England V Austria

[DV]

but he'll definitely go to the WC.

I disagree or that is to say I hope you are wrong.

 Crouch is a useful player to have in the squad......easily good enough for international football.

 Its not like England are exactly blessed with quality alternatives.

Michael Owen
Wayne Rooney
Darius Vassell
Darren Bent
Jermain Defoe
Andy Johnson
Teddy Sheringham  
Alan Smith
Emile Heskey!!

[Reg Smeeton]

Exactly....Owen and Rooney will go.

 Of the others only Teddy is true international class....Crouch is a clever thinking player.

  He's not so good in the air as Sheringham, but he can drop off and link up play effectively, has decent touch and doesn't give the ball away cheaply.  Which is why a top calibre coach like Benitez bought him, and why he's suited to international football.

[Ben Wah Balls]

but he'll definitely go to the WC.

I disagree or that is to say I hope you are wrong.

 Crouch is a useful player to have in the squad......easily good enough for international football.

 Its not like England are exactly blessed with quality alternatives.

Michael Owen
Wayne Rooney
Darius Vassell
Darren Bent
Jermain Defoe
Andy Johnson
Teddy Sheringham  
Alan Smith
Emile Heskey!!

Vassell, Johnson, Sheringham, Heskey and fucking Alan Smith aren't even close to being up to Crouch's standard. Sheringham because he's too old, the others are just not good enough.

England's best strikers at the moment are:

Rooney
Owen
Crouch
Defoe
Bent

[Ben Wah Balls]

I like Owen but it was clear to see Crouch had a much better game and it would be harsh to drop him after that.

Unlike Swindon, I take it you actually watched the England game? If so, that remark is even more laughable.

I take it you didn't then.

[Ben Wah Balls]

I like Owen but it was clear to see Crouch had a much better game and it would be harsh to drop him after that.

Today showed that Crouch was completely out of his depth.

Minus a good through ball he didn't look like a man that would score goals or create... That clear header was the miss of the match.

If you're going to select an inexperienced striker you at least go with one who has scored this season.

No it didn't, Crouch and Lampard were the two best players. I've already highlighted all the good things Crouch did and the header was not the miss of the match, his first header Gerrard didn't put enough pace on the cross, his second header was well saved and he did well to get that on target.

There were far more than one good through ball, on a couple of occasions he put Owen through and Owen should really have finished it, Luke Young also had a great chance gifted to him by Crouch and then Lampard was set up superbly near the end. Crouch is also the man to thank for creating the penalty and that's why we won.

You will struggle to name any players who were involved in so many of England's chances, Lampard then who??

Crouch may not have scored this season but since returning from injury he has been superb, not just in the premiership but in Europe too, he has created so many of Liverpool's goals.

I find it laughable how so many people can't see through the fact he's very tall to see he's actually a very talented player and one I hope plays a big part for England in the future.

My ratings for the England team would be:

Robinson: 6 - Couple of good saves, rarely tested
Young: 6 - Better going forward
Terry: 6 - Showed some of his class but he can do much better
Campbell: 6 - Couple of good challenges but nothing special
Carragher: 5 - Struggled to make much of an impact
Beckham: 5 - Not a great game until he was unlucky to be sent off
Gerrard: 6 - Couple of good touches but no way near his best
Lampard: 7 - Superb penalty and easily the pick of England's midfield but can do better
Joe Cole: 6 - Mixed, couple of decent runs but not at his best
Owen:  6 - Won the penalty but should've done better with all the flick on's and through balls from Crouch
Crouch: 7 - England's biggest threat and involved in most of our best chances

[janaage]

I hate the over the top glory hunting England fans.  Spencer I take my hat off to you.

Has no on else had enough of the over the top media coverage??  The players who play with no passion?  The armchair twats at work who haven't been to a match for years??  But suddenly become experts overnight?  OST's prediction is spot on.

Believe me I not being anti English, far from it.  If the media and glory hunting twats shut the fuck up for a while I wouldn't mind the English national team.  In fact when I'm abroad (on hols) during tournaments (Mex 86, Euro 92, France 98, WC2002) I enjoy the experience a lot more.

I have a few Swindon supporting mates, who turn into Man Utd/Chelsea style football fans whenever Englands on.  All they do is big up England knock every other side, arrogant bastards.  They don't seem to see that that's what most Premiership fans would do to us given the chance.

Fuck the media, fuck the  Walkabout going, Henman-hill, Chelski style England fans and fuck the English national football team.

[DMR]

I like Owen but it was clear to see Crouch had a much better game and it would be harsh to drop him after that.

i'm beginning to think you're a wind up merchant

everyone- pundits, players, managers, fans- EVERYONE agreed crouch was utterly out of his depth

it is worth noting crouch didn't win the penalty ben, and furthermore, it was never a penalty anyway

[Ben Wah Balls]

I like Owen but it was clear to see Crouch had a much better game and it would be harsh to drop him after that.

i'm beginning to think you're a wind up merchant

everyone- pundits, players, managers, fans- EVERYONE agreed crouch was utterly out of his depth

it is worth noting crouch didn't win the penalty ben, and furthermore, it was never a penalty anyway

No Dave Crouch created the penalty, he played the ball through to Owen who was promptly brought down.

[DMR]

*brought down = held hands with defender

Would you also say that Crouch is to blame for Beckhams red card as he should have covered the referess eyes up?

[Ben Wah Balls]

When I say brought down I mean impeded. Dave the fact is the penalty came from a flick from Crouch. It was a 50-50 penalty but a clear shout but that is irrelevant.

[DMR]

anyway, thats not the point

to call crouch our biggest threat is a bit daft as we carried no fucking threat at all

[Ben Wah Balls]

We did carry a threat Dave because we won, it wasn't the best performance but it's all about getting the win and Crouch was not out of his depth, any pundit who said that is either looking for a scapegoat or doesn't have a clue.

This page shows everything Crouch did, as a lot of people have clearly forgotten.

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/0100news/tm_objectid=16231132%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=clockwatch%2don%2dpeter%2dcrouch-name_page.html

Note the 20-25 minute period where he puts Luke Young through on goal then puts Owen through when he should have scored then wins the ball and flicks it to Owen who wins the penalty all in the space of 3 minutes. That is why he was our main threat.

[DV]

but he'll definitely go to the WC.

I disagree or that is to say I hope you are wrong.

 Crouch is a useful player to have in the squad......easily good enough for international football.

 Its not like England are exactly blessed with quality alternatives.

Michael Owen
Wayne Rooney
Darius Vassell
Darren Bent
Jermain Defoe
Andy Johnson
Teddy Sheringham  
Alan Smith
Emile Heskey!!

Vassell, Johnson, Sheringham, Heskey and fucking Alan Smith aren't even close to being up to Crouch's standard. Sheringham because he's too old, the others are just not good enough.

England's best strikers at the moment are:

Rooney
Owen
Crouch
Defoe
Bent

Did you just say Teddy Sheringham isnt up to Peter Crouch's standard, fucking hell.

Still, now at 39 past his peak Teddy Sheringham is still 10 times the player Peter Crouch will EVER BE.

You cant even compare the two, Crouch has done exactly fuck all in his career, no matter were he has gone.

His best achievement is 16 goals for Southampton, great Andy Johnson managed 20+ which is more than 16 but he is a worse player so you say. Clearly....

Sheringham > Crouch

[adje]

How can ANYONE be confident of us doing well in the finals?We've stuttered through by far the easiest group of the so-called top European nations without actually looking impressive in any game.When we come to the finals people are saying its only Brazil we've got to woory about.Where's the evidence?We should worry about ANY team that's qualified because we are capable of struggling against any of them!

[fatbury]

Chris Sutton
Kevin Nolan

How about these two for England? :-))(