Travesty

[JSpur]

Phil Neville has more caps than Glenn Hoddle.

If he plays in the next 2 England games he will catch up with Paul Gascoigne and Jimmy Greaves.

W.T.F.?????

[Danners9]

Says a lot doesn't it. It's probably a good analogy for everything that has been wrong with England since Hoddle's time.

Platini said that if Hoddle was French he would have had over 100 caps. Hoddle was in a time where the manager was a fool and went for the focus of the team to be Keegan and Brooking and then an always-injured Bryan Robson with his pansy shoulder. It should have been Hoddle, real football fans realise this now.. too late.

As for Gazza, he would have too if he hadn't have busted his knee for Spurs vs Forest AND stayed in England. I think, anyway. That incident was a catalyst for his demise.

Plus they play more internationals now, 7 or 8 a year instead of 4-5.

[JSpur]

Says a lot doesn't it. It's probably a good analogy for everything that has been wrong with England since Hoddle's time.

Platini said that if Hoddle was French he would have had over 100 caps. Hoddle was in a time where the manager was a fool and went for the focus of the team to be Keegan and Brooking and then an always-injured Bryan Robson with his pansy shoulder. It should have been Hoddle, real football fans realise this now.. too late.
I was too young to remember Hoddle really, but I've got a video of Spurs goals in the 80s and he was class. Waddle and Gascoigne scored some classics too. Clive Allen chipped in, along with Garth Crooks and Steve Archibald! Old school.

Best Spurs strikers since the 80s?

Sheringham
Keane
Ferdinand
Klinsmann
Defoe

Rasiak anyone?

[DigitalTron]

I think you'll be adding Berbatov's name to that list soon as well.

And to be fair, Kanoute deserves some consideration if we're putting Keane in there, as Kanoute was almost as productive as Keane ... even though I'm a big fan of Keane, I still think Kanoute deserves his due. If not for the injuries, he would have been one of the top Premiership forwards IMHO. But alas, his body just couldn't take the Premiership.

-Digital

[pookspur]

Phil Neville has more caps than Glenn Hoddle.

If he plays in the next 2 England games he will catch up with Paul Gascoigne and Jimmy Greaves.

W.T.F.?????

if you've ever read simon kuper's Football Against the Enemy, there's a chapter regarding bobby robson's tenure at PSV in dutch league, in which he contrasts english and dutch management and playing styles.

without going into details, he notes the english preference (particularly at the national team level) for 'soldiers' (utterly reliable players who can give you everything they've got, whatever the circumstances, i.e. butcher's bloody cracked-open cranium), as opposed to the 'artists' (less consistent, but far more creative) that the dutch prefer.

in kuper's eyes (and this was written over ten years ago), it came as no surprise that players like hoddle, waddle, and other english 'artists' were seldom picked. whereas they would have been national team treasure in most other countries, they weren't the type of 'soldiers' that england prefers. neville, by the way (and to his credit), is.

[2fat]

Best Spurs strikers since the 80s?

Sheringham
Keane
Ferdinand
Klinsmann
Defoe

Rasiak anyone?
sir les? you serious?
what about clive allen?

[cdmphy]

Phil Neville has more caps than Glenn Hoddle.

If he plays in the next 2 England games he will catch up with Paul Gascoigne and Jimmy Greaves.

W.T.F.?????

Same reason that Roberto Carlos was playing LB for Brazil well into his 60's. LB's are hard to find.

[Phillyspur]

Best Spurs strikers since the 80s?

Sheringham
Keane
Ferdinand
Klinsmann
Defoe

Rasiak anyone?


Chap called Gary Lineker did allright.

Pookspur is bang on about England's preference. Hoddle isn't alone, there were plenty of other flair players that barely got a look in.

[Spur_Forever]

Phil Neville has more caps than Glenn Hoddle.

If he plays in the next 2 England games he will catch up with Paul Gascoigne and Jimmy Greaves.
Travesty indeed. Part of the reason for Neville's number of caps is his "utility man" tag. He's been taken to big tournaments to essentially fill in wherever he was needed, and he also had a spell at left back. But you're right - completely and utterly undeserved. He's a horribly dull player, which doesn't say much for the England team... P-Mong would never have even received a single cap for a team like France or Holland.

And as has been pointed out already, they way that England managers have traditionally selected teams is part of the problem. The preference for players in the mould of Robson or Lampard has had a lot to do with why the few flair players we've produced (Hoddle, Waddle, Barnes, Gazza, and now the likes of Joe Cole) have not fared as well. And unfortunately, it doesn't seem like McSven is going to make any significant changes.

[JSpur]

Same reason that Roberto Carlos was playing LB for Brazil well into his 60's. LB's are hard to find.
Isn't Phil Neville right footed anyway? Not to mention the fact that he has never played at LB consistently at club level. He wasn't picked at Man U and plays in midfield at Everton.

I haven't watched any of England's games since the World Cup. I'd just get too annoyed. I hope England lose against Israel and Andorra. Then maybe the FA would sack McSven, by some miracle appoint a successful club manager (crazy idea, right?) and we could still just about qualify.

Sorry, wrong place for an England rant - I know.

COYS!!!

[dashiel]

I haven't watched any of England's games since the World Cup. I'd just get too annoyed. I hope England lose against Israel and Andorra. Then maybe the FA would sack McSven, by some miracle appoint a successful club manager (crazy idea, right?) and we could still just about qualify.

COYS!!!

couldn't agree more. i don't know who runs the FA anymore, but i'm beginning to think they're a bush appointee.

[Danners9]

couldn't agree more. i don't know who runs the FA anymore, but i'm beginning to think they're a bush appointee.

Some fat tosser who is in it for the free lunches, free tickets, tv exposure and hoping for an ex-hooker to be appointed as his secretary like the last one.

The FA piss me off, the England team piss me off and a lot of the England players piss me off. They might as well get rid of McClaren and let the players officially pick the side.