The England Squad thread

[Abertawe]

You're not, you really aren't.

Point proven, can't even beat Ireland. LOL.

 

[mistermagic]

Neither can the world champions.

 

[Abertawe]

I like Wales and enjoy watching them but England are far more functional. England get stick because they're....well.....England.
Taking Bale out would hurt the Welsh far more than removing Rooney would hurt the English. England's play all round is far more fluid than Wales who look to hit Bale pretty early and hope he can drive them up the pitch or work some magic. Wales do have a good young core though so it would be great to see them qualify.

Comes to something when the Welsh are dishing it out. Not many sides in Europe in better form at the minute - look at Spain, Germany, Holland, Italy etcs qualfying campaign and compare it to ours. People just love to stick the boot into England - sometimes its fair, when it's coming from bias Welsh fans it definitely isn't.

Europes elite are all struggling this time around, England are quietly negotiating their way to the finals and still people want to have a pop. England would dick all over Wales if they played, as they normally do.

I was at Wales vs Bosnia and I think it's fair to say that they are pretty one dimensional, almost all their play went through Bale (Ramsey was injured to be fair) and they have a big problem in the range of quality of their team (players like Bale, Ramsey and Williams playing with Simon Church and Robson Kanu). Only 2 or 3 of Wales's starting XI would get in the England team, and then the rest wouldn't even get close.

You sure boys?

 

[Mustard]

You sure boys?

Well Bale scoring your goal kind if proves my point. Despite you, I am pleased for Wales.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Great stuff for Wales, qualifying for an actual tournament (most likely). High point of their history tonight?

 

[JimJams]

You sure boys?

I don't really get how the quotes you used work in the context of your post. They said Wales are one dimensional and rely on Bale to get you goals while the squad has vast ranges in player quality. The game was won thanks to a Bale goal with the likes of Robson-Kanu fucking up a relatively simple chance to increase the lead not long after the opener and Williams (and Wales) lucky that the ref didn't give a penalty for a foul on Hazard. So if anything those posts you quoted are only backed up by last nights games.

 

[Abertawe]

I don't really get how the quotes you used work in the context of your post. They said Wales are one dimensional and rely on Bale to get you goals while the squad has vast ranges in player quality. The game was won thanks to a Bale goal with the likes of Robson-Kanu fucking up a relatively simple chance to increase the lead not long after the opener and Williams (and Wales) lucky that the ref didn't give a penalty for a foul on Hazard. So if anything those posts you quoted are only backed up by last nights games.

One dimensional teams don't school the 2nd best side on earth. It all stemmed from me saying Wales would beat England, which going off the rankings is pretty factual now. Wales is the #1 nation in the UK.

 

[Krazy8]

One dimensional teams don't school the 2nd best side on earth. It all stemmed from me saying Wales would beat England, which going off the rankings is pretty factual now. Wales is the #1 nation in the UK.

Sorry to burst your bubble but you'll only move above us if we don't win tomorrow (which may happen), but seeing as we're dealing in facts.

Find all this Wales>England shit quite laughable really. It'll be the first time they've qualified since 1958 won't it? This is as dour an England side as I've seen yet the're waltzing through their group and will qualify for the 8th time out of the 9 campaigns I've seen.

Hearing the fans of other sides getting off at seeing their team do something your own side regards as a formality, then claiming they're better is quite amusing.

You're a bit like Bristol Rovers fans thinking they're the dogs bollocks for getting promoted out of non-league.

 

[GodsGift]

Wales have just beaten the second best side in the world yet all their fans can do is talk about England.

Inferiority complex.

 

[Abertawe]

Sorry to burst your bubble but you'll only move above us if we don't win tomorrow (which may happen), but seeing as we're dealing in facts.

Find all this Wales>England shit quite laughable really. It'll be the first time they've qualified since 1958 won't it? This is as dour an England side as I've seen yet the're waltzing through their group and will qualify for the 8th time out of the 9 campaigns I've seen.

Hearing the fans of other sides getting off at seeing their team do something your own side regards as a formality, then claiming they're better is quite amusing.

You're a bit like Bristol Rovers fans thinking they're the dogs bollocks for getting promoted out of non-league.

Nah. We're above you. Where the hell is Warminster? Sounds pretty shitty.

 

[Mustard]

The fact that Belgium are 2nd and Romania are 5 place above Chile says it all about the world rankings.

 

[Krazy8]

Nah. We're above you. Where the hell is Warminster? Sounds pretty shitty.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wales-1-0-belgium-chris-colemans-9447222
This says differently

 

[Jockney]

Ramsey in the England side

*carresses penis*

two players who are better than anything we've got at the moment. would still rather have our squad, though.

not that i think it's a good idea now, but i wonder how the idea of a gb team would have been received in the early part of the 20th century. the country would defo be a powerhouse on the football stage, especially when you think back to the scotland side of the 70s and various other non-english players who would definitely have complemented the quality we already had (charles, best, giggs, rush, hughes, etc)

 

[Madejski]

Nah. We're above you. Where the hell is Warminster? Sounds pretty shitty.

If we beat Slovenia tomorrow than we move above you again...

Not that the rankings suggest anything. In its next update it will say that England and Wales are better than Spain, Italy and France. Even better than all of us, and the second best football nation in Europe is Romania.

 

[Whitechapel]

Hodgson saying we'll try new players out when we qualify. Surely a good idea is get a starting 11 we can stick with, so they can gel as a team. Giving players that aren't up to scratch and will never be England quality is pointless, for example Mason.

 

[silkyman]

How do you know if they are England quality without them having a chance?

 

[Whitechapel]

How do you know if they are England quality without them having a chance?

They play in the premier league, you can see if they're good enough on a weekly basis.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

We haven't exactly got dozens of equally talented youngsters coming and banging on the door for senior squad appearances, who we need to try out and sort through. It's pretty obvious to what the core of our squad is going to be for the foreseeable future, so we may as well stick with some consistency and thus squeeze the most out of them - especially at the back!

For example Stones and Cahill are realistically going to be our best two centre backs for the coming few years, Smalling and Jones with the best will in the world are not the answer, but yes they are more experienced and more a known quantity than Stones (and Clyne) currently. Stones and Cahill hardly play together. They should be starting every game injury permitting. And if Clyne is going to be the clearest choice at RB in future then again he needs to be playing as often as possible.

 

[CFC91]

You sure boys?

Yep- cracking result though. See you in France.

 

[CFC91]

I'd also love Bale and Ramsey in the England side. After that i'm struggling..

 

[Abertawe]

How about William? An absolute Vauxhall Cavalier of a defender.

 

[JimJams]

Williams and Allen would have both had caps, but probably wouldn't have got a continued run.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

We have enough average defenders and midfielders who don't get beyond the half way line as it is.

 

[Abertawe]

We have enough average defenders and midfielders who don't get beyond the half way line as it is.

Nah gotta be serious here, Ash is supreme. Solid defensively with a nasty streak, he's been our defensive playmaker for years. He can play the ball in tight spaces or deliver defence splitting 40 yard diagonal balls. When playing against more tempo minded S American/European nations in the energy sapping heat he'd have come into his own. The world cup in Brazil for instance would've suited him down to the ground.

 

[merseyboyred]

Joe Allen would be a better deeper option in England's midfield v better teams than Wilshere.

 

[smat]

Nah gotta be serious here, Ash is supreme. Solid defensively with a nasty streak, he's been our defensive playmaker for years. He can play the ball in tight spaces or deliver defence splitting 40 yard diagonal balls. When playing against more tempo minded S American/European nations in the energy sapping heat he'd have come into his own. The world cup in Brazil for instance would've suited him down to the ground.

Good player. A real English lion.

 

[thespus]

Joe Allen would be a better deeper option in England's midfield v better teams than Wilshere.

I agree. Wilshere is England's most talented midfielder and should be played further forward. Jack Cork should get a run out before (hypothetical) Allen, though.

Hart
Clyne - Smalling - Cahill - Baines
Henderson - Carrick/Cork - Wilshere
Sterling - Rooney
Sturridge

Decent side that. Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kane, Welbeck, and Lallana offer a variety of skill-sets from the bench. Kane, Walcott, and Oxlade-Chamberlain could replace that front trio depending on form and fitness. Think that's the 4th or 5th best starting XI on offer in France next summer. Only Germany, Spain, and France are definitively better on paper, in my opinion. The defense is the question mark, but Clyne is brilliant and there are a plethora of decent options at LB. Smalling on form is the most talented defender in the squad. Cahill isn't an alpha type defender and needs a leader by example next to him, which is why he works so well with Terry (though I think that's a position Chelsea could upgrade). Stones emerging over the next season—hopefully he stays put at Everton—could be a difference maker.

I agree with Abertawe; I think Williams would stand a good chance of joining Bale and Ramsey in an England XI.

 

[mnb089mnb]

Good player. A real English lion.

Can't do everything on Welsh intelligence, flair and ability alone. Need a couple of English carthorses to do the donkey work.

And on a more serious note, whilst Bale is obviously the best British player of his generation and can pull a team through on his own at times, Wales have conceded 2 goals in 6 qualifiers so far (one vs Andorra and one vs Cyprus). Gareth Bale isn't wholly responsible for that. Joe Allen has been excellent this campaign, probably better than Ramsey.

As for Ashley Williams, I'm not sure he would get into the England side. He plays for Swansea, and that's a bit unfashionable. England would normally pick someone from one of the top clubs first wouldn't they? Like Smalling or Jones.

 

[smat]

And on a more serious note

what

 

[GodsGift]

Looking pretty weak again, but I'm sure we'll manage to squeeze past San Marino with Wazza breaking Sir Bobby's record with a two-yard tap in.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Tom Heaton (Burnley)

Defenders: Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones, Phil Jagielka (Both Everton)

Midfielders: Michael Carrick (Manchester United), James Milner (Liverpool), Ross Barkley (Everton), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph (Both Manchester City), Ryan Mason (Tottenham)

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)