England Squad Confirmed

[MrRed]

Hi Lew

To be fair most of the youngsters that are available are in the squad the ones that arn't are injured or loss of form has made then impossible to pick.

I am fully with you on the inclination to use the tournament as a learning process for the younger members but due to the press and the desperate members of the public all they see is now.

Steven Caulker has had a great season for me and would of been in my squad.

Micah Richards is a mystery to me and Daniel Sturridge too.

Sadly all the rest are injured,Wilshire..Walker...Smalling...Cleverly...Rodwell...others to young maybe or not had the chance at club level yet are Lansbury...Barkley...Frimpong...Flanagan...Shelvey....Gardner....Kelly...Rose

Basically we have not got much left to pick and Hodgson has done what he is best at with what he has left.

Whatever happens at this tournament the next World Cup squad could still include most of these players except the Chelsea three i hope.

I really hope Carroll shines but we will see

[LuckyLew]

At least Carrol and Dafoe should be well rested

You can put Gerrard in with the hopefully soon to be put out to pasture Chelsea trio

Every time I saw LFC play this year, he was invisible, IMO opinion he is past his best

before date.

[StevieH]

gerrard's still an outstanding footballer if he's played in his best position. so few managers have played him there though unfortunately.

[balo]

We Norwegian vikings are looking forward to play England in Oslo May 26.

Normally we have no problems to beat England, last time you managed a win over us was back in 1980 .

Recent results between the teams:

1995 Oslo : 0 - 0

1994 Wembley : 0 - 0

1993 Oslo : Norway win 2:0 (remember the turnip Graham Taylor? )

1992 Wembley : 1 - 1

1981 Oslo : Norway win 2 - 1

My predictions would probably be another boring draw 0-0.......

[LucidLucifer]

My predictions would probably be another boring draw 0-0.......

At least you're as good as admitting that your team will play as boring a football as what we will.

I'm actually hoping for an exciting game from the England players. With a new manager in, and nobody certain of their place, people will be out to impress. Fingers crossed anyway.

[plopmeister]

We Norwegian vikings are looking forward to play England in Oslo May 26.

Normally we have no problems to beat England, last time you managed a win over us was back in 1980 .

Recent results between the teams:

1995 Oslo : 0 - 0

1994 Wembley : 0 - 0

1993 Oslo : Norway win 2:0 (remember the turnip Graham Taylor? )

1992 Wembley : 1 - 1

1981 Oslo : Norway win 2 - 1

My predictions would probably be another boring draw 0-0.......

Siiiiiiiir Winston Churchill...We gave your boys a hiding!!!!!

and probably will again...What better way to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of that footie pub that has alluded me...

Edited May 17, 2012 by plopmeister

[nev]

Hi Lew

To be fair most of the youngsters that are available are in the squad the ones that arn't are injured or loss of form has made then impossible to pick.

I am fully with you on the inclination to use the tournament as a learning process for the younger members but due to the press and the desperate members of the public all they see is now.

Steven Caulker has had a great season for me and would of been in my squad.

Micah Richards is a mystery to me and Daniel Sturridge too.

Sadly all the rest are injured,Wilshire..Walker...Smalling...Cleverly...Rodwell...others to young maybe or not had the chance at club level yet are Lansbury...Barkley...Frimpong...Flanagan...Shelvey....Gardner....Kelly...Rose

Basically we have not got much left to pick and Hodgson has done what he is best at with what he has left.

Whatever happens at this tournament the next World Cup squad could still include most of these players except the Chelsea three i hope.

I really hope Carroll shines but we will see

Nice post mate, it baffles me that Downing is in there, he already has Walcott Young Chamberlain and Milner who can play wide, and then left with a central midfield from Gerrard Lampard Barry and a crocked Parker, Carrick should have been in there, i expect the same old dissapointing England, the squad looks to old to slow and i expect us to maybe grind out two boring 0-0 draws and a loss in our group.

[LucidLucifer]

Everyone seems baffled by Downing's inclusion. Milner can play in the centre to cover.

I personally don't think Carrick should have been included. Has he ever really performed in an England shirt?

[LuckyLew]

Everyone seems baffled by Downing's inclusion. Milner can play in the centre to cover.

I personally don't think Carrick should have been included. Has he ever really performed in an England shirt?

Judging by the bare trophy chest, when was the last person to perform in an England shirt?

[LucidLucifer]

There are degrees of under-performance though, and his are particularly poor.

[plopmeister]

Everyone seems baffled by Downing's inclusion. Milner can play in the centre to cover.

I personally don't think Carrick should have been included. Has he ever really performed in an England shirt?

Judging by the bare trophy chest, when was the last person to perform in an England shirt?

Dunno but David Mellor has been the best to perform in a Chelsea Strip in years....Why isn't he in the squad?

[mommysboy]

As a Brit ... I have to say, what a lousy looking team

I fully expect them to lose all three matches

The got blitzed by Germany in WC2010 so in their wisdom

they have decided to stick with a bunch of slow and or old

players.

Terry - too old and slow

Lampard and gerrard - cannot play together and both too old and slow

Downing - no goals all season

Cole - lost at least three steps of pace

Milner - wasn't he hauled off in SA after Germany ran circles around him?

Dafoe - Not a starter

Ox-Chamberlain - unproven, semi-starter

Walcott - 1 good game for England

..

I will stop there ....

Three and homeward bound

If the FA and coach were smart, they would have vetted all youth

in this EURO with an eye to the future ... instead ... they chose to

stay stuck in a time

Blimey what a bleak assessment !

England are not as good as Spain, Holland and a good few others, but it's not a bad team at all and if we are knocked out in the first round it will be because we have once again failed to gel as a team.

A few of the players are pacey, and no point having a team full of hares.

Youngsters are notoriously erratic, however I would like to have seen one or 2 more in the squad.

[mommysboy]

Doing the trawl of English newspapers I came across this reader's comment on The Daily Mail site, which certainly struck a chord with me:

I really don't care how technically proficient our England players are. It doesn't matter to me if they aren't the star players in their Premier League Teams, & quite honestly I'm not interested in how their past performances 2, or more years ago were. What really counts now is that they realise that they belong to the same squad, the same team, and that they are all wearing the same strip - & carrying the hopes of the country - even if these are now a bit more realistic. What I want to see them do is to sink their teeth into each game, to really take it to the opposition, to work their socks off and run until they drop, to get stuck in and give it their best! If we get hammered by a better team - okay! If we end up losing because it was down to a whisper of luck - okay! But if we lose because they didn't give it their all - I won't accept that - and no excuses will suffice! If Roy has to do one thing - it's to instill into these lads - that they are playing for ENGLAND!

- T Otallyoffis, Head, UK, 24/5/2012 16:20

[StevieH]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

[SantiSuk]

I wonder if the FA wallahs would have sacked Capello if they could see us now?

If I shell out the 1500 for the set top box it will be to watch the likes of Spain, Germany and Holland. Thank goodness Im not in the UK - wonder if the white van men and little back street pubs are decking out in St George's flags now. Somehow that reminiscence is not a good one.

Edited May 25, 2012 by SantiSuk

[mommysboy]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

[carmine]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

Its very cynical for sure but the sadest part is its absolutely true. No priority is given to the national team, the players are generally knackered after a far too long gruelling season, our technical ability is average, ball retention generally poor, and we will get picked off in the usual fashion.

The game against germany was a classic. We just ran out of steam chasing shadows and the longer the game went on the more vulnerable we became.

Ten minutes Fergie time and we wuld have conceded six, not four.

Sorry if you don't like my comments but i tell it as i see it

[StevieH]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

i'm not knocking people who are mate, i'm just pointing out the truth about teams which aren't very good really. strategy and tactics are far, far more vital than team spirit.

england's players suffer in summer tournaments because a) they don't have a mid-season break, b] the summer weather in close season tournaments takes its toll on them physically and c) they're not very good at playing possession football to negate the effects of a) and b]. after an hour against germany in WC 2010 few england players could even run. that makes being tight-knit, compact and solid defensively - not over-stretching yourself by legging it about for the first hour - more important than ever. it's actually one of hodgson's strengths, playing within your limitations, and it could serve england well this tournament. certain fans might not like it but i reckon they'd prefer to win by being solid and pretty boring over chest-thumping, disorganised, passionate defeats.

Edited May 25, 2012 by StevieH

[mrbojangles]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

Its very cynical for sure but the sadest part is its absolutely true. No priority is given to the national team, the players are generally knackered after a far too long gruelling season, our technical ability is average, ball retention generally poor, and we will get picked off in the usual fashion.

The game against germany was a classic. We just ran out of steam chasing shadows and the longer the game went on the more vulnerable we became.

Ten minutes Fergie time and we wuld have conceded six, not four.

Sorry if you don't like my comments but i tell it as i see it

I think the game against Germany is a bad example as we clearly scored but because it wasn't given we ended up chasing the game. Had that goal been given a different tactic would have been used.

[mrbojangles]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

i'm not knocking people who are mate, i'm just pointing out the truth about teams which aren't very good really. strategy and tactics are far, far more vital than team spirit.

england's players suffer in summer tournaments because a) they don't have a mid-season break, b] the summer weather in close season tournaments takes its toll on them physically and c) they're not very good at playing possession football to negate the effects of a) and b]. after an hour against germany in WC 2010 few england players could even run. that makes being tight-knit, compact and solid defensively - not over-stretching yourself by legging it about for the first hour - more important than ever. it's actually one of hodgson's strengths, playing within your limitations, and it could serve england well this tournament. certain fans might not like it but i reckon they'd prefer to win by being solid and pretty boring over chest-thumping, disorganised, passionate defeats.

Stevie, you make some good points but all-in-all, at the end of the day you are anti-England.

[StevieH]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

i'm not knocking people who are mate, i'm just pointing out the truth about teams which aren't very good really. strategy and tactics are far, far more vital than team spirit.

england's players suffer in summer tournaments because a) they don't have a mid-season break, b] the summer weather in close season tournaments takes its toll on them physically and c) they're not very good at playing possession football to negate the effects of a) and b]. after an hour against germany in WC 2010 few england players could even run. that makes being tight-knit, compact and solid defensively - not over-stretching yourself by legging it about for the first hour - more important than ever. it's actually one of hodgson's strengths, playing within your limitations, and it could serve england well this tournament. certain fans might not like it but i reckon they'd prefer to win by being solid and pretty boring over chest-thumping, disorganised, passionate defeats.

Stevie, you make some good points but all-in-all, at the end of the day you are anti-England.

i'm not particularly 'anti-england', boj. i'm anti certain england players, anti FA and anti the ludicrous hype usually whipped up ahead of a tournament, sure. i'm also anti all the 'we invented the game so we should be good at it' nonsense you get parroted around tournaments by people who don't usually watch football. lots of england supporters don't seem to enjoy tournaments like other countries' fans do and i find that pretty interesting too.

i'll be happy to see gerrard, carroll and johnson do well though and have no axe to grind with joe hart, barry, milner, parker etc. downing can still <deleted> off like.

[mommysboy]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

i'm not knocking people who are mate, i'm just pointing out the truth about teams which aren't very good really. strategy and tactics are far, far more vital than team spirit.

england's players suffer in summer tournaments because a) they don't have a mid-season break, b] the summer weather in close season tournaments takes its toll on them physically and c) they're not very good at playing possession football to negate the effects of a) and b]. after an hour against germany in WC 2010 few england players could even run. that makes being tight-knit, compact and solid defensively - not over-stretching yourself by legging it about for the first hour - more important than ever. it's actually one of hodgson's strengths, playing within your limitations, and it could serve england well this tournament. certain fans might not like it but i reckon they'd prefer to win by being solid and pretty boring over chest-thumping, disorganised, passionate defeats.

Yes, there's a lot of truth in what you write, and the example of Chelsea recently is a good template of how a lesser team can overcome a better team. And Bayern for that matter what happens when you are all huff and puff.

[smokie36]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

Its very cynical for sure but the sadest part is its absolutely true. No priority is given to the national team, the players are generally knackered after a far too long gruelling season, our technical ability is average, ball retention generally poor, and we will get picked off in the usual fashion.

The game against germany was a classic. We just ran out of steam chasing shadows and the longer the game went on the more vulnerable we became.

Ten minutes Fergie time and we wuld have conceded six, not four.

Sorry if you don't like my comments but i tell it as i see it

Stop whinging.....all the other teams players have played the same.

[carmine]

spot on that, exactly the attitude that has carried england so far in recent tournaments. sod ball retention, to hell with tactics, cry god for england, harry and st george and just bloody well go get 'em lads!

then when england are absolutely shattered after 55 minutes - the only major league that doesn't give players a winter break don't forget - they get traditionally picked off by teams that have spent the first hour keeping the ball and conserving their energy.

No that's going to the other extreme.

We're not a very good team, but team spirit goes a long way. And of course strategy and tactics play an important role.

I'd rather have what this bloke writes about than the cynical attitude you show regarding the national team, although you are not interested I understand, but why knock people who are?

Its very cynical for sure but the sadest part is its absolutely true. No priority is given to the national team, the players are generally knackered after a far too long gruelling season, our technical ability is average, ball retention generally poor, and we will get picked off in the usual fashion.

The game against germany was a classic. We just ran out of steam chasing shadows and the longer the game went on the more vulnerable we became.

Ten minutes Fergie time and we wuld have conceded six, not four.

Sorry if you don't like my comments but i tell it as i see it

Stop whinging.....all the other teams players have played the same.

Who's whinging? One minute were delusional and the next were whinging. Make up your mind....i'm just being honest in my opinion and i don't rate us at all.

Why, do you want me to say were really good and we'll win it so you can shoot me downs in flames next month? No chance of that smokie!

[smokie36]

I will keep plugging away carmine....the flag wavers will be out in force....I will be crouched and waiting....

Oh no he's not going is he?

[carmine]

Wow that was boring last night and a real game for the old cliche of 'a wins a win'

Couldn't we be a bit more positive in a friendly? If Gerrard and parker played any deeper they'd be picking the ball up in our six yard box!

Why on earth is Downing starting?

[LucidLucifer]

Wow that was boring last night and a real game for the old cliche of 'a wins a win'

Couldn't we be a bit more positive in a friendly? If Gerrard and parker played any deeper they'd be picking the ball up in our six yard box!

Why on earth is Downing starting?

I couldn't agree more.

I think pretty much the only comfort I can take from last night was that the Germans and Dutch lost. The Dutch result was particularly surprising.

It's of no concern to the Euros, but didn't the Scots do well too........

[smokie36]

You will pay dearly for that one Lucifer old chap!

[carmine]

You will pay dearly for that one Lucifer old chap!

Very true though....atleast the Scots are providing the entertainmeny as per usual!!!!

[SantiSuk]

As I understand it, if England do a Liverpool and lose both main keepers in a week then we will face Europe's finest with a shotstopper whos experience comprises 14 games or so experience in goal on loan to Cheltenham. Or did I just fall for a parody piece on BBC Sport?