English Football Thread! 2006-2007 Season

[Psychotic]

I've thought about Villa, and Fernando Torres, signing for us, and while it's an attractive (and expensive) prospect, there's a niggling doubt that they couldn't hack it in the fast-paced, physical Premiership. I agree about Kuyt, he needs to get sharper, but I think his performances have earned him a place in the squad until the end of next season, at least.

Another good thing about selling Crouchie is that I bet the likes of Newcastle would pay £12m for him. Although I will say that if he starts working on his neck muscles, so that he can actually put some power into his headers, I would not want to sell him.

Momo? I think I've praised the lad in every other post I've made in this thread. I think he's fantastic and can't get enough of him. The only doubt about him is his technical ability, but he's still young and that'll improve with time. There's also his habit of getting booked, but if memory serves, he's very good at managing to stay on the pitch, and has only managed to pick up a second yellow once (I do believe it was against Sunderland away, last season, where we won 1-0 thanks to a Xabi free kick. Ah, sweet football encyclopedia of my brain, you never let me down) so I don't think it's too much of a problem.

[charliepanayi]

Blimey England seem content to bore the hell out of everyone at the moment - they're making it tough for themselves though I think with them saving all the home games until the end, they should still make it through. But please can they at least be less sleep-inducing at this rate!

[Psychotic]

no more lampard plzkthx steve mcclaren

[Cuchulainn]

WE BEAT WALES

3 wins in a row now (please don't mention that 2 were against San Marino including a lucky 2-1 I am enjoying my bubble)

It seems the only squad from the British Isles doing good is Northern Ireland, the team my Protestant brothers support.

How Healy isn't in the Prtemiership, I'll never know.


PS: England were Dull and uninventive. It's near time everyone stops blaming coaches & realise the national team is 2nd best now to Club football. Players are afraid of getting injured. International football is dying a death. Has been since the 90s.

[Loony BoB]

Fact: In the past year, I have fallen asleep while watching over half the England games I've 'watched'.

[charliepanayi]

Surely Scotland are probably doing the best at the moment out of the British teams, considering they're in a group with both World Cup final teams, as well as Ukraine.

[Rocket Edge]

no more lampard plzkthx steve mcclaren

Lampard is the most over-rated player England & Chelsea have.

[Loony BoB]

no more steve mclaren plzkthx fa

[Doc Sark]

I didn't actually think Lampard was that bad against Israel. Don't get me wrong though, I'm the first to slate him normally, but he was the only likely goal threat we had. He just needed to hit the target. At least he attempts on goal which is more than can be said for most. Having said that, I still think he should be dropped.

Johnson was useless...again. Further proof that second rate strikers don't cut it at international level. The forward line looked a cut above completely impotent after Jermaine came on but seriously, we had two Everton players on pitch, what chance did we have?

Bite me, McLaren. You're useless.

[Loony BoB]

Just noticed I put the wrong name into my last post. That's what I get for copy/pasting the 'template'.

[charliepanayi]

The FA and the media are reaping what they've sowed with McLaren - the former screwed up when it was trying to find a manager in the first place and the media did its whole 'it has to be an English manager!' whining (and if anyone here thinks Sam Allarduce would make a great England manager, I will personally hire someone to shake the sense back into you) and they've been rewarded with medicority.
Also when you remember the way everyone crowed after McLaren's first game with that 4-0 win over Greece (Gary Lineker sneering 'missing you already Sven' on the BBC whilst Ian Wright cackled in the background), this whole business is even more funny to look at now.

[Cz]

I don't entirely blame McClaren for England's poor form as of late. It's not his fault he's hopelessly underqualified for the job, after all. The fact is that he shouldn't have been picked in the first place, and that's the fault of the media (for scaring off Scolari) and the FA (for caving in to pressure and appointing an English manager, when he clearly wasn't up to the task). Oh, and it doesn't help that we suck, either.

The last time England put in a decent performance against meaningful opposi<b></b>tion was our friendly against Argentina before the World Cup. We didn't play so much as ten minutes of good football in the tournament itself, and fully deserved to be knocked out. From what we've seen since, we don't deserve to qualify for the European Championships, either. Part of this is the fault of the managers' unadventurous tactics, sure. But if people continue to ignore the fact that supposedly key players like Rooney and Lampard just haven't been doing their job, then results are never going to improve. If there's one thing that could be said for David Beckham, it's that he could usually be relied upon to deliver a set-piece once or twice a game that gave us a certain goal-scoring oppurtunity. It was the reason he was in the team. Now, what's the point in playing Lampard, if he's not going to create chances or score 25-yard screamers like he does for Chelsea? Why play Rooney if he's not going to consistently score?

[Doc Sark]

I don't think Rooney is there to be a consistent scorer, he's not a natural centre forward. We miss Owen, he is a consistent scorer and love him or hate him, it can't be denied.

I don't entirely blame McClaren for England's poor form as of late. It's not his fault he's hopelessly underqualified for the job, after all.

It would be interesting to know whether he is the most underqualified England coach in recent years. If your success is measured by the trophies you've won, as a coach McLaren has just one Carling Cup to his name. Also he's only had one club, where he managed to spend a load of money and actually make 'Boro worse, which is no mean feat! Should have been Hiddink.

(and if anyone here thinks Sam Allarduce would make a great England manager, I will personally hire someone to shake the sense back into you)

Shake my hand. I'm yet to hear one convincing argument that supports a coach like Allardyce getting the England job ahead of a more talented foreign coach. He's yet to win a major domestic trophy or develop a style of football that would work on an International stage with a supposed footballing superpower.

I say experiment against Andorra, because we will beat them, that is almost certain. There I said it

I would play a 4-3-3 given our lack of strikers. With Rooney and Lennon playing off Defoe. Rooney does it at club level and Lennon has the ability to adapt. Lamps and Gerrard in the middle. If Frank can't get it right in the same formation he plays at club level, against Andorra, he should be dropped. Hargreaves could then sit in front of the back four that should not have JC playing left back...ffs McLaren...No Phil Neville either, eradicate the Everton presence! Either Barry and Carra (right back isn't so bad for him) or Micah and Barry. The lack of a left footer against Israel was blatant causing us to play a narrow, constricted and ultimately fruitless game.

That's my twopence worth anyway.

[Psychotic]

Why not Ashley Cole at LB? He's availiable for the Andorra game.

[Cz]

No Lampard tonight. That's great news, since McClaren wasn't going to drop him no matter how bad he played. At least now he'll be forced to try something new.