Thetownend.com

So, is anyone gonna be watching this tonight?

I'll guess at 2-0 England.

What channel is it on?

Probably not.

0-0.

I'll watch it probably. Not sure I understand why Milner is playing full-back, but hey ho.

Itv bobster

Not got a problem trying out different options , but doing it one week before the world cup is silly.

Maybe they do it for emergency cover, to see how a midfielder would cope in a defenders role.

Thanks 4D

In that case I might take a look.

coz johnson is shite, maybe?

I think it's more that the alternatives to Johnson...namely Smalling and Jones, are definitely x-rated playing there.

Can see Milner doing a good job adapting to position, however the average England fan misguidedly thinks he is shit so he probably get slated.

I would have thought that maybe Flanagan is a better option.

But saying that Milner is very versatile although wing/fullback is not his natural position, although Milner does have many attributes that would suggest he could be strong enough to play there.

We've taken 2 lb's, 2 rb's would have made sense... not a dig at Milner per se.

Milner is shit forEngland. Yet another hod carrier that does fuck all.

But old Woy is a conservative old fucker carrying on the England managers tradition of not trusting anyone who is seen as a 'flair' player.

Not sure I agree with that. Having the likes of Lallana, Sterling, Barkley, Alex O-C, etc even in the team/squad is more adventurous than any recent England manager.

Well this is total bollocks. Talk me through all these English flair players Roy has excluded? Would they include Lallana, Sturridge, Stirling and Barkley? And to think he's brought along useless old lags like Cole, Defoe and Barry?

He might not look or sound it but Woy is the most progressive England manager since Glenda.

The reason he's called Audrey is because he talks so much fucking shit his lips are brown.

Adrian Chiles.

'welcome to rio'

Fucking thick cunt

He's stolen a living for so long now. I bet he can't believe his luck!

Why have they just shown a 'Swindon Royal' flag?

Sorry, didn't know I wasn't allowed an opinion

That was shit

Ooops

Start as you mean to go on boys.  Fucking useless!!

He was left lacking in the build up there for the goal

More of a test than Peru ayway

I assume it's part of the ITV Man Utd bias that means Townsend is so desperate to blame Shaw for the goal.

You kind of expect your centre half to jump for the ball,  Smalling really isn't very good!

SWINDON LOYAL   ;)

Fucking hell get Smalling off!

Looking good!









Ecuador

Indeed

(http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab225/mark_woolhouse/eng_zpsd1739832.jpg)

Stroud I believe

My mistake.  Only saw it for a fraction of a second.  Sorry guys..

Haha,  pinball

Haha! Apart from the handball and the offside, it was a good goal.

Hope none of these defenders get in the first XI.

What a contrast. Looking good going forward, piss poor at the back

Well, it makes life a bit more interesting doesn't it!

Both sides leaving holes the size of the Mariana Trench at the back.

It's Roy's master plan to confuse the watching Italians.

The Ox looking good

Wilshire not so much

The bloke with the sideburns or the bint in the vest ?

But Wilts > Ox  :)

Looks like he's Scunny

Smalling and Jones don't look like they've met before, let alone play for the same club.

Only 4 players not shit - Foster, Barkley, Ox and Lambert. The others have been shite and how the fuck Smalling gets in I'll never know. The defence is complete wank.

Agreed,  feel a bit sorry for Milner as well as always seems to be being left to mark two men - getting no protection.

Smalling seems to be doing a very good impression of Jerel Ifill he may be incredibly quick but seems entirely clueless in terms of positioning.

I think we have something going forward but it's just not quite clicking, but then that's what friendlies are for.

I don't think that'll matter though as we are bound to concede more than we score unless we improve drastically at the back.

ITV's coverage is utterly dreadful other than Bittersweet Symphony, isn't it?

Its bugging me now.
What is on that Scunny flag ?
Either i am missing something or the spolling is atttricios.

Good shot Ricky.

Great finish

Classy finish that

Great play from Barks

The invisible man (a pub??), Scunthorpe

If Woy is true to his word about picking players in form and not reputation, the Ox must be a shoe-in on this performance

Ox is mom at mo.

Aaand now he's crocked. Want to mention how well Smalling is playing?

We're gonna get mullered by better teams if we don't sort out the defence.

In fairness, if any of these five play a game in the world cup, it's because of injuries and suspension.

To add a cloud to that silver lining, the first right back choice is Glen Johnson...

Smalling has got better as the game has progressed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44t3xc_XDes

This is all I know about Ecuador.  And its probably not really much about Ecuador is it.

What a goal

Fucking hell that's a cracker too.

Indeed this is very much the B defence.

Of greater comedy value is the fact that this defence is likely 75% of the Man United defence of next season.

He smashed that

No, he Dmr'd it

Enjoyable game, though

Sterling looks handy

Lots of space being a big factor for an enjoyable game

Yep. Be just like the Italy game!

It's sad but lampard looks about s yard off the pace,  especially with all the pace around him.

Jack Wilshere you rowdy little bugger!

ooh. Getting spicy.

Hilarious reffing.

A tad harsh that

Be even more space now!

Probably not on Valencia. Here's a hint lad, if it was that bad a foul you wouldn't be jumping back up to attack the guy.

For once I agree with Andy townshend

Feels horrible doesn't it!

At least it looks more promising than the turgid performances in South Africa.

We'll do OK

Wilshere and Lampard have not impressed. Jordan Henderson a beneficiary of this game one suspects.

You'd think we'd get ripped by the Italians. But then you see the drew 1-1 with Bob's Orange.

I know so little about the England squad that it was like watching a whole new team for me.

Do not like the goalie (don't think I've ever heard of him before). The CBs didn't seem to know where each other where and the FBs didn't have confidence inspiring games. I thought Milner was a winger?

Not feeling at all confident about the defence although I gather from this thread that it was pretty much the 2nd string defence playing tonight? Can we expect much better from the 1st string? I do hope so.

Negatives aside, there's actually quite a bot of talent in the squad. If our attackers manage to gel and understand each other better then we could be a force going forward. Lambert's finish was classy, is that typical of him?

Looking forward to it, these games are always a bit of a run out.

Barks, Ox, Lallana, Sterling - confident and always looking to push on with the ball - what a full strength England side will benefit from.

Just hoping Jones and Smalling don't make the first XI...

Get in the red lion!

Looks like the Ox is fucked for the WC

Not sure about Woy praising Lampard and Rooney - both were anonymous to me

Given it was a very young team and Lampard and Rooney were the senior players, apart from both being useless there appeared to be very little encouragement, guidance given to the youngsters. Ox was MOM with Barkey running him close. Lambert did what he does. Sterling's sending off was awful referreing but welcome to the erratic world of referees. Shaw got torn a new one by Valencia and got worse and worse as the game wore on but he's a baby and this will have done him no harm. I think I'd rather have Ward and Hall at centre back than Smalling and Jones - both shockingly bad.
Given this was a game some of these players had to win a starting place, some of them don;t care or the XI is decided already. 3 players should give Roy some thought and I'd like to see Lambert in and Rooney out.

The only thing I learned from that game is we have made a major ricket not taking Ashley Cole.

That kid from Soton was absolute garbage.

Hope the Ox is ok for Wc. He was absolute class yesterday, as was Barkley. Those two give us drive in midfield that we've been missing for years.
On another note, if we played that defence against any team in the Wc, we'd be seriously struggling. Smalling is wank.

Thankfully none of that defence will be starting barring injures

Don't see us winning anything with Rooney playing. Would far prefer Sturridge up front (or Lambert) surrounded by the younger players that actually create stuff - Ox, Barkley, Lallana, Sterling.

We might get torn a new one, or maybe they'll just come good. I'd happily take the risk.

Rooney has scored more World Cup goals than any other English player.

One?

Edit,  I mean none?

But none in the finals unlike a number of English players including Peter Crouch.

I think Crouch only scored one and that was a foul on Brent Sancho.

If we're going to be cynical, let's say Matthew Upson has more World Cup goals.

Current squad is Stevie G with 3 goals.

That's only goals at the Finals. I'm talking qualifiers too.

so has Emile Heskey

WC finals - grand total of 77 goals in 59 matches. Or 1.31 goals per game.

I don't see the relevance. I could knock in a couple against San Marino and Lichtenstein.

The finals is where it counts and Rooney has so fair been a failure.

I don't see Rooney doing anything special, at best it will be a "solid performance" and that don't win you shit at World Cups.

I wonder if the money and fame has got to him. Doesn't seem to have the eagerness of the younger players, or even Lambert.

You don't see the relevance of qualifying?

Bet you couldn't.

Can see where people are coming from (to an extent) but we had all this with Shearer prior to Euro 96 and he stood up. Hopefully Rooney will do the same.

I think what you are missing is that the other England players, that have scored fewer than Rooney, would also have played against minnows.

He's proved he can score against the lesser lights during qualifying but hasnt done so in tournament football against the better teams.

Maybe his time has come and gone

Barclay last night, played how Rooney did when he first came through.

I think Audrey might be right, his time looks to have come and gone.

Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe would have seen us qualify.

Barclay a nailed on starter for me. Bet he won't be though.
Last nights back 5 should all go back home. Dreadful.

Hodgson criticised Barkley whilst somehow finding positives in Lampard and Wilshere's performances. He's either bluffing, or an idiot.

He's bluffing. He knows as well as most we have a tendency to hype someone up so much they cant deal with it and then become the nations scapegoat when they aren't amazing every game. See, Rooney.

Very true Tails. In fact see every English young prospect from the last 30 years. Build em up and knock em down. For some reason we seem to thrive on this as a nation.

Lampard was completely anonymous and got "star man" in the sun.Nonplussed.