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*Official* English Football Season 2007-08

Matteh

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Thing with Defoe is he's a Wright-Phillips/Lennon/Vassell type player. I wouldn't be happy starting with them generally, but you'd love to have them on the bench to bring on after about 70 to blitz a tired defence with some speed.
 

Barney Rubble

International Coach
Thing with Defoe is he's a Wright-Phillips/Lennon/Vassell type player. I wouldn't be happy starting with them generally, but you'd love to have them on the bench to bring on after about 70 to blitz a tired defence with some speed.
Defoe is a brilliant impact player, you're right. He exploits spaces in defences that only open up once players start getting tired, and he does it very well.

However, the reason why he should, without question, be considered for the France game is a very simple one - he's the in-form English striker in the Premiership. Michael Owen, as already stated, is laughably out-of-form (and has been for about four years now ITBT). I don't see that there's any reason why Rooney & Defoe shouldn't be tested out against France as a partnership.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Defoe is a brilliant impact player, you're right. He exploits spaces in defences that only open up once players start getting tired, and he does it very well.

However, the reason why he should, without question, be considered for the France game is a very simple one - he's the in-form English striker in the Premiership. Michael Owen, as already stated, is laughably out-of-form (and has been for about four years now ITBT). I don't see that there's any reason why Rooney & Defoe shouldn't be tested out against France as a partnership.
The real issue I have with Defoe is his first touch; couldn't trap a bag of wet cement. His pace & spatial awareness means he can get away with poor technique at a Prem level, but he's always looked a bit out of his depth at international level for me.

Owen's a spent force in my estimation, his injuries have cost him the pace that made him so special initially, but his international scoring record does most of his talking for him.
 

Barney Rubble

International Coach
The real issue I have with Defoe is his first touch; couldn't trap a bag of wet cement. His pace & spatial awareness means he can get away with poor technique at a Prem level, but he's always looked a bit out of his depth at international level for me.

Owen's a spent force in my estimation, his injuries have cost him the pace that made him so special initially, but his international scoring record does most of his talking for him.
Fair point about his first touch, but I've always been of the opinion that anyone with a natural goalscorer's instinct like he has always has a chance to make it at international level. If he gets the games, it's up to him what he does with them, but I think he's shown enough recently in the Premiership to at least get a chance to show Capello what he's got.
 

grecian

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Defoe's first touch isn't great, but it's his lack of movement off the ball that worries me more. Still I agree he's a decent sub for England, but should never start.

There is a reason he's not made a big move, despite angling for them at every club he's been at.
 

grecian

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I'm not going to last the season, I think. City will finally kill me8-)

God bless Andy Marriot.

In other news the Messiah chose Easter to get his first win, what a champ:laugh:
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Tight in the play-off hunt in League One. Thinking we might need as many as 16 or 17 points out of 21.
 

Neil Pickup

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Burton away on that last day of the season is going to be sheer torture.

I, however, cannot be there, as I will be in charge of an Under-11 cricket fixture against Moulsford Prep. If we lose and therefore miss the playoffs, I take no responsibility for the accuracy of my decision making or the agreeableness of my team talks.

Hopefully it will be all signed and sealed by Rushden the week before, a match that I can comfortably reach.
 

grecian

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Burton away on that last day of the season is going to be sheer torture.

I, however, cannot be there, as I will be in charge of an Under-11 cricket fixture against Moulsford Prep. If we lose and therefore miss the playoffs, I take no responsibility for the accuracy of my decision making or the agreeableness of my team talks.

Hopefully it will be all signed and sealed by Rushden the week before, a match that I can comfortably reach.
I've already made provisional plans to go to a mates house that weekend, who lives up there. I, like you, am hoping it doesn't matter by then. Going all that way just to watch through my fingers seems a little pointless.

In other news an immortal piece of summarising from Kevin Ratcliffe today on Fivelive:

"Anton Ferdinand literally bottled that"

The mind boggles.....
 

headhunter

International Vice-Captain
One of the most stupid sending off I've seen. Torres just got booked for decent you ****, what kind of a fool are you? Not complaining though :)
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Can't believe Andy Gray was actually defending the silly tool during the half-time "analysis" (& I use the word in its broadest possible sense). He was rambling on about how the power-that-be are "taking the passion out of the game"; well if gobby Argentines remonstrating with the ref equals passion, then it's something I can do without. 8-)

Reina having a bit of a Barry Crocker, in other news.
 

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