Quote:
Originally Posted by devo22
nobody blames the Liverpool players for a poor outing one week ahead of the tournament. I simply blame Hodgson for selecting some Liverpool players for no obvious reason (other than the fact that he briefly coached Liverpool two years ago). Given the season they had, Henderson and especially Downing should be nowhere near the national team. I am just pissed that some players are constantly overlooked. Why not try someone like Nathan Dyer or Scott Sinclair from Swansea who were a lot better last season than Downing and Carroll? What about Rodwell? What about Sturridge or even Jarvis? And this does not even include players who were obviously left out because of other reasons (Richards, Ferdinand, Carrick, Cleverley).
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Theres a very simple answer for that: reputation.
The idea that in their current form Henderson and Downing are 'internationals' is hysterical. But they have experience with the national team as does Kelly, even if only in U21.
I also agree that they probably shouldnt be there, they've been terrible lately, but sometimes a player with poor club form can still perform well for the national team. Its a situation Germany had with many players for a while. Granted, I dont think that applies here because I dont think any of them have been standouts for England either.
That being said, these are the guys that have been used in qualifying, right before a tournament with no chance to blood these guys the national team isnt going to be 'trying' anyone.