England 24 -man squad for 2006 World Cup

[aussie]

So after watching this game, you decide King is a better option in midfield than Cole?

Based on what exactly?

i never said i think King is a better option than Cole in mid-field, all i'm saying is that he suits that holding mid-field position perfectly to me & with that i reckon he should be starting from now on.

With reagrds to Cole i know he hasn't done anything wrong on the left-flank but if Sven were to decide to play King in that holing role Cole may be axed because you know neither of the BIG 3 will regardless of how well Cole has done on the left, thats all...

 

[marc71178]

But what in King's performance today suggested anything other than a good defender playing out of position?

 

[Blaze]

Netherlands qualified over the weekend which is awesome seeing as they didn't make it in 2002 and I had no one to follow. Ended up jumping on the Senegal bandwaggon.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Netherlands qualified over the weekend which is awesome seeing as they didn't make it in 2002 and I had no one to follow. Ended up jumping on the Senegal bandwaggon.

You of Dutch extraction then?

 

[aussie]

well i woudn't put it that way, i would say a good defender that played out of position & was close to perfect, he did all a holding mid-fielder should do better than anyone has done for england in a while so the option of making that position his own should be seriously considered.

 

[Blaze]

You of Dutch extraction then?

Nope just always supported them in the big tournaments since I was a kid. Watching Dennis Bergkamp got me into football and since NZ are just woeful and won't make a world cup this century, they have always been my team.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Nope just always supported them in the big tournaments since I was a kid. Watching Dennis Bergkamp got me into football and since NZ are just woeful and won't make a world cup this century, they have always been my team.

Ah, fair play. As an Arsenal fan of over 20 years standing big Dennis has a special place in my heart with his sublime skill & his sneaky use of the elbow!

 

[Blaze]

Ah, fair play. As an Arsenal fan of over 20 years standing big Dennis has a special place in my heart with his sublime skill & his sneaky use of the elbow!

Yeah I am a big Aresnal fan too. Started following them around the time Marc Overmars was still running round for them. 98 maybe?

 

[Barney Rubble]

Was very pleased with the England performance tonight, but to be honest I still can't bring myself to support Sven - his substitution of Crouch on for SWP wasa classic example. Fair enough we won, but it was hardly as a direct result of Crouch coming on - SWP was having a blinder from what I could see, and unless he was injured, bringing on Crouch just smacked of giving us an excuse to play the long ball game all the damn time. We played fantastic football before Crouch came on - players like him (i.e. talentless ones who are only picked for their physical characteristics) add nothing to either the quality of a team or the quality of international football in general, IMHO. I hope he doesn't go to the World Cup.

 

[roseboy64]

well who else then??, unfortunately we dont have too many other better options...

He was pointing out that it's Peter Crouch not Paul Crouch.

 

[roseboy64]

GOALKEEPERS:
Paul Robinson, Chris Kirkland, Robert Green

DEFENDERS:
Gary Neville, John Terry, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Luke Young, Ledley King, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher

MIDFIELDERS:
David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Carrick, Scott Parker, Kieran Richardson

FORWARDS:
Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Jermaine Defoe, Darren Bent

 

[marc71178]

well i woudn't put it that way, i would say a good defender that played out of position & was close to perfect, he did all a holding mid-fielder should do better than anyone has done for england in a while so the option of making that position his own should be seriously considered.

No, he broke the play up.

His distribution was woeful, and that is a key part to being a holding midfielder - no point in winning the ball if you only end up giving it back.

 

[marc71178]

Was very pleased with the England performance tonight, but to be honest I still can't bring myself to support Sven - his substitution of Crouch on for SWP wasa classic example. Fair enough we won, but it was hardly as a direct result of Crouch coming on - SWP was having a blinder from what I could see, and unless he was injured, bringing on Crouch just smacked of giving us an excuse to play the long ball game all the damn time. We played fantastic football before Crouch came on - players like him (i.e. talentless ones who are only picked for their physical characteristics) add nothing to either the quality of a team or the quality of international football in general, IMHO. I hope he doesn't go to the World Cup.

The Crouch idea was clearly an experiment with a different formation in a semi-competitive arena.

Sven gets criticised if he sticks rigidly to 4-4-2 and then when he tries to change things, he gets criticised!

As for SWP having a blinder? Not sure what that's based on - yet again he received a lot of balls on his wing and lost it more often than not.

 

[Craig]

Gerrard as a left winger?

 

[Craig]

The Crouch idea was clearly an experiment with a different formation in a semi-competitive arena.

Sven gets criticised if he sticks rigidly to 4-4-2 and then when he tries to change things, he gets criticised!

As for SWP having a blinder? Not sure what that's based on - yet again he received a lot of balls on his wing and lost it more often than not.

So in terms he will get criticised no matter what.

If they win the WC next year they will still critise them some how, lead by SP

 

[Barney Rubble]

The Crouch idea was clearly an experiment with a different formation in a semi-competitive arena.

Sven gets criticised if he sticks rigidly to 4-4-2 and then when he tries to change things, he gets criticised!

As for SWP having a blinder? Not sure what that's based on - yet again he received a lot of balls on his wing and lost it more often than not.

Apologies for the post you're replying to, marc - I was drunk when I wrote it, had just got in from a night out.

SWP had a decent game, but you're right that he lost the ball far too often. And as for the Crouch thing, I am never going to rate him as a player, but it wasn't the formation change I objected to. People seem to forget when debating which formation England should play that there are numerous ways to play each formation. England should be playing 4-4-2, but they should not be playing it the way they have for the last four years - I've always claimed that. I don't have much of a problem with Sven's formations - just the players he chooses to play in them and the way he insists on playing. He seems to think having pace up front is enough to win you games even if you don't try to create anything - he has done ever since he paired Vassell with Owen at the World Cup. Thankfully, he seems to have learned that lesson just in time - probably through the emergence of Rooney and the gradual evolution of Rooney and Owen into a world-class strikeforce, which would seem to be occurring at the moment - they seem to link better with every game they play together.

I was happy with England's performance last night, for the first time in a long time - so I'm not going to waste time moaning. I'm going to say "well done Sven" for the first time ever, I'm going to congratulate the players on a good victory, and look forward to the World Cup with just the tiniest bit of optimism - so much less depressing than accepting the grim reality of things.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Gerrard as a left winger?

If we have to play Becks, Lampard & Stevie G (& Sven certainly seems to think we do) I personally favour the diamond with Gerrard on the left side of it. The trouble is none of them can really tackle to save their lives, so if they play we need someone to sit to protect the back 4. Doubly so in fact, because (fitness permitting) A Cole & G Neville will be expected to provide most of our width.

 

[PY]

Apologies for the post you're replying to, marc - I was drunk when I wrote it, had just got in from a night out.

.....look forward to the World Cup with just the tiniest bit of optimism - so much less depressing than accepting the grim reality of things.

You still drunk?

 

[Barney Rubble]

You still drunk?

Unfortunately not. I did have a great night last night though, and I haven't suffered too much for it this morning either. England are going to the World Cup and all is right with the world.













*remembers being a Portsmouth fan*

Where's my noose.......

 

[aussie]

Who is a better Defensive Mid-fielder Parker or Carrick

I've seen a fair bit of these two & in some ways i am leaning towards Parker but i would like to hear the views of others, sine this position is been spoken a lot about with regards to the england team of late...