England v Austria.

[Ky]

Jesus. How bad does it have to get? We were awful and I think I'm being kind.

Austria are a poor, poor side and yet we made them look decent. We started badly, didn't press them, didn't pass the ball well and some of the substitutions? Owen off, Crouch (who was shit) stays on? Oh dear oh dear. Sven then has the gall to say it was a "very good first half performance". Put the crack pipe down mate.

 

[Dafydd]

Well, on a lighter note Wales won

 

[Mosop]

Yes we were piss poor

Yes Owen is a better player and a hell of a lot more likely to score than Crouch,But it kind of made sense to me to take owen off and not crouch.

With King playing a holding player in the middle it allows Gerrard and Lampard more forward runs onto flick ons from crouch,ok so crouch wasnt gona score with the ball.But hes better at that than owen though id rather have Heskey than crouch,poor lad used to get a slating for not scoring enough.You dont need 2 scoring strikers in a team in fact you dont even need 1 of them to score,If there creating opertunities for others in the team to score gerrard lamps etc.Owen is a great goal scorer but you dont see him making chances for anyone else (defoe does even less)

ill stop now cos i know im flogging a dead horse Peter Crouch was pretty crap anyway


p.s Wright would have been a better choice than richardson,as he has pace and could run onto any knock ons from crouch.Where as ricardson is a better crosser of the ball to the player he replaced owen ?

 

[Nubile]

dont matter we are going to finals (maybe as the cheerleaders) but we still there

 

[Janie]

It appears results elsewhere mean whatever the result of our last match we are going to the world cup - as either group winners or one of the best runner up spots

Didn't see the game - but noticed we were playing Carriger, so it's no surprise we struggled.

 

[Agravaine]

Sven says England can win the World Cup so that's OK then.

 

[Janie]

Liverpool fans will probably believe him, they tend to believe anything like : Chelsea are scared of us.

 

[Ky]

Carragher played at LEFT BACK!

So we had two right footed players on the left, a player that went missing and then got sent off on the right and a 6 foot 7" muppet who couldn't score a goal in an England shirt for love nor money. Erikkson then says "it was a good performance". Er, no mate, not to anyone but you it wasn't. It was abysmal against a 4th rate side that we should beat 4 or 5 nil.

I'll be suprised it we get past the group stages on our current form. Erikkson doesn't care anymore - he's going to leave after 2006 and right now, he's just enjoying the vast amount of cash the FA have stupidly agreed to pay him. They can't sack him due to the 4 million quid pay-off they would have to give the stupid Swede.

It's a right cock-up. The most talented generation since 1990 and its all going to waste. We should have been going forward since the World Cup in 2000 and we're not; we've gone backwards.

 

[Janie]

To be honest I'm not convinced there are many great national sides around at the minute. The last World Cup and European Cup (won by Greece for Godsake) weren't full of great sides. Maybe Brazil are the only real class act, but they can be tempermental.

 

[Agravaine]

Apparently Brazil currently have the best side they've produced in years.

 

[Ky]

So they said in 1982 mate - Zico, Socrates et al and they disappointed. The more a Brazilian side is hyped, the less well that they do tbh. Although the Socrates penalty in that World Cup was class

They've also never won a World Cup hosted in Europe.

 

[Janie]

Well that seemed to be better
Well apart from Crouch who just looks like someone with no confidence - can't be helped by all the boo's that greeted his substitution

Looks like England are going to be the only UK team in the world cup

 

[Ky]

Indeed it was better. Two key differences: King for Gerrard and Wright Phillips for Beckham. W-P actually STAYED on his wing and King broke up play in midfield and covered the back 4. Oh, and Shrek was playing

Oh and ROFL @ Crouch. How he is even IN the squad is beyond me.

 

[Janie]

Be interesting to see if Gerrard and Beckham get there spots back is they are available.

Could someone please explain 2 things - Why do Jenas and Hargreaves keep getting picked for the squad, and there positions? One of them always comes on for about 10 minutes and don't really seem to go anywhere - attacking midfielder, holding midfielder or wingers? What are they - even seen Jenas play for Newcastle and I still don't get whats he's supposed to be or why he's so highly rated???

Whats the squad size of the world cup team?

 

[Ky]

Don't get me started on Hargreaves and Jenas. I've NEVER rated either of them and how they are in the squad ahead of Carrick, Parker and Danny Murphy is beyond me. Also Alan Smith..... wtf? I still think Kieran Richardson is a far better bet on the left than Joe Cole and that we use Joe Cole in Rooney's position when he misses a match through suspension. Notice I said "WHEN" not "IF"

Squad for WC is 22.

 

[Janie]

So :

Robinson + 2.

Defenders :
Terry
Campbell
Ferdinand
G. Neville
Cole
Bridge
Young

Midfielders :
Lampard
Beckham
Cole
King
Gerrard
Wright-Phillips
Parker
Murphy

Strikers :
Owen
Thug
Defoe
Bent (if he continues his current form).

Out : Jenas, Hargreaves, Carrager, Smith, Crouch (unless he starts scoring), Dyer, Downing, P. Neville.

 

[Ky]

That looks pretty good to me although I think you'll find Carragher in somewhere and maybe a midfielder going by the wayside. I think the squad size is 22, although it maybe 25. I forget. I would also like to see Richardson in there to give another option on the left (and also left back cover). I think Wayne Bridge will be lucky to get in - he's still not playing yet and he's going to struggle to get back in the Chelsea side.

 

[Janie]

I've always liked the idea of trying Ashley Cole on the left wing - with Bridge as leftback - I think they tried it once but the other way round, which seemed odd as Cole is pacier and more attacking, whereas his defending can get iffy.

I hate Carrager so i'd never pick him, so if Bridge doesn't make it i'd prefer Richardson (although i don't think i've ever seen him )