I think there are better players now that should be given a chance, and, tough as it is - I would put Beckham and Owen on the bench.

Please don't get me on the subject of what the fukc Heskey was doing sat on the bench!! He should stay in Birmingham!

Pete

 

Errr no I wouldn't - I think you are mad - mad as a box of frogs...

 

I thought prior to the start that maybe starting Owen would be a mistake, but to be fair he proved me wrong last night. I can't agree that dropping a fully fit Beckham would be a sensible move though, his very presence tends to inspire the rest of the team, I thought the way he interplayed with Gary Neville worked well yesterday too.

Wouldn't agree wrt Heskey though, maybe because I always liked him at Liverpool and didn't agree with his sale
On the other hand I wouldn't give Owen Hargreaves space on a park bench After Joe Cole's outstanding performance yesterday, and the prospect of an ever improving Downing coming into the squad, I suspect (and hope) OH will go the same way as the pretentious w4nker McManaman.

 

no i wouldn't either,Beckham can still win a game win one free kick or one laser style cross

 

i'd drop owen, looked well short of confidence. get him back in a team where he starts and plays 90 mins and that might change. rooney and defoe up front for me.

drop beckham? nah. not the player he used to be, but can change the outcome of any match as said with a wicked free kick, think gary neville has come on in leaps and bounds as a crosser of the ball though.

all in all, i think yesterdays line up wasn't bad. but why the hell sven continues to bother with hargreaves is beyond me though!! 20 something caps and he's done what exactly?

 

I'll drop gerrard first before beckham, i dont rate gerrard.

 

Against Azerbaijan on Wednesday it maybe worthwhile giving the fringe players a run out.
If Poland can beat them 8-0 I expect at least 5 from England. Probably stick with Owen to see if he can score a few to boost his confidence, mind you at Real when he comes on as sub he usually scores

Agree with Gerrard, quality player but lacking of late.

 

Beckham is up his ar$e too much and of the 11 on the pitch he is the one I would put a serious question mark over. Fair enough he puts in good free kicks but it is embarassing when he loses the ball and comes back into defence hacking some guy down because he's been handed his as$ on a plate.

As a side note just watch this england team go to the world cup and in the run up spend loads of time doing lucrative adverts while the eventual winners take it seriously.

 

Beckham is no longer in the same class as Gerrard. He was a good player but is fading IMO. Gerrard contributed far more to the game than Beckham did or has done of late.

Yes, I would drop Owen. When he was at Liverpool, he should have been dropped for the last 6 months or so he was there. Another player who is fading from 'great' to mediocre.

 

Steven Gerrard is (as I was telling one of my pals over our 5th pint ) the greatest potential talent in Engerland - possibly the world. For some reason he only very rarely show us all what he can do - I wish I knew why

Game we win 4-0 results with questions about dropping key players of a team - thank **** we won !

Building for the World cup - it's coming home

 

I am stunned jasey that you haven't ripped my reply to shreds

Is it the worry of *FEC* pursuing you

 

I only rip you to shreds when your talking out of that fat hairy **** of yours - As you seemed to be malking sense for once I've found myself almost agreeing

 

How many times do I have to tell you.... I do not have a hairy **** ya FEC

 

Begging your pardon sir, but that is no way to be speaking to a lady, especially a fellow Liverpool fan

Retract these comments immediately, or brace your cowardly cheek for the cold thwack of my cyber gauntlet you confounded boundah

 

you are insane,seek help

 

Drop Owen... No! The guy does what it says on the tin. He's a 'Goal Scorer' and he does that be it for Liverpool, Madrid or England. Defoe is not in the same class IMHO.

 

 

Whats the rolling eyes for? and i'm only telling it like it is...Hes not showing enough in midfield for my liking and against NI he was about ineffectual as Beckham,but i still rather see a fit beckham play than gerrard and thats why i'll drop him before beckham.

 

Even though Owen hasn't started many games at Real Madrid he has still scored a fair few goals as a substitute - Beckham still has a killer pass and can score from free-kick situation but to be fair he can't tackle I can't see at all why the **** Owen Hargreaves gets in the team at all let alone gets to play

Cheers

 

I'll go with what tripletop said.He (Gerrard) didnt show enough on saturday and even when becks is off form he still tracks back and he will always have that defence splitting pass and them stonking crosses over Gerrard.

Anyway all is not lost. Gerrard got tomorrow night to shine against Azerbaijan and hopefully with a few goals thrown in

 

I can't believe what I'm reading here.

Going into 2006 we will probably have the best team England have produced for decades. The big game players will be at their most experienced (Beckham, Owen, Ferdinand, Campell etc) having 4 major tournaments behind them. Add to that Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney and Terry and you have a spine that is solid and full of experience - all match winners and savers. These players still have 1 if not 2 champions league campaigns ahead too.

If Beckham wasn't AWOL at Euro 2004 we could and should have won it.

If everyone is fully fit, and fully focussed we have a very good chance. No excuses Sven!

 

I disagree. The English players with the exception of Rooney are technically not good enough to win a world cup.

 

Did Greece winning the Euro Championship not teach you anything - any team, properly organised and focused can acheive all their goals (Irrespective of the individual ****e that play for them) - FFS Man Utd have proved that time & time again .

 

Exception to the rule.

Anyway the reason England will never win the world cup is not because of the player it's because of the Manager. He should have gone years ago. Clueless!

 

Now you're getting somewhere ! We've got the players - but Sven should stick to flat pack furniture !

 

I can almost feel the love in the room

 

??????

Not sure many would agree, I think he'd walk into any premiership team and most in europe.

Who would people replace Owen with? Defoe?, I think the Owen/Rooney partnership is looking promising, whatever anyone says Owen is likely to be given plenty more caps, he's a Sven favourite, Sven is not exactly a ruthless team selector who only picks those on form!

Rich

 

What would be nice is if he decided that we would play the same 11 players as of now right up until the WC, obviously 2 or 3 places could be up for grabs in the interim, so they can get used to each other, gel show some consistency, rather than all the usual fannying about where they use the 3 warm up games just before the finals to let everyone play and we end up shapeless and have a starting 11 that hadnt played together as a team recently, England managers always do this, and I just dont get it.

As for Becks, Gerrard and Owen I'd drop Becks unless he does as he is told and stay on the fecking right, stop coming inside you're no central midfielder, to be honest I wish he was the player he was when he first broke into the Utd team those first 3 seasons were great, Gerrard and Lampard are too similar, I couldn't believe Gerrard was playing a holding role against a one man attack on Saturday, ridiculous, Owen can stay as the fox in the box, but it is plan to see that Rooney is the true world star in that team without him we have no chance of the WC.

Oh yeah bye bye Sol it's the Terry and Rio show now, but I've always thought they were far better players than Sol anyway.

Oh and it was only N.I. FFS lets not get carried away

 

Oh dear we have a Man Ure fan in our midst. Rooney's temperament is suss and therefore, that makes him technically not good enough. Rooney still has to prove himself on the big stage and from what I have seen so far, he has a long way to go.

 

Oh dear we have a Liverpool fan in our midst

His temperament is fine and getting better all the time. Technically I'd go as far as to say he is in the top 3 player this country has ever produced.... and he's 19! He will improve. Did you not see Euro 2004? I think Rooney proved himself just fine! Listen to the opinion of anybody in the game or who has played it and they have nothing but massive respect for the kid. He is hot headed but I would say that side of his game is already under control.... as much as it can be for a sportsman as by nature they will have an explosive temperament. ie Zidane WC1998 (sent off) He still went on to inspire them to the title with his goals.