Add any two players from history to your current WC squad

[Burgey]

Simple ask really. Tell us why you chose them and what they'd add to your current team.

Figured this blends a bit of nostalgia with some thoughts on strengths and weaknesses of the current sides we follow.

Players do not need to be from the country you're strengthening by their inclusion.

 

[Furball]

Maradona

Pele

[/thread]

 

[Pothas]

Your squad is not in the World Cup so you don't get to play.

 

[Furball]

For Spain they'd want Fernando Torres from c. 2007 and Carles Puyol.

Brazil - Ronaldo from 1998 and one of their 1982 midfield, probably Zico. Brazil's midfield is hopeless and Rinaldo from 1998 is the greatest player the game's ever seen IMO.

 

[grecian]

Maradona

Pele

[/thread]

Yeah, seems a tad misjudged.

Yet if we're trying to find players from our own history that I would like, I'd go for Moore, **** me we need a centre-back, and he was one of the greatest, that's a definite. For the other I'm not so sure. B. Charlton maybe our best player ever, but we're okay mid-field, I don't trust Hart, so do you go with Banks. I wouldn't mind greaves up-front if we're playing a skilful fluid fast team in the forward areas, (yet he was left out of the 66 team) yet Lineker was a top-class finisher, and it's hard to go against that.

 

[Burgey]

I'd add Beckenbauer and Socrates to Australia.

Sadly we could do with all kinds of players everywhere, but Der Kaiser in central defense and Socrates putting the ball where even our attackers couldn't miss the goal would be handy.

 

[Furball]

Yeah, seems a tad misjudged.

Yet if we're trying to find players from our own history that I would like, I'd go for Moore, **** me we need a centre-back, and he was one of the greatest, that's a definite. For the other I'm not so sure. B. Charlton maybe our best player ever, but we're okay mid-field, I don't trust Hart, so do you go with Banks. I wouldn't mind greaves up-front if we're playing a skilful fluid fast team in the forward areas, (yet he was left out of the 66 team) yet Lineker was a top-class finisher, and it's hard to go against that.

Yeah I'd go Moore and Lineker for England.

 

[NUFAN]

Yeah, seems a tad misjudged.

Thread starter needs to lift his game.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Moore and Charlton, R for us, clearly.

Bobby may've been a midfielder, but 49 goals in 106 games? You'd take it, wouldn't you?

 

[wpdavid]

Moore and Charlton, R for us, clearly.

Bobby may've been a midfielder, but 49 goals in 106 games? You'd take it, wouldn't you?

I was going to disagree and argue that our biggest problem is at right back until I tried to remember the last time we had a good one. Bringing in Paul Parker or Jimmy Armfield may have looked silly in the context of this thread.

Moore and Charlton works on so many levels. Having a brilliant central defender who can actually pass the ball would change so much. And Charlton would be perfect to play behind a lone striker.

 

[GIMH]

You didn't rate Gary Neville, David?

I mean, I hated the bloke when he was playing but he was class IMO

 

[Furball]

Still think Lineker would be a better bet than Charlton. Proven goalscorer with a great tournament record (9 goals in World Cups IIRC)

 

[wpdavid]

You didn't rate Gary Neville, David?

I mean, I hated the bloke when he was playing but he was class IMO

I'd forgotten him tbh. And you're right, he was the best right back we've had in ages.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Still think Lineker would be a better bet than Charlton. Proven goalscorer with a great tournament record (9 goals in World Cups IIRC)

10, tbf. 6 in 86, 4 in 90.

Best goal scav we've had in my watching lifetime, but those of a certain age would say Greaves was better. 44 in 52, I believe.

 

[wpdavid]

Still think Lineker would be a better bet than Charlton. Proven goalscorer with a great tournament record (9 goals in World Cups IIRC)

He's criminally under-rated. I remember my son collecting footy cards before the last WC, and being quietly appalled that England's WC 'legends' included Shearer, but not Lineker.
10 goals in WCs puts him way ahead of any other Englishman. As well as most players from anywhere else.

 

[wpdavid]

10, tbf. 6 in 86, 4 in 90.

Best goal scav we've had in my watching lifetime, but those of a certain age would say Greaves was better. 44 in 52, I believe.

Greaves' strike rate was great, but a heck of a lot of those were in turkey shoots. Not so great in WCs, by some distance.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Greaves' strike rate was great, but a heck of a lot of those were in turkey shoots. Not so great in WCs, by some distance.

Yeah, fair call.

Although I'd guess the boy Gary's record was padded with pens (which I don't think Jimmy took for England) and the odd numpty nation. Got four versus Malaysia once, if memory serves.

Greaves WC career was a minor tragedy, really. Injured at just the wrong moment, Hurst gets the winner versus the Argies and the rest is glory and medals to Geoffrey, Jimmy went out for a light ale to commiserate and woke up fifteen years later in a clinic.

 

[wpdavid]

Yeah, fair call.

Although I'd guess the boy Gary's record was padded with pens (which I don't think Jimmy took for England) and the odd numpty nation. Got four versus Malaysia once, if memory serves.

Greaves WC career was a minor tragedy, really. Injured at just the wrong moment, Hurst gets the winner versus the Argies and the rest is glory and medals to Geoffrey, Jimmy went out for a light ale to commiserate and woke up fifteen years later in a clinic.

I don't think there's much doubt that Greaves was the more gifted of the two. There's a couple of televised goals (against Newcastle and Man Utd IIRC) that clearly wouldn't have been in Lineker's repertoire, as they involved ghosting past a couple of defenders and the keeper before passing the ball into the empty net. Moore rated him really highly, which is generally good enough for me.

He did play in 1962 as well. Maybe scored one goal in our four games? And I don't think he scored in any of the 3 group games in 1966. Of course, he didn't have the opportunity to play in any qualifiers beyond the Home Championship, where Lineker also put away some vital goals.
So much of it is down to Dame Fortune, as you said about 1966. Lineker could easily have bee dropped after out first 2 games in 1986, and did nothing in 1988 when he wasn't fully fit. And that would it been that, and we wouldn't even be having the discussion.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

I'd have Lineker and Gascoigne. Think we lack creativity and a proven finisher more than the fact that the defence is ok but not great.

Only picking from my own nation to keep it more realistic or you would obviously go with Furby's original choice.

 

[watson]

England need what they've always needed for the past 40 years;

- a creative midfielder who can dictate the tempo of play and pass accurately. That is, to within a metre at any reasonable distance.
- a creative defender who can readily turn defence into attack with decisive passing to the midfield.

Zinedine Zidane and Franco Baresi