The England thread

[METALMAN]

Oh so he is. I hadn't noticed him before but he's playing. He's been doing pretty well according to my dad.

[King Ellis]

Well the first game is tommorow so I figured there should be a thread so we can all share our pessimism. When did the squad get announced anyway? I can't find it anywhere but there's always the odd bit of news about who's in it, mainly the fact that Robert Green is behind a League Two goalie and is now probably Englands 10th choice.

Another tit bit is that John Terry will be captain, cue the likes of rockbox going ' How does he deserve the captaincy? He just shouts at refs and blows his nose on Tevez.'

Plus Rooney is set to play as a second striker to either Ashton, Defoe or Agbonlahor.

Discuss.

Wednesday 28th May

England vs USA 8.05PM

Sunday 1st June

Trinidad & Tobago v England 10.30PM

I think these are on BBC1. Plus I think the Welsh, Scots and Irish are playing at some point too but no one cares about them.

Edited May 27, 2008 by King eLLis

[therockbox]

Another tit bit is that John Terry will be captain, cue the likes of rockbox going ' How does he deserve the captaincy? He just shouts and refs and blows his nose on Tevez.'

Not surprising when it's true though, is it? Rio Ferdinand is a better player and would be a much better captain.

[Sam]

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

[brenchill]

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

Whaaat?

Terry isn't captain just because they lost the Champions League final. Capello has planned to try out different captains ever since he was given the England job. And Gerrard hasn't been overlooked as a potential England captain he was given the armband for Capello's first game in charge.

[Skummy]

Trinidad and Tobago? That's hardly fair.

[therockbox]

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

It doesn't, what spurs Steven Gerrard on to his great performances is the chance to be the hero. There's nothing wrong with that in certain games, usually those where there's a lot riding on the outcome of that one match, but in others (where a calmer head is required) he usually struggles. Best example I can thing of is the derby at Goodison Park when he was replaced by Lucas, every time he got the ball he was hammering it at goal or attempting the 'hollywood' pass to someone on the other side of the pitch. As a team we looked much, much better when Lucas came on.

[Scott McFly]

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

Are you kidding? Terry played far better than Rio in that game. Rio made several mistakes and was lucky not to get sent off for a clumsy and dangerous challenge on I forget who.

[Sam]

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

Whaaat?

Terry isn't captain just because they lost the Champions League final. Capello has planned to try out different captains ever since he was given the England job. And Gerrard hasn't been overlooked as a potential England captain he was given the armband for Capello's first game in charge.

Sure but the reason he's been chosen for this match is due to the events last Wednesday as a pick me up for Terry and I'm not so sure that the England captaincy should be used in this way.

Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

It doesn't, what spurs Steven Gerrard on to his great performances is the chance to be the hero. There's nothing wrong with that in certain games, usually those where there's a lot riding on the outcome of that one match, but in others (where a calmer head is required) he usually struggles. Best example I can thing of is the derby at Goodison Park when he was replaced by Lucas, every time he got the ball he was hammering it at goal or attempting the 'hollywood' pass to someone on the other side of the pitch. As a team we looked much, much better when Lucas came on.

Fair enough but minus the captaincy would he go for the hero act so much and would Liverpool acheive so well in the big european games? He doesn't try the long shots and the attempts to be a hero in an England shirt and I just wonder if as captain he would go for it. In the same way in which Beckham lifted his performances to become the hero for England when he was skipper.

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

Are you kidding? Terry played far better than Rio in that game. Rio made several mistakes and was lucky not to get sent off for a clumsy and dangerous challenge on I forget who.

Both him and Joe Cole had eyes on the ball in that situation and the advantage was given to Chelsea. To send him off would have been harsh. And yes I do think Rio played better as he had a key role alongside Vidic in making sure Drogba wasn't allowed to get into the game. Terry meanwhile spent half the time getting in the refs face alongside a few of his other Chelsea collegues.

[Anderson]

Sod the captaincy. The big issue here is Joe Lewis being called up as the third goalkeeper to replace Chris Kirkland. But why? Lewis never played for Norwich and he played last year for Peterborough and Morcambe.

Yet he's been picked over Green, Hart, Foster, Carson / Robinson (don't know who's in the squad with James) etc. I think Green needs to be given a chance, he's been very consistent over the past few years and hasn't made as many mistakes as Carson and Robinson.

Anyone else got thoughts on the goalkeeping situation?

[therockbox]

Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

It doesn't, what spurs Steven Gerrard on to his great performances is the chance to be the hero. There's nothing wrong with that in certain games, usually those where there's a lot riding on the outcome of that one match, but in others (where a calmer head is required) he usually struggles. Best example I can thing of is the derby at Goodison Park when he was replaced by Lucas, every time he got the ball he was hammering it at goal or attempting the 'hollywood' pass to someone on the other side of the pitch. As a team we looked much, much better when Lucas came on.

Fair enough but minus the captaincy would he go for the hero act so much and would Liverpool acheive so well in the big european games? He doesn't try the long shots and the attempts to be a hero in an England shirt and I just wonder if as captain he would go for it. In the same way in which Beckham lifted his performances to become the hero for England when he was skipper.

I don't think he doesn't perform for England just because he's not the captain, most players don't perform for England. I think it's because players know that if they try something outside of their normal 'comfort zone' and mess up they'll probably end up being slated for it by the press, who have previously spent the last two weeks hyping them up to be the best players to have ever walked the planet. At their clubs they know that if even if they have a bad spell they're not going to get hounded out straight away.

[brenchill]

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

Whaaat?

Terry isn't captain just because they lost the Champions League final. Capello has planned to try out different captains ever since he was given the England job. And Gerrard hasn't been overlooked as a potential England captain he was given the armband for Capello's first game in charge.

Sure but the reason he's been chosen for this match is due to the events last Wednesday as a pick me up for Terry and I'm not so sure that the England captaincy should be used in this way.

That's your opinion yet you seem to be presenting it as a fact. I think Capello has had his captains for the upcoming games in mind for a long time regardless of recent events.

[Sam]

Sod the captaincy. The big issue here is Joe Lewis being called up as the third goalkeeper to replace Chris Kirkland. But why? Lewis never played for Norwich and he played last year for Peterborough and Morcambe.

Yet he's been picked over Green, Hart, Foster, Carson / Robinson (don't know who's in the squad with James) etc. I think Green needs to be given a chance, he's been very consistent over the past few years and hasn't made as many mistakes as Carson and Robinson.

Anyone else got thoughts on the goalkeeping situation?

Same thing happened with Ireland and the Carlisle keeper being called up. I think it's a case of Capello not knowing the players but it seems an incredibly strange one. I would have thought Hart was a lock in after a decent season for City.

Grr that annoys me. He's been given the captaincy because he LOST the Champions League by missing a penalty kick. I'm sorry but since when is that the reason why you become England captain? Rio played better than him in that final as well as all season long yet apparently Terry who is more prone to stupid behaviour than Rio makes a better captain. Also surprising that Gerrard is overlooked, perhaps being captain will be the thing that finally inspires him to perform to the levels he does at Liverpool. I'm positive his role as captain there spurs him on to his greatest performances.

Whaaat?

Terry isn't captain just because they lost the Champions League final. Capello has planned to try out different captains ever since he was given the England job. And Gerrard hasn't been overlooked as a potential England captain he was given the armband for Capello's first game in charge.

Sure but the reason he's been chosen for this match is due to the events last Wednesday as a pick me up for Terry and I'm not so sure that the England captaincy should be used in this way.

That's your opinion yet you seem to be presenting it as a fact. I think Capello has had his captains for the upcoming games in mind for a long time regardless of recent events.

And Capello said the captaincy will boost Terry after he missed a crucial penalty in Chelsea's Champions League final defeat against Manchester United.

He said: "It is a good decision for John Terry after last Wednesday, which was not nice for him."

Capello added: "He has played very well in training and when I told him he would be captain he was very, very happy.

That's from the BBC which is what makes me believe that Terry is being picked because of last week. I don't personally think Capello knows what his best squad is yet, let alone his best team which gives me huge doubts over him having captains for specific games choosen well in advance.

[Dan]

Sod the captaincy. The big issue here is Joe Lewis being called up as the third goalkeeper to replace Chris Kirkland. But why? Lewis never played for Norwich and he played last year for Peterborough and Morcambe.

Yet he's been picked over Green, Hart, Foster, Carson / Robinson (don't know who's in the squad with James) etc. I think Green needs to be given a chance, he's been very consistent over the past few years and hasn't made as many mistakes as Carson and Robinson.

Anyone else got thoughts on the goalkeeping situation?

Because he's a very good goalkeeper.

[Anderson]

Sod the captaincy. The big issue here is Joe Lewis being called up as the third goalkeeper to replace Chris Kirkland. But why? Lewis never played for Norwich and he played last year for Peterborough and Morcambe.

Yet he's been picked over Green, Hart, Foster, Carson / Robinson (don't know who's in the squad with James) etc. I think Green needs to be given a chance, he's been very consistent over the past few years and hasn't made as many mistakes as Carson and Robinson.

Anyone else got thoughts on the goalkeeping situation?

Because he's a very good goalkeeper.

I'm not denying that, what I'm saying is how much can you tell from being in League 2? Yes, he could have all the fundamentals but the competition isn't the same as apposed to the Premiership. Especially seeing as Capello has loads of other good options that play in a higher division. It seems like a very strange decision :/

[Dan]

The unab le to judge from league two thing is probably why he's been called up.

See how he does playing with a few big names etc.

[Darloboy]

Joe Lewis being called up is rather puzzling, yes he's one of the best keepers in League Two but still, it's League Two. Still, it's only a friendly so it's not that big a deal, I'd be more worried if he was being called up for a proper international.

[Anderson]

Got to be a bit demoralising for the rest of the keepers not in the squad thought eh?

[FireDoughnut]

As a Man United fan I'd love to see Rio get the England armband on a regular basis as I think his transformation from the player he was a few years ago to now has been incredible.

He has clearly came round to the thinking of Sir Alex and has matured a great deal compared to the player we signed for 28 million. While he was a competent centre-back, Rio didn't seem to possess that extra few bits and pieces to make him excellent. He seemed to struggle for complete concnetration in most games, and at times looked as though he wasn't bothered. Couple that with the fact he always seemed to be trying to get himself a record contract whenever he was away from the club never really endeared him to myself or the Man United fans, but after the wake-up call of the drugs ban, Rio has been a changed man.

He is more professional. More concnetrated, and definitely now a leader; a position he has grown into. Without Gary for the past year, Rio has been the head of the defence and the manner in which they all follow him forward and back is incredible. Admittedly there are times when he takes things with the referee a little too far and I really urge him to back away but still... Rio is my choice.

Plus it's unfair to keep asking John Terry to captain a team as well as reffing the games he plays in.

Also, Capello has said that he had planned to pick Terry as captain before last week's game.

[brenchill]

The unab le to judge from league two thing is probably why he's been called up.

See how he does playing with a few big names etc.

Couldn't they have seen how he plays with big names by just involving him in the England set up through training though instead of calling him up into the final squad? The third choice keeper rarely plays anyway but I would of liked to have seen Green get the nod regardless.