*Official* England Squad Thread

[GIMH]

Fairly certain Zidane was born and brought up in Marseille, albeit to Algerian immigrant parents.

edit: Wiki confirms it.

Plus, Arteta doesn't qualify for England, since 2 of his years of UK residence were spent in Glasgow.

Does that make a difference? Seems a bit of a 'grey' area

 

[Furball]

Does that make a difference? Seems a bit of a 'grey' area

Should make a difference, I'd be pissed off if England were allowed to call him up.

Scotland can't pick Andrew Driver despite the fact he's lived most of his life and gone to school in Scotland.

edit: scratch that, I'd forgotten how long Arteta's actually been playing in England.

 

[GIMH]

I cbf to look it up so hopefully someone else will

 

[grecian]

I cbf to look it up so hopefully someone else will

Wiki isn't working for me, hence my mistake on Zidane, I am completly bereft of knowledge without it

 

[BoyBrumby]

Would pick Arteta in a heartbeat if he wanted to play. The likes of Poland and African/Middle Eastern countries have been 'acquiring players' for years. Closest i can think of England having foreign players before is Le Saux/Le Tissier.

Tony Dorigo was a crim wasn't he, Terry Butcher was born in Singapore but grew up in England IIRC

Hargreaves the best example though really

One of the Steins played for us too (just the once, I think) and they were SA-born Cape Coloureds.

Compared to our cricket and union teams tho the football team is pretty much exclusively actual Englishmen tho. Dorigo & Hargreaves both have English parents (mother and father, respectively) and I don't know the exact circumstances behind Butcher's exotic birthplace, but he still retains a reassuringly East Anglian accent despite many years spent on the the less reputable side of Hadrian's Wall, so assume he's English-reared.

Would def take Arteta tho, if it's good enough for Spain (Senna), Portugal (Deco), Italy (Camoranesi, Rossi) & Germany (Kuranyi) it should be good enough for us!

 

[Furball]

Kuranyi's dad is German and he's played his entire career from the age of 15 in Germany though. Completely different kettle of fish from the rest.

edit: Butcher grew up in England, no idea what the story behind him being born in Singapore is. His dad was an Ipswich fan, hence why Butcher started his career there.

 

[Uppercut]

the less reputable side of Hadrian's Wall

You really do have a talent for a good turn of phrase, Brumbers.

 

[Scaly piscine]

What I don't get is why people keep going on about how Walcott has played himself out the World Cup squad. England don't have anyone else like him really, even if he hadn't shredded a few top class teams for England and the CDMs he should still be a shoe-in. There's no substitute for him.

 

[BoyBrumby]

What I don't get is why people keep going on about how Walcott has played himself out the World Cup squad. England don't have anyone else like him really, even if he hadn't shredded a few top class teams for England and the CDMs he should still be a shoe-in. There's no substitute for him.

You're probably right and with Beckham injured it's almost certainly a moot point, but he really did have a very ordinary first half of the season indeed. With (at the time) Beckham, Milner, SW-P & Lennon all capable wide-right midfielders it was a fair chance he'd be omitted.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Walcott is a level above those though. You can't pick clearly worse players just because of form.

 

[Uppercut]

You're probably right and with Beckham injured it's almost certainly a moot point, but he really did have a very ordinary first half of the season indeed. With (at the time) Beckham, Milner, SW-P & Lennon all capable wide-right midfielders it was a fair chance he'd be omitted.

Milner's only been England-class since he moved into the centre though. Lennon's better than Walcott but only during the 5% of the time that he's fit to play. SWP, .

Yeah, it was always hard to see him missing out after his performances in qualifying.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Milner's only been England-class since he moved into the centre though. Lennon's better than Walcott but only during the 5% of the time that he's fit to play. SWP, .

Yeah, it was always hard to see him missing out after his performances in qualifying.

Love Walcott, but really wouldn't be holding his fitness up as a selling point.

& I'm no SW-P fan really, but he's in pretty much every Fab squad and offers very slightly more in the way of cover which, as an Italian, Capello probably likes.

 

[Uppercut]

Love Walcott, but really wouldn't be holding his fitness up as a selling point.

& I'm no SW-P fan really, but he's in pretty much every Fab squad and offers very slightly more in the way of cover which, as an Italian, Capello probably likes.

Can hold anyone's fitness up favourably against Lennon's tbh. It's a shame because he's a really, really good winger and was awesome for Spurs at the start of the year.

Walcott really doesn't cover enough, or well enough when he does. With the current trend for attacking full-backs it's even more important than usual, so maybe that will push SWP ahead of him in Capello's mind, especially when facing teams that are good at keeping the ball. It also leaves Walcott as a game-changing option from the bench, which, I'm sure I don't need to remind you, he's rather useful at.

 

[analyst]

Anyone in favor of Adam Johnson going to the World Cup?

 

[grecian]

Anyone in favor of Adam Johnson going to the World Cup?

I am, as stated before, I think he could be our wild-card.

 

[chalky]

Interesting the journo's on Sunday Suppliment saying Campbell should go as cover for Rio & Terry, I think looking at the alternatives of Cahill, Upson & fitness of Lescott & Jagielka not a bad shout. A long way away from Notts County a few months back.

 

[Uppercut]

What about Michael Dawson and/or Ledley King? Dawson's been very, very impressive for a few months now.

 

[chalky]

What about Michael Dawson and/or Ledley King? Dawson's been very, very impressive for a few months now.

Would take Ledley over Rio & Terry tbh but his fitness isn't up to it don't think you can take a player who can maybe play in half the games at best.

 

[grecian]

Dawson, Shawcross and Craddock all options better then Sol, I'd of thought.

We're in dire straits in that position whatever really, so putting in a young and untried bloke over old and past-it players is the better of the two evils IMHO.

 

[Nate]

When's the squad named?