posted Nov 11, 2007

I think a problem lies in 3 major problems.

One is how we dont use one of our great assets.

Pace

We have it in abundance in our young players like Wright Phillips,Richards,the coles and many more but when they play we dont use it well enough Rio just hoofs and thats the word hoofs the ball up to Owen wheres the logic in long ball foooty unless your playing in League two ridiculous.

Secondly is kill factor. One nil against Russia couple of chances one from Gerrard and ok he missed but then we sank back in and invited there playmaker Arshavin onto us. He has the quality to change a game and he did if we let eduardo,rapaic,krancjar(hus like a different player for croatia) and mladen petric do a similar thing they will kill us we have to kill the game off like we did in the russia game at home.

Thirdly i think and i may be proven wrong but i will go out on the line with this one. We cant play beckham against Croatia. Not because he's crap or because hes over the hill no hes fantastic. But tactcically its a mistake. Croatia play a 5-3-2 with 3 very tall imposing centre backs without heskey we have no uptop players with the strength to outdo them Crouch is tall but is he strong. No. So what should we do. Josip Simunic there main defender is slow,sluggish and has the composure of a giraffe! Lets cut through him lie butter and there tactically naive wing back Babic can only cross a ball so pin him back with pure pace.

I may get proven wrong and i have my Knife fork and humble pie ready to eat. McClaren is a top manager right he got Middlesborough to the UEFA cup final with late goals against amazing teams like Steaua Bucuresti and FC Basel and then got hammered by Sevilla in the final.

I remeber when the group was drawn people said easy group no worrys. I think my humble pie that day got thrown in the bin. Because i said that it was a tough one ... very tough. Very hard away days in Israel, Croatia and Russia which we picked 1 point up fromand a bogey team of ours Macedonia a team we should easily beat and take 6 points and pack our bags cowbells and lederhosen and on our way to Switzerland/Austria.

But hey Yossi may be out but Russia get homesick when there not in their backgarden and Macedonia have national pride in the local derby with Croatia and the best play on the pitch will be playing for the sunshine team in Skopje in Lazio's Goran Pandev so if they win and then we win we are through.

Footballs a crazy game and even if Russia do beat Israel i think Andorra are most certainly due a result.

We wont get through without hope. So lets hope that a party in Tel-Aviv and Skopje will burst out on saturday and spill over here because im going to a party and need an excuse to have a few drinks !!

Come on England !!!!

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posted Nov 11, 2007

Phil, I can see your viewpoint on Maclaren. But where are the alternatives? We moan about the foreign players in the Premiership, but what about the managers? The top four are managed by a Scot, a Frenchman, a Portuguese (now an Israeli) and a Spaniard. If City get into the act, you can add a Swede to the list.

Where are the English managers? Allardyce? Still settling at Newcastle. O'Neill (from Northern Ireland anyway)? Hardly scorching the turf at Villa. There really is nobody else.

Which is why, despite his lacklustre performance, Mac will keep his job and be somewhat lucky to do so.

After the Scolari debacle, the FA are not going to go for a foreigner again and be snubbed.

If we don't qualify, Maclaren will get a couple of years to settle on a team and style that can get results. If not, well, there is always the next English manager....

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posted Nov 11, 2007

"... Rio just hoofs and thats the word hoofs the ball up to Owen wheres the logic in long ball foooty unless your playing in League two ridiculous ..."

Isn't that what Sir Beckham is lauded for - the quality of his long balls "hoofed" into the box - usually to land safely and gratefuly in the goalkeepers mitts ?

Please, somebody, somewhere, show me a coherent argument for including Beckham which isn't based on the quality (???) of his free kicks and crosses or some meaningless statistics about goals and assists.

Surely if his free kicks were that good he'd have scored a few more than 16 goals in 97 internationals - that's a rate of one goal in every 9 hours of fooitball.

In the recent games against Russia and Israel we looked really good and played really well as a team. So tell me, someone, who get't the boot to make way for the messiah ????

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posted Nov 11, 2007

"show me a coherent argument for including Beckham which isn't based on the quality (???) of his free kicks and crosses or some meaningless statistics about goals and assists."

"Meaningless statistics" Have a laugh mate the stats prove that he has either scored or set up a goal in over half of his international appearaces. Only meaningless if you chose to ignore them. To suggest that he hasn't been one of England's best players over the past ten years is laughable.

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posted Nov 11, 2007

No, meaningless in the sense that you can only quote what England achieved with him in the side. You cannot say, with statistics, that we wouldn't have performed better and scored more goals without him in the side. The evidence of the last few games is that we play better without him there. Not only do we have a coherent, well balanced side that maintains its shape throughout the game, we also don't carry any "passengers" waiting to take the the all important free kicks.

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posted Nov 11, 2007

Fry

"I watched Beckham's latest match with the LA Galaxy with great interest the other night. It was a friendly against the Vancouver White Caps (a non-MLS team). To give you an idea of the quality of the opposition - if the Galaxy are a mid-table Premier League Club, then Vancouver would be something like Gillingham or thereabouts. Beckham was completetly neutralised, he didn't managed to put in a single cross from open play, his passing was eratic and negative, he became frustrated as time went on and starting playing at RB, LM, DM, and just about everwhere on the pitch except RM, and was finally subbed off at around the 60th minute because of how poor he was playing. I assume McClaren's staff didn't catch this game. "

this just proves the incredible high standard of US soccer compared to overrated European style.

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posted Nov 12, 2007

Becks will deliver if selected. He is returning from injury and was excellent for Madrid in the title run in. You don't become a terrible player over night. The age suggestions is rediculous as well. Just look at Ryan Giggs who is older then Beckham and still more than capable at the highest level.

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posted Nov 12, 2007

Becks will deliver if selected. He is returning from injury and was excellent for Madrid in the title run in. You don't become a terrible player over night. The age suggestions is rediculous as well. Just look at Ryan Giggs who is older then Beckham and still more than capable at the highest level.

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I'm sorry but you can't compare Beckham with Giggs. Giggs is on a completely different level to Beckham and always has been.

But I just don't see the arguement for playing Beckham in these matches. Beckham is not fit so should not be selected end of story. He's hasn't played any competitive (let alone top flight) football for months and until he does he should not be considered for England.

Whether he justifies selection when fit is not even the question. He has played competitive club football for months so shouldn't be considered for England again until he has.

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posted Nov 12, 2007

Yes i agree with this and Becks has definately got something up his sleeve. His dead ball excellence will be of no use if he is sat on the bench and not only that, in open play he can put the ball on someones head with pinpoint accuracy. He is a pure master of this and it will most likely be his last major tournament if we get through. Please mclaren get him in there. It is a bad one losing our 2 stalwart central defenders. John Terry is a massive loss especially so we need to score some goals at the other end. I will be watching the Israel v Russia game and just hoping though. Come on englad you can still do it!!

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posted Nov 12, 2007

OK, my team for both internationals would be...

Goalkeeper - Scot Carson

David James is still too erratic and Paul Robinson is likely to suffer a full blown nervous breakdown sometime in the second half against Austria...in fact he may come out for the second half wearing a strait-jacket instead of a goalie jersey.

Defence:
Right Back - Micah Richards
Left Back - Wayne Bridge

Both have strong attacking instincts, and would add width to the midfield diamond formation. Bridge can deliver extremely good crosses and Richards is big, strong, fast and quite happy to take on opposition defenders.

Richards also poses a threat in the air in the opponents penalty area from set plays.

Centre Backs - Sol Campbell & Jolien Lescot

One very solid and experienced, one still wearing his "L" plates, but I think once Lescott does find his international feet he's going to be good. Having Sol next to him could be just what he needs. Also willing to bring the ball out of defence and not just hoof it upfield.

Both also pose a threat in the opponents penalty area from set plays.

Midfield (Diamond formation):
Left Midfield - Gareth Barry
Right Midfield - David Bentley
Centre Midfield (Defensive) - Owen Hargreaves
Centre Midfield (Attacking) - Frank Lampard

Barry's not the fastest but is naturally left footed and has shown he's definitely got the ability at international level. Even in the midst of the Russia debacle he still looked like he knew what he was doing unlike his midfield partner on the day (Gerrard S.).

Bentley again not the most rapid but growing in stature and a natural replacement for Beckham, although he will probably never sell as many shirts.

Hargreaves will provide good defensive cover and allow Lampard to push forward through the middle. As I stated previously the two attack minded fullbacks will give width.

Lampard is playing well for Chelsea and, given the right setup in midfield, can be a match winner. Having said that I do have doubts about his self-belief at international level, having said that I don't feel he's recently had a fair shot in a formation that suits him.

Forwards:
Michael Owen & Peter Crouch

The rest of the team should be able to provide a good supply of balls to feet and to head for both Owen and Crouch and Lampard coming through from midfield would add an extra attacking dimension.

Owen has lost a touch of pace but he's playing a bit smarter than he used to and his mere presence unnerves defenders.

Crouch is a better footballer than many give him credit for and, whatever you think of him, he usually gets a goal in an England shirt.

On the bench: David James, Ashley Cole, Phil Neville, Joe Cole, Stephen Gerrard, Jermaine Defoe and Ashley Young.

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