The England thread

[Colly]

I don't get the comparison to be honest, ignoring the quality issue we played two different systems last season and only one was remotely like how England play.

Andy, we only played three or four English players consistently last season, Simpson (best right back in the league...), Williamson (in for injured Taylor who genuinely would be pushing for contention if he could stay fit), and Shola and Perch off the bench. Most of our players are full internationals (or ex in Jonas and Colos case) for other countries.

I think Champions League would be a push to be honest, much as some of those players are in Champions League teams outside of Rooney and maybe Terry, Cole and Hart at the back (Gerrard excepted due to his injuries this year, and Liverpools league position) they aren't the influential players in those teams, and the lack of creativity so far can work in a knockout competition but over a full season?

[METALMAN]

Four is loads. My team only plays like one or something.

[Colly]

Your teams Scottish though.

[Sam]

England don't have a flair player like Demba Ba? Interesting...

[METALMAN]

Neither will Newcastle before long

[Colly]

Fuck, we'll have to play Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa. Nightmare.

[Lineker]

Ray Lewington has joined England's coaching staff on a permanent basis after signing a four-year contract.

Lewington, 55, worked alongside manager Roy Hodgson at Euro 2012 and has agreed to take on the role full-time.

The former Watford boss had been set to return to his coaching position at Fulham, where he was Hodgson's assistant for three years.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for me and one that I simply couldn't turn down," said Lewington.

"I really enjoyed the experience at the Euros this summer and am looking forward to spending more time with the squad as we look to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil."

Hodgson invited Lewington to join England's coaching staff along with Gary Neville, who is also on a four-year contract, and they will remain in the backroom team during the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins away to Moldova on 7 September.

Firstly, England have a friendly on 15 August against Italy, who knocked Hodgson's side out of the Euro 2012 quarter-finals.

[Dingle]

Fuck, we'll have to play Papiss Cisse and Hatem Ben Arfa. Nightmare.

Isn't Cissé Senegalese, like Ba?

[Colly]

Yep, why?

[brenchill]

Yep, why?

You are very defensive over Ba.

[Colly]

How so? If anything my comment suggested we could survive without him.

[Dingle]

Yep, why?

Nevermind, I was under the impression that this was the thread with the ACON discussion .

[Colly]

I was wondering why a three second retort to a quip from wor Andy had been bumped after three weeks...

[Lineker]

Former England coach Fabio Capello says the team would have gone further at Euro 2012 had he still been in charge.

Capello, whose England team lost in the second round at the 2010 World Cup, resigned in February after the FA removed John Terry as captain.

Roy Hodgson's England reached the Euro 2012 quarter-finals and Capello, now coach of Russia, said: "If I were with your guys it would've been even better.

"I'd worked there for four years and after what happened I wanted to stop."

Terry lost the England captaincy while awaiting trial on allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, which he was cleared of earlier this month.

"We had qualified for the finals and it was only the John Terry story that meant I couldn't go to the finals," said 66-year-old Capello, who presided over 42 matches as England boss, winning 28, losing six and drawing eight.

"On that issue with the English (FA), with my contract, it was put down on paper that the decision as to who would be captain should be made only by the coach. It was down on paper, in the contract, in black and white.

"Every national coach works for two years towards a goal - that is the ambition of every coach - but I was not given the opportunity to fight for the Euros with England.

"When you are told this is the goal... if you are always interfered with, you don't feel well. You feel ill at ease. I wanted to be the main guy with the national team again and to take a team to Brazil. I wanted that again."

[Matt]

No we wouldn't, we'd have probably struggled to get out of the group. The reason we got as far as we did was because of Hodgson's disciplined tactics.

[IAceI]

We'd probably have got exactly where we did with Hodgson. And probably would have with Redknapp or Eriksson in charge too.

[Lineker]

Roy Hodgson is expected to leave out a number of senior players when he announces his England squad on Friday for next week's friendly against Italy.

The match, in the Swiss city of Berne, will see a meeting of the two sides just weeks after the Italians knocked England out of Euro 2012 on penalties.

England coach Gary Neville suggested Hodgson was unlikely to select his more established internationals.

"He has good ideas about what he wants to do with this friendly," he said.

"Roy Hodgson was very clear that he would always use friendlies to have a look at people he hadn't seen before or to develop new ideas.

"It is the only environment he will have to look at people, but they have to be the right players and they have to be ready."

The likes of Chelsea duo Daniel Sturridge and Ryan Bertrand, plus Manchester United's Tom Cleverley and Birmingham goalkeeper Jack Butland, could be in line for a call up.

The quartet recently represented Great Britain at the Olympics, where Stuart Pearce's side suffered a quarter-final defeat by South Korea.

However, a number of players who missed out on Euro 2012 due to injuries could also be called upon.

Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy missed the tournament due to a broken finger but is now fit, while Tottenham's Kyle Walker has recovered from a toe injury.

Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell, who was hampered by hamstring problems last season, is also available, while Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has recovered from a fractured jaw.

Scott Parker is definitely out of contention due to an Achilles injury, although Tottenham confirmed on Thursday the midfielder has undergone successful surgery.

He will not be available until mid-September, however, meaning he is also ruled out of England's World Cup qualifiers against Moldova on 7 September and Ukraine four days later.

[Starvinho]

England squad vs Italy:

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Birmingham City), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City).

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).

Midfielders: Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Jake Livermore (Tottenham Hotspur), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jack Rodwell (Everton), Ashley Young (Manchester United).

Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea), Theo Walcott (Arsenal).

Didn't expect Caulker or Livermore. Good to see Bertrand get a chance. And Carrick!

Edited August 10, 2012 by Starvinho

[MJB]

Only six defenders?

Carrick's going to end up at CB for England aswell at this rate.

[stokeriño]

Ah yes, the annual friendly match where I really wish that Chelsea players get as little playing time as possible.

The fact that it's against an opponent we faced only a few weeks ago and is being held in Switzerland for some reason...well that only adds to the pointlessness.