Thetownend.com

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/7304322.stm

Glad Becks is back in, has worked hard to maintain his fitness despite not playing much.

Slightly surprised at Walcott however be good to see what he can do.

I actually thought Robinson had done well for Spurs recently and thought he may have got 3rd pick instead of Kirkland.

still no Rob Green  :shock:

Surprised Sol Campbell isnt in there and will England ever give Andy Johnson a chance to actually play upfront

After West Ham losing 4 nil 3 games on the bounce I don't think that went in RG's favour whether it was him at fault or not.

I don't think Capello generally rates him.  he can't do to pick Kirkland ahead.

I don't think Beckham has done anything to warrant a 100th cap!

He hasn't played top level football since he left Madrid last summer, almost a year ago now!

I'd far rather see David Bentley follow on his impressive showing from last time out.

maybe, but then Scott Carson had a bloody howler against Portsmouth the other day

Becks is one of the few players that would play for England for free and for the love of his country.

I think an 100th cap in a friendly is the least he deserves for his services to the team.

Let him come on in the 90th minute if it means that much to him  :wink:

....and I bet after all that. He's the still the most technically gifted and best player in the squad.

Surely getting picked 99 times was his reward? He should still have to earn his 100th.

I think they should only get caps for competitive games anyway.

When I am king...

Beckham turned his back on being a genuine England player when he went to the states to Mickey Mouse football just for the $$$ in my opinion - fuck him.

Kirkland, when fit, is the best English keeper by a mile.

You should only get caps for playing against the home nations.

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Perfect time to blood players like Walcott / Agbonlahor / Wheater; two and a half years (hopefully) until the next tournament and six months (ish) until we start qualifying for it. Theo's been mighty impressive lately, although i do wish Wenger would play him more often.

I'm really not convinced Beckham will be anywhere near the squad in 2 years time, but if they're going to draw a line under his England career by giving him his 100th cap, then so be it.

Kirkland is a superb keeper. Deservedly recognised by being put in the squad.

Beckham still wouldn't be in my squad. He is of no use to our build up to the WC, so as such shouldn't be picked

There is a place for senior players in every squad . If Beckhams presence gives Bentley a incentive to reproduce the way he played last month then fair play for picking him . A lot of youngsters in that squad probably respect Beckham and I see no reason why he cant be selected .

Capello is not a fool and will not pick on sentiment so I will trust his judgement .

Steve Harper is a better keeper than Scott Carson by a mile

Steve Harper is apparently paid more than Given (as in his basic salary is higher). If he'd become a first choice regularly he could have been a top quality keeper

To be honest I think James is the best English keeper at the moment. He's  done very well for Portsmouth and people should recognise that rather than remember poor performances from a  few seasons ago.



Let's hope not. Andy Johnson is no way near good enough to even be in the squad, glad to see Capello has realised this.

I think the team should be:

James, Cole, Terry, Ferdinand, Brown, Cole, Gerrard, Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Rooney, Crouch

I would rather not have Brown playing but he will have to do for now. Wright-Phillips and Rooney on the wings, Crouch up front - this looked very promising at the end of the Switzerland game. Lampard has scored 6 goals already in March and deserves to play and who knows, maybe Capello can get him to work better with Gerrard.

I knew Crouch would be in your line up BWB  :D

Cue another thread of 8 pages debating it with DV  :soapy tit wank:

Thing is BWB, picking people like Crouch on former glories, despite the fact he can't get in his club side and therefore has had no match play for months, simply doesn't work.

If someone's not playing for their club they shouldn't get into an international eleven unless you've got a mega injury crisis or the player in question has particuarly outstanding attributes well suited to the oppostion. Crouch, SWP etc have niether form nor match fitness because they are not playing football.

David Beckham in the squad :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:  What a bloody circus

Although it is not as bad as our squad - Robert Huth is in it, and he is never good enough for international football. Nice bloke though

Peter Crouch has scored a massive two league goals this season, fantastic....

Johnson has scored 6 league goals (which still isnt alot)

Thing is, its a pointless friendly....so why not given Johnson a chance upfront....I dont see what harm it can do....

Having said, the inform striker at the moment is Jermain Defoe

There's no way Crouch has lost match fitness since his last game one and a half weeks ago Dave and I'll think you'll find Wright-Phillips played 90 minutes for Chelsea last weekend. They are definitely both match fit.

Also DV, Crouch has scored 8 goals this season in all competitions. It makes no sense to only consider premiership goals when it's not a premiership game.

Match fit and good enough are two different things.

Yes but they are also both good enough. A very similar England team looked good last month. I don't think the team Capello chooses will be too different from mine.

Andy Johnson has got 10 in all competitions, whats your point?

Stop going on they are both shit and not international strikers . Defoe,rooney and James beattie are the best 3 options

Andy Johnson has never had a chance at international level despite having a pretty decent goal tally for the last 3 seasons.

Its a friendly, so the whole point is to try new players.

I agree with BWB in the fact that the team will look very similiar to one he has picked but....personally I'd try some new players out....

Sometimes you can tell in training if they can cut it . I imagine pearce has made capello fully aware of johnsons ability

James Beattie?! Fuck me, that horse bolted a long time ago, the guy's a big lump playing in a poor Championship team.

I reckon Owen is still a good enough goalscorer if he's right. Otherwise I'd like to see us play Rooney up top with Abongwhatsit and Joe Cole off him, like Cole plays for Chelsea.

Why would Pearce know about AJ? Capello must see more of him than Stuart Pearce.

The guy's 27 or 28, it's not like he's training with the U21's under Pearce's watchful eye is it?

The point was it's not just premiership goals that matter, let's not forget Johnson's got 0 England goals in 8 games, Crouch has 14 in 25, this is what matters most.

Oh dear. Beattie is even worse than Johnson. You think Crouch isn't an international striker despite scoring 14 international goals in 2 years but a very average Championship player is?

It being a pointless friendly is why I'd like to see a bit more of the formation we finished with against Switzerland. I was there and it looked good. Maybe over a full 90 minutes it wouldn't work but we should at least try it a bit more so that it's an option for the late stages.

Ok some serious Knobheads took my beattie comment seriously i see .Dmr i have a strong feeling Pearce will know alot more than capello when it comes to johson .

Everyone keeps on about him how comes the last 3 international managers have all overlooked Him and also he is not even first choice striker for everton

It's really difficult to understand what you're writing when you're barely literate Don and I can fully believe the Beattie comment was serious given some of the other retarded stuff you've written.

So what part of Johnson has been overlooked by every england manager to date do you not understand . What part of he is not Evertons first choice striker do you not understand ?

I suggest you become a liitle bit more involved in more conversations and stop just popping on every now and again to suck Crouchs cock you fucking moron .

Totally agree. and I believe BECKs is still the most influencial player England has even if he is a shadow of his old self.

Who has Crouch scored against at International Level?  He'd be more effective if he could a) outjump and head the ball against anyone over 6ft, which he should be able to do, and b) stop hugging defenders when he does challenge in the air.

I still maintain that having him in an England team just goes to show the standard of player we have in this country.

Lampard should be put out to pasture at international level.  I can't fault the man's record for club but it is clear he can't work with Gerrard and out of the two Gerrard has that little bit more.  It's got to be time to develop someone else in the 2nd midfielder role, and not Barry (a useful player to have in the squad, but again a worry if he's the best we have).

This was the hardest bit to understand:

Use some punctuation ffs.

It is very ironic for you to call me a moron when my IQ's probably more than 50% higher than yours.

Most of the teams he's played against, Croatia, Macedonia, Greece, Uruguay, Austria. Croatia are ranked as one of the best teams in the world and the toughest team England have faced competitively recently and Greece are 10th in the fifa rankings so clearly he doesn't just score against weak teams.

Indeed, it's a shame that despite this high standard McClaren still couldn't manage to get us to qualify.

 :D

No idea who this is aimed at, but that is hilarious.

Very good.

Becks again?  :-))(  There is a future you know. Sadly this man is not part of it.

Defoe and Rooney would be a good front 2 pairing.

Crouch has his place - as a squad player. Should start on the bench imo.

It was aimed at Don Rogers Shop and I'd put money on it. I know what my IQ is so I can afford to be confident.

What does IQ have to do with judging how good a football player is?

Not much but it has everything to do with being a moron, which is what he called me.

It's reassuring to know you don't have the mental age of someone between the age of 8 and 12 years old.

Not really the simple fact that you have to result to the my dad is bigger than yours act is evidence enough for me that you are in fact a moron.

Next time you are in the County Ground you bring your IQ see what good that does you .

By the way if you want puctuation i suggest you fuck off to poets corner you twat.

oooooohh get him, hard man or what

 Was not meant that way at all i was merely pointing out that his IQ has fuck all to do with judging players abilities hence the reason it says County Ground not county ground hotel .

i was only messing mate, Crouch and Johnson both shite anyway and my IQ is very low

We'd noticed on all accounts  :D  :wink:

cheers pal

I'm 100% with that sentiment

Yeah-let's pick Alan Shearer for the same reason

Anyway what had Beckham actually done for us since 2002? Not a lot.

you of course realise that Alan Shearer would still do the business infront of goal more so that Owen, Rooney, Defoe, Johnson, BWB, Si Pie and Crouch!!

who has done much for us since 2002?

hmmm he did play for footballing minnows Real Madrid for a bit, won a few medals. Nothing to shout about...

I think Joe Hart and Robert Green should both be in the squad, failing that id go for James from that squad. I went to the Switzerland and have watched Wes Brown a lot lately and I have to pay he has been total pants.

Glen Johnson has been awesome lately as his performance vs man u in the cup showed.....granted he's not in Neville and Richards class but he will do above the likes of Brown. Jermaine Defoe has to be in the team, simply on merit.

I'd go with

James

Johnson
Terry
Ferdinand
A.Cole

Wright-Phillips
Hargreaves
Gerrard
J. Cole

Rooney
Defoe.

however in reality he will probably go with another dogey 4-1-4-1 formation despite it not being great last time and going with 4-4-2 throughout most of his management career.

My dad is bigger than your Dad, he's got 8 cars and a house in Ireland.

 I'm not resorting to anything, it was you who started chucking in unwarranted insults and you who brought intelligence into it. I already said that the IQ thing was not about judging players but about your ironic insult.

Ben Wah Balls and Don Rogers Shop you are both morons

jesus dude, you've been on the TEF long enough to know not to bite to posts like that surely? there's worse said on here every day of the week.

This thread has lowered the whole tone of the TEF.

I suggest it is transcribed, in it's entirety, on Thisis as soon as possible.

Morons.

Fuck off you cunt.

Stop picking on baldies, Ginger.

I'm with Herthab.

get fucked you yank cocksucker.

I'm with me.

:fishing:

and you think i wasn't?!!!!!

He he.

This is the kind of thread that I get to call everybody a fucking moronic cunt with a low I.Q.

Ace

i don't think. not in my psyche.......

*Edit*

Fucking wrong thread again. Must pay more attention.

Wrong thread, you silly old cunt  :soapy tit wank:

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: you're quote changed whilst you were typing. i almost did exactly the same thing  :D

My point still stands though

I'm wounded by your insulting tone Axs.


You copper-topped cunt you :D

don't put smiley faces at the end, it ruins it.

stupid twat.

I'm going to ban everybody who's posted on this thread.

Unless they have "ben" in their usernames.

Oh right. Sorry.

 :D

Great thread. Congratulations to all involved.  :D

And here's Tommy Walsh.....

:soapy tit wank:

Beat ya to it.  :wink:

good catch, you almost stitched yourself up.

It was a close call. BWB deserves some slack too. He seems to draw a lot of stick on the other football section. I quite often agree with him.

Thanks flammable. I wouldn't say I was biting, I'm not really that bothered, I just wanted to put the Mclusky lyric in because it's such a great song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCrv3ofNL8U

Yeah but i mean for England. He's unfit and plying his trade in a piss poor league. He shouldn't be in the team.

If Crouch gets a place then it must be open season though.  Every other decent nation must inwardly laugh at us when they see using him.   Sorry, he's just not good enough and the fact he gets a sniff of an England place (much like Carlton Palmer & Steve Bull) just goes to show the gulf in quality in certain positions.  It's not new, and every so often we get a half decent looking squad, we just seem bereft of 11 international class players all the time.  Too many people who can "do a job".  To be in with a shout of winning stuff you don;t need players who can score against Macedonia or Greece, you need players who can score regularly and score the shit out of Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Holland etc.

Yeah I'm sure they're really laughing whilst he knocks a hat-trick past them. He has proved himself at the highest levels in football time and time again. I mean any similarity between Crouch and Carlton Palmer or Steve Bull is completely in your head - it's non-existent, Steve Bull spent most of his career outside of the top flight, Palmer was a completely different type of player and Crouch is in a far higher class than either of them. Crouch was second top scorer in the champions league last year Robert, that's proof enough alone that you're talking nonsense. Were those teams laughing too as Liverpool knocked them out on their root to the final? Clearly, they didnt have the last laugh. I've already ripped your weak argument about him only scoring against weak international teams to shreds. There are at least 15 weaker players than Crouch in the current England squad, why are you singling in him out? Fair enough, you obviously don't know much about England but why comment then.

Of course he is good enough, there are hundreds of international teams that would love to have him.

Technically, unless you count youths and ladies, there aren't hundreds of international teams, regardless of whether or not they'd want Crouch playing for them.  :wink:

whilst it was only in the now Championship you cant shit on Steve Bulls scoring record.

Puts Crouchs to shame and then some!

I know less subs, smaller squads meant Bull probably played more, but still.....great scoring record.....cant deny that.

I can't believe this is happening again, lock it mod's ffs!!

Just don't read it.

NO TO CENSORSHIP

Actually I think it's fun.

Actually, there are hundreds. http://www.eloratings.net/ - 229 to be exact.  :wink:

And of those 229, I imagine the 215 or so who are worse than England would all want Crouch playing for them, so Ben Wah Balls was right.

Well done Ben Wah Balls.  8)

...and I bet all the ones above us wouldnt want him & thats why they are above us  :D

On another note aside from the bitching..............Rio will be captaining England V France.

I was quite surprised to see Agbonlahor axed though, think he deserved a place in the final 23.

Very good decision in regards to Ferdinand .

Green doesn't command his box enough for my liking and we've already got a great shot stopper - but not a lot else... again, in my opnion - in James.

Equally surprised about Sol. He's loving his football again at the moment and it's showing.

The boys in the office had told me Johnson is crocked again when I asked this exact same question last week!?! If he's fit, he's got to at least be in the squad.

Dear God no. I'm not sure who i'd give it to, but i'd be hard pressed to pick Ferdinand in the first team, let alone as captain!

Ferdinand has been quality this season

Rob green is in now as is Paul Robinson.

Final Squad:

England squad:

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur), Robert Green (West Ham)

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United - capt), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton), John Terry (Chelsea), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (AstonVilla), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)

Forwards: Michael Owen (Newcastle United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

 :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

You do take it all too seriously don't you.

At no point have I suggested he's not good enough to be in the squad, just that the fact he is shows where we are in the world of football.  He's not better, internationally speaking, than the countries above us in the rankings.  It's an indctment of the Country's standard, not of Crouch.  He does what he does very well, although clearly not well enough to be a regular in Liverpools team.  Why? because the world has better players, quite a few in fact.

Is Robinson the best keeper in the world or close = no
Wes Brown = no
A Cole = no
Ferdinand = no
Terry = no
Lennon/SWP/Beckham = no
j Cole = no
Lampard = no
Gerrard = up there
Owen = on his day maybe
Rooney = could be
Crouch = no
Barry = no

etc etc

FFS, Darren Bent topped the scoring charts for English strikers for a bit only a year or so ago.  Does not mean the England team is of a decent standard.

Oh, and I was quite pro Bull getting a shot when he did.  Didn;t mean I thought we had a great team with him in it or that hes was world class.  He was just better than the other "does a good job" players at the time.

what about jermain defoe? is he injured?

Your point makes no sense, having a good player who's been very successful in the squad is just expected, it doesn't really say much about the standard of our team, except we have some very good players. He's certainly better than many players playing in teams above us in the rankings. Also 88 starts and another 38 sub appearances over the last 3 years suggests he is a regular for Liverpool.

 I would also say that Ferdinand, Terry, Joe Cole and Lampard are amongst the best in the world for their positions. The premiership is clearly the strongest league in the world at the moment (as shown by uefa's own rankings for the last 4 seasons) and they are all key players for the top two teams so you would have to say they are up there. Whether they've performed as well as they can for England is a different matter.

You should know.

What with you being a closet Utd fan :wink:

Yes that is correct although he was a cut above that day .

Vidic carries him in my opinion.Ferdinand's shit for England

I think Ferdinand carrys Vidic  :D

Well done to Becks on his 100th cap (assuming Capello plays him as stated). You can criticise him for going to MLS but he is very proud to play for England and would die for the shirt. Everything an England player should be! 100% deserves his 100th cap. Not sure I agree with capello saying he could play in the 2010 world cup though....

Fucking hell. I didn't even realise we were playing. Rubbish friendly where we give semi-retired players caps then?

And if Beckham is in the squad in the 2010 World Cup then I'll be amazed. If he came back to England or in any other top League (Italy or Spain, Germany or France at a push) then yes. There's plenty of examples of old heads in top European sides, and it's not as if Beckham ever had much pace about him.

He could still do it but he has to come out of, what is essentially, semi-retirement, chilling in LA. Does he want to try and be a Film star or make an effort at being a footballer for the next 5 years?

Terry got murked, man.

Rio Ferdinand as your captain :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

I dpn't understand the inclusion of Owen. He's done nothing this season and isn't even half the player he once was. Waste of a sqaud player in my opinion.

I don't see the animosity towards Rio personally.

If hes good enough to captain one of the best teams in the world in Manchester United then I'd say hes good enough to captain England.

Over 50 caps for England with plenty of experience.

scored in his last 3 games for starters

& still Englands best striker

well he's a damn sight better than Peter fucking Crouch  :wink:

I don't understand why Agbonlahor and Ashley Young were dropped. Ashley Young hasn't lost his form, and aren't Capellos' team selections meant to be based on form? I understand Agbonlahor hasn't scored in a while but I thought they could've forged the partnership with Rooney which he has with Nani and Ronaldo at Manure.

But Agbonlawhore isnt Nani or Ronaldo is he??

Peter Crouch is awesome

a modern Jimmy Greaves if you will

He was certainly one of the better performing players, yes. Should have started.

:Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick: