The England thread

[The Quasi Juice]

Should at least be 2 matches really.

[Colly]

I can't work out why its subjective. Premier League, violent conduct, 3 match ban. UEFA, make it up as we go along.

[Matt]

Because UEFA are and always will be corrupt as fuck?

[Gazz]

If he gets banned for three matches, he shouldn't be included in the squad for the tournament.

[Colly]

Just seen the Rooney red card montage on SSN, barring a rash challenge in his Everton days they're all for being a dick. Clapping at the ref, hoying a ball at one at Fulham, the kick on Carvalho and this one. Silly boy.

[Lineker]

Nigel Worthington to step down as Northern Ireland manager.

[Matt]

If he gets banned for three matches, he shouldn't be included in the squad for the tournament.

He'll do fuck all and look disinterested anyway.

[Colly]

If he gets banned for three matches, he shouldn't be included in the squad for the tournament.

Sounds rash but its a good shout. Capellos going to effectively have to pick two teams attacking wise, and either drop the first as soon as Rooneys available, or stick with the original lot. The only way he can win is by winning the whole tournament, otherwise the press will be on him either choice. It'll be Capellos 'not picking Gazza' moment.

[IAceI]

I'd like to see Capello give Carroll up front a go with Walcott playing in the hole behind him. Let Walcott play more centrally for a game and see how it works, keep Young to the left with the licence to cut inside onto his right foot and possibly even Johnson on the right doing the same.

Parker in the holding midfield role acting as the tackler, then partner him with either a fit Hargreaves (stop laughing), an on-form Barry (i mean it) or Carrick (I think me and Xabi Alonso are this mans only fans..).

Parker is the tackler and the others are the distributors of the ball with licence to move forward a little bit more and be that link from defence to attack. The attacking midfielders are all pacey and the striker is a handful in the air, on the ground, with the ball and without it.

Unfortunately there seems to be far too many factors for this to work. First of all assuming they all had to be fit, then you need a Johnson who is playing regularly, a Walcott who is playing well, a non-incarcerated or intoxicated Carroll, then the problems with the midfielders and that's before we discuss the defenders. At least Joe Hart is always dependable.

That said, we could just pull out and let Spain and Germany play each other and give the trophy to whoever wins that match.

Failing all that then I'd like to see Heskey and Oxlade-Chamberlain play up top together. Just for the crack.

Edited October 10, 2011 by IAceI

[Lineker]

Play Young in the Rooney role behind Bent.

[stokeriño]

The idea of England's attacking spearhead resting on a Carroll/Walcott combination makes me weep.

[Colly]

The idea of England's attacking spearhead resting on a Carroll/Walcott combination makes me weep.

The idea of a Carroll/Walcott combination being used for anything other than a mismatched partners cop comedy makes me weep.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Rooney has been a liability since Euro 2004.

(Actually, upon looking at that again I've suddenly realised that I overacted as a kid to seeing the dirty cheating Portuguese rob my beloved England of a decision, he may have been held but that was clearly deliberate and deserving of a red card)

I think leaving him at home might result in us playing a lot better as a collective. It's a bit like Spain leaving their all-time top goalscorer Raul at home in Euro 2008, sure we won't actually win the thing... but it'll allow us to have a balanced strike partnership in Bent and [whoever is fit/on form at the time] If we don't have belief in our youth, how exactly do we expect them to work when they're thrown on as a sub in the quarter finals after an inevitable injury to one of our strikers?

Edited October 10, 2011 by The General

[stokeriño]

The idea of England's attacking spearhead resting on a Carroll/Walcott combination makes me weep.

The idea of a Carroll/Walcott combination being used for anything other than a mismatched partners cop comedy makes me weep.

They should get Carroll and Crouch to be the new Chuckle Brothers.

[TCO]

I remember the hysteria of Euro 2004 with English people everywhere blowing up about that decision when he fucking stamped on him.

"No but Ronaldo winked, so it wasn't a red card!"

As an outsider watchign the game and fallout it was very pleasing. I still admire Hargreaves to this day and will never give him shit about his injuries for that performance. He was inspiring in that game, n ever stopped running once.

[Starvinho]

Hopefully Wilshere will be fit for the Euro's because I see him as our key player in breaking teams down, he's our best option in the middle in terms of getting the ball, keeping it and creating chances. Wilshere and Cleverley in the middle would be interesting to see in one of the friendlies I think.

As for up front without Rooney it has to be Bent or Defoe with Carroll/Zamora/Welbeck playing off them for me, then Young and Walcott in the wide positions. Carroll could be a key man for us if we give him the service.

[Colly]

I'd agree with that, the sooner Wilshere and Cleverley come in the better for me. And six months of not using Carroll as a beanpole lone striker could be absolutely ideal for England.

[Guest Canary4life]

I remember the hysteria of Euro 2004 with English people everywhere blowing up about that decision when he fucking stamped on him.

"No but Ronaldo winked, so it wasn't a red card!"

As an outsider watchign the game and fallout it was very pleasing. I still admire Hargreaves to this day and will never give him shit about his injuries for that performance. He was inspiring in that game, n ever stopped running once.

Wasn't it the World Cup? Because we went out in the QF to Portugal in the 2006 one and I'm sure Rooney got a red.

[Colly]

I remember the hysteria of Euro 2004 with English people everywhere blowing up about that decision when he fucking stamped on him.

"No but Ronaldo winked, so it wasn't a red card!"

As an outsider watchign the game and fallout it was very pleasing. I still admire Hargreaves to this day and will never give him shit about his injuries for that performance. He was inspiring in that game, n ever stopped running once.

Wasn't it the World Cup? Because we went out in the QF to Portugal in the 2006 one and I'm sure Rooney got a red.

Yep.

[Matt]

We went out to Portugal in both, didn't we? But yeah, I think it was World Cup 06 with the red card and the wink.

As for Wilshere and Cleverley, I don't think they'd work as a two, it'd have to be those 2 and Parker, which means playing 1 up front.