Well that was a ride and Capello did what I was afraid of and tinker when we didn't need to. I had no problem with Gerrard & Lampard playing together for this match but ENG play best like most teams in a 4-4-2 and the 2nd half proved that. Also Wayne Rooney proved he is best when played central with Heskey but David Beckham for that last 15 minutes was his old self again I don't care who the opposition was. Beck's passing was better than everyone else who had 75 minutes more than him... James (6) - For once did not make a gaffe in the game though came close but that was Upson fault for a shocking back pass, however should of at least dived for the 1 on 1 which is a major weakness in his play. Great save soon after we scored our goal to deny the number 7 who I thought played really well. Brown (6) - Apart from the cross for Rooney's header I felt his passing was akward and looked shaky at the back, Micah Richards needs to get fit again. Ferdinand (8) - Only defender we could really count on and great to see him score a goal when wearing the armband. Upson (6) - Lack of pace is worrying though is still good in the air and unlucky not to score in 1st half but is no John Terry or Ledley King either. A.Cole (4) - Quite possibly his worst ENG display ever, looked out of sorts especially in 2nd half when SWP provided minimal assistance with defending. At fault for the goal didn't even look up when kicking it back and his passing was so poor, kept playing off the floor and making it hard work for his team mates to control from his passes. Walcott (5) - 2 or 3 times looked a threat and a nice ball for Heskey early on and was invovled with the Rooney header goal but was quite poor and needs to learn some tricks like J.Cole to beat stronger people. Lampard (6) - Formation didn't help him but was better in 2nd half and unlike Gerrard his passing was more controlled and unlucky to have his shot blocked in 1st half. Nice corner for the goal but should start alongside Barry in midweek and not with Gerrard. Gerrard (5) - Misplaced passes were too frequent and looked afraid to go forward plus a few times tried a one two pass instead of a shot. Barry (4) - Passing was not good and went forward too much leaving Gerrard holding was rightly subbed at half time but wil play better in a flat 4-4-2 with Lampard in next game. Rooney (7) - 1st half was played wrong but 2nd half a different player, scored 2 goals and was unlucky not to have 3 but worked much better with Heskey when played central and got more involved into the game. Heskey (7) - 1st half was ok but had no one to play with though 2nd half was so unlucky not to score but linked up well with Rooney and loved it when Beckham came on and also set up Defoe. SUBS... SWP (6) - Ran at players and got the corner for the 1st goal but needs to pass better and be less ball greedy at times to eager to impress. Also some good runs but ran into the defenders to much. Beckham (7) - Despite playing around only 15 minutes, he looked sharp fit and his passing was excellent. Some great crosses for Heskey and should start against Belarus with Walcott or SWP on the left flank. Defoe (N/A) - 5 minutes not enough to score him but scored a typical Defoe goal and proved he loves playing agaisnt lower teams like Crouch. He is not a starter but can become ENG's version of Solskjaer. Capello... Needs to stop tinkering and stick with 4-4-2 and also needs to let players shoot more, his passing game works well but we were trying one to many passing in shooting areas. Beckham has proved he can be of limited use and we should use him against Belarus with Walcott/SWP on the left and because of the MLS season near its end this will be our last time to use him possibly till March. Also Lescott is the better option to Upson IMO and also needs to grow a pair and drop one of Lamps/Gerrard not for good just on current form. Lampard is playing better a the moment and should partner Barry on Wednesday.
If we Arsenal fans ever needed to provide further evidence of our belief that Cash Hole has regressed as a player since he cheated on us in a hotel room with Peter Kenyon and Jose Mourinho, that match was it. Absolutely awful display.
England have agreed to play Spain away in Feb but the match won't be officially confirmed till a venue has been chosen since Capello has demanded that it will be moved away from "Bernabeu" because of the rascit chanting in 2005 and wants to play in a totally different region of Spain. Good for Capello taking a stand and I know he wants to test himself by playing the EURO champs but to be honest I would rather play a home nation like Scotland or Wales since it being local the Club managers might not complain so much with losing there players and we could probably try out different players against lesser teams (no offense to the Jocks and Welsh)
^I think we should test ourselves against quality at every opportunity. Though it will be bloody hard for me to see Cesc Fabregas on the opposing side.
Traditionally with England, the worse the opposition, the worse the display and performance by us. I too subscribe to the theory that we should test ourselves against the best at every opportunity. Sadly, that discounts Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Wouldn't mind the odd game against the Republic though, they're usually competitive at least. Re Saturday, the scoreline obviously flattered in the end, but for me, once again, it's another nail in the coffin for the Lampard/Gerrard dynamic. As much as I like Gerrard, I think he's turning into a worse culprit than Lampard for not showing for his country. Lampard's improved of late, Gerrard's regressed in terms of international form. The ideal partnership in the middle for me would appear to be Lampard/Hargreaves eventually. Walcott on the right and Joe Cole on the left. In defence, obviously it's Terry and Ferdinand in the middle. Right back, at the moment would be Brown, and like it or not, right now, left back would be Ashley Cole, simply by virtue of us not having too many options, certainly no better ones. Bridge is second choice? Really? He's shit. I'd rather that we try and bring Baines or Shorey on a bit. Either, to me, would be a much preferable option than bridge. Goalkeeper continues to be a problem position, as James looks incredibly shakey. Robinson's a definite no-no and Carson is nowhere near ready. I suspect that Foster probably figures in the reckoning over the long term, which may mean that we have to persist with James for now, barrring a sudden upswing in Rob Green's form. Up front, Rooney definitely, if he's played in the right position, and at the moment, has to be Heskey. Owen's off the pace, Defoe would probably be my back up of choice, especially seeing as he's banging them in for Pompey. Of course, there's a certain argument to be made to play Defoe and Crouch up front to capitalise on the Pompey partnership, and play Rooney just off them.
So no Hart ? Would ruin the midfield balance we can only play 4-4-2 which is not a bad thing and speaking of bad things... DO NOT think Belarus are easy and TBH these injuries make me think of that 2-1 defeat to Russia again where we struggled from an injured defence line and had only 2 regulars. Bridge/Upson will most likely play though I would prefer Lescott to be a left back because well he actually plays Club football but then we would have no CB cover on the bench.
Hart - Same boat as Foster. Not ready yet. A few years down the line we're going to have a couple of cracking keepers, we've just got to sit tight for now though and make the best of it. 4-4-2 - We wouldn't necessarily have to dispense with this as it's conceivable to play Rooney as the attacking midfielder and just have him push a little further forward. Problems arise when playing Lampard and Gerrard together, not because they both try to go forward, but because both are far too conservative, which leaves the forwards unsupported to large degrees. Cole/Terry - I actually think we'll miss Cole more than Terry. Upson's not an international great by any stretch of the imagination, but Bridge is an absolute liability. I think we'll win, but only just. 2-1.
The real reason is that if he returns to Madrid, he turns to dust. Chris Kirkland should be at the top of the list. He may play for an unfashionable club, but that's not done Heskey any harm. Injury free for ages now, so that shouldn't be a concern. He's got Champions League experience, he's tall, he's a great stopper - what's the problem?
I have said for years that Chris Kirkland has the best techinal ability of all our current ENG players but can never keep fit, which is so weird and unusual for a keeper to have so many injuries. If he had more luck I think his ability would of taken him to a top 6 club easily and he would be ENG number 1. My only issue with him is that with his injury record that making him number 1 could be a waste and we might be better off working on Hart and Foster if his current injury proves to just be a one off.
He's proved himself to be injury free for over a year now. He missed just one game last season - fewer than David James.
Uh-oh... Liverpool have been wronged! Sound the alarm! Prepare the boycotts! Ready the SMS' to Sky Sports News! Print the banners to wave! Protest outside Anfield at 8pm, everyone!
You are being sarcastic, but imo they are very legitimately angry. You can't cancel travel accomodations and hotel rooms at such a short notice without cost.
Of course I'm being sarcastic. It doesn't take much to get that sort of behaviour out of them, though. Here's one - Steven Gerrard isn't England's best midfielder and sometimes the free kicks he earns are less than legitimate. /waits five minutes...
To be fair, if you've spent hundreds of quid as recession looms, only for UEFA to change the location of the game at short notice, you'd be pissed off too. No one is talking about marches or protests or marches, save for an Arsenal fan on a Star Trek forum.
ENG tonight and a selection worry for Capello, if I was Fabio this would be my line up... James Brown, Ferdinand, Upson, Lescott Beckham, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard Heskey, Rooney The only reason I would put Gerrard on the left is because he was foolish enough to not call up Ashley Young and Beckham starts because I feel we need to start a little bit strong defensively and that Walcott will have a bigger impact as a half time/2nd half sub. Also I feel Heskey will have a great chance of goals and generally play better with Beckham's passing. My prediction is however Fabio will play Walcott and Gerrard on the flanks with Bridge at left back (serious problem) but we will win 2-1 (Rooney & Lampard)
I was kidding. My actual response is that the game should be moved to Anfield and the put out fans taken to the game at Atletico's expense.
Atleti are appealing, so it might yet stay at the Calderon. It's right to do something about violence and racism, but if they can do it in Marseille, I shouldn't think Valencia will be much of an impediment. Two sets of fans in a neutral venue? That's not exactly a match made in heaven. UEFA are at least talking about organising travel to the new venue, which is something.
Venue changing is a bit drastic. I'm surprised that they haven't just hit them where it hurts and given them a 10p fine like Croatia......