The only other alternative is take 4, with the addition of a versatile winger/mid who can also play forward if need be.. Remember, Roon is out for the first 2 matches, which leaves us with 3 forwards. Injuries and tweeks always seem common in training camp for us..
Since twitter became big you can see how Henry Winter is no different to the tabloid crowd. He was leading the cat calls for Capello to be forced out too . Just a hack .
We should go in there with as many attacking options as possible. Players who can operate in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 .
For the squad makeup, you want a couple of versatile players in there. If you have a couple of centre-backs who can play full back, or midfielders who can drop back then you can get away with 7. Assuming Roy goes 4-4-2 then we have to take 5 strikers with Rooney out. Going with 4 and an injury in the build up means you have minimal options. There are always players who don't get a game. With 8 defenders there will almost certainly be at least 2 who see no action.
rooney can also play as a deeper 'forward' as well and wide left so he is versatile if i was to do a 23 man squad now hart foster (seems he might un-retire) ruddy micah richards glenn johnson ashley cole gibbs rio cahill terry lescott barry parker carrick lampard walcott chamberlain johnson young rooney holt welbeck carrol (maybe crouch instead?)
This would be my squad; Hart Foster Green Terry Baines M Richards A Cole Cahill K Walker Jagielka P Jones Parker Gerrard M Etherington Walcott Milner A Young Lampard P Scholes (if he could be persuaded, if not Carrick/Barry) Rooney Holt Welbeck Zamora Id also give captain's armband to Lampard
Terry had an absolute nightmare last night! No matter how mcuh I want to take Phil Jones...I just don't think his form deserves it at the moment. Smalling less so but I don't think Roy will take him. We have had injury problems with our young centre-mids like Cleverley, Wilshere, Rodwell and so on. Britton does deserve some preaise but another midfielder thats under the radar to me is Mark Davies at Bolton....of course he won't be picked but I like him a lot. My squad- Hart Ruddy Foster Walker Cahill Rio A. Cole Richards Lescott Terry Baines Parker Gerrard Lampard Barry/Carrick Young Walcott/Lennon A. Johnson Oxlade- Chamberlain/Sturridge Rooney Welbeck Crouch Holt/Carroll
The media think they can pick the England team for some reason. Thats why they tried to throw their weight around when Hodgson was picked over Redknapp. You cant drop Terry because he had one bad game .Lets just hope Cahill gets fit .
I see some people have squads that have Ferdinand and Terry in them. That aint happening ! its either one or the other. Seeing as Rio is injury plagued and past it ,he would be the one to miss out.
Phil Neville to go to the Euros as a coach? - http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...gland-recall--as-euro-2012-coach-7723282.html
Maybe he was told he wasn't going yesterday before the game? Bookmakers are putting out short odds that he wont go now.
That is what he said but he isn't bringing it up now so maybe he made it up or his source ended up being shite. Still it could still happen that both are dropped. Rio can't be relied on to play twice a week.
Rio 2012 is like Ledley King 2010. 99% cert to get crocked . I bet Shepherds source also tipped Harry for the England job. Some "FA insider" who turned out to be crap .
hart - lescott - rio - cahill - cole - carrick - gerrard - lampard - walcott - chamberlain - and youd have to put your money on defoe or crouch as the only options with exeperience or any proof of track record for england. carrick and gerrard as the link up in midfield, lampard in the attacking role as he seems to be in better form. i dont trust our midfield or defence to act in unity so forget getting much out of one of the wing backs and stick in a center back. its not like our right back options are all that so its no great loss. for the squad , rooney, young, terry, smalling, jones, lennon if fit, parker, barry, sturridge, baines, and 2 goalies. plus, the potential ace in the pack, joe cole. great season at lille, and i would have him on as a sub v france. they would be uncertain about him, and he could cause the necesary havoc to clinch the most important game of the entire tournament ( we absoltely need a draw to have any hope of a good tournie). i would have liked to see cleverly, wellbeck and willshere there, but injuries and uncertainty about form would swing the vote against. also would like to take scholes along, but wont happen. i have no doubt that hodgeson will pick a squad that looks nothing like mine.
As an impartial observer I would say both Rio and Terry have been poor. Combine Terry's press conferences at the World Cup last year and his upcoming review for racist comments, and I would probably never select him again. Far too derisive in the lockerroom. Roy likes his CB's to be unbeatable in the air and to hold position at all costs. He funnels all opposing play on the flanks through the middle to be eaten up by two strong centerbacks and tough dmid. Feels a lot like Lescott / Cahill / Barry to me. Another thing that probably no one would agree with: I think Scott parker should play right back. His passing is not good enough to play the middle and while Barry is the poor man's Xabi Alonso, he plays for the best team in the prems and he beat out some pretty good competition. The only problem I see with Scholes (and rooney for that matter) is they sometimes commit horrific fouls by international standards. But if Scholes is available, I have no doubt Roy plays him. Lastly, and this is probably neither here nor there, I think Glenn Johnson is being played out of position as well. He should be an attacking midfield player. Either on the wing or in the middle. The English teams have been plagued for a while with thinking speed on the wings is better than skill. Roy will probably keep only ONE speed player on the pitch at a time. Hurry up and get ready for some really boring-successful-soccer England!
if we dropped anyone who had done something dodgy we would have to drop half the squad. We cant go down that kind of road.
We know the Terry and Rio situation but surely for the good of England they bury their differences. I guess whether they deserve the spot is another question. But not many stick their hands up. Cahill and Lescott are shoe-ins. Terry and Rio are standing in the back-ground. Competitiors to replace them: Jones and Smalling to me didn't step up enough this season. Just my personal opinion. Both young and hopefully only a stumbling block in their progression. Jones has been used a bit as a jack-of-all-trades player it seems and even Smalling hasn't got to keep the centre-back position and nail it down. Michael Dawson and Steven Taylor both injured. Then... Phil Jagielka Ryan Shawcross Steven Caulker
I cant understand what people see in Lescott. Every time he has played for England he has made at least several serious errors. He has no absolutely no tactical awarness, so he leaves the back four in a disorganised fiasco. Jones, Smalling, or Shawcross would all be better options than Lescott. John Terry has to be in the squad, despite his last game of chelsea, in my opinion he is England's only remaining centre back of world class standards, Ferdinand is far too injury prone to get on the plane
Good thing you aren't making the tactical decisions...... Parker at rb is but one of the gem's in this post..