The England thread

[Ant]

He came on for ten minutes vs Chelsea which was his first appearance of the season. He's been out with an ankle (I think) injury since the back end of last year

[Gazz]

I can only assume that because Gabby's accent is so unintelligably Brummie, Woy actually thinks he's a foreigner.

[METALMAN]

If Roy Hodgson thinks he is a foreigner, wouldn't it be far more likely that it is because his name is Agbonlahor? :/

[Summers]

[Dan]

Our future could be really bright as long a the U21's appoint the right.....

Gareth Southgate is to be appointed by the FA as new England Under-21s coach.

Oh, nevermind.

I disagree with you on this so much.

[Lineker]

Okay?

[Plubby]

Where's Benteke? Plays in England, has strange name like Agbonlahor - must be English!

(Where, Where, Where, Where's Benteke? *waves magic, portal-creating cane*)

[Gazz]

New FA chairman Greg Dyke has set England the target of winning the 2022 World Cup.

[stokeriño]

Nothing like arbitrary 10 year (/9 year) plans to make it look like you're doing something when you're not.

[Gazz]

Well, it's never going to happen because everyone who will make up that squad is currently between 13-23 and has already passed through most of a youth system that leaves them miles behind our competition.

[Matt]

By any chance does his chairmanship expire in 2021?

Although it's not quite as ludicrous as it sounds, Man City's new state of the art academy should be in motion by then and I'd be surprised if there aren't a few other top clubs looking to improve youth facilities by then with the whole 6+5 thing coming in (or did that get scrapped? ). I know GFH are looking at completely overhauling our academy system although that seems to be with the intent of attracting African, Middle Eastern and Eastern European talent given they're intending to build a training base in the middle east.

2026 would probably be more realistic given these academies probably won't be up and running until the back end of this decade

[METALMAN]

Pffffft. The 2022 World Cup is going to be cancelled.

[Gazz]

Well, the 'homegrown' rule doesn't mean a player has to be English, they just need to have spent 3 years at a club before they're 21, so teams are just going to hoover up better quality foreigners when they're 17.

[Lineker]

Dyke talked the good talk, but the proof will be in the eventual pudding.

[brenchill]

Bet those U-21's who couldn't win a single game in the championship they played in recently are shitting themselves.

[EddieG]

This should say plenty http://sport.bt.com/live-polls-01374096568492

[Colly]

Sky reporting the team for tomorrow already, never a fan of the early reveal.

Hart, Walker, Jags, Cahill, Cole, Lampard, Gerrard, Wilshere, Walcott, Welbeck, Lambert

[stokeriño]

Back from the break...

Chiles: "Let's all coo at the Wembley arch. Don't you love the arch? Oooh."

"Now, over to Woy."

Woy: "We want to play football and score goals and stuff. Indeed some of our players also play football elsewhere so I just told them, y'know, do that."

"Fantastic! Now, off to the match!"

...

Is this really the England coverage or have I accidentally stumbled into a comedy parody?

[stokeriño]

That'll do.

[Ant]

Well done Lambert. Very depressing that in 2013 though Gerrard and Lampard are still in an England side.

Not a knock on them their either.