Thetownend.com

Should be an interesting one tonight, hoping to see Ashley Young deliver a performance.

Look out for gingers in the crowd - AXS is there......

Who are we playing? Is it a qualifier or a friendly? Is it on the tellybox?

Holland
Friendly
ITV

ITV1? I don't have a digibox up here.

ITV1 indeed

Could be a big chance for Beckham as well to prove his worth, or otherwise.

Does Beckham need to prove himself?

One of the few world class players in the squad.

I think he needs to prove that he can still perform to a level that means he would be worth taking to the world cup. especially as at the mo he is playing in the US.  It has been a while since he put in a really good performance for England.

What the fuck is that?  The 4 tops singing god save the queen?

That was wonderfully camp. I enjoyed the way he sang the brass band bits.

I really dislike our national anthem.  Says nothing to me about our country at all - expecially as an atheist anti-royalist.

what a fucking stupid time to have a pointless international.

Agreed.

Couldn't agree more, although more for the dull tune than the vapid lyrics. Give me Jerusalem or Land of Hope and Glory.

Im hoping for some injuries resulting in weeks of whinging from managers.

Best rendition of our (shit) national anthem I've heard for ages.

I myself am well in favour of ditching the whole thing for some mental multicultural musical mashup with a drum and bass beat and some bhangra janglings, folky tones and soulful singing, disco rhythm and classical composure, all melded together. Woot.

Dont forget the morris dancing.

I'm in favour of using I am the Walrus.  Imagine those singers, and the players for that matter, trying to get the lyrics right.

Morris dancing has no place in football. However, when it comes to the egg chasing I think it would be an awesome response to the Haka.

Lampard looks his outstanding best already, two touches, lost the ball both times. Overrated tart.

At the risk of sounding like JFW, I'm glad Rooney's grown his hair back, he looked horrendous skinhead.

Agreed...also plenty of fisticuffs in Amsterdam...fifteen arrests in violent clashes according to Sky News.

he better get a transplant then as he's going bald

why didn't those hneanderthal meatheads go and get a suck and a fuck and smoke some quality weed prior to the game?

GOAL!!! Get in!

Good defending there England :D

What a fucking shambles!!! Ha Ha

Fuck me. Woeful :)

Fucking shambles.

England got merked.

I quite like Green's powerslide.

Ifil would have hoofed that into touch!!

Just stand there Rio and watch them walk it in why don't you!

just a shame he's decalred st lucian nationality, or am i mistaking that with one of my FM games,

I think you are getting mixed up. It doesnt matter what nationality he is (you are right St. Lucian) - he still would have hoofed it into touch!!

Rio Ferdinand....Overrated.

Didn't Ferdinand do the same thing a few times playing for Man Utd last season?

In a crowd full of orange? Good luck.

FUCK YEAH!!!

Lordy England.

world cup, my arse....

Cappello looks even happier than usual.

Very poor.  Look where you're passing, I was taught that when I was ten.

Its just like watching Swindon play.

Van der Vaart with the goal. World cup winners 2010 me thinks not

I've seen enough, down the pub I go

Does anyone actually truly believe England are currently serious contenders anyway?

This is just a pointless friendly, our qualifying performances have been good which is all anyone should care about.

Rich i think Spain will win it. England will get to the Quarters or Semi final at best

I'd take that.

never going to win anything with the current crop of forwards.and playing beckham is ridiculous

I don't believe we are serious contenders but at least we are playing friendlies against strong sides.  I still want to see a performance, or at the very least players doing the basics right.

Beckham seems to be our only midfielder who can control the ball and pass it accurately.

Not serious contenders...firstly let's qualify, then tournaments can have a life of their own.

We're currently rated 7th, which seems about right a last 8 team.

Another Penalty shootout disappointment?

England will never win anything again ever in football.

DV goes straight for the juggular :)

Not even one more game, DV?

I fucking hope not. Those cunts waving their flags would be insufferable.

We may not win anything, but we need to work out our expectations.  I would expect us to reach the World Cup quarter final.  I would regard not achieving this as a failure.  If we go out in the semi-final that would be a triumph - i.e. exceeding expectations.

DV the Pessimist ha

Starting with Beckham is ridiculous, having on the bench is common sense.

Its the forwards that worry me most. We really need Owen to get back on form, or for someone else to spontaneously turn world class.

I'm normally full of optimism but I don't rate out chances at the next World Cup, our best chance was 2006 and we (ie Rooney and Eriksson) fucked that up.

Booooo

Good finish Defoe

I'm not sure we ever really had much chance in 2006.  While it looked good on paper, that side never played well in the build up to that world cup.  The midfield didn't work and we were very, very predictable, and this bore out in every game of that tournament.  Teams, even Trinidad and Tobago, had easily worked out how to play us.  At least Capello is trying to get us playing a more fluid, flexible game.

Good finish Defoe.

stupid football, missed the start of dragons den

...it's because you're a part-time entrepreneur show fan ;)

Decent cross by Milner to finally start his full England career. I hope he continues to do well.

long ball football by england.so much for a continental manager.

Bloomin' selfish that was Lampard.

Assist Milner, Defoe goal. 2-2

so what youre saying is swindon scored

Swindon and Bournemouth yes.

It's almost six years since Milner briefly wore a Town shirt.

Just got back from the pub with the in laws after watching Scotland capitulate to Norway.  A lot of gutted looking folk up here.  I think they realise the game is up for 2010 now (although qualification still a possibility, mathematically).

Carlton Cole has been quite impressive since coming on.

I agree and I don't rate Cole at international level one bit.

good to see 2 ex swindon loanee players finish the game for England. Also i said the Spain might win the world cup, they are getting beat in Macedonia 2-1.

oh no they aint

Not too bad for a friendly. Was a little bit pants in periods but in general at least there were a few chances. Thought we did well to come back. If we hadn't have made stupid errors we'd have won it easily.

3-2 up good comeback.

We were the better side and gifted them 2 goals apart from that they created fuck all, I would think Capello is by far the happier manager of the two. I will be their in South Africa flying the Town flag and hoping that England can just get the rub of the green for once.

Playing decent, attractive, attacking football may help as well.

Decent enough tonight apart from the comical errors from Ferdinand and Barry. Defoe looked good, as did Milner. As for Carlton Cole, I've never rated him but he did well tonight.

Absolutely...there was a time in that match when I thought 'Who are you and what have you done with the real Carlton Cole?'  Fair play to him if he's gonna play like that, an option up front, nice to have.

Good old Shadow. His career has faltered since the first season of Gladiators, but he's worked hard and lost those extra pounds and is now in the England squad. Just goes to show, a little effort goes on long way.

Nice one Shadow.

Defoe looked really good, but I'm still not convinced he's good enough - he just has an air of being shit about him.

Will be interesting though, with Owen and Rooney at Man Utd and Crouch and Defoe at Tottenham - they should be able to build up a bit of a rapport which can only be good for England.

Between dutch fans, no English arrests at all and I didn't see a spot of bother, indeed everyone was getting on swimmingly and enjoying some good banter.

The trip was good fun, highlight being the dutch joining in a lot of songs about germans and tourist boats getting covered in beer as they went under bridges, one even turned around.

The lowlight being a 50-something man threatening to jump off a bridge into the canal and then pulling his trousers down and sticking a bottle up his arse. And then falling in the canal. Fortunately he was alright, but what a twat.

Oh, and singing songs to blokes going into and out of the prossies rooms, my favourite was 'you've got chlamydia' when one sheepish bloke walked out.

Surely that was a highlight Ax?