England.

[oldgit]

Probably the best available man for the job.

However, it will not help much.

England will be the same as long as the almost empty pool of top players remain the same.

Capello is not a magician.

How many top players can he choose from behind the first XI men?

Take away the first XI, and England is not better then a 2nd rate football nation in Europe.

Oh, sorry, they already are, since they didnt make it to the European Cup.

It will take at least one generation to get back into the top flight, as the talents need to be developed properly.

England has the same amount (or even more) talents as the other big nations, but they are still only a talent when they reach 18, which is too late.

Well, he's got three and half years to get a squad together to challenge for the 2010 World Cup which means that the current crop of "stars" i.e. Gerrard,Lampard,Beckham,Owen and Terry will be either 30 or over by then.Will they be any better in 2010 than they are now? Their time was NOW and they blew it.You can blame McClaren,to a certain extent,for the Euro 2007 debacle but he wasn't playing,they were.I think Capello,like many foreign coaches,hold no importance to meaningless friendlies other than to look at players,so don't expect him to persevere with most of the'regulars' but to give some young talent a chance to shine and be expected to peak in 2010.Players such as Milner,Agbonglahor,Walcott and Ashley Young come to mind.Time will tell if they progress or not but I'm pretty sure you will get others coming through with Capello at the helm.

[mrbojangles]

SGE, did an okay jod, but always seemed to lack the real balls to come up with anything other than plan A, when England were struggling, i.e Portugal and Brazil games come to mind.

It's an interesting point that Toady, i said the same but nowadays he seems to have plan B and C. Yesterday we where 1-2 down at half time to Bolton and Sven made changes straight away in the second half.

He's been doing it alot at City, if the team isn't working, he makes the changes early. Giving them time, instead of waiting till the 80th minute. Don't know why he didn't do that at England.

[marshbags]

SGE, did an okay jod, but always seemed to lack the real balls to come up with anything other than plan A, when England were struggling, i.e Portugal and Brazil games come to mind.

It's an interesting point that Toady, i said the same but nowadays he seems to have plan B and C. Yesterday we where 1-2 down at half time to Bolton and Sven made changes straight away in the second half.

He's been doing it alot at City, if the team isn't working, he makes the changes early. Giving them time, instead of waiting till the 80th minute. Don't know why he didn't do that at England.

I just cannot understand what happened to what i consider a major factor in their performance...... Motivation

Hopefully we can put it behind us now and give the new manager a fair kick at the ball.

His reputation is second to non of those available / wanting the job, as for nationality, as some have mentioned.

It,s not such a big issue at the end of the day and just nit picking for the sake of it.

No offence Incy and Stevie C.

Getting the best out of players and getting them to play to their true potential, gell as a team and above all play for " ENGLAND " are the first priorities IMHO

Their are plenty of young players out there who are more than capable to develop into the next generation of players and as they are young it is an ideal opportunity to provide them with a new mindset and a capability to be thinking players, capable of sorting situations out on the park, when things do not go to plan.

Not to play like headless chickens and zombies because they are only programmed to do things a particular coach has pre empted, that is, when it doesn,t go according to plan of course.

This of course is were it is essential to have a captain capable of re organising and players respecting him enough to listen and carry out his instructions.

He ( Fabio ) / we need to blood a second string of players who are able to slot into the team and play in different positions when the situation requires them to.

As for playing friendlies, for me they are important not only for our team, but all the other countries as well.

Friendly is not exactly what they are meant to be in the true sense of the word and should never be deemed as such, internationally wise.

They provide experience and give everyone an insight into the standards of the other competitors while giving the players valuable competitive situations to experiment with.

I do not recall many " friendlies that are not taken seriously, after all a game of football is a game of football and everyone plays to win ( should ) and should be self motivated to do so.

As it has been since the game got going, in the park, at school, a kick about with the lads on the local bit of spare ground ect. ect.

Dare i say it, even table soccer when motivation to win is naturally within ones self.

I won,t go into some of the crafty tricks we all used to pull to gain an advantage as that,s another story.

Not considered unsporting as this was part of the game plan and acceptable to everyone, when not to much was at stake competition wise.

Heated and competitive, you bet it was !!!!!!

marshbags

Edited December 16, 2007 by marshbags

[oldgit]

SGE, did an okay jod, but always seemed to lack the real balls to come up with anything other than plan A, when England were struggling, i.e Portugal and Brazil games come to mind.

It's an interesting point that Toady, i said the same but nowadays he seems to have plan B and C. Yesterday we where 1-2 down at half time to Bolton and Sven made changes straight away in the second half.

He's been doing it alot at City, if the team isn't working, he makes the changes early. Giving them time, instead of waiting till the 80th minute. Don't know why he didn't do that at England.

I just cannot understand what happened to what i consider a major factor in their performance...... Motivation

Hopefully we can put it behind us now and give the new manager a fair kick at the ball.

His reputation is second to non of those available / wanting the job, as for nationality, as some have mentioned.

It,s not such a big issue at the end of the day and just nit picking for the sake of it.

No offence Incy and Stevie C.

Getting the best out of players and getting them to play to their true potential, gell as a team and above all play for " ENGLAND " are the first priorities IMHO

Their are plenty of young players out there who are more than capable to develop into the next generation of players and as they are young it is an ideal opportunity to provide them with a new mindset and a capability to be thinking players, capable of sorting situations out on the park, when things do not go to plan.

Not to play like headless chickens and zombies because they are only programmed to do things a particular coach has pre empted, that is, when it doesn,t go according to plan of course.

This of course is were it is essential to have a captain capable of re organising and players respecting him enough to listen and carry out his instructions.

He ( Fabio ) / we need to blood a second string of players who are able to slot into the team and play in different positions when the situation requires them to.

As for playing friendlies, for me they are important not only for our team, but all the other countries as well.

Friendly is not exactly what they are meant to be in the true sense of the word and should never be deemed as such, internationally wise.

They provide experience and give everyone an insight into the standards of the other competitors while giving the players valuable competitive situations to experiment with.

I do not recall many " friendlies that are not taken seriously, after all a game of football is a game of football and everyone plays to win ( should ) and should be self motivated to do so.

As it has been since the game got going, in the park, at school, a kick about with the lads on the local bit of spare ground ect. ect.

Dare i say it, even table soccer when motivation to win is naturally within ones self.

I won,t go into some of the crafty tricks we all used to pull to gain an advantage as that,s another story.

Not considered unsporting as this was part of the game plan and acceptable to everyone, when not to much was at stake competition wise.

Heated and competitive, you bet it was !!!!!!

marshbags

The problem with the England team is that great pressure is put on the coach,by the media in particular,to win EVERY game.If they win then everything in the garden is rosy and the media attention abates.The problem with that is your'e showing your hand every time you set foot on the pitch."So THAT is the best they can do" say the other international coaches.Well, our mental approach must change.The country must understand that it is not the coming of the Armageddon if a game is lost where the stakes are low.More important is the introduction of young players to the international stage.You have to bring your team to a peak.Capello won't be remembered by how many friendlies he was successful in.He will WANT to be remembered by how close he came to to winning the 2010 World Cup.We are not talking about a kickabout on the common where the pints are on the losers,here!

[marshbags]

No criticism re your post O.G and as it is in line with my references to breaking the existing mind set and staring with a fresh approach.

I would hope that neither the coaches or the players will be naive or unprofessional enough to think because of results seemingly going their way, they think everything is a god given right, result wise and all is rosy in the garden.

Confidence, yes, but not taken for granted.

Nor as you say can it be deemed a disaster should they loose as that surely is part and parcel of the learning code.

The press must stop knocking results to the extreme and look at each result for it,s resulting outcome and be positive as to the reasons why in a just and professional manner also.

You can criticize in a positive way without demoralising them and putting further pressure on whoever or whatever.

Everbody has a shit game from time to time, even the best players / teams.

As was observed in earlier posts, " Fabio has no sooner been made the new manager and they are already digging stuff up to discredit him.

That,s before he even gets started.

The need to be re educated, relating to our footballing pride as a nation, and get behind the cause, until such times as it is just and fair play to criticize, and not dig shit up just to sell papers, should be the one and only objective.

I know i,m living in a dream world, but they need to get behind everyone and encourage rather than do the opposite.

marshbags

Edited December 16, 2007 by marshbags

[oldgit]

No criticism re your post O.G and as it is in line with my references to breaking the existing mind set and staring with a fresh approach.

I would hope that neither the coaches or the players will be naive or unprofessional enough to think because of results seemingly going their way, they think everything is a god given right, result wise and all is rosy in the garden.

Confidence, yes, but not taken for granted.

Nor as you say can it be deemed a disaster should they loose as that surely is part and parcel of the learning code.

The press must stop knocking results to the extreme and look at each result for it,s resulting outcome and be positive as to the reasons why in a just and professional manner also.

You can criticize in a positive way without demoralising them and putting further pressure on whoever or whatever.

Everbody has a shit game from time to time, even the best players / teams.

As was observed in earlier posts, " Fabio has no sooner been made the new manager and they are already digging stuff up to discredit him.

That,s before he even gets started.

The need to be re educated, relating to our footballing pride as a nation, and get behind the cause, until such times as it is just and fair play to criticize, and not dig shit up just to sell papers, should be the one and only objective.

I know i,m living in a dream world, but they need to get behind everyone and encourage rather than do the opposite.

marshbags

Dreamworld?You and me both Mr. M! to educate the morons in the English gutter press is a big ask-the T.V. 'brains trust' an impossibility.I think the lead should come from Capello himself.He should lay out his long term plan at a press conference saying that his ultimate goal is the World Cup so if we lose a few games on the way to achieve that aim-tough shit,get used to it.Troy Tempest,Jiffy the Broomstick Man and Fred Flinstone on UBC will still carry on bullshitting their way through life anyway so they are beyond help.

[mrtoad]

It was interesting Press conference yesterday. I have to say I wasn't suprised that Capello was composed. I think he has a great understanding of the game, and although he is not English, I don't think his "passion' can be questioned. Capello is passionate about winning, and I think from some of the things he has said already, there are some players who need to be worried. I have a feeling that JT , sorry John Terry needs to seriously have a look at the way he conducts himself. My feeling was, that there were plenty of subltle hints in his words, that suggests he's non to impressed with Terry.

Anyway, I hope as a few other people have said, that the gutter press lay up for a while and let him build his team. This guy has got the credetials, and although most of us would love to have an English manager, there aren't any really top class ones available.

[mrbojangles]

Anyway, I hope as a few other people have said, that the gutter press lay up for a while and let him build his team. This guy has got the credetials, and although most of us would love to have an English manager, there aren't any really top class ones available.

Yeah, i agree 100%.

And he says he is trying to improve his English

[mrtoad]

James cheesed off with McClaren

Dominic Fifield

Friday December 28, 2007

The Guardian

David James last night revealed his frustration at the way he and Scott Carson were treated by the former England manager, Steve McClaren, claiming all he got was "a handshake and a cheese roll".

The 37-year-old Portsmouth goalkeeper won his 35th cap as a second-half substitute against Germany in August, his only appearance during McClaren's 18-month reign, and was perplexed that Carson was not offered a chance to impress before his ill-starred display against Croatia.

"It was very frustrating for me under Mr McClaren because I played half a game," said James. "Going from No2 keeper to No3 keeper suggested I obviously wasn't the favourite. I wasn't unhappy with my form for my club and wasn't training badly for England.

"But somewhere down the line something didn't fit. I didn't have a problem with Scotty playing against Croatia, but all I got was a handshake and a cheese roll.

"Scotty Carson should have been blooded earlier than he was, but some wise person though it more important to win the European Under-21 tournament.

"I really enjoyed playing under Sven-Goran Eriksson. He wasn't the most talkative guy and looked a bit like Mr Burns out of The Simpsons but he was fantastic: straight, honest and organised."

James retains international ambitions under Fabio Capello. "I always want to be involved with England and wouldn't retire from it," he added.

Another over rated England player, complaing about his lot. He was lucky to even remain in the squad IMO after some of his abysmal performances, and I'm pretty sure that Capello will not be selecting him as his number 1. I hope that James, Campbell, Lampard, P Neville, Heskey, are cast into the dustbin when the new squad comes out.

More likely to go with Green, Carson and another.

[chavy]

Hasn't Wenger recently come out & said "Alumia" (spelling) for England ??

[mrtoad]

Hasn't Wenger recently come out & said "Alumia" (spelling) for England ??

Yeah, but he's not available until later next year.

[LeungKen]

'

The England Football Team = The Best Comedy Series since "Steptoe & Son"

David James = Best Performer in a Comedy act since Harry H. Corbett

Edited December 28, 2007 by LeungKen

[mrtoad]

'

The England Football Team = The Best Comedy Series since "Steptoe & Son"

David James = Best Performer in a Comedy act since Harry H. Corbett

And David James has some really bad fashion sense as well.

[Jockstar]

David James is one of the worst English International keepers i have seen. He has been pish for as long as i can remember. Maybe a good shot stopper but as an all round goalkeeper. He is far from world class. He was really pish at Liverpool.

[mrtoad]

David James is one of the worst English International keepers i have seen. He has been pish for as long as i can remember. Maybe a good shot stopper but as an all round goalkeeper. He is far from world class. He was really pish at Liverpool.

He makes Alan Rough and Jim Leighton look good.

[mrbojangles]

From the BBC:-

Eriksson urges Beckham selection

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has urged new national manager Fabio Capello to pick David Beckham for next month's friendly with Switzerland.

Beckham is one cap short of 100, but his selection for February's friendly at Wembley is by no means guaranteed.

The LA Galaxy midfielder has been training with Arsenal in a bid to be fit and ready for Capello's call.

"I have a message to Capello - he has to pick David at least once," said Swede Eriksson.

Beckham's American club side LA Galaxy are currently in their close season, prompting the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star to train with Arsenal.

Ticket sales for the Switzerland game have now passed beyond the 60,000 mark, and Beckham is desperate to be part of it.

"I'm there to get my fitness for the MLS season and also to try to get fit for the England game," said Beckham.

"Even if it wasn't just for the 100th cap, for an England game I'd do the same.

"I want to be fit and be available for Mr Capello's first team and first game."

Beckham was speaking at a gala dinner where he was honoured by the Football Writers' Association.

And the 32-year-old revealed his fitness after a five-week break from football had surprised him.

"It's a lot better than I thought it was," he said.

"I feel great. I've had one day of training with the Arsenal team and three days of training with the fitness trainer."

Capello, who officially begins his four-and-a-half year deal, reportedly worth £6m a year, today was in the stands at Villa Park on Saturday to see Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-0 to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.

"I am delighted with the reception I got from everyone I met at the stadium," said Capello after the game.

"The fans were fantastic to me and Aston Villa Football Club could not have been more helpful.

"It was very good to start work. I am now looking forward to seeing a lot of games very quickly over the next few weeks," the 61-year-old added.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you think guys? Should he play him?

[LeungKen]

He can't head a ball

He can't Dribble a ball

and he can't kick with his left foot

granted he's pretty good in a dead ball situation

and he can deliver a good cross from time to time.

Grudgingly I'd probably give him a game to make up his hundred appearances., but only 'cos it's a friendly or better still bring him on as a sub then say bye bye, it's time to move on - S.A.F had the right idea and now look who's wearing the No 7 shirt at Man Utd.

[mrbojangles]

He can't head a ball

He can't Dribble a ball

and he can't kick with his left foot

granted he's pretty good in a dead ball situation

and he can deliver a good cross from time to time.

Grudgingly I'd probably give him a game to make up his hundred appearances., but only 'cos it's a friendly or better still bring him on as a sub then say bye bye, it's time to move on

A bit harsh there Ken. He couldn't have been that bad, to have got to 99 caps. I quite like Becks and he is not only "pretty good" in a dead ball situation, he has won us games with vital kicks.

S.A.F had the right idea and now look who's wearing the No 7 shirt at Man Utd.

Yeah, a diving, step over, whinging tw4t

And United lost millions and millions of revenue, after getting shut of Becks.

[mrbojangles]

England to start against Andorra

England will begin their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign away to part-timers Andorra on 6 September.

New boss Fabio Capello's team will then play Euro 2008 nemesis Croatia in Zagreb four days later.

England end their campaign at home to Belarus on 14 October 2009 four days after a trip to Kiev to face Ukraine.

"We are reasonably pleased with how it worked out," said FA director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking after the fixture meeting.

England's fixtures for the 2010 World Cup qualifying stage:

Andorra (a) Saturday, 6 September 6 2008

Croatia (a) Wednesday, 10 September 2008

Kazakhstan (h) Saturday, 11 October 2008

Belarus (a) Wednesday, 15 October, 2008

Ukraine (h) Wednesday, 1 April, 2009

Kazakhstan (a) Saturday, 6 June, 2009

Andorra (h) Wednesday, 10 June, 2009

Croatia (h) Wednesday, 9 September, 2009

Ukraine (a) Saturday, 10 October, 2009

Belarus (h) Wednesday, 14 October, 2009

[moldy]

England to start against Andorra

England will begin their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign away to part-timers Andorra on 6 September.

New boss Fabio Capello's team will then play Euro 2008 nemesis Croatia in Zagreb four days later.

England end their campaign at home to Belarus on 14 October 2009 four days after a trip to Kiev to face Ukraine.

"We are reasonably pleased with how it worked out," said FA director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking after the fixture meeting.

England's fixtures for the 2010 World Cup qualifying stage:

Andorra (a) Saturday, 6 September 6 2008

Croatia (a) Wednesday, 10 September 2008

Kazakhstan (h) Saturday, 11 October 2008

Belarus (a) Wednesday, 15 October, 2008

Ukraine (h) Wednesday, 1 April, 2009

Kazakhstan (a) Saturday, 6 June, 2009

Andorra (h) Wednesday, 10 June, 2009

Croatia (h) Wednesday, 9 September, 2009

Ukraine (a) Saturday, 10 October, 2009

Belarus (h) Wednesday, 14 October, 2009

Beckham's very good, diligance personified. He's not match fit that's all. Arguably our only world class player.

James is the best we've got at present, and anyway is not bad in any sense.

We've got a very good manager, but it's going to take everything we have to qualify outright.

Some incredible underperformers, most notably Gerrard, but overall a low stock of quality players (particularly attackers) give or take some obvious star names.

England need to learn the value of teamwork and learn it fast. I reckon that will happen under Capello.

[dave111223]

I'm wondering why Robert Green never gets selected? IMHO he's much better than Carson and Kirkland; I don't think i could ever trust Carson in goal for England again after the Croatia shocker.

I hope that James, Campbell, Lampard, P Neville, Heskey, are cast into the dustbin when the new squad comes out.

Agreed with Campbell, Lampard, Neville and Heskey... bin them...

Disagree with James, i think he's been in great form this season and last.

[mrbojangles]

I'm wondering why Robert Green never gets selected? IMHO he's much better than Carson and Kirkland; I don't think i could ever trust Carson in goal for England again after the Croatia shocker.

Totally agree

[percy2]

I'm wondering why Robert Green never gets selected? IMHO he's much better than Carson and Kirkland; I don't think i could ever trust Carson in goal for England again after the Croatia shocker.

I agree about Green being better than Carson and Kirkland.

I also agree that its going to be a brave manager that puts Carson in goal again for a big match.

But on that score it makes Calamity James a very peculiar choice.

Beckham has been great for England, since the red card against Argentina his attitude has been a role model for any other English sportsman.

Should have given him his hundredth cap, it is a friendly after all.

Cheers

[moldy]

I'm wondering why Robert Green never gets selected? IMHO he's much better than Carson and Kirkland; I don't think i could ever trust Carson in goal for England again after the Croatia shocker.

I agree about Green being better than Carson and Kirkland.

I also agree that its going to be a brave manager that puts Carson in goal again for a big match.

But on that score it makes Calamity James a very peculiar choice.

Beckham has been great for England, since the red card against Argentina his attitude has been a role model for any other English sportsman.

Should have given him his hundredth cap, it is a friendly after all.

Cheers

Beckham hasn't played a competitive match for over 2 months, he can't be considered friendly or not. He'll get his chance I'm sure. He's England's best player in my view.

I don't blame Carson. The selection was madness really. After the blunder Carson performed well, and we lost because we deserved to lose.

James gets the nod I reckon, great experience. Yes I'm a bit mystified about Green.

[percy2]

I'm not arguing , I agree with what you are saying.

But how many matches has Owen played?

Carson Should and will get his chance again, just a brave manager to take the risk in a big game.

James and Green , on merit , should be vying for No. 1

Cheers

[redrus]

Pretty <deleted> this is, no zippy passing no real imagination. I'm looking for excuses already although, no-one on the pitch seems to be able to control the ball well at all.

Just commented on the Beeb, 'this is by no means a full strength Swiss side'....!

England 0 V Switzerland 0....!

redrus

[mr_hippo]

45 minutes of boredom, punctuated by flashes of tedium. If this is the best that Signor Crapola can do then it's "Arrivederci".

[spot]

45 minutes of boredom, punctuated by flashes of tedium. If this is the best that Signor Crapola can do then it's "Arrivederci".

Give the geezer a chance, it's only his first match.

[lazeeboy]

stumbled over the finish line once again

[mr_hippo]

45 minutes of boredom, punctuated by flashes of tedium. If this is the best that Signor Crapola can do then it's "Arrivederci".

Give the geezer a chance, it's only his first match.

OK, I gave him a second chance - the second half!

Let's get back to basics.

Players: If you do not hear the referee's whistle then keep on playing; do not stop and raise your hand if you think that you deserve a free kick. The object of the game is simple - to put the round bouncy thingy in your opponent's onion bag. You have no chance of scoring if you keep passing the ball to your keeper - get in into their goal area (you have a better chance of scoring when it is there). Never pass across your own goal area. If you are a 'one-footed' player, practice with your 'bad' foot, OK: you will still have one leg weaker than the other but there will no farting about to get the ball onto your 'good' side.

Signor Crapola: Do not just look at the Premiership for a goalkeeper try other divisions but if you still want to employ a clown in goal contact Billy Smart's or Gerry Cottle's; they have better clowns than Calamity James. Do not chop and change your squad, if you want to try out other players than do so in friendlies. Think about changing your formation but only try it out in friendlies to start with; try the old 5-3-2 and really confuse Johnny Foreigner!