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Group D Discussion - Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
'Arry wouldn't have had an agenda and would have picked the best players available.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
Martin. ****ing. Kelly. I'll generally support England in any sport against any opposition that isn't Australia, but this is getting utterly beyond parody and I'm finding it really, really difficult to get behind this England team. I was just reading a stat that Liverpool now have six players in the England squad. United and City combined have seven. FFS.

On the upside, I'm looking forward to the inevitable upcoming ITV reality show where Rio and Micah get to compete to see which of them has been ****ed harder by Uncle Woy and the FA.
 
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cpr

International Coach
All this talk about players attitude issues keeping them out of the squad.

Rather have a player who acts like a **** than plays like a **** TBH. If they cannot be trusted to keep their head on for 2-3 weeks, then come out and say it, might make them buck up a bit to know they are missing the big tournaments because they are acting like tards
 

cpr

International Coach
Also RE Ferdinand: Its pretty clear he wants to be in the squad, even if Terry is there. Clearly thinks he can still get the on pitch relationship working, and i'm guessing he's now old enough to just keep out of his way and leave the issue for a fortnight off the pitch. FA/Roy are ballsing this one up big time, unless they think he physically cannot last the tournament, in which case say so.
 

Spikey

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i can see why liverpool supporters hated roy so much. he clearly has no idea about good players
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
I know the above was said in jest, but it is totally true. He was benching Lucas for Poulsen in the beginning before he realised how much the former was better than the latter. Was getting rid of Insua for Konchesky. Agger passed the ball too much and Roy was thinking about moving him on because he wouldn't just kick the ball up. Roy's time at Liverpool was a disaster and people are only just discovering some of the strange decisions he makes. He may get away with it in smaller teams - with all due respect to Fulham and WBA fans - but when he is at a team with good alternatives his choices will be put under a microscope.

People should also just accept that under Roy the midfield is going to look a shambles, the ball-playing is going to be ugly and the team will be disjointed. His theory is that his two banks of 4, with the shape kept - meaning not too many fancy runs and interlinking plays - will provide more sturdy defence. In reality this is a whole lot of ball to give up just to remain tight. You don't really have to do that and most teams in football are on the possession-based model of defence.

Having said all that, you just never know. It's only, what, 6 matches? Win 1 in the group stage, tie the other 2 and you'll get through. Then it is only 3 matches where I expect England, if they get far, to take teams to ET and penalties.
 
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wpdavid

Hall of Fame Member
There's a decent XI to be made from players who won't be available for the France game due to injuries, not being selected, not being available for selection or gratuitously getting himself suspended. Viz ..

Ruddy
Richards, Cahill, Ferdinand & Barry
Carrick, Lampard & Wilshere
Johnson, Rooney & Bent
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
How old's Danny Murphy now? Still reckon he'd add more to the squad than Henderson, even at 34/5 or however old he is.

He'd be the best dead ball striker in the squad for one.
 

grecian

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
How old's Danny Murphy now? Still reckon he'd add more to the squad than Henderson, even at 34/5 or however old he is.

He'd be the best dead ball striker in the squad for one.
Well without wishing to provoke Scaly's ire, Joe Cole had a decent season in France. Central midfield is his favoured position, and he still is on Liverpool's books....
 

Scaly piscine

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
People should also just accept that under Roy the midfield is going to look a shambles, the ball-playing is going to be ugly and the team will be disjointed.
Corrected. Two friendlies and the passing was abysmal in both and in the second they'd have had most of the team yellow carded for comically bad tackling. That has nothing to do with the manager. The players just aren't good enough.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Well without wishing to provoke Scaly's ire, Joe Cole had a decent season in France. Central midfield is his favoured position, and he still is on Liverpool's books....
Must admit it's probably a question of "out of sight, out of mind" for Joe; I'd more or less completely forgotten him. But yeah, he'd add more too.

I'll be honest, I'd go so far as to say this is the least talented England squad I can recall. One hopes they reverse the usual English methodolgy and play above themselves tho.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Don't much buy into this "lack of expectation" which is being bandied around by everyone in the media to be honest. It's been rammed down everyone's throats to such a degree, that it's probably beginning to have adverse effects. I.e. expectations are so incredibly low, that people will now kick up a stink if the team doesn't cast off the shackles of all the previous pressure and actually achieve something.
 

Furball

Evil Scotsman
Don't much buy into this "lack of expectation" which is being bandied around by everyone in the media to be honest. It's been rammed down everyone's throats to such a degree, that it's probably beginning to have adverse effects. I.e. expectations are so incredibly low, that people will now kick up a stink if the team doesn't cast off the shackles of all the previous pressure and actually achieve something.
There is certainly less expectation sorrounding this tournament than any I can rememher.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Must admit it's probably a question of "out of sight, out of mind" for Joe; I'd more or less completely forgotten him. But yeah, he'd add more too.

I'll be honest, I'd go so far as to say this is the least talented England squad I can recall. One hopes they reverse the usual English methodolgy and play above themselves tho.
I've always rated Joe Cole and think he'd be a great asset to us at this tournament, going by the reports of his performances the season just passed.

Can see Rodgers wanting him at Anfield tbh.
 

Tom Halsey

International Coach
I watch a fair bit of French football and I don't really see the hype about how good a season Cole supposedly had. For a start he rarely got through the 90 minutes, and he had about two good games in the second half the season after the winter break.
 

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