The Mail Bag
The England squad...
Comments (22)
...from our BBC Correspondent
I've just browsed the BBC Sport pages, and happened upon an article by BBC Correspondent Dan Roan. For anyone who's interested the full article is here.
For those that can't be bothered reading it all, the article includes the following statements...
"Michael Dawson and James Milner were arguably the only two players whose reputations were enhanced in South Africa"
Enhanced? Is this the same James Milner who played (and kicked out) like a headless chicken in the first group match? That wasn't commitment or quality, that was absolute rubbish. If a footballer earning in excess of £20k a week can't remember to keep his head and play FOR the team and not be a liability then he should suffer the same fate as those who have been deemed unworthy. Reputation enhanced? Not from where I'm at!
And then things get a whole lot worse...
"Next, in future squads, must come the likes of Jack Rodwell, Dan Gosling, Cattermole, Phil Jones, and Ryan Shawcross."
Jack's qualities are there for all to see, but Gosling? WTF?
Gosling as a *MUST* for the near future... The only thing he's ever done is score a goal while the adverts were on ITV. (I'm glad he did!) But hasn't he just shown a complete disregard for his (ex-)club, and his previous (ex-)club?
He demanded to be played in the centre of midfield for Everton, meaning that David Moyes must drop either Mikel Arteta or Fellaini? Who in their right mind would even contemplate such a move? Ultimately he turned his back on an agreed contract and went on a free, removing the possibility of a much-earned fee for both Everton and Plymouth.
To be an England footballer, you need to have pride, commitment and loyalty. Neither of the recommendations cited here have these qualities at all. Milner has quality, but shows impetuous, arrogant, and ill-disciplined attitude towards the job in hand. Gosling, well there's another story, but what he has ever done to deserve an England call-up I really don't see at all.
What really irks me is that we in the UK have to pay a television licence fee every year and contribute to this prat's salary!
Lloyd Sloan, Posted 08/08/2010 at 03:29:07
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'Some would argue that to properly usher in a new era, a headline-grabbing French-style culling was required, with at least several high-profile England stalwarts punished with exclusion.
Capello has gone as far as he felt he could and probably further than most of us expected him to. King, David James, Rob Green, Leighton Baines, Tom Huddlestone, Stephen Warnock, Matthew Upson and Shaun Wright-Phillips were obvious casualties.'
Leighton wasn't at the World Cup so how is he a casualty????
Very poor from the writer
As an aside, I think Milner had a poor World Cup but think he looked ill. That squad was a bunch of massive individual egos not worthy a game managed by a stubborn geriatric so no surprise at the outcome.
I'd rather Everton players steered clear of the perpetual shite which is the national team and concentrated on playing for Everton.
I bet you if Gosling was still here, there would be plenty on here agreeing that he is a future England player.
Gosling had no chance of breaking into Everton's midfield. In his short time with the club, Gosling showed an eye for goal but looked very limited as a player.
There's no chance that Gosling could have displaced Cahill, Arteta, Pienaar, Fellaini, Rodwell or even Osman. He simply isn't that good.
My guess is that, had he stayed, Gosling would have spent 2-3 more seasons as a bit-part player before Moyes eventually moved him on to another club.
That's not sour grapes ? that's just honesty.
Like the previous three england manager's before him he shit himself and tried to accomodate Lampard and Gerrard in the same team, something that will never work. And dont get me started on Emile Heskey. If any team ever wns a world cup with players like him in the side then I'll show me arse in Debenhams window!!!
Like the previous three england manager's before him he shit himself and tried to accomodate Lampard and Gerrard in the same team, something that will never work. And dont get me started on Emile Heskey. If any team ever wns a world cup with players like him in the side then I'll show me arse in Debenhams window!!!
As most of the posters say glad we haven't got much involment from Everton.
As for Lampard and Gerrard, don't blame Capello, they sell more shirts than anyone (even Rooney) so the FA insist that they play.
Steve - given last seasons performances if Wilshere was a Bolton player and not an Arsenal player on loan do you think he'd have been called up for the senior squad?
Not in a month of Sundays.
Rodwell is a different kettle of fish, proving his doubters wrong game after game, taking more responsibility with each match, his advancement in the game was evident in the Man City away game.
Gosling, on the other hand is a player of promise, but who shows nowhere near the same level of progression as Rodwell - which irritates me because I have this feeling that, alongside his agent, he thinks his career path is now pre-destined, and he's made it to the big time and he'll stay there. Unfortunate if this really is his mindset, we've all seen players advance to his level and then disappear quite dramatically because they haven't had the resolve, commitment and character to carry on working to achieve a higher goal.
"Michael Dawson and James Milner were arguably the only two players whose reputations were enhanced in South Africa."
Dawson was called up as a late addition to the squad, yet didn't feature in any of the games ? so how the bloody hell his reputation has been enhanced by this entire episode I just can't fathom!
I would have been a little nervy, if he had made that first full squad, as there is an air of discontentment in the camp, and Wednesday game versus Hungary will receive a very cool reception, from the fans.
Anyway, Jack has to stamp his place in our first eleven, before getting involved with the inner sactum, and being daily poached, by the golden boys.
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1 Posted 08/08/2010 at 17:20:30
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