Sven not selecting McManaman

Yes I heard Smyth and for once I agree with his logic. i think Mac should be on the English team. As Smyth said is there no TV in England that carry La Liga. I always felt this was a mighty poor excuse. It will be fun to see what happens when David is benched. Yes he will be benched no way he plays on that Madrid team every week. Will Beckham be the reason Maca gets back on the English team. Hey if the 2 are on the bench how does Svern rule out one and not the other.

 

Maybe it's because McManaman has not performed well for England since 1996.

It's not because he plays in Spain, trust me.

 

Macca has been pretty average for England in the past few years, though to be fair it's because he kept getting stuck out on the left wing. I've always been keen on him to be involved, certainly I could never understand why Danny Murphy and Frank Lampard could be picked ahead of him.

This past year he's gotten too fat though. He's lost what he had.

As for Becks, he won't be a sub at Real. Not only would he not stand for it, but he's more than talented as a player to get in that team. There's a slot in centre midfield, and on right of midfield Figo is a player heading well past his best. Actually it wouldn't surprise me to see Real play a diamond with Makele and Zidane in the middle, Figo on the left and Beckham on the right.

 

Rumor is Sven is the next madrid coach, what do you say guys?

 

No, it's more likely to be Arsene Wenger either at the end of this season, or the end of next season.

 

Smyth is factually wrong for one (who'd a thunk!?) - La Liga is widely available in the UK, with several live games and highlights shows a week.

For two, it is not because McManaman is on the bench at Real Madrid that SGE is not picking him (although it doesn't help, naturally). Macca has never been a good performer under SGE, positively oozing apathy in his last appearance for the national side. He has not impressed the coach with either his ability or his commitment.

Neither can be said about Beckham.

Now, I am on record as saying that McManaman is the sort of player England need, but also that he is the sort of player you build your side around. That ain't never going to happen, hence his disappearance from the international scene.

Also, at 31, we have other options ahead of him.

Beckham is captain of England, 28, world class and moves from a champion team to another.

Different planet.

 

Well said Matt. Although, in red lass' post where he said that Smyth said "is there no La Liga coverage in England?", I think he was just implying Smyth is basically saying there is. He didn't actually say, "well, because there is no La Liga coverage in England, SVG cannot watch McMannaman", if you get my point.

Also, if by some strange fate, Beckham and McMannaman became bench buddies, what do you think would happen? I'm not saying that's going to happen though.

 

I think Beckham will play more often than not. In fact, I'm certain of it.

 

What's the point in buying a player who'll crack the far eastern market if he's going to be on the bench ?.

As for McManananannanananananman, he's not getting picked because he's an average player, who can't do much apart from run around and lose the ball with ease. He's a mediocre player who's happy to pick up massive wages watching world class players from the bench.

 

No one at Madrid seems to agree with you. And, as a regular viewer of La Liga and a person who was on hand to witness every aspect of the Macca years at LFC, neither do I.

 

He wasn't bad at Liverpool, but he didn't develop into an international class player. His international appearences since Euro '96 (in which he was quite good), consisted of running around, getting into a 'cul-de-sac' and losing the ball with amazing generosity. He may be a useful squad player for a club the stature of Everton or Blackburn, but he isn't worth the big wages he has at Real, and apathy rules OK with Macca.

In no way is he an international class player now. He may have been 6 or 7 years ago, but not now, whichever fancy club's bench he sits on.

 

Like I said, you're in the minority with that view amongst anyone who has seen him perform for Real Madrid, or, prior to that, when in his prime with Liverpool. McManaman is the most intelligent ball-carrying player England have at the moment. Stevie Gerrard comes close, but he's not really a similarly disposed player.

How do you think he won his move to big money and large trophy halls at Real Madrid?

PS - if you're good enough for Real Madrid (and he is), then you are international class. Playing for Real Madrid is several steps up playing for dumb, dull little England.

 

So if, lets say Roy Hodgson becomes Real's manager, and buys Emile Heskey for £10m, he's automatically an international class player ?. Using that logic, Phil Neville is fantastic because he plays for Man Utd, or Mattie Holmes was a pretty damn good player since he signed for the then Premiership champions Blackburn. The shirt does not maketh the man.

Macca may be good the 3 or 4 times he actually plays a season, but when was the last time he's even looked half decent in an England shirt, whichever position he's in ?. If he was so good, he'd get more games for Real, or other teams bigger than Blackburn and Everton would be linked to him, but he doesn't and they aren't. He's yesterday's man living on a past reputation, and shouldn't be near the England team.

 

That's an inapplicable parallel. Real Madrid bought McManaman on the says so of Lorenzo Sanz, not Toshack. If Roy Hodgson became Real manager, he would have as little say on whom to buy as del Bosque does now. For three seasons now the man has been tearing his fluffy little moustache out because what the team is crying out for is a central defender. Perez, meanwhile, has bought Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo and now Beckham.

But I digress ... McManaman is rated as a top class player by all his team mates at Real, by del Bosque and by Jorge Valdano. He also still has many admirers in the UK.

The reason he is being linked with the likes of Everton and City (Blackburn ... ?) and not other clubs is twofold - one, only the top clubs could afford to pay him something near the £67,000 a week he's currently on and therefore two, only clubs with some emotional appeal (Everton, boyhood fan, City, Robbie Fowler, Kevin Keegan) can consider approaching him with a much-reduced wage offer with any hope of success. He's not going to take a 50% or more paycut to move to Boro, now is he? And before you resort to the obvious again, that is entirely true of all players - money rules and no one is going to give up life in Madrid and half his wage packet without damn good reason.

As to when he last looked good in an England shirt, who cares? He doesn't and I sure as shit don't. England Schmengland. Neither am I advocating that he play for England again. I entirely agree (indeed, said so earlier in the thread) that, at 31, his time had come and gone.

But please ... he is an international class player. To say otherwise is to be pointlessly obtuse. Bottom line is, that if that is truly your position, rather than just the usual dislike for this or that player, then you are quite plainly wrong.

No two ways about it.

 

I know he's popular with Liverpool fans, but I don't think he'd fit into the way England play, and he definately is not good enough to build a team around. I think he comes across as a decent enough guy, I just think he's lighweight, and has a habit of running around when a pass is perhaps a better option. At least that's his contribution as an England player. It's the same as Kieron Dyer, who's great for Newcastle, but is a headless chicken for England.

If Steve is such a good player, he'd get more games for Real, and make Sven and the British public sit up an notice. The Spainish game might suit his style whenever he does play, but sadly for him, the England team don't play that way, and he's not good enough to completely change tactics for. We have enough good midfielders to cope without him. Players like Scholes (although he plays better for Man Utd.), Gerrard, Beckham, Joe Cole, Alan Thompson and maybe even David Thompson are ahead of Steve. Like I say I have nothing against him as a person, I just believe that he's not as good as some make him out to be, just because he plays in white.

Anyway, I'll stop now, as we'll never agree.

 

I agree with Doctor Stamen, obviously we don't support LFC or Real Madrid here so we can offer an unbiased opinion. Steve should of played for Everton, and he never....and he's paying for it now....twiddling his thumbs on Real Madrid's bench, he should go back to Liverpool were he can get a game.

 

Yeah - bet he's gutted with his £65,000-a-week wage packet and his life in the Madrid sunshine. And to cap it all he only has to stretch his legs once or twice a month!

I'm sure he can't wait to get back to good old Liverpool

 

Yeah your right, he's just a mercenary, England weren't paying him enough to perform.

 

BTW, when was the last time McManaman played for England?

 

Albania at St James' park in September 2001.

 

And my god he was awful.