you join a league you play for that country. Its difficult to even get a full 11 English out of the top four sides so players are not used to playing in a quality team.

Mind it would be worthwhile to pick Steve Taylor, Scott Parker, Milner and Dyer - we could also smuggle in Oba Martins. Now, where does he come from and - where do I come from?

At the end of the day McClaren is clueless but the resources he has at his disposal arent exactly amazing

GK - cant remember Eng having such a dearth of keepers, big part of the problem is how few English keepers are good enough to get a regular game in the prem

Fullbacks - Neville been a decent pro for years and Richards looks promising, Cole heavily over-rated imo tho Bridge decent enough cover, yet McClaren picks a guy who's played central midfield for the last few years rather than have a look at other options

Centre halfs - the one position where we have plenty of decent options yet McClaren still manages to bring Carragher on!!!

Midfield - an area where too many of the current players are over rated and England havent picked a balanced midfield for many a year. How many times do we need to see Lampard and Gerrard together to know it doesnt work. Both rely on a holding midfielder (or 2 in Lumpalards case at prem level) and looking woefully exposed without them

Strikers - Rooney the only one good enough a lot of very poor options otherwise, a lot of who cant get regular games in the prem (Crouch rotated by Lpool, Defoe in and out of Spurs side, Walcott? do me a favour - hes had a shocking 6 months and cant get in Arsenal team (yes im an arsenal fan), Young (the next over rated youngster whos proven nothing to get a massive transfer fee)

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