brahaminda
...of the Mind
I'd like to see walcott and crouch up front in at least one of the freindlies, just to see how they pan out..
Has Sven lost it?
- Thread starter Monkeygrinder's Organ
- Start date
souljacker
innit
g force said:
Top scoring English striker in the Premiership this year.
Not bad for 'average'.
strung out
💩 🤣 🍆 💦 🧐 👻 🐝 🐈⬛
Pretty much agree with this tooFlashman said:
souljacker said:Top scoring English striker in the Premiership this year.
Not bad for 'average'.
The argument for that is that the other strikers play in teams where the goals are scored collectively, whilst Bent plays in a team where the goals are reliant upon him....that argument can probably be taken apart quite easily though.
As for Walcott, the young Pele idea, I don't buy it at all. It sends out a clear message to what he thinks of Englands striking options, much like me, Rooney and Owen apart...domestic bliss....international disaster
AverageJoe
...
I want to see Crouch up front with SWP just so that when the cameras zoom in on SWP doing his 'watcha talkin' 'bout' Willis' face and Crouch lumbers over they cant get them both in the same shot, and Crouch just stands with his head out of shot like that bloke in the Airplane (?) films.
I am a simple person.
I am a simple person.
JKKne said:
So what does Sven do? Pretend that Bent et al are good enough and take them? In his heart he know's he'd be lying to himself taking them and using players he doesn't really rate. Walcott is a pacey lad with a good finish and is a surprise package, the others are much-of-a-muchness and moribund. Fuck it, it's worth the risk.
souljacker
innit
Flashman said:
I'm just biased because I want Ipswich to get the 200k that Charlton would have to pay if he plays in a full international.
AverageJoe
...
I reckon it will be a midfield of Downing Lampard Gerrard Beckham with Cole in the gap and Owen up front. It could be awesome, or they could just get in each others way...
Flashman said:
Hit the nail on the head
I think thats Sven see's things. He's obviously going to use Walcott for the last 10 minutes as the unknown quantity. Teams have taken kids to finals before and sometimes' it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. Sven can't win either way because each of the strikers has a strong fan support.
But, to be honest, I don't see the difference between Shola Ameobi and Peter Crouch
AverageJoe
...
Crouch is worth more points in a game of scrabble
I do wish everyone would cease the misery. We've got one of the best selection of midfield players I can remember. Owen will be fit. Rooney will be back to fitness by the quarter finals or semis. Walcott will be one of the sensations of the tournament.
All this "Out in the group stage" guff has to stop. Has anyone seen Paraguay play? We beat them in 2002 without Beckham or Rooney, with a very similar lineup to what will probably start against them, and more inexperienced at that. They are dull. And Trinidad will be like a pub team by comparison.
All this "Out in the group stage" guff has to stop. Has anyone seen Paraguay play? We beat them in 2002 without Beckham or Rooney, with a very similar lineup to what will probably start against them, and more inexperienced at that. They are dull. And Trinidad will be like a pub team by comparison.
Interesting range of opinions on this thread.
My take is that Sven should be applauded for being brave, even if this doesn't come off. I can't believe that either Owen or Rooney is likely to play during the World Cup, and still less that either of them will be capable of being anything like the players that we know and love (at least when they're playing for England
). I suspect that at least one of them won't go to the World Cup and Sven will take Bent in that player's place.
Walcott is a massive gamble, but I anticipate that he'll be used, if at all, as a substitute to come on and run at tiring defences. I think that the argument as to him being a completely unknown quantity is a valid one; after all, look at the impact that Rooney and Owen had in their first international tournaments at 18, before their attributes were widely known. Ultimately, Sven has to pick a mix of strikers, and in the absence of our big two there aren't really much better options than Crouch, Bent, Johnson and Defoe, all of which have their own attributes and weaknesses (universally, lack of goals at international level). Strikers is the one area in which England are currently woefully lacking in depth, and we've had our injuries just where we could least afford them.
It is time for both Lampard and Gerrard to step up to the mark and prove that they can produce the goods at international level.
Preferred team, in the absence of Rooney and Owen:
4-3-2-1
Robinson
G Neville - R Ferdinand - Terry - A Cole
Beckham - Hargreaves - J Cole
Lampard - Gerrard
Crouch
Subs: James, Campbell, Carragher, Lennon, Walcott
My take is that Sven should be applauded for being brave, even if this doesn't come off. I can't believe that either Owen or Rooney is likely to play during the World Cup, and still less that either of them will be capable of being anything like the players that we know and love (at least when they're playing for England
). I suspect that at least one of them won't go to the World Cup and Sven will take Bent in that player's place.Walcott is a massive gamble, but I anticipate that he'll be used, if at all, as a substitute to come on and run at tiring defences. I think that the argument as to him being a completely unknown quantity is a valid one; after all, look at the impact that Rooney and Owen had in their first international tournaments at 18, before their attributes were widely known. Ultimately, Sven has to pick a mix of strikers, and in the absence of our big two there aren't really much better options than Crouch, Bent, Johnson and Defoe, all of which have their own attributes and weaknesses (universally, lack of goals at international level). Strikers is the one area in which England are currently woefully lacking in depth, and we've had our injuries just where we could least afford them.
It is time for both Lampard and Gerrard to step up to the mark and prove that they can produce the goods at international level.
Preferred team, in the absence of Rooney and Owen:
4-3-2-1
Robinson
G Neville - R Ferdinand - Terry - A Cole
Beckham - Hargreaves - J Cole
Lampard - Gerrard
Crouch
Subs: James, Campbell, Carragher, Lennon, Walcott
AverageJoe
...
I agree.
Interestingly I just found out that we havent beaten Sweden in the last 10 matches we played against them..
Here's the stats
v Sweden Played 10 Won 0 Drawn 6 Lost 4 Goals For 7 Goals Against 11
v Paraguay Played 2 Won 2 Drawn 0 Lost 0 Goals For 7 Goals Against 0
v Trinidad and Tobago - never played
Interestingly I just found out that we havent beaten Sweden in the last 10 matches we played against them..
Here's the stats
v Sweden Played 10 Won 0 Drawn 6 Lost 4 Goals For 7 Goals Against 11
v Paraguay Played 2 Won 2 Drawn 0 Lost 0 Goals For 7 Goals Against 0
v Trinidad and Tobago - never played
JKKne said:
True, which is why I suggest playing a Xmas tree formation with Gerrard and Lampard free to make runs forward to get knock-downs from the lanky chap.
As others have said, in the absence of our proven strikers, we're more heavily reliant on the midfield for our goals than ever.
aylee said:True, which is why I suggest playing a Xmas tree formation with Gerrard and Lampard free to make runs forward to get knock-downs from the lanky chap.
As others have said, in the absence of our proven strikers, we're more heavily reliant on the midfield for our goals than ever.
Christmas Tree?
As sensible as that sounds....you are Terry Venables and I claim my £5
k_s said:
The only thing is that he has, undeniably, done well for England - indeed we have a 100% record in the games he's played, and they were against decent opposition - Uruguay, Argentina and Poland.
If it wasn't for that I'd probably go for Ashton rather than Crouch.
JKKne said:Agree, I like Ashton
Sure I heard on radio this morning that England have won more games when Rooney wasn't playing as opposed to when he's played in recent history
I reckon Ashton in the long term could play the Shearer type role that we've been missing. The stupid thing is that everyone's whingeing but I reckon we have a pretty damn good squad of players. I was watching a thing about euro 96 earlier, there were players like anderton and barmby in that squad for heaven's sake... It's just a matter of motivating the players the right way.
maximilian ping
Grrrrr
Maybe its poopoo hoodoo voodoo that Rooney and Owen are as badly injured as peope are making out, some kind of pre World Cup tactical business. that would explain the lack of forwards, or something
Termite Man
zombie flesh eater
and filter , he's good on grassRelahni said:
