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Listening to 5 live last night, they had a pick your best all time XI debate, based on picks from listeners.  It was quite interesting.

This was thelistener's pick...

Banks

G Neville
Ferdinand
Moore
A Cole

Beckham
Gascoigne
Charlton
 
Shearer
Lineker
Greaves

Tis of course just picking favourites not a team as such.

I'd want Sol Cambell in my side, he was immense as a player... so perhaps 3 at the back.  That would then free up a slot for wing backs, neither of whom would be GN or Cashley.   Beckham would be nowhere near, fair enough he tried hard and had a good deadball delivery but nowhere near as good as say Scholes.

Gazza and Sir Bobby are in.   That front 3 would be ridiculous but what great goalscorers...... I did like the fact that even though he's ancient history Jimmy Greaves was first pick... difficult to convey how good he was.  Michael Owen would have a decent case as well.

Not sure I agree with Ferdinand. A good player, yes, but I don't think he was ever really 'world class'.

There are a lot of midfielders to choose from. David Platt has to be in with a shout of making the best XI. He didn't score a lot, but Ray Wilkins too.

Striking options again are plentiful. Rooney has to be in consideration.

No Harry Fleming???

Off to this tonight with some workmates. Should be a good crack.

Gary Neville? nah

No McMahon?

Rio was very good, but has the missed drug test on his rap sheet.... Platt, Wilkins, Brian Robson, Hoddle.  Dear old Ray, was one of those like Martin Peters 10 years ahead of his time,  nicknamed the Crab as it was all about keeping possession for him, rather than the favoured English style of "getting it forward"

Rooney is an odd one, he came o the scene as a kid and looked a world beater, is leading scorer, but never really did anything much when it mattered most. Always seemed to be around when one of those truly terrible performances happened like Iceland.

Team is nothing without David Nugent, Michael Ricketts or Barry Venison

Steve was part of the 90 squad, but got injured so Platt came in.

McMahon got a few mentions on Tuesday, with the Wellens sending off showing him out on the pitch.  Both Mildy and Wellens thought him OK if a little old skool.  The thought crossed my mind that if Costanza had used his technique on McMahon, he'd have probably ended up in GWH.

Plenty of scope for a worst ever XI. I reckon though should be a criteria of say 20 caps.

Subs (GK + 5)

Seaman, Pallister, Robson, Hoddle, Rooney, Owen

Really difficult to relate to players before my time.

Bryan, it's Bryan

Heskey

Fair enough. Will try and remember.

Good idea. Restricting to this century (sure you remember some properly dreadful ones to add) and dropping the criteria to 10 caps for my amusement and because 20+ is actually quite hard.

Rob Green (12)

Kieran Gibbs (10)
Danny Mills (19)
Micah Richards (13)
Phil Jones (27)

Andros Townsend (13)
Aaron Lennon (21)
Jermaine Jenas (21)
Tom Cleverley (13)

Alan Smith - Leeds/Man Utd edition (19)
Darius Vassell (22)


Not so much bad as deeply, deeply average but still.

Carlton Palmer must make the all time worst XI - couldn’t pass to a white shirt (unless England had changed to red)!

All down to personal opinion and you could pick multiple starting 11s quite easily. Rio was a fantastic defender and most definitely world class to me and one of the most decorated english defenders going.

Surely one from Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard has to make the midfield? Can't really discount someone like Teddy Sheringham as he was key to a chunk of Shearer's goals. Back to Midfield and a player who seemed to have an abundance of pace, flair, a fair amount of assists and could pop up with a goal or two from out wide - Steve McManaman (?)

Defensively we've had some great CBs too. John Terry (his copy book is blotted by the Wayne Bridge saga), Tony Adams and already mentioned - Big Sol Campbell.

There really are too many to pick and then association to your closest or most memorable decade clouds judgement a little. It would be better to pick a "Best XI" for each decade instead. Much because the game has changed as well as the culture surrounding professional football (sport) on the whole.

Sheringham, fuck off.

Yes I was going to say, I know he's a cunt but as a second striker, I'd say his goals and assists were integral to his partnership with Alan Shearer. In fact Shearer hadn't scored for England for about a year leading up to Euro '96. I remember several people groaning at his selection at the time. Yet they delivered in that tournament (something like 8 between them I think) and in International games to follow. You could say Sheringham helped Shearer kick on.

I'll never forget "that" win v Holland.

It is all about opinions though.

😊😊 you know he’s better than Owen, Rob

If you’re going for the best team rather than best 11 individuals and you're going for Shearer as #9 then you undoubtedly go for Sheringham as #10.

Hardly anyone would argue with Scholes being better than Beckham, but they're not really comparable players. One very much an offensive central midfielder and the other played almost every moment on the right wing.

Also I think Beckham deserves more credit than that. The match that best highlights this is when he grabbed the Greece game by the balls and single-handedly qualified us for the World Cup. Ridiculous, last minute, match-winning free-kick aside, he was everywhere on that pitch in the second half - literally winning the ball at left-back and then pressing the opposition full back a few moments later. The other England players looked nervous and a bit hopeless, but along with a couple of other stand-outs, I'd struggle to remember ever seeing a better individual performance, particularly such an effective and important one.

For me, the odd good game isn't enough, and he was good v Greeks. 

Alan Ball for example was a much more effective wide man than Beckham, and his WC sending off was in a qualifier, not for a girlie little prod at Simeone, but a proper Dave Mackay on Bremner type thing.

Ball, never really gets the praise he deserves as a player, prob because he moved between clubs a lot, and wasn't very good as a manager.

                                   Banks

Alexander-Arnold    Moore    Ferdinand    Pearce

                                  Robson

           Hoddle             Gascoigne       Barnes

                          Shearer         Rooney

Bench: Pickford, Terry, Gerrard, Scholes, Lineker

My recollection of England in the early 2000's is that for a year or so Beckham carried the team on his shoulders and we would have been nothing without him. One of the all time greats IMO.

Alexander Arnold has eight caps, and only played a full game in half of those. He's going to be a strong contender by the end (or frankly middle) of his career, but you're jumping the gun there. If you really can't bring yourself to pick Gary Neville, then Kyle Walker and even Trippier has done more for England right now.

Yep.

From my time watching England to 92 onwards

Seaman

Neville
Ferdinand
Campbell
A.Cole

Beckham
Platt
Scholes
J.Cole

Shearer
Owen

My favourite 11 England players from over the years (not a functioning team as such - I can't think of a right back who has sufficiently impressed me to be included)

Shilton

Moore
Walker (Des)
Sansom

Beckham
Hoddle
Gascoigne
Brooking

Keegan (my all time favourite England player)
Sheringam (yes Rob T, you read that correctly)
Lineker

Banks

Cohen
Charlton (J)
Moore
Wilson

Charlton (B)
Stiles
Ball
Peters

Hurst
Hunt