England VS Australia

[Robledo]

Here's Sven's squad. Some interesting inclusions

Goalkeepers: David James (West Ham), Paul Robinson (Leeds), Richard Wright (Everton)

Defenders: G Neville (Man Utd), A Cole (Arsenal), Mills (Leeds), Konchesky (Charlton), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Campbell (Arsenal), King (Tottenham), Brown (Man Utd), Upson (Birmingham)

Midfielders: Beckham (Man Utd), Scholes (Man Utd), Lampard (Chelsea), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Dyer (Newcastle), Jenas (Newcastle), Davis (Fulham), Parker (Charlton), Murphy (Liverpool), J Cole (West Ham)

Strikers: Owen (Liverpool), Rooney (Everton), Beattie (Southampton), Vassell (Aston Villa), Jeffers (Arsenal).

=

[rshepherd1000]

decent squad, probably svens best thus far and of course we got a huge boost when heskey got injured earlier today against middlesbrough.

sven says he will play the first choice XI in the first half and then an U-25s side in the second (yes he says he will make up to 11 changes at half time :rolleyes: )

out of the players listed my first choice side would be

robinson
mills ferdinand campbell acole
beckham murphy lampard jcole
owen rooney

of course were smith, woodgate, gerrard and bridge (for left mid) available they would be in there instead but there you go

one problem is we have waaaaaay too many central midfielders in the squad (most unproven or inexperienced) thus im surprised gareth barry didnt get a pick - the rest is fine

[lampshade]

in my opinion players like rooney davis upson parker and beattie should NOT be in the squad. im delighted to see jermaine jenas in the squad tho becuase he looks like the new vieira, also glad to see konchesky in the squad also. put him on the left wing from the start and give him the full 90 minutes. apart from that it'll be business as usual.
lead australia 2-0 by half time then eventually draw the game because there are too many substitutions

[skilos]

NICE!!

Great to see fresh quality like Rooney, Konchesky and Beattie getting a chance, but I can't figure out for the life of me why Jeffers got in ahead of Smiffy?

Mind you...it could have been worse.. Sven could have picked Heskey!

EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!

[Looney]

Go Aussie!

[JD]

Originally posted by skilos
NICE!!

Great to see fresh quality like Rooney, Konchesky and Beattie getting a chance, but I can't figure out for the life of me why Jeffers got in ahead of Smiffy?

Mind you...it could have been worse.. Sven could have picked Heskey!

EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!
sending off v Macedonia

[Robledo]

Originally posted by lampshade
in my opinion players like rooney davis upson parker and beattie should NOT be in the squad. im delighted to see jermaine jenas in the squad tho becuase he looks like the new vieira, also glad to see konchesky in the squad also.

I disagree about Beattie. He DESERVES to be there on his form this season.

Why is Upson there? He's played nationwide games most of the season. Suddenly he's England material?

I don't really rate Parker that highly, and Kochensky has been sub for many of Chalton's games since Powell came back from injury. I suspect the injury to Bridge led to his call up.

And the muppet David James? Sure he's got a dodgy defence in front of him Hoult is far better than him IMO

[Juan]

Upson, as many of the members of the squad, are just there for that U-25 nonsense.

[Kopite]

decent squad but i would of had defore instead of jeffers

[Robledo]

Originally posted by Kopite
decent squad but i would of had defore instead of jeffers
does Jeffers deserve to be in the squad? He's been a bench warmer so far for the Arse

[Kopite]

Originally posted by Robledo
does Jeffers deserve to be in the squad? He's been a bench warmer so far for the Arse
exactly but he's supposedly made it into the squad because hes had a few good games for the u21's and scored a couple of goals against farnbourogh...where is defoe has been scoring regularly for a poor team like west ham, i would put defoe in before rooney aswell.

[rshepherd1000]

Originally posted by skilos
NICE!!

Great to see fresh quality like Rooney, Konchesky and Beattie getting a chance, but I can't figure out for the life of me why Jeffers got in ahead of Smiffy?

Mind you...it could have been worse.. Sven could have picked Heskey!

EEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!

smith is injured otherwise hed have been there seeing as him and owen are our best strikers

having said that though, rooney has the most talent of any of our squad members and its great that sven wasnt afraid to pick him. he talked in the papers today about giving baggio and rui costa their breaks in first team football at a very early age because he could see the talent and he says rooney will get to play the second half on weds

[Looney]

Sven dropped his clanger with some selection here IMO. Picking some kids who have barely played top flight football this season purely based on their potential talents while leaving out decent consisent players. Sure it's an international, but hey this cheapens the value of an England cap, next you know it'll be Cherno Samba being simply 'cause he has potential.

[Flukey Lukey]

some decent seleections but i disagree with caling up Upson, Jeffers, King and Davis.

Defoe should be in there, as should Bowyer and Terry.

[Robledo]

Originally posted by Flukey Lukey
some decent seleections but i disagree with caling up Upson, Jeffers, King and Davis.

Defoe should be in there, as should Bowyer and Terry.

Agreed Terry should be in there. Leldley King is a complete clown and should be nowhere near the England set up

[fulham]

i'm glad that rooney is playing. it might actually be the first time i don't fall to sleep watching england. i think he is much better then smith or heskey.

[flowforth]

While I applaud Sven for being less conservative than he usually is - I have to question his judgement. Beattie has earned his spot as the best English striker this season. I think he is right to draft Rooney into the set-up as well. Jenas, Davis, Parker, Konchesky, should all get a look for playing at the highest quality lately. But Jeffers... Upson? They can't even make their club sides! And what has Vassell done lately? Why did he call up Thompson and Greening for the love-fest get-together - only to leave them out (although they don't deserve it either!). It sends the wrong message to pick players in bad form or who aren't playing regularly. Barry, Defoe, Terry, even Hibbett, Rufus, Euell, have a stronger case than Upson or Jeffers. Players like James, Owen, Heskey, and Bowyer have been under-performing and should all be treated equally. Sven has favorites - G Neville gets in no matter how he plays. He'll probably play half of them out of position and send them into the international wilderness for not having a good 45 mins. Look at Powell, Dunn, Bowyer, McCann, Gray, Hendrie, Ricketts, Philips, Cole, Jansen, Greening, Thompson, Carrick - bunch or one cap wonders, the half-game gang, Sven's wilderness boys. Sometimes - getting called up is not so good for your career - especially with Sub moron Erikson!

[kenodoki]

My guess is that Terry hasn't been included becuase of the whole nightclub incident. Which is a shame because as far as I know, he was cleared and should therefore have been chosen.

I don't know how Jeffers got ahead of Defoe though. Jeffers isn't even that great. Defoe has played really well in a struggling team and should have got the call up.

I have to say that this game has all the makings of an upset. The second half subsitutions will disorientate the team and coupled with the fact that they will all be inexperienced, it will give the Aussies a better chance of beating us.

[Flukey Lukey]

Originally posted by kenodoki
My guess is that Terry hasn't been included becuase of the whole nightclub incident. Which is a shame because as far as I know, he was cleared and should therefore have been chosen.

I don't know how Jeffers got ahead of Defoe though. Jeffers isn't even that great. Defoe has played really well in a struggling team and should have got the call up.

I have to say that this game has all the makings of an upset. The second half subsitutions will disorientate the team and coupled with the fact that they will all be inexperienced, it will give the Aussies a better chance of beating us.

Its a real shame about Terry, he's got the potental to be a very very good player.

I think the main reason Jeffers is in is simply because he's Arsenal which is very sad.

[The Rule]

How Sven can justify picking Upson and Jeffers is beyond me,Neither of these players have even proven that they are of Premiership quality,never mind International quality.John Terry,Gareth Barry and Jermaine Defoe have all played well this season and deserve to be there.
Sean Davis was worthy of his call up,he's been great for Fulham this season and more than merits his inclusion.

As regards Lampshade comparison of Jenas to Vieira,how can you possibly compare a 19 year old boy who hasn't even played a full season in the premiership to the man who is possibly the most complete midfielder in the world,a man who has proven himself over a number of years and who has won almost everything in the game??.jenas has a lot of potential but is still very raw and unproven..He is and will remain behind Gerrard for the forseeable future in the holding midfield role. Although people seem happy to have him in the squad,the reality is that players like him and Rooney, to name a few, should have been playing for the under-21's last night and not the senior team tonight.

[Looney]

Jeffers was once highly rated, but Upson? That guy's never been more than a backup at Arsenal whining about how English youngsters don't get their chance at the Arse!

[Flukey Lukey]

Originally posted by The Rule

As regards Lampshade comparison of Jenas to Vieira,how can you possibly compare a 19 year old boy who hasn't even played a full season in the premiership to the man who is possibly the most complete midfielder in the world,a man who has proven himself over a number of years and who has won almost everything in the game??.jenas has a lot of potential but is still very raw and unproven..He is and will remain behind Gerrard for the forseeable future in the holding midfield role. Although people seem happy to have him in the squad,the reality is that players like him and Rooney, to name a few, should have been playing for the under-21's last night and not the senior team tonight.

To be fair to Lampshade, he said he thinks Jenas will be the new Viera, not is as good as him now. Jenas may well go on to captian England in the future.

[The Rule]

Originally posted by Flukey Lukey
To be fair to Lampshade, he said he thinks Jenas will be the new Viera, not is as good as him now. Jenas may well go on to captian England in the future.

well he's only 3 years younger than Gerrard and Ferdinand,Terry and Woodgate are 22(i think)so he's at best 6th in line for captaincy(Owen is ahead as welwhen Beckham is done.I don't know if Jenas will be an england regular in the next 5 or 6 years,so to talk of him so highly is too much.

He said he looks like the new Vieira,he's a different player altogether,Vieira is a dominant player who can run a game on his own,Jenas isn't that type of player.I've heard people say that he doesn't get over-awed by things,but he was definitly in awe of Vieira on Sunday.it's easier to compare him to a dutch player.He's more Seedorf than Davids,if you get my meaning.He's a long way down the list of midfielders IMO,he is a great prospect and some dat he could be a great player,but by his own admission he's not even a Newcaslte regular,If Speed hadn't got injured jenas wouldn't be in the Newcaslte team and with Speed fit again he could find himself on the bench again.What i'm trying to say(and admittedly making a bad job of doing so)is that while he's a great prospect,give him a chance,let him develop.The decision to throw him into the senior squad is a bad one.A year or 2 in the u-21's would be far better for him,it would allow him to develop and mature and learn the ropes of international football.

England have lots of great central mids, Gerrard,Scholes,Lampard,Butt,Carrick,Parker,Nolan and Davis who are all more advanced, more experienced and at present better players than Jenas.

[The Rule]

Originally posted by Looney
Jeffers was once highly rated, but Upson? That guy's never been more than a backup at Arsenal whining about how English youngsters don't get their chance at the Arse!

Upson was rated highly enough when the Gunners signed him,i remember we were after him as well,but he's never progressed.Off the top of my head i can name at least 8 English central defenders better than him,Ferdi,Sol,Terry,Wood,Southgate,Ugo, Rufus,Richards ,then you have Barry and Bramble as well.

[rshepherd1000]

the bottom line about these U-25 players is they are in the squad only for this U-25 sub moron business. pretty much all of them apart from robinson and rooney are nowhere near the first team so do i care if they play that well? NO.

even if the likes of jenas play absolutely amazing football for 45mins (and realistically how well can a player of his position play in 45mins?) it will make ZERO difference when it come to playing Turkey in qualification, because there are a) better players in his position so he probably wont make the squad and b) as has been mentioned sven has his core favourites eg neville and heskey who play regardless of their routine poor performance

given the above, is it therefore not more important to use the friendlies for tactical purposes? because england are not let down by having bad players, in fact we have on paper one of the best sides in the world, we are instead let down by bad tactics and thus poor team morale

one final moan is FIFA - why wait to the week before the CL restarts to designate a week for friendlies?? its just total blind stupidity. had the game been last wednesday then the likes of gilberto on his return from china would then have not had to play till sunday afternoon and then have had a week off till the next game. instead he plays weds evening in china before flying back for a game scheduled for SATURDAY MORNING because we have a CL game on TUESDAY!!!! of course gilberto isnt the only one affected, its the same for hundreds of players across europe.

bloody ridiculous! :mad: :mad:

[lampshade]

He said he looks like the new Vieira,he's a different player altogether,Vieira is a dominant player who can run a game on his own,Jenas isn't that type of player.


so both jenas and vieira arent central midfield holding players then? also give jenas the chance to be a dominant player. hes still developing his football brain and his psyical side.

[The Rule]

Originally posted by lampshade
He said he looks like the new Vieira,he's a different player altogether,Vieira is a dominant player who can run a game on his own,Jenas isn't that type of player.


so both jenas and vieira arent central midfield holding players then? also give jenas the chance to be a dominant player. hes still developing his football brain and his psyical side.

No Jenas is not a holding player in the Vieira mold,He's not a big tackler,he doesn't sit and hold,he'd be a good partner for Gerrard but he's not instead of gerrard,and he's a long way down the list of partners for Stevie G.

If Sven wants to let him develop into a dominant player,let him go and play in the U21 where he might have a chance to be dominant,but he's wouldn't even be first choice for them IMO,Nolan and Carrick are the two best England has at that level

[The Rule]

Originally posted by lampshade
He said he looks like the new Vieira,he's a different player altogether,Vieira is a dominant player who can run a game on his own,Jenas isn't that type of player.


so both jenas and vieira arent central midfield holding players then? also give jenas the chance to be a dominant player. hes still developing his football brain and his psyical side.

No Jenas is not a holding player in the Vieira mold,He's not a big tackler,he doesn't sit and hold,he'd be a good partner for Gerrard but not instead of gerrard,and he's a long way down the list of partners for Stevie G.

If Sven wants to let him develop into a dominant player,let him go and play in the U21 where he might have a chance to be dominant,but he's wouldn't even be first choice for them IMO,Nolan and Carrick are the two best England has at that level

[The Rule]

Originally posted by lampshade
He said he looks like the new Vieira,he's a different player altogether,Vieira is a dominant player who can run a game on his own,Jenas isn't that type of player.


so both jenas and vieira arent central midfield holding players then? also give jenas the chance to be a dominant player. hes still developing his football brain and his psyical side.

No Jenas is not a holding player in the Vieira mold,He's not a big tackler,he doesn't sit and hold,he'd be a good partner for Gerrard but not instead of gerrard,and he's a long way down the list of partners for Stevie G.as i said he's more Seedorf than Davids.

If Sven wants to let him develop into a dominant player,let him go and play in the U21 where he might have a chance to be dominant,but he's wouldn't even be first choice for them IMO,Nolan and Carrick are the two best England has at that level

[Flukey Lukey]

once would have done ;)

[Robledo]

Originally posted by Flukey Lukey
once would have done ;)

Well we know The Rule likes to get his point across ;) :D

[VAN BASTEN]

Engerland 1 Convicts 3

[Robledo]

Originally posted by VAN BASTEN
Engerland 1 Convicts 3

Disgraceful performance by the 1st half team. Absolutely NO PASSION whatsoever. At least young Toon midfielder JJ showed some initiative by setting up Jug Ears up wth the 1st goal.

[Flukey Lukey]

Check out the other thread, i ant be bothered to repeat myself! ;)

btw yep JJ was class, £5m, we were robbed :(

[Looney]

hey, we saved your butts from financial doom, the LEAST you could've done was give us the next greatin English football! :D:D:D:D

[Flukey Lukey]

lol well at least we've still got Marlon, did anyone see his goal at the weekend?

[flowforth]

RULE - Jenas might have proved you wrong but I'll give you this out. Play him on the right instead of "Bunny hop" Beckham! THat way we can leave Stevie G and Scholes in the middle - with Cole on the Left.

[flowforth]

I predicted an Aussie win. They have good players, a team ethic, and should have been at the world cup! England have a losing mentality in almost all sports - can't pinpoint what it is - but just cannot rise to the occasion for some reason. Here are the big losers from last night.

Sven - Clueless in international football - has different rules for different players. Won't play Macca cos he's not playing for real - then picks reserve team players like Jeffers and Upson. Liked his spunk in looking at new players - but his faith in the "first team" is sickening. They're the ones that lost the game and will blow the Euro qualifying for us.
James - Simply not good enough! Rooted to his line, uncommanding, and vastly inferior to Robinson and Kirkland. The fact that he is called up after a terrible season is unfair to other players.
Neville - Enough! Overrated completely - underperforms for England and gets caught frequently. Love afair with Beckham is becoming nausiating.
Cole - Unfit and should not have started
Cambell and Ferdinand - Need to spend some time on the pine and watch Brown, Terry, and Woodgate for a while. Awfull performance!
Beckham - Mr. Bunny-hop needs to be dropped for a while - so we can see Jenas on the right. His automatic selection is a farce!
Lampard - What the hell happened - this was your big chance and you blew it!
Dyer - Next! His time on the left is up. Lets see Barry, Cole, Thompson, or anyone else!
Owen - completely ruined by Houllier! Forgotten how to pounce and needs some time on the bench watching Rooney and Beattie.

Scholes and Beattie escape my wrath. Beattie played with a bunch of careless primadonnas and deserves another chance

The "second" team outplayed the first - and should all be considered ahead of the others for the next game. Why couldn't Sven give Cole some time on the left? What happened to Parker and Davis - they will probably not get another chance now!

Bloody awfull England!!!! On this display, I think we might be out of the Euro championships!!! But Sven's not worried - Barca are waiting!

[Robledo]

Originally posted by flowforth
RULE - Jenas might have proved you wrong but I'll give you this out. Play him on the right instead of "Bunny hop" Beckham! THat way we can leave Stevie G and Scholes in the middle - with Cole on the Left.

yeah, it was strange seeing JJ start wide left. He's not played there once this season. Did he ever play on the left for Forest?

Btw, you Forest fans are lucky we got Woody. I think Dawson was next on out list of targets ;)

[flowforth]

Robinson (until Kirkland is back)
Mills (sit down Gary!)
Bridge (more solid than Cole)
Brown (until Ferdinand resumes form)
Terry (until Campbell resumes form)
Jenas (on the right - Becks on the bench)
Gerrard (providing he maintains form)
Scholes (play like you do for United!)
Cole (Dyer has failed along with many!)
Rooney (Automatic selection for Michael
is over!)
Beattie (deserves a chance to play with people that give a crap!)


Knocking on the door

Barry
Konchesky
Woodgate
Parker
Davis
Thompson
Defoe

[flowforth]

Winners and losers:

David James v Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson
Robinson: England's number one?

Robinson finally got the chance to prove he deserves the England gloves, despite his relative inexperience.

James made some good stops but some poor decisions in the first half.

Robinson was solid, albeit under less pressure in the second half.

Verdict:Robinson. The first of many caps for Leeds' bright young talent.

Gary Neville v Danny Mills
Gary Neville
Neville loses out to Popovic

Neville was keen to make the most of his 55th cap in his first international since April last year.

Found wanting for the opening goal and forward raids were restricted.

Mills was solid and dependable but equally frustrated going forward. That frustration began to get the better of him late on.

Verdict: Neville stumbles on as first-choice right-back.

Sol Campbell v Wes Brown
Wes Brown
Brown: Composed at the back

Campbell looked surprisingly lost in a tatty first-half defensive display. Also wasted one of England's better goalscoring opportunities.

Brown was composed and comfortable but did not have Harry Kewell to contend with for long.

Verdict: Brown's assurance a major boost.

Rio Ferdinand v Ledley King
Rio Ferdinand challenges Australia's Harry Kewell
Ferdinand loses out to Kewell

Ferdinand was badly exposed by Kewell for the second goal and failed to organise his defence in his former Upton Park home.

But King hardly looks like a future replacement and was lost on the big stage. At fault for Australia's killer third goal.

Verdict: Ferdinand still the boss.

Ashley Cole v Paul Konchesky
Paul Konchesky
Konchesky: Promising debut

Cole probably could have done with a rest following his niggling hernia problem. England's first-half format required him to overlap constantly but the Arsenal man struggled to get forward.

Konchesky looked confident on his debut and got forward well, but he is unlikely to pose an immediate threat to Cole or Wayne Bridge.

Verdict: Wayne Bridge was the big winner here.

David Beckham v Danny Murphy
David Beckham
Beckham: Tried to pull the strings

Beckham tried hard to pull the strings in the first half, but there were too many loose ends for even the England captain to handle.

Murphy has been Liverpool's most consistent performer this season and has a continued England future, but struggled to stamp his mark on this friendly.

Verdict: Captain's honours, even on an off day.

Paul Scholes v Jermaine Jenas
Jermaine Jenas
Jenas: Sparkled on England debut

Scholes was his usual buzzing self and chipped away at the Aussie defence with some neat passes. Also had a goal harshly disallowed for a foul by James Beattie.

But even Scholes was outshone by Jenas after the break as the young Newcastle midfielder continued his rapid rise this season.

The pick of the new boys - and probably of the senior pack as well.

Verdict: Jenas takes the honours.

Frank Lampard v Owen Hargreaves
Frank Lampard
Lampard: Froze under England spotlight

Lampard has been one of the Premiership's outstanding midfield talents this season, not that you would have guessed on Wednesday.

Lost cheap possession and looked out-of-sorts.

Hargreaves was better, but missed the chance to display real international pedigree.

Verdict: No score draw

Kieron Dyer v Darius Vassell
Kieron Dyer
Dyer: May still hold the key

Tough contest to call as the two played different roles either side of half-time.

Dyer did his best to suggest he can solve England's left-sided conundrum but had little joy despite constant probing.

Vassell injected some life behind the front two in the second half but blew hot and cold as the game slipped out of England's reach.

Verdict: Dyer gets a second chance

James Beattie v Francis Jeffers
Francis Jeffers
Jeffers: Consolation goal in second half

Beattie took his chance well on his England debut and was a good foil for Michael Owen.

Posed an aerial threat and showed some nice touches on the floor, but barely had a sight of goal.

Jeffers transferred his impressive goalscoring habit for England Under-21s onto the senior stage with a superb header to give the young second half side hope.

Verdict: Jeffers edges it, 1-0.

Michael Owen v Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Rooney: Real promise for the future

An abject international display was the last thing Owen needed, given his current crisis of confidence. Was busy up front but gave further evidence that his goalscoring touch has dramatically deserted him.

Rooney became England's youngest-ever player and his senior cap will be the first of many.

At times, his enthusiasm had him crashing around like a bull in a china shop but the chaos he caused was enough to hint he can make the step up to senior level for his country, as he has with his club.

[Flukey Lukey]

lol

Disagree about dropping Beckham. He's still one of our best players and our most influential. Also, Jenas' best position is in the centre because then he can roan all over the field as he did v Aus.

[skilos]

I think Jenas was impressive against Australia, but i shouldn't think he'll get much of a look-in whilst Scholes and Gerrard are playing.
He is still young though, so i'd imagine he'll be a regular given time... and to be fair, he's still fairly new to the 'top flight' stuff.

Bring back Batty, thats what i say!

LOL

[flowforth]

Batty? The one-dimensional, paleolithic yorkshire goon? Isn't English football bad enough?

[fulham]

i was just wondering if anybody knows why joe cole didn't play? it's the same thing when you watch england, a bunch of players who are afraid to go forward. this was joe cole's chance to shine and on is own patch. i thought jj was good and you can't overlook owen hargreaves. i thought they work rate was great. i liked rooney but somethings gone wrong with owen. at the end of the day it is just a friendly and you can take some positives away.

[skilos]

Originally posted by flowforth
Batty? The one-dimensional, paleolithic yorkshire goon? Isn't English football bad enough?

dude... the Batty comment was meant as a light-hearted joke!

what i meant to say was bring back Ince!!! ;)

[kenodoki]

Originally posted by skilos
dude... the Batty comment was meant as a light-hearted joke!

what i meant to say was bring back Ince!!! ;)

Nah, bring Andy Cole out of International retirement. We need his accuracy in front of goal!

[flowforth]

I was joking too mate!

Good point about Joe Cole - he was robbed on a night of easy caps! Why does Sven persist with Dyer on the left? Why doesn't Cole get a chance to start? Sven's selection policies are strange. I know Jeffers scored but he was way down the pecking order! Barry has been the best left sided player in England for the last few months. Terry has been superb when coming in for Chelsea. Defoe has been overlooked. Neville is shite shite shite! Ferdinand is overrated!
Ashley cole was inured. What was Vassell doing on the left? Why is David James in an England shirt - do we reward poor form?

I thought this guy was one of the top managers? His selection, substitution, and tactical policies are way off.

[flowforth]

Furthermore. The way Sven handled England during the Brazil game said it all. He is not the man for England - he does not inspire and drive the team. He is too nice and too agreeable - trying to appease everyone all the time.

[Looney]

What England could do, put Scholes on the left drifting in, and Gerrard and Dyer in the centre! Dyer could drift left sometimes too.

[kenodoki]

Originally posted by Looney
What England could do, put Scholes on the left drifting in, and Gerrard and Dyer in the centre! Dyer could drift left sometimes too.

Scholes would be strolling around like a lost boy on out on the left. He's the sort of player who is brilliant in central midfield but above average in other positions. Joe Cole should play on the left. I'm also begining to wonder wether Ashley Cole could to the job. He is very attacking minded which is great for a left winger. Wayne Bridge could then be brought in as left back.

[flowforth]

I'd say Joe Cole is next in line. Dyer is looking like he has the "macca" curse for England. After that, I would try Barry, who has starred in mids for villa. Ashley Cole does not play that position and why deprive someone else who does week in week out. I hope Matt Jansen recovers - because I see him as a strong contender for the slot. Scholes does not play well out of position - he proved that last season.

[lampshade]

be fair to dyer hes played out of position when he plays for england. hes not a winger so dont put him there.

any how heres my teams to face leitechstein (or however u spell it)


------------------------------robinson-----------------------------------

Mills----------ferdinand----------campbell-----------------cole



beckham------------gerrard--------scholes----------konchesky


---------------------heskey-----------owen----------------------------

[kenodoki]

Originally posted by lampshade
be fair to dyer hes played out of position when he plays for england. hes not a winger so dont put him there.

any how heres my teams to face leitechstein (or however u spell it)


------------------------------robinson-----------------------------------

Mills----------ferdinand----------campbell-----------------cole



beckham------------gerrard--------scholes----------konchesky


---------------------heskey-----------owen----------------------------

Good team. We all know the England first team pretty much picks itself (except for left midfield), but will Sven drop Neville? I really hope he does. Neville even practically admitted that he wasn't giving any effort and try to justify it by saying that players had to put club before country.

Mr Neville should take a leaf out of Harry Kewell's book. Venables didn't want him to play but Kewell told him to 'stick it up your jumper'. He played and played well. Then thereare all our Brazillian pals. Wenger tried to stop Gilberto Silva from playing the in China. The coach didn't bat an eyelid and Silva played 90 minutes. With the attitude Australia has about playing and giving their all for their country, I won't be surprised if they do really well in 2006. And I won't be surprised if we lose out yet again because our players were 'tired'.

If certain English players can't give their all for their country, then drop them! The second half proved that we do have players who are proud to wear the three lions. Give them a chance, they may not be as good as the 'first team' players, but they will do their best. Most of the Australia team aren't premiership superstars but they gave their all, played as a team and beat a group of people wearing England shirts.

[flowforth]

spot on - drop them! And no - not Konchesky on left mids - Jenas can play there like he did at forest!

[General AK]

I see a whole lot of english fans criticising eriksson but u got to realise its not all about players and skills and form, its also about tactics!!!.

for example, Beckham( who has a lot of haters and supporters) has made several good crosses and service to the strikers( one that props up is the cross to van nistelrooy against Juve in the champions league which resulted in a goal).. but in the aus-eng friendly, he barely made any crosses, simply because of Farina's tactics.

Farina played 2 attacking Left wingers, Lazaridis and chipperfield one behind the other and they both doubled up on Beckham severely harrassing him and they also pushed him back so many times, Beckham was forced to play a defensive role for the majority of the half..

:D Pickaboo, convicts whooped master's ass. :D

[kenodoki]

Originally posted by General AK
[B:D Pickaboo, convicts whooped master's ass. :D [/B]

Jesus, one friendly win and you guys think you're world beaters. Must be a lot of pent up frustration for ony appearing at one World Cup and exiting in the first round...

[Stricker]

Go the aussies.
Go Go Go Australia.

Im goin 4 the aussies mate!!!!!

[General AK]

well let me put it this way as well.

You english are pretty crap as well, you only won one world cup game (in like I dunno er 40 world cups or something). and that was in 1966 and that was when england hosted the stupid world cup..

so well....

see when we host it in 2018(hopefully :D), we would by then stand a damn good chance of winning it, cuz the socceroos have come along way.. from losing 11-nil or something 10 yrs ago in Australia to whooping english ass in 3-1 at the english hometown.

Damn we're good :D YEAH!!! GO AUSTRALIA!! AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!! Oi Oi Oi!!

also when we have the rematch......we'd win as usual :D

[Flukey Lukey]

Originally posted by General AK
You english are pretty crap as well, you only won one world cup game


um, one world cup game?

[General AK]

blah.. one world cup...

anyway(optimistic) could one in the next 20 yrs and therefore be your equivalent, or in the case of the friendly, be better than u :D

[Flukey Lukey]

You can say you're better than us when you beat us in something competitive. If you want to say you're better than us because you beat us in a friendly then fine, we'll let you have that MAJOR honour.

[Robledo]

Originally posted by General AK
blah.. one world cup...

That's one more World Cup than the Aussies. Have they even qualifed for ONE World Cup yet? What kind of stupid nick name is the Soceroos anyway

It's almost as bad as Sunderland's nick "The Black Cats":D

[kenodoki]

Originally posted by Robledo
That's one more World Cup than the Aussies. Have they even qualifed for ONE World Cup yet? What kind of stupid nick name is the Soceroos anyway

It's almost as bad as Sunderland's nick "The Black Cats":D

The Aussies have only ever qualified for one World Cup. And even then they got knocked out in the first round without winning a game. And they have only ever beaten England once (the recent friendly), but some Aussies feel that they are now a better team.

[General AK]

ok, yes we qualified for one worldcup and :(.. aah well....but bring it on, we'll see u in Germany 2006 for certain.. :D.
and what is the english nickname anyway?? er, losers? :D how was the 2-1 loss to brazil boys :D. I was rooting for em :D nah just kidding.

and no we don't have a better team, certain players just woke up, mainly kewell, emerton, the so called stars :D.

but now I'm pissed, Soccer Australia have ***ked themselves over(read www.theworldgame.com.au), they cancelled a friendly against Argentina in London cuz they couldn't afford it and guess what :D, Scolari(now portugal coach, also ex-worldcup Brazil coach)cancelled the proposed friendly against Australia because he didn't want to lose against them( apparently if he loses another match he's gone). :D

aah well, we're stuck with shitheads like nigeria and mexico-but atleast Mexico is in Australia).

I just noticed, I'm the only aussie here, damn....need more backup.

[Robledo]

Originally posted by General AK
ok, yes we qualified for one worldcup and :(.. aah well....but bring it on, we'll see u in Germany 2006 for certain.. :D.
.

Well you wont have any problems qualifying this time. You have to face the powerhouses of NZ, Samoa etc. Tough times ahead

[Flukey Lukey]

Originally posted by General AK
I just noticed, I'm the only aussie here, damn....need more backup.

don't worry there's a couple of other big headed Aussys about ;)

[kenodoki]

Originally posted by General AK
and what is the english nickname anyway?? er, losers?

Err.. I think you'll find it's The Three Lions

[Looney]

Originally posted by Flukey Lukey
don't worry there's a couple of other big headed Aussys about ;)

Better a big headed Aussie than a whinging Pom who can't accept that JJ's with the Toon now! :p

[ThreeLions]

I do feel sorry for the Aussies. Looking back at that game, remember the passion behind the goal from the Aussie fans? The celebrations when they scored? That was a really big game for them. And considering it was just a meaningless friendly, it goes to show how much the Aussies have been starved of big games (like our one on Wednesday).

What about this for an idea - Stick the Aussies in the European qualifying for 2006 world cup. They have no competition in Oceania. They just have to beat New Zealand to qualify (crazy!). Israel play European qualifying and isn't a European country, so can the rules not be bent slightly for the Australia as well?

[The Rule]

Originally posted by ThreeLions


What about this for an idea - Stick the Aussies in the European qualifying for 2006 world cup. They have no competition in Oceania. They just have to beat New Zealand to qualify (crazy!). Israel play European qualifying and isn't a European country, so can the rules not be bent slightly for the Australia as well?

Do you actually know where Australia is???It takes about 12 hours to get there from Greece!!!!!

If they are going to join another qualifying system, it should be south America.