Not a Walcott fan by any means but anyone who can do this is not all bad. That was quality:
thats the problem though, he does that, and then he had the 1 game against croatia and the 20 minutes against Barca earlier this year
he has flashes but no consistency, he just doesn't seem to have a footballing brain
Quote:
Originally Posted by rubecube
I'd like to have Johnson as a sub. The guy has good pace coming off the bench, and has the ability to take set pieces and cross the ball into the box.
he would never take set pieces for England though, Lampard and Gerrard will, and ya I would like him off the bench as well (especially over Walcott) but I don't think hes competing for that spot. I think if they are picking the best 23 players he makes the team, but I don't think Capello will choose him in this squad
He will be a starter for the team by Euro 2012 though I think, its been decades since England had a quality left footed player with pace.
He peaked at 16. There's rumors that he is much older than the 20 yrs old he claims. So when he was dominating all the kids in Juniors he was actually in his young 20s and never got better. If he is still 20 I guess he can still get better but I don't think it will happen.
France's team is predictably idiotic with Domenech in charge
GK – Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Mickaël Landreau (Lille)
DEF – Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Eric Abidal (FC Barcelone), William Gallas (Arsenal), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Anthony Réveillère (Lyon), Rod Fanni (Rennes), Sébastien Squillaci (FC Séville), Gaël Clichy (Arsenal), Marc Planus (Bordeaux), Adil Rami (Lille)
MID – Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Jérémy Toulalan (Lyon), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Yann M’Vila (Rennes)
ST – Thierry Henry (FC Barcelone), Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Sidney Govou (Lyon), André-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Djibril Cissé (Panathinaïkos), Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille), Jimmy Briand (Rennes), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille)
Benzema is better than every one of those strikers, guess Domenech didn't think the astrology matched up to pick him
some of those midfielders over Nasri is ridiculous as well
I don't agree with a lot of Domenech's squad here but Benzema hasn't had a great season with Madrid and he played like arse at Euro 2008 so he doesn't strike me as a surprise to not be included. As for Nasri the only midfielder picked that's questionable to me is young Yann M'Vila, but it makes sense. I would have picked Yohan Cabaye of Lille ahead of Nasri too. Really don't agree with the Fanni and Squillaci picks either, would have had Mathieu Delpierre and Mathieu Debuchy... bottom line though I don't think France is going to do much.
I don't agree with a lot of Domenech's squad here but Benzema hasn't had a great season with Madrid and he played like arse at Euro 2008 so he doesn't strike me as a surprise to not be included. As for Nasri the only midfielder picked that's questionable to me is young Yann M'Vila, but it makes sense. I would have picked Yohan Cabaye of Lille ahead of Nasri too. Really don't agree with the Fanni and Squillaci picks either, would have had Mathieu Delpierre and Mathieu Debuchy... bottom line though I don't think France is going to do much.
ya he had a poor season but what about Henry?
he won't even be playing in Europe next season and has barely made the bench for Barca this year
Really hope Scott Parker makes the England squad, the guy will be the hardest worker on the pitch, and would help solidify the midfield versus some of top teams.
Really hope Scott Parker makes the England squad, the guy will be the hardest worker on the pitch, and would help solidify the midfield versus some of top teams.
I think Scott Parker being on the same pitch as international referees is a recipe for disaster.
Portugal fans calling others arrogant. That's classic.
Oh please, it's not even close. Portugal supporters are very well aware that they haven't won anything, they know they're not as good as the top tier squads, they know full well that they will never be a powerhouse.
There may be a slight cockiness in their attitude, but that's mostly from some of their players, not the fans. There's definitely some bags who wear the red and green, but it generally doesn't rub off on their fans.
Portugal knows their place and don't think they are the best by any stretch. Portugal, arrogant?? Not a chance.
English fans take the cake in that category by a long stretch.
I think the best looking team on paper, if healthy, is Spain.
And I don't even think it's close. But key words, ON PAPER, IF HEALTHY!
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), David De Gea (Atletico de Madrid), Diego Lopez (Villareal), Jose Manuel 'Pepe' Reina (Liverpool), Victor Valdes (Barcelona). Defenders: Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Osasuna), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid). Midfielders: Xabier Alonso (Real Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Javier Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Marcos Senna (Villarreal), David Silva (Valencia), Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona). Forwards: Santiago Cazorla (Villarreal), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia), Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona), Daniel Guiza (Fenerbache), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Negredo (Sevilla), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Valencia).
Oh please, it's not even close. Portugal supporters are very well aware that they haven't won anything, they know they're not as good as the top tier squads, they know full well that they will never be a powerhouse.
There may be a slight cockiness in their attitude, but that's mostly from some of their players, not the fans. There's definitely some bags who wear the red and green, but it generally doesn't rub off on their fans.
Portugal knows their place and don't think they are the best by any stretch. Portugal, arrogant?? Not a chance.
English fans take the cake in that category by a long stretch.
Green text?
Portugal fans and Canuck fans have a lot in common.
I'm surprised Capello went out of his way to pull Carra out of retirement. Especially considering that by most people's standards he had a pretty mediocre to poor season.
Capello also admitted to attempting to coax Scholes out of retirement, but the ginger one said no.
English fans take the cake in that category by a long stretch.
Funny. Most every England fan I know, myself included, are just waiting for the inevitable disappointment, usually by penalty shootout. Sure there are some pathetic delusional types but they really are in the minority.
The English media on the other hand I'll give you that.
edit: After saying that I really think that this could be their year. After all, Capello actually has them practicing penalties now (is green text required for some of you?)
Capello also admitted to attempting to coax Scholes out of retirement, but the ginger one said no.
thank god he said no, Scholes is a red card waiting to happen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jagger
Funny. Most every England fan I know, myself included, are just waiting for the inevitable disappointment, usually by penalty shootout. Sure there are some pathetic delusional types but they really are in the minority.
The English media on the other hand I'll give you that.
edit: After saying that I really think that this could be their year. After all, Capello actually has them practicing penalties now (is green text required for some of you?)
I have confidence in Capello, only reason why I am not preparing myself for the inevitable quarterfinal shootout loss
speaking of England I saw this commercial today, thought it was excellent
Great advert. I loved all the shots of English sporting legends - The Power, Beefy Botham, Steve Redgrave, Jack Charlton, Trevor Brooking, and the Dark Destroyer. Fantastic. That shot of Bobby Moore at the end gave me goosebumps. Jeff Stelling was the best bit though - shirtless with St. George's cross!
I have to agree with Jagger here. Many England fans (over here at least) are hopelessly optimistic about the World Cup, but also overly realistic about their chances. The media on the other hand can be a real problem. The pundits are usually pretty good but very partisan - as are all UK sports commentators. The print media tries to whip up national fervor to a ridiculous degree. Football is important to people here, very important. It is an English game (originally) and they want to return to the pinnacle of the sport. But most realize that this is asking too much. They'll have to settle for 1966.
