Thetownend.com

Thoughts?

Will Mr Austin get on the pitch do we reckon?

A warm up and a few jogs up the sideline will be about it !!!!

Charlie will get game time that for certain, and he deserves it scoring that many goals in a relegated team.

Putting himself in the shop window for Newcastle or Southampton, a goal may even knock up his value a little, whether we still have a clause in his contract I don't know for certain but I am pretty sure Poole Town do, so if we pay them then surely Burnley must pay us etc etc.

What times kick off please?

1pm on ITV.

Thanks

Poole don't have a clause, their chairman confirmed it when he was announced in the squad.

Ah thats a shame for them. Was sure it was mentioned by Fitton at the time, obviously not.

When Rooney doesn't play well he's an absolute horse.

Today is one of those days for him.

Ditto Sterling.

£50m FFS

What a contrast to last nights Champions League Final, it's a right load clogging donkeys running around out there!

First half..

Rooney is so overrated I just never got the hype from day one

Get Charlie on...Get Rooney off.

Fooking dreadful touch there by Rooney, when being through on goal.

What? When he scored a last minute screamer/winner against Arsenal aged 16?

What is the point of giving Austin/Vardy less than 20 minutes of game time? Surely these are the games to see what the fringe players can do.

Vardy coming on.

Why is Vardy brought on instead of Charlie?

Because they might show up the regulars, like Townsend has done more since he's been on than Sterling.

Boring game. No quality at all. Also in which universe does vardy go on ahead of Charlie. Rooney and sterling total shite

We're now so far behind the other international 'powerhouses'. I know it's only a friendly but, jack Wilshire aside, this has been so so poor.

zzzzzzzzzzzz

Seriously dull.  Its a friendly, lets make it interesting by having a look at the fringe players, maybe the player who scored a load for a really shit team, oh, no we'd better have another look at fucking shrek.

Pile of horse wank.

This

No point giving a fringe player 15/20 mins. Charlie wont get on at all.

That was L1 standard at best I have given up hope of ever seeing England compete at the top table in my lifetime the odd flirt with the quarters is all we can ever realistically expect which is pathetic for the richest FA in the world

Agree

Paul Scholes just called it a waste of an afternoon.

Has Paul Scholes always been such a miserable git or is this a "just for TV" persona?

I think that's as near as Charlie will get. Given Kane Sturbridge and berahino were absent and they still put vardy on ahead of him.

Disagree I think with his imminent move to a bigger club and the fact he'll score even more goals in the premier league Charlie will force his way back in and represent England.

He did have a point....

Agreed. He wasn't exactly life and soul pre match either though (or any of the other times I've seen him either for that matter).

Though not for Scholes given he was probably paid to watch it.

I can see why people wouldn't like the way he comes across but I find it quite refreshing that Scholes is pretty dour and says it like it is, makes a change from over eager gimps like Redknapp fawning over the Premiership.

Blimey, I didn't even know this game was on today!

Sounds like another three cheers for the Premier League.

I can't see things changing until Hodgson is gone.

He has achieved absolutely fuck all and if anything the team has moved backwards.

People say we don't have any decent up and coming managers, but Pardew and to a lesser degree Sherwood have both shown the ability to get more out of their players than the previous manager.

Would they really be that bad a choice? Not like it could get any worse.

Is Hodgson really supposed to achieve anything anyway?

Pardew ffs :Ride On Fatbury's Lovestick:

Since taking over at Palace he's averaged 1.72 pts per game, which would have got them 5th place over the whole season.

Alan Pardew is a cock but he's clearly a quality manager

Best post ever!! Pundits moaning always amuses me....hot and cold running biscuits....

Didn't Warnock do something similar the previous season? I wouldn't that prick anywhere near the England job either. If Hodgson was going it would have been done straight after the World Cup and won't be done now we're flying in qualification and have just had the audacity to draw an away game in Ireland.

Didn't know it was on, glad I didn't  8)

I know you don't know much about football DMR, but although you've got the first bit right, not so sure about the second bit.

Pardew fits into the group of pragmatic British/NI managers, who are good for keeping you in the Prem, by playing a  style of long ball, but will never win you anything....other notable members, Pulis, Allardyce.....Villa thought they had one in Lambert, who was a replacement for O'Neill, who'd finished 6th 3 seasons, but never won anything.

I guess if you're the chairman, then staying in the Prem is good enough, so a boss who does that for you is quality.

For the FA.....it's a bit similar, they like Woy because he avoids controversy and is a safe pair of hands...will get you to the tournament, which brings in money, but no more.

Austin probably improved his claim simply by not being involved in that match.

As for English managers, I'd like to see Eddie Howe given a chance. I've heard his achievements with Bournemouth are soon to be recognised by the Catholic church. Ditto Karl Robinson, who did such a fantastic job on a shoestring.

If Eddie Howe can get Bormuff playing in the Prem then he'll be ripe for a move to a bigger club....but getting a side from Div 3 to Prem, doesn't really guarantee you much, see Nigel Adkins.

Branding them all as long ball specialists is a bit unfair. Allardyce showed there's more to his game with West Ham this season, Pardew hasn't really played that way at Newcastle or Palace and Sherwood has never played it.

All of them seem to get more from their playing budgets than they should and normally a lot more than the previous managers. They also work well with what they've got player wise, rather than needing to spend a shit load of money rebuilding the team. Which seems kind of ideal for a national managers job.

Im surprised no one has mentioned Gary Monk as a possible England candidate for the managers job, he's done pretty well, and has got Swansea playing some good football, Many thought they would go downhill when they signed Bony, but he's kept them ok.

Knowing the FA, they will hire either Pardew or Alladyce after Hodgson gone. Or promote Southgate from the U21 setup :/

The key comment is style of long ball....direct football might be a better term, namely you play with a flat back 4, bunch of athletes in midfield and one or 2 up front, and look to get in plenty of crosses, either from open play or set pieces.

There's more than one way to skin a cat.....and it's how a lot of Town fans would like to se us play. Grayson is a typical lower league example.

As I said, good for a mid table Prem finish. Mourinho is clever enough to know, there are times when his sides will play this way, as they more or less did from when they lost v Spurs, and Costa got injured.