*Official* English Football Season 2007-08

[Tom Halsey]

Next you will be telling me taking Theo Walcott to the WC, Scholes playing out of position in Euro 04 & trying 3-5-2 in Croatia etc were all brilliant ideas.



Make a long story short if all players are fit an available would you want to see Defoe in the national side if England qualify for WC 2010?

I won't tell you that, and any what is the relevance of the first quoted paragraph?

As to the second, who else is there?

 

[sledger]

trying 3-5-2 in Croatia etc were all brilliant ideas

tbh at the time I remember you saying that you did think it was a brilliant idea, and had been vying for that formation for a while.

 

[aussie]

tbh at the time I remember you saying that you did think it was a brilliant idea, and had been vying for that formation for a while.

Nah.

I won't tell you that, and any what is the relevance of the first quoted paragraph?.

Ha, now you can't be serious.

As to the second, who else is there?.

Well lets say in a 23-man squad & the normal 4 strikers are chosen, back-up to Rooney & Owen should come from either Crouch, Ashton, Heskey even Agbonlahor. Not blokes like Defoe or Bent.

He's the form striker though.

Statistically 8 goals in 12 appearances since he joined Pompey proves that yea. But if you look at the defenses that he has scored his goals againts you would have to rethink if such form means much when he makes the transition to the international stage.

 

[aussie]

Alonso could be on his way apparently

That would be a very weird turn of events if that did happen given Liverpool seemed to have found the right balance with the 4-3-2-1 line-up & although i rate Barry looking at it from Benitez point of view does he really want to let such a quality player like Alonso depart though?. Even if Barry & Alonso can't play in the same mid-field together, he is better off keeping him & strengthening their mid-field depth.

 

[sledger]

As expected, a fairly decent routine performance by England, with one huge problem I thought....keeping possesion, the ball was given away really easily in very dangerous positions a lot, an awful lot of times. Against decent opposition that really could have been costly. Not a lot was learned from this match from an England point of view, but this is a problem taht really needs to be addressed.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Ha, now you can't be serious.

Out comes the traditional Aussie response I see, what on earth is this supposed to mean? You posted some irrelevant things (that I didn't agree with), I pointed out that they were irrelevant, deadly seriously tbh.

 

[sledger]

That would be a very weird turn of events if that did happen given Liverpool seemed to have found the right balance with the 4-3-2-1 line-up & although i rate Barry looking at it from Benitez point of view does he really want to let such a quality player like Alonso depart though?. Even if Barry & Alonso can't play in the same mid-field together, he is better off keeping him & strengthening their mid-field depth.

Be better off just keeping Alonson imo, Barry is not the kind of player Liverpool need at all. They already have a squad full of decent, competent players just like Barry, who will add nothing of any note to their side, they need someone in their midfield who actually has some flair.

 

[aussie]

Yea their central-midfield options are pretty solid, a natural right-winger would be good buy. But I wouldn't say he would add nothing to the team. I could see him probably being a refreshing presence in the mid-field for Stevie G given how well they have looked playing together, which would be good for England if their partnership gets to develop since both along with Hargreaves are definite starters in mid-field.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Be better off just keeping Alonson imo, Barry is not the kind of player Liverpool need at all. They already have a squad full of decent, competent players just like Barry, who will add nothing of any note to their side, they need someone in their midfield who actually has some flair.

Concur with this, most of all IMO they need a winger (or two tbh) which luckily it looks like they will not be getting. My money is that come next May, "next year" will be on every Scouser's lips again.

 

[sledger]

Yea their central-midfield options are pretty solid, a natural right-winger would be good buy. But I wouldn't say he would add nothing to the team. I could see him probably being a refreshing presence in the mid-field for Stevie G given how well they have looked playing together, which would be good for England if their partnership gets to develop since both along with Hargreaves are definite starters in mid-field.

Indeed, good post ^. Make more like that.


I agree that they badly need a winger, a decent one, as at the moment they don't have anyone who offers any real width (granted Babel is an out and out winger, but he is in and out of the side all the time) and/or creativity. Barry wouldnt be a bad buy, not by any means, but they would benefit a lot more by signing someone like Nasri or Kaka (not that either of those is a likely purchase)

 

[Barney Rubble]

As expected, a fairly decent routine performance by England, with one huge problem I thought....keeping possesion, the ball was given away really easily in very dangerous positions a lot, an awful lot of times. Against decent opposition that really could have been costly. Not a lot was learned from this match from an England point of view, but this is a problem taht really needs to be addressed.

Yeah, I do concur with this to an extent, but I do think the reason why we were so careless in possession was because it was a meaningless end-of-season friendly against a very poor side, in hot conditions. We didn't look half as bad against the States in that department, from what I could see.

Was disappointed to see Ashton being so anonymous - contrast his performance to the way Crouch and Defoe linked up together. I think he needs more games before we really see his class, but he's definitely got the quality. Was good to see Defoe get two, although he could and should have had more - I don't know where Aussie has got the whole "not good enough for international level" idea. If you can't pick the form striker, who can you pick? He's never going to be first choice for England, but he's got a fantastic goalscorer's instinct and is always going to be a good squad player. I'd back him to go to South Africa in 2010.

 

[aussie]

Was good to see Defoe get two, although he could and should have had more - I don't know where Aussie has got the whole "not good enough for international level" idea. If you can't pick the form striker, who can you pick? He's never going to be first choice for England, but he's got a fantastic goalscorer's instinct and is always going to be a good squad player. I'd back him to go to South Africa in 2010.

Fantastic goalscorer's instinct againts minnow sides. There is a reason why Sven didn't take in to the WC because even though rated him intially he saw enough him to know he couldn't be depended upon in a major tournament.

Capello wouldn't have known much about him before he came along with many others, so right know Capello is probably psyching out a few of them Downing, Brown (although he has impressed of late), Jenas other average players who should be in the international set-up & when the qualifiers come around he will really get the picture & Defoe won't be on the plane in 2010 if we qualify unless a major injury crisis occurs.

 

[GIMH]

Be better off just keeping Alonson imo, Barry is not the kind of player Liverpool need at all. They already have a squad full of decent, competent players just like Barry, who will add nothing of any note to their side, they need someone in their midfield who actually has some flair.

I think he works well with Gerrard, they probably do have more pressing areas but he would add a lot of value IMO

Now surely this thread can go, getting confused about where to post stuff tbh

 

[sledger]

Defoe won't be on the plane in 2010 if we qualify unless a major injury crisis occurs.

Tbh I really expect he will, and if he repeats the form of last season over the next two years then there is no reason why he shouldnt.

And yes, this thread should probably go now.

 

[steds]

Defoe won't be on the plane in 2010

Willing to bet no English players will be.

 

[Matteh]

Defoe was very average against T&T really. First goal, first touch, awful, second touch, awful, third touch, goes in, decent defending and he'd have never got that far. Some of the easier chances he had, free header in the 6 yard box really should've gone in.

He's certainly not first choice by any stretch of the imagination, but given that he's scored 8 in the last 12, should be around the squad somewhere, no point picking players that are supposedly better but aren't showing it. Gerard for instance had an absolute shocker in that game.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Willing to bet no English players will be.

Nah, England actually have a decent manager now.

Really, it's pretty difficult to glean anything fro the T&T game, they are too poor, clearly only played them for the World Cup bid anyway.

 

[sledger]

Nah, England actually have a decent manager now.

Really, it's pretty difficult to glean anything fro the T&T game, they are too poor, clearly only played them for the World Cup bid anyway.

AWTA, though the general ability of Joe Hart can probably be called into question based on his performance, not international class imo (based on his premiership appearances as well as the england game).

 

[Tom Halsey]

Agree with Hart, massively overrated IMO, can't see anything special that he's done tbh.

 

[GIMH]

AWTA, though the general ability of Joe Hart can probably be called into question based on his performance, not international class imo (based on his premiership appearances as well as the england game).

I would agree with this based on his League One performances for Tranmere in 06-07