last chance for england?

[growler]

just looking at the squad, Cole, terry, rio, gerrard, lampard, cole , beckham are all finishing up, and there is no new blood.

 

I picked these names because these are the players that at their peak, most clubs would have them, even from a young age.

 

looking at the current crop u24,not only is there no world class players, but no leaders emerging either. most people looked at rio. terry, gerrard as captains early in their career.

 

who are the players who will replace these?

 

Hart for gk

kelly at RB (how old is glo jo?)

CB?

CB?

Lb?

 

LM- Young?

RM- Milner, lennon

CM-?

CM?

 

CF: agbonlahor?

CFwalcott?

 

anyone see any players who could step up?

[Damian_de]

Rooney will be around for a while of course.

 

I suppose you'd be looking for Micah Richards to get back on track, and players like Mancienne, Gosling and Daniel Sturridge to step up. Joe Cole and some others could easily play at WC2014.

[guernseygareth]

last chance for england?

 

i hope so.

[anny road]

i hope so.

 

 

i hope they get battered

[ChrisC]

i hope they get battered

 

 

Why?

[kop205]

Why?

 

Look at the names in the first line of the opening post, minus Gerrard, and you have at least part of an answer.

 

Oh, and I hope they get f***ing battered too.

[Sion]

Rodwell and Wilshere I imagine will be the two biggest possibilities for star players.

 

Then you've got the likes of Kieran Gibbs, Fabian Delph, Daniel Sturridge, Stanislas, Michael Johnson and Micah Richards (if they get back on track)...who could all feature heavily in the future.

Edited January 2, 2010 by Sion

[RP]

I think England have a good chance in South Africa this summer - purely because they finnaly have a top Manager.

[Duncan Disorderly]

I think England have a good chance in South Africa this summer - purely because they finnaly have a top Manager.

That's what worries me.

 

By the way, is there any way of avoiding the jingoistic press and media while it's on? (and I don't mean tuning in to Johnny Giles and Eamon Dunphy)

[John am Rhein]

By the way, is there any way of avoiding the jingoistic press and media while it's on? (and I don't mean tuning in to Johnny Giles and Eamon Dunphy)

 

Yes, and I have found it...

 

England do indeed have a very good chance - not only because they have a good manager, but also because the conditions won't work against the English style of play to the same degree they usually do in summer tournaments.

[muleskinner]

CB and goalkeeping weaknesses will do for England at the QF stage.

[John am Rhein]

CB and goalkeeping weaknesses will do for England at the QF stage.

 

hopefully true, but England's quite strong at CB, isn't it?

[muleskinner]

hopefully true, but England's quite strong at CB, isn't it?

 

An on form Ferdinand/Terry partnership is pretty solid and proven at international football but Ferdinand is crocked and may not be there at all. The back up players - eg Upson, aren't that great. The GK slot is terrible. none of them are up to much.

[John am Rhein]

An on form Ferdinand/Terry partnership is pretty solid and proven at international football but Ferdinand is crocked and may not be there at all. The back up players - eg Upson, aren't that great. The GK slot is terrible. none of them are up to much.

 

GK is certainly their achilles heel - which is strange because England used to have a wealth of goalkeeping talent not so long ago

[Hassony]

GK is certainly their achilles heel - which is strange because England used to have a wealth of goalkeeping talent not so long ago

 

30 years ago?

[John am Rhein]

30 years ago?

 

even 15 years ago they were respectable, but they certainly seem to have been on a downhill path for at least 25

[Rimbeux]

Spain and Brazil should be too good for everyone, but I think they are likely to meet in the semi? There are a few other sides including England that have enough to catch fire and go on a roll

[doug_mac]

Yes, and I have found it...

 

England do indeed have a very good chance - not only because they have a good manager, but also because the conditions won't work against the English style of play to the same degree they usually do in summer tournaments.

 

 

absolute horsesh!t about conditions, th conditions are the same for every team

 

the conditions at euro 96 were spot on, every game at home and england didnt win that one either

 

they will probably make the quarters and as soon as they face spain,brazil,holland or germany they will be torn to shreds

[muleskinner]

absolute horsesh!t about conditions, th conditions are the same for every team

 

the conditions at euro 96 were spot on, every game at home and england didnt win that one either

 

they will probably make the quarters and as soon as they face spain,brazil,holland or germany they will be torn to shreds

 

That never really happens though, penalty shoot out defeats aren't really symptomatic of being ripped to shreds are they?

[Andy @ Allerton]

just looking at the squad, Cole, terry, rio, gerrard, lampard, cole , beckham are all finishing up, and there is no new blood.

 

I picked these names because these are the players that at their peak, most clubs would have them, even from a young age.

 

looking at the current crop u24,not only is there no world class players, but no leaders emerging either. most people looked at rio. terry, gerrard as captains early in their career.

 

who are the players who will replace these?

 

Hart for gk

kelly at RB (how old is glo jo?)

CB?

CB?

Lb?

 

LM- Young?

RM- Milner, lennon

CM-?

CM?

 

CF: agbonlahor?

CFwalcott?

 

anyone see any players who could step up?

 

 

Brilliant isn't it? Hope they get smacked everywhere and out of the World Cup.

[Paddy 66]

I always want England to do well and hope players come through to enable england to do well.

[anny road]

Why?

 

 

I f***ing hate them and everything about them

 

from there stuipid f***ign no mark fans (Cheltenham Town on tour) to the way the media bang on and on about English players (see Rooney today)....to the f***ing dullards who follow football only during championships England are in (true comment..."Carragher is positionally poor isnt he, Dave?" from a mates wife who, if you bring football up at any other time, gives it "oh shut up about football its rubbish") to "JT" / "Becks" / "Lamps" / "Wazzza"

 

they can all f*** off

 

I always want England to do well and hope players come through to enable england to do well.

 

 

oh yeah, lets hope some Mancs and Everton players come through to help Ingerlund

 

they can f*** right off

[betterman]

England have a decent team and they have a good manager.

 

They have every chance of winning it really, with the right attitude. Being well organised and up for it is half the battle these days. The standard of teams winning major international competitions in recent years is not that high at all.

 

The competitions are entertaining enough I suppose, beats summers with no football, that;s for sure!

[Cam]

I thought '06 would their best chance since '90... and their last. Some great players in their prime, a couple of old-timers and lots of promising youngsters (including Rooney). Only a shockingly amateurish manager hindered them.

 

The players mentioned in the original post are at the wrong end of their 'prime years' - and it'll certainly be their last World Cup (I've no doubt Gerrard will retire from international football after the summer). The promising youngsters (bar Rooney) have largely faded. And there's no-one coming through. The next World Cup squad will be picked from Premiership 'squad' players that play 1 game in 5 and a host of Championship players; it'll be Rooney plus 10 yard dogs in '14.

 

If anyone cares about international football - and I don't particularly - you have to agree with some kind of quota for matchday teams, squads and (crucially) academies.

 

They may have a chance this time but nowhere near as strong as '06. World Cups are won by a player leading a team by example on the pitch... only a handful of players that are going can do that - and Rooney is one of them.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

What Anny said,

 

England have their best chance in ages - decent players, byt and large, and a good manager. I'd say the QF would be a minimum target, SF realistic - anything better than the semis a bonus.

 

Thing is, the WC is extremely competative - consider of the 32 teams which will have the QFs as a target - whether it be minimum or maximum of their expectations:

 

Brasil

Argentina

Spain

Portugal

Italy

Germany

France

England

Holland

 

There's 9 without even trying, so one of those has to come up short, and that's discounting any shocks or teams coming from nowhere - a la Croatia in Euro 96 etc.

 

In other words - luck plays a part, but to do well, you have to be on the button