The Official England Thread-The Team We All Support [Vol 2]
Discussion
First half thoughts...
Kane, Alli - good
Vardy - hard working but being played out of position
Sterling - book your June holidays, you shouldn't be going.
Wilshere - okay but not doing enough to warrant a starting place.
Defence - wobbly
The England band - four or five songs and that's it. With luck, the French authorities will declare their instruments a security risk and ban them from the stadium.
First half - 5/10, must do better.
Kane, Alli - good
Vardy - hard working but being played out of position
Sterling - book your June holidays, you shouldn't be going.
Wilshere - okay but not doing enough to warrant a starting place.
Defence - wobbly
The England band - four or five songs and that's it. With luck, the French authorities will declare their instruments a security risk and ban them from the stadium.
First half - 5/10, must do better.
Henderson for Wilshere
Rooney for Sterling
Smalling for Stones
Clyne for Walker
And then that's our best XI IMO
The one before the game that Dixon and Wright were talking about is pretty much exactly what was in my mind for the tournament. I hate seeing Vardy out of position, he's so much better starting centrally and making runs outwide than vice versa.
4-3-1-2
Hart
Clyne Smalling Cahill Rose
Henderson Dier Alli
Rooney
Kane Vardy
Rooney for Sterling
Smalling for Stones
Clyne for Walker
And then that's our best XI IMO
The one before the game that Dixon and Wright were talking about is pretty much exactly what was in my mind for the tournament. I hate seeing Vardy out of position, he's so much better starting centrally and making runs outwide than vice versa.
4-3-1-2
Hart
Clyne Smalling Cahill Rose
Henderson Dier Alli
Rooney
Kane Vardy
Okay, some more thoughts now the game has finished.
Hart looks like a goalkeeper that knows he is guaranteed a start unless he's injured. Great save near the end but partly at fault for the goal and looks a little lacklustre at times with his clearances.
Walker/Rose - not 100% on Walker but there's not much in it between him and Clyne. His partnership with Dier just in front gets him a spot for me. Rose always looks prone to a daft tackle but Baines and Gibbs aren't there and Bertrand's not as good.
Cahill and Stones looked reasonable today. Think Smalling will get the nod though in place of Stones despite his general ordinariness in recent weeks. Cahill's not had a good season either with Chelsea so these two are the best of a bad bunch.
Dier is good, very good. Efficient, clever and hard working in an unfussy way and a threat from set pieces. Does his job well and MOST IMPORTANTLY, IS A SPECIALIST CDM RATHER THAN SOMEONE SHOEHORNED IN THERE ON NAME. (capitals there on purpose)
Wilshere - played about 3-4 hours of football all season. Shouldn't go to the Euros, others have much better claims IMO. Looked okay in snatches today but again, temperament is a question mark.
Alli - good though I think he needs to calm down a bit. Slight nasty side to him at times which could be punished by an unforgiving foreign referee but certainly a starter for me.
Sterling - don't take him Roy!!! With only twenty outfield players, seven of which will be defenders, you need every player coming into the tournament on a confidence high, in form and firing. Sterling has had a miserable season, isn't getting any better and one other in particular should be ahead of him (Townsend).
Kane - took his goal well even if he was offside. Too precise with his penalty, made sure the keeper got nowhere near it though. Has to start.
Vardy - fantastic once he was switched to his proper position. What is it with England over the years.... determined to shoehorn in players who are in form and then wonder why they don't produce when playing in a different position?
Sub - Drinkwater came on and linked up well with Vardy as you'd expect. Henderson did okay for another player woefully under match fit.
Kane and Vardy have to start up top for England. They both deserve it... can play together, linked up well with each other and both scored. They have both had tremendous seasons and should have earned a place on merit rather than name. Drinkwater deserves to be on the plane too; if Hodgson doesn't take him, it will be a kick in the teeth to every young English player. "Don't bother playing well, son, because we are going to choose another player who hasn't played much but looked good a year or two ago."
My starting line up for the Russia game? Not entirely happy with it but I'd go...
Hart
Walker - Cahill - Smalling - Rose
Dier
Rooney - Alli - Lallana
Vardy - Kane
Not entirely sure on Lallana but he works hard and can score a goal. Townsend is in my thoughts as a true, natural winger but I can't fit Dier and Drinkwater in without going 4-2-3-1 and that means either Vardy or Kane out of position.
Ah well, there's my thoughts.
Hart looks like a goalkeeper that knows he is guaranteed a start unless he's injured. Great save near the end but partly at fault for the goal and looks a little lacklustre at times with his clearances.
Walker/Rose - not 100% on Walker but there's not much in it between him and Clyne. His partnership with Dier just in front gets him a spot for me. Rose always looks prone to a daft tackle but Baines and Gibbs aren't there and Bertrand's not as good.
Cahill and Stones looked reasonable today. Think Smalling will get the nod though in place of Stones despite his general ordinariness in recent weeks. Cahill's not had a good season either with Chelsea so these two are the best of a bad bunch.
Dier is good, very good. Efficient, clever and hard working in an unfussy way and a threat from set pieces. Does his job well and MOST IMPORTANTLY, IS A SPECIALIST CDM RATHER THAN SOMEONE SHOEHORNED IN THERE ON NAME. (capitals there on purpose)
Wilshere - played about 3-4 hours of football all season. Shouldn't go to the Euros, others have much better claims IMO. Looked okay in snatches today but again, temperament is a question mark.
Alli - good though I think he needs to calm down a bit. Slight nasty side to him at times which could be punished by an unforgiving foreign referee but certainly a starter for me.
Sterling - don't take him Roy!!! With only twenty outfield players, seven of which will be defenders, you need every player coming into the tournament on a confidence high, in form and firing. Sterling has had a miserable season, isn't getting any better and one other in particular should be ahead of him (Townsend).
Kane - took his goal well even if he was offside. Too precise with his penalty, made sure the keeper got nowhere near it though. Has to start.
Vardy - fantastic once he was switched to his proper position. What is it with England over the years.... determined to shoehorn in players who are in form and then wonder why they don't produce when playing in a different position?
Sub - Drinkwater came on and linked up well with Vardy as you'd expect. Henderson did okay for another player woefully under match fit.
Kane and Vardy have to start up top for England. They both deserve it... can play together, linked up well with each other and both scored. They have both had tremendous seasons and should have earned a place on merit rather than name. Drinkwater deserves to be on the plane too; if Hodgson doesn't take him, it will be a kick in the teeth to every young English player. "Don't bother playing well, son, because we are going to choose another player who hasn't played much but looked good a year or two ago."
My starting line up for the Russia game? Not entirely happy with it but I'd go...
Hart
Walker - Cahill - Smalling - Rose
Dier
Rooney - Alli - Lallana
Vardy - Kane
Not entirely sure on Lallana but he works hard and can score a goal. Townsend is in my thoughts as a true, natural winger but I can't fit Dier and Drinkwater in without going 4-2-3-1 and that means either Vardy or Kane out of position.
Ah well, there's my thoughts.
Gassing Station | Football | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff