Thetownend.com

Robinson (Tottenham), Foster (Watford), Kirkland (Wigan); Gary Neville (Man Utd), Phil Neville (Everton), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Woodgate (Middlesbrough), Bridge (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Carragher (Liverpool), Dawson (Tottenham), Richards (Man City); Lennon (Tottenham), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Carrick (Man Utd), Downing (Midd'boro), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Parker (Newcastle), Lampard (Chelsea), Barry (Aston Villa), Barton (Man City), Jenas (Tottenham), Dyer (Newcastle); Rooney (Man Utd), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham), Johnson (Everton).

Happy to see joey barton in the squad allways like it when someone turns things around.Also good to see barry get picked he deserves it

Why the fuck is swp still in the squad? milner has been much better this year and what does jenas offer?

And whats the point of picking hargreaves who has been out injured

joey barton: "England did nothing in the World Cup, so why were they bringing books out? 'We got beat in the quarter-finals. I played like s**t. Here's my book.' Who wants to read that? I don't. I watched the World Cup and there wasn't a team. It seemed to be individuals playing for themselves."

this was the precise point that he turned from a gobby little prick into the voice of a new generation.

Milner has been playing well and jenas just came back from two months off from and injury and i would not have him near the England. At last an England manager picks Gareth Barry a natural left sided Midfielder.

Phil Neville and  Jenas are so overated.

Does anyone here rate them?

Happy to see Baton in the squad. He tell's it how it is.

I hope Barton starts the game, someone with a bit of fight is exactly what we need.

Barton will take no shit and demand a performance from players around him.Him and stevie g in the centre would be good to see.They could discuss hubcaps and shellsuits on the coach aswell

Yeah i would play Joey in the centre with Steven Gerrard and drop Lampard(overrated) and play Lennon and Barry on the wings.

WTF is Kirkland in the squad? He's fucking awful. Scott Carson is England's future number one, FACT!

I agree with Macca, Milner should be in the squad.

i agree with sam and macca

I agree with sam and bennett apart from the carson bit.I have been very impressed with ben foster and carson has no teeth

i didn't saying anything about carson you fool

But Carson is better than Kirkland.

McClaren is happy to give Barton his chance, despite speculation his inclusion could cause friction after the City midfielder launched a verbal attack on Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

Lampard took exception to Barton's comments and there had been suggestions that the England coach had been approached by some senior players and asked not to pick the 24-year-old.

 :wanker:

i disagree with lampard. it's my opinion he's massively over rated, fat and useless. it's also my opinion we could do with someone that can specialise in one area than be a wannabe striker in our central midfield. he's also fat, and useless

I hope ben_wah doesn't see that comment, he'll be pissed off.

i disagree with bennett in that i dont think lampard is over-rated because i dont think that anyone actually rates lampard anymore.

and if they do then i'd like to gouge out their eye balls and skull fuck them.

i agree with lebowski and retract my opinions, except for the fat and useless bit

I cant believe some of the players that have got into that squad.

Kirkland is made of glass and is Rubbish. Carson has been very, very good, and what about David James? He's been a hero this season at Pompey.

Jenas is fucking horrendously shit, and how he gets into the Spurs team, let alone the England squad must be the subject of an inquiry.

SWP has hardly played and when he has he's been shit. What about Milner? He's been fantastic recently. Downing MUST be McLaren's love-child. He's the most one dimentional player I've ever seen get to the top flight. He can cross a ball! Woo!

And that suad shows just how lacking England are up front. Rooney is fantastic, but needs a decent partner and Johnson/Defoe/Bent/Crouch are not him.

And hasn't Hargreaves been out for 3 months with a broken leg?

Hmmm that sqaud still looks pretty bland upfront...Defoe, Crouch and Johnson...

Good to see Barton get picked, chances are he'll get 15 minutes on the right wing or something  :roll:

Should have kidnapped and brought Paul Scholes along, better than anything in that midfield FACT!

I'm happy Joey Barton is in the squad - I thought he'd never get in after criticising the players for Autobiography deals (and rightly so) - Gives him a chace to put his preaching into practice.

I rate Gareth Barry and am glad he's in there aswell - he's pretty much single handedly saved Villa this season!

To be fair on the hargreaves issue, i heard somewhere that he was being in the squad just for the team meetings or something. Not that he'll actually be playing.

Downing also has been preforming well recently, and generally always has done in the premiership. So on that basis, i can see why he gets included. But as its a friendly, barry should be given a start, just to see how he does.

Yes but Bennett love, you are exceptionally retarded and a gooner making you a disgrace to the name and therefore your opinion is irrelevant.

However it is good to see Barton in the squad, I've said for a long time he deserves a place. The fringe members of the squad look pretty weak though, why is Johnson even in the squad. I hope Lennon starts.

I find it difficult to even fake anything more than a sort of passing curiosity in the England team at the moment. Unless something clicks in my head I'm getting to a stage of apathy where I couldn't give a shit if they win or loose.

Paul Scholes needs to be brought out of International retirement he is ace this season

I think Campbell should be in the squad

Yes that Darren Campbell was good on "The Match"

Quite pacy IIRC

 :nod:

Wankers the lot of them. (With the possible exception of Joey Barton)

Phil Neville (Everton), Downing (Midd'boro), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Dyer (Newcastle)

There's 4 people to be cut immediately - There's much better options, some in the Under-21's.

Should'nt you be supporting Israel or some far-flung caribbean island side instead then Ben?

 :mrgreen:

4 Strikers in the squad. How incredibly dull.

I also don't understand why Terry is in the squad if he hasnt been playing, especially as this is only a friendly. Same goes for Hargreaves.

Jenas should never get near an England squad, same goes for SWP.

I think Terry asked to join up with the sqaud.  It makes sense, if you want to develop a team spirit it maeks sense to get all the players together.  Hargreaves is a bit more odd, it's a bit of a jaunt for him to not play - but I guess some training will do him good.  I just hope new players are given a chance to play alongside regulars - ie Gerrard and Barton together- because there's no use putting 5 or 6 inexperiences players in the team as second half subs.

Team for tommorow:

Foster (Watford);

Gary Neville (Man Utd), Phil Neville (Everton), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Woodgate (Middlesbrough);

Gerrard (Liverpool, capt), Carrick (Man Utd), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), Dyer (Newcastle);

 Crouch (Liverpool).

Why is SWP playing, and phillip neville. grrrrrrrrrrrr

Dyer ??????

WTF ?

SWPs inclusion for me is wrong, the 'reason' Beckham was dropped is because he wasn't playing regularly, SWP has hardly been a regular this season for Chelski has he? unless you count the Carling cup!

Dyer has been playing very well of late IMHO, whether he merits a start is another thing?  It looks like a classic example of McClaren trying to be 'du jour' and trying the much vaunted 'Chelse formation'

It looks to me a classic example of mclaren being an incompetent tit-head, too easy to bow down to media pressure.

BRING  BACK BUCK$ I Mean Becks!

Nah

He's shit in his own nest now as far as I am concerned.

Fuck all those crocodile tears. If he was serious about reclaiming his place then he would not be sunning it up on Venice Fucking Beach !

But if Mclaren hadn't followed all the media hype, and not tried to make himself seem to be the big man, he wouldn't of dropped beckham. If this was the case he may well still be a regular for Madrid, and probably wouldnt have signed stateside. I blame Mclaren.

Mclaran admittedly forced the issue

Beckham could have come back to England though, right under McLarens nose so to speak and put in the performances to be noticed.

Its not like he needs the fucking money !!!!  (that was my point Dave)

Fair enough. I just wanted to rant about Mclaren. :evil:

That team makes no sense at all!

Should be:

Foster

Richards  Ferdinand  Dawson  Bridge

Lennon  Carrick  Gerrard  Barry

Rooney  Crouch

Then second half:

Foster

Richards  Terry  Dawson  Bridge

SWP  Barton  Lampard  Downing

Rooney  Johnson

It looks like Mcclaren will play 4-3-3 tomorrow with SWP and Dyer either side of Crouch.

Bridge is injured
Lennon is injured
Rooney is injured

Johnson is injured, Barry at LB for me, even though it's not his best position the alternative is Phil neville, which IMHO is not an alternative.

can i ask why is Phil Neville in the squad and why is starting ahead of Gareth Barry.

because he is a decent player....although he's never been a left back

I think Phil Neville has improved greatly/or proved that he is a decent footballer since leaving Manchester United.

I wasn't a fan of him at Old Trafford but has certainly been consistant during his time at Everton - you've got to give him that. Whether he's the future of England however is a completely different matter!

The first eleven is okay - we need to give these players a go. I would've liked to see Gareth Barry start though.

I don't understand the fuss, the honest truth is I forgot tomorrows game was on, I don't care about a meaningless friendly against some no-mark Spaniards and I won't watch it.

The team in our next competitive game will go back to, and serve up the same old crap, as usual.

i really want joey barton to play.

the guys an absolute gun and will pour his heart and soul out in an england shirt unlike far frank

the only guys of recent years that have passion playing for england are (by position) neville, beckham, hargreaves, gerrard, rooney and owen. now we have barton, get him in there

Oh God nnnnnoooo,this is tonight isn't it? How dull :sleep:

Firendlies are dull and boring. I would never pay to go to a friendly.

Barry should be left back
SWP shouldn't play
Barton should get at least 45
Carson > Foster

Thats such a shie England team

I'll be watching, although its mainly just an excuse to go to the pub mid week.

that is the least exciting england line up for fucking ages.

dyer is and never really has offered enough to warrant an england place but somehow always gets a look in.

aaron lennon, the man that pretty much forced beckham out of the england fold is on the bench and frank lampard perhaps the most over rated player since patrick kluivert is playing on the left (oh joy) but it's alright because peter crouch is playing upfront, at home, on his tod.

Phil fucking neville at left back for christ's sake. i'm pretty sure that he wouldnt play if cole or bridge were available but surely we've moved on from him by now?

 admittedly i havent seen enough of woodgate to say whether or not he's been in good enough form to start, but i have seen alot of dawson (what with spurs being on the TV every single week) and he seems like perfect friendly fodder; could really do with the experience because his potential/ability is frightening.

Gerrard and Carrick in the middle, oooh how exciting  :boring:

and DB is right, carson is much better than foster.

Barton should definitely be given a game now he's finally been called up, even if it is only for 45 mins. Not sure if we'll end up playing 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 but either way it will leave an isolated striker, one that we don't have the capability of playing in that role. Quite looking forward to it as I think Mcclaren has something to prove and can't just piss around after the stick he's got.

I wanted to put forward a case for Dawson, but due to my slight Spurs fondness thought it'd be ignored as unimpartial...

Dawson, to me anyway.....seems like Ifil.

Depends who he is playing with. When he's played with King he's looked a very good player but the other week when he was playing with Callum Davenport he didnt look up to much.

Lots of potential though....last player to be called into an England squad whilst having never played a Premiership game? Didnt Sven call him up once a few years back while he was still at Forest.

I'm not sure.

I don't think Dawson needs anyone to help him out, i just think Davenport and Gardner are so shit it makes him look bad.

nah it was walcott surely?

ooh your right....but he was at a Premiership club at least...

I was going to say last non-premiership player to be called up for England....but Robert Green played whilst with Norwich and possibly Andy Johnson while at Palace to...

So what I really should of said was the last non-premiership player who hadnt played in the Premiership before to be called up for England  :?

gazza.

Wasnt the premiership back then. but the only one in the last 20 odd years that i can remember was Steve Bull when he was at wolves.

gazza had been at spurs before the prem- was then at rangers, got called up for the euro 96 squad the summer he signed for boro without ever playing in the prem