If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨
Options
Essential support for under 25s
Essential support for under 25s
Take a look around and enjoy reading the discussions. If you'd like to join in, it's really easy to register and then you'll be able to post. If you'd like to learn what this place is all about, head here.
Comments
Robinson is fucking terrible. Honestly, ANY English keeper would do a better job.
Richards is superb. Build a team around him.
Oh and I'll be very dis-appointed if we get to the next major tournament and James is in the net, that guy is far worse than Robbo and we are in trouble if we have to play him!! I just don't trust the guy, every time the ball goes near him my hearts in my mouth expecting him to fuck up!! Robbo has his moments but overall is usually a lot more safe and assured! Please don't play James is my plea to Mclaren, if he's gonna drop Robbo then let someone else have a go, James has being there and being dropped, don't bring the donkey back!!
England are investigating Manchester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel's international status to see if there is any chance of him forsaking Denmark for Steve McClaren's side. (Daily Mirror)
We still have Ben Foster and Scott Carson who are decent young keepers for the future but not ready I don't think to be thrown into a big international tournament, a mistake in the net at that level could ruin a player in my opinion!!
A good Leeds fan, always staying loyal to the oldies! :thumb:
Robinson did fuck up big time last night, but I agree, still by far a better keeper than James.
I don't reckon Kasper Schmeichel would play for England, his father played for Denmark and I reckon he will too. Although if I'm wrong, then yeah he's definately worth considering. Very promising at the moment.
But yes Robbo did fuck up but he is the best keeper England have!!
cough harry kewell's a CUNT cough
I think James deserved to be in goal last season tbh. It's not so much about Robinson being crap, it's to let him know that unless you perform, you will be dropped for the person who's in form for their club. There are far to many England players who have been used to playing no matter what in the past, and so have consistantly underperformed. Beckham (hardly played) started ahead of Wright-Phillips (on fire this season). Owen and Smith (hardly played and not match-fit) started ahead of Johnson (playing well even if he hasn't scored yet), Bent (fully fit), Derbyshire (playing well). And then he brings Crouch on, who isn't even eligable for the first game. It's not as if he's not fully aware of Crouch's abilities and how he can be played.
The problem is that we have no stand-out keepers at the minute- Robinson is alright, Carson is alright, James is good for 88 minutes and can be relied on to drop two clangers, Foster's second-choice behind a geriatric Dutchman, Kirkland is too brittle.
He wasn't even great at Falkirk last season, it's all hype just because of his name. His first big fuck-up is only a matter of weeks away, then he'll be forgotten about.
Does look a bit volatile though, reckon he'll turn out like a David James sort of keeper, shows real promise and talent but is just a bunffoun sometimes.
Yeah whatever. We had one of the best defences in the Premier League before this season (so much so that Nicky Weaver was touted for England too), and we've spent £10m improving it. Micah Richards has a 100% tackle success rate for the season, which is just insane. Incidentally, it's obvious watching Man City that their new signings haven't gelled properly yet, so from an attacking perspective, the football can only get better. Portsmouth didn't stay up there all last season, yet people still rightly recognised how well David James performed. If he does well, everyone without big-four-only vision will recognise it.
Kasper's nowhere near good enough for international football yet though, and he's still very much our second choice keeper. He certainly looks to have good technique and generally comes to claim things well, but he's obviously going to make mistakes. Luckily for him, he's got some quality defenders to help him out when he does, like Richards against Man Utd when he spilled it.
I personally think Man City will do ok this season, but don't think they'll end up in the top four, UEFA cup at the most! I'd be happy to be prooved wrong though especially if it was at the expense of their Manchester rivals
Well if there was an English keeper in the top 4, you might have a point.
There are tonnes of examples of England having an "if he's fit, he plays" attitude, or sometimes even an "if he can run, he plays" attitude. Some players over the past few years have been untouchable because of the managers refusal to pick a player that's in form from a smaller club as anything other than a squad member.
If Brazil had had England's attitude, Rivaldo and Ronaldo would still be playing instead of Ronaldinho and Robinho. If Argentina had England's attitude, Crespo would still be ahead of Tevez in the pecking order. If Spain had England's attitude, then Raul would still be being picked ahead of Torres. How many English strikers have to have 20 goal seasons before Michael Owen is ousted as automatic first choice? How many goals from midfield did Shaun Wright-Phillips have to score for Man City before he would play something other than a supporting role for Sir David? How long does Wayne Bridge have to be out of the Chelsea team before we decide that how well he played for England a few years ago isn't a valid method of selection for a national team? I don't feel that players get a chance unless one of the established players is injured, even in a friendly, and more importantly, even when the established player's current form is shit. If they eventually do manage to make it onto the pitch, it's invariably at the period in the game where another 5 players have been replaced, and the team has lost all of its shape.
And I guess that's more the point. Not the team they come from (though I think there is an attitude that if someone doesn't play for a top club, they're not proven at the top level, and not good enough for more than a bit-part in England) but players being picked on reputation rather than form. And it's just proved itself in Jamie Carragher quitting international football because he feels that the likes of Rio and Terry are automatically picked if they're fit (and it's not as if Ferdinand in particular hasn't had periods of dodgy form in the past few years).
And of course when circumstances dictate that a less high profile player is picked in a competitive match from the start, he often surprises everyone by actually being able to do the job (Trevor Sinclair, Danny Mills, Nicky Butt, Owen Hargreaves).
Shaun Wright-phillips made his own bed by moving to Chelsea as a bit-part squad player, now he has to lie in it, one good season for Man City doesn't mean he should start for England, yes if he'd have gone to Chelsea and carried on his good form playing week in and out then he would have had an argument!! Now hes getting picked for Chelsea then he should be back in contention!!
Another Left back as good as Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge??? Its just a shame there both fighting for the same spot at club level also!!
Personally what I think did it for Carragher is not even getting into the squad when that big lump of shit Wes Brown started at right back, think that would piss anyone off to be fair!!
When Bridge starts playing club football you might have a point about him for England. But for now I think Shorey's earned his chance.
The other irritating thing is that if a player does get selected for England, and has a bit of a mare, even if they only got half a game or less, everyone jumps on their back and says that half a game proves that they're not good enough "at this level." "This level" often being against an international team that is far worse than anything you'd find in the Premiership.
Everyone actually playing in the premiership should be ahead of Bridge in the pecking order on the basis that they're actually playing football rather than sitting on their arse. How is there any incentive to play well if you're gonna be selected no matter what?
I've said this before but i'll say it again; If a player is performing for his club then he should get a chance, if then he doesn't perform then why should he stay in the side?? Fat Frank for example, plays sweet for Chelsea, stick him in an England shirt and hes crap so he should be dropped, he shouldn't be their on merit cos hes playing well for Chelski!!
Oh and where did I say I won't consider him unless he did well for Chelsea?? I said he made his own bed by moving to Chelsea, he went for the big boys, the big bucks and it backfired when he hardly played a game just as he WAS coming into contention for England, IMO he should have stayed at Man City and I'm sure he would have had a lot more chances with England! And I also reckon he would have gone to the World Cup, or is it different with SWP's?? Would you have taken him to the World Cup??
Kind of agree about Bridge but unless cAshleys injured then he won't play anyway, and if cAshley is injured he will be playing regular football for Chelsea, he has shown in the past he is good enough so hes there for back up to cAshley just like he is at Chelsea!! If he was starting for England then fair enough you have a valid point but he's not!!
ETA - I do think now SWP's (if he carrys on playing regular for Chelsea) should get his chance, from what I've seen of him so far this season, he is 10 times better player than he was at Man City, his dribblings improved, his strengths improved and his final ball has improved!!
At that time SWP's could skin a man but then his cross went into the stands, entertaining watching him running at people but frustrating watching him waste cross after cross after cross!!
His crossing from what I've seen so far is a lot lot better than when he was at Man City, now he could be good enough for England, the fact of the matter is he wasn't when he was at City!!
Shorey won't play ahead of Ashley Cole, but he is playing regularly and well and should be ahead of players like Bridge, who struggles to get a game for Chelsea reserves.
The reason why England don't use other players in friendlies is because the manager is vilified if things are tested and they don't work. Eriksson was sacked primarily for his friendly record.