@geesoft
One United! a revival needs to happen in that squad. the spirit is low. They have quality players. I laffed when someone said England is just like the other britiko teams.
with the way they are playing, they wont beat wales. but potentially, wales should loose 0-5 to England even in cardif.
Gerrad,Rooney,Joe Cole,Ashley Cole,Crouch,Lampard,Terry and Hargreaves can hold their own against any team if properly harnessed.

The thing is, the media in that country is just overhyping the team unnecessarily. They have underachieved for so long and they need to prove critics wrong and more importantly,win some laurels for the ever supportive vociferous fans they have got.

It has to do with the media spotlight and stuff they look more like rockstar musicians and hollywood actors than footballers when going for major tournaments Roy Keane even said stuff about W.A.G.S(wives and girlfriends asscociation and stuff) i think he has a point

old story

England need to field there best 11, if they continue to have a policy that a micheal owen with one leg is better than people like jermaine defoe who is fit, then they will have a longggg wait b4 they win anything.

Those guys are average and the sooner they accept humble pie and work as a team the better

@ A-40,

I disagree with all y'all.
The English National Team is NOT crap.
Injuries to their big players is the major problem why they under-perform.

d problem england hav now is like d problem chelsea had last season:feilding their best 11 players on paper instead of feilding their best team.

@Jackal
When last did they reach the semis in a major tournament? 1996 when it was held in their backdoor if thats not crap i dont know what crap is then

@ A-40,

Dont gemme wrong . . . . .
England has under-performed humungously and their record is nothing to write home about.
The problem stems from not always having their best players fit for competitions.
How many teams in the world will beat England's first XI when they are all FIT?
I swear . . . . .Not many teams.

The reason why Brazil, Argentina, France and Italy are better is just because they have a large sea of players to choose from.
England does not have that luxury . . . .Do u think Joe Cole will make it to an Argentine team or French team? Dont think so.
Meanwhile, he is the only decent player that can play on the left hand side of the Midfield in England.
The only area of the pitch where England just edges it is the defence . . .


Attack and Midfield area is over-skint . . . .
Abbiati(3rd choice goalie) in Italy is better than Englands best goalie for instance.
In the midfield . . . . It even gets worse . . . .You can forget the attack because theres no need mentioning it.
Brazil went to Copa America without Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, Cafu, R. Carlos and others and still won the title.
Do u think England can afford to go to any competition without its big players? No.

English team is like the Man Utd of last season.
They have the a good 1st XI capable of beating any team in the world but once 2 players in that set-up is missing, they don't have a team.
No good fringe players . . . . Who can deputise for Gerrard? Deputise for Rooney? Deputise for Joe Cole? NONE.
This is where England is suffering a lot and other European teams have an edge with a wide margin. . . . . . . . . . . .
The influx of foreign players into the Prem is also stalling local talents to develop and break into the 1st team of the National team.

Watch England's game against Argentina(friendly) in 2005 and see what i am talking about . . . .
Ashley Cole was the only missing pawn and England gave a good account of themselves.

@Jackal

they never get to assemble their BEST 11?

is that supposed to be a JINX ?

U R HAVING A LAFF . . .

for a country that has the best packaged league in the world?


The English team is crappy and u know it  

and same applies to the Nigerian team  

the Press is majorly to blame for celebrating MEDIOCRITY  

what we gladly choose to refer to as OVER-HYPE    

yeah, how good is Rooney compared to the other footballing icons ? Dinho, Kaka, and co

but stupid enough the PRESS makes them look like they are some footballing Demi-gods

majority of English players will not even make Nigeria's team so why hype them that much?

A-40:

@Jackal
When last did they reach the semis in a major tournament? 1996 when it was held in their backdoor if thats not crap i don't know what crap is then

Finishing in the top 8 in every tournament is not crap.Even the whole of Africa has barely managed England's achievement in the World Cup.

@Mc Omo

Dont mind Jackal.

Red lions is not good enough. Period!

For God sake they have never won European cup.

Only 1966 worldcup when it was a five-a-side

[size=15pt]Overpriced! Overnoised!! Over-everything players!!![/size]

wen it comes down 2 individual players yal r talkin smack.D only teams dat match dem r brazil,france,argentina,italy n spain probably.Of course wen i say match i mean d calibre of d players as individuals.

@RITCHBOI

What the f@ck is ur problem? why are u attacking everyone and everything in sight?

attack issues and not people . . . .

who and who are talking smack ?

u just run ur wack commentaries and all u do is[b] LOOK THE FOOL [/b]

@omo
no time 2 exchange words wit u,but if u cant name any other team wit d calibre of english players then no need 2 argue who d fool is.

look . . . . boy ritchboi

I dont got no discourse with u

calibre of English players ? do I need to have a discourse with u?

U DONT EVEN HAVE A CLUE, DO U ?

Calibre of players is[b] NONSENSE [/b] . . . . when u GET TO THE FIELD U SEPERATE THE BOYS FROM THE MEN !!!


MIND U . . . GOT NO TIME FOR U . . . . can do my time arguing with Jackal and em oldies that know the time not DSTV-INSPIRED DUDES that know no j@cksh@t abt FOOTIE

@ MC Omo,

U talk crap.
The best packaged league in the world?
What has that gotta do with the English National team.
How many English players are in Arsenal's 1st XI to start with?
La Liga is one of the best leagues in the world BUT what has SPAIN ever won?
Lets reason objectively here . . . . . .Leagues has nothing to do with it.
The press has nothing to do with it . . . . .These players are quality and u know it . . . .

England has the best set of defenders in the world.
Name me any country that can match the skills and strength of the following players in the DEFENCE department.
Gary Neville, Ferdinand, John Terry, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole and Ledley King.
The only areas where England is skint is the attack and left side of the midfield and its a worry.
If clubs like Arses give the local lads the chance Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool give theirs . . .maybe things will change.
Only an idiot will tell me Wazza and Owen are not WORLD CLASS players.

Owen at 18 blazed France 98 . . . . .
Rooney at 18 lit up EURO 2004 . . . . . .
Lets not be biased . . . . . England has a very good starting XI but have no cover should any of the XI gets injured/suspended.
How many central defenders are better than John Terry in the world OR ASHLEY COLE?
What are we talking about here? France, Brazil, Germany and Italy have got a sea of players to choose from.
England does not enjoy this luxury. . . .and u cannot blame em for it.


@ Akolawole,

There are so many good footballing nations that are yet to win the World cup or European cup.
Spain is a good example . . . . .They have the biggest club in the world in REAL MADRID but what have they won?
Lets look at England's performances in recent times . . . . . . . . .
Lost to Portugal by PENALTIES in the world cup after playing with 10 men . . . . . . . .
They also lost the European Cup by losing to penalties in EURO 2004.
That is just based purely on ILL-LUCK . . . . . .They did well considering the circumstances.
How many of their strikers were fit for the mundial? Owen was crocked . . . .Rooney was rushed to play and copped a RED.
When did losing to penalties become a shame?
Y'all guys should stop beefing and acknowledge this team is good . . . . . ILL LUCK and limited personnel is the reason why they under-achieve.

@Jackal

I see

You might even argue Mighty Jets was the best team in Naja having played more than 9 FA cup final without winning any

Winning is the main thingy.

When is the ill-luck gonna go? Any deliverance minister here?

Maybe after next 2 matches,Bentley will be prized £30m

They are good but NOT as they think they are

they are not that good, why would an entire team fall flat because one or two players got crocked?

Brazil won the Copa twice in a row, without its best players Kaka and Ronaldinho on show, no Ronaldo either!

and what 'pool' does France, Germany, Italy have that England doesn't? Are they not at par or even more populated than some of these countries?

The team has FAILED to reach ANY final for donkey years, that is under achievement.

Defensively England may be sound, but even there, they SUCK at goal keeping, no English goalie of note has emerged since the days of David Seaman

the team is just full of hype and nothing else, some players have momentary flicks and shines, but nothing consistent. Nuno Gomes and Karel Poborsky had a good Euro '96, but that was it, they were never truly great players, so mentioning Owen and Rooney's one off competition shining is besides the point.

@Akola

lets not even oblige Jackal here


@Jackal

what the heck u talking about ?

which English team are u talking about ?

WAZZA AND OWEN WORLD CLASS? . . . .

maybe only in your wildest dreams !!!

please mention Gerrard and Scholesy first !

are U drunk as usual ?

shrooms or reefer ?

even Italy has got better defenders and strikers than your STUPID ENGLISH t[/b]eam has

why are u acting like your RESIDENT PERMIT IS IT STAKE ?

do English players come any better in the defence tha[b]n Maldini, Nesta, AND Zambrotta ?

or do their strikers come better than Totti, Gilardino, Inzaghi ? ?

if u say they do . . . THEN GO SEE UR UR SHRINK !!!

not to tal;k of the Midfield . . . PIRLO ET AL?

@ MC OMO,

You are such a bloody ERRORIST.
If u continue like this without checking the facts before spewing your balderdash then u may remain an Ignoranus.
Go and read ma former posts.
Mind u, name me any team in the world Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen will not make their starting XI
I said Midfield, Attack and Goalkeeping are the 3 areas England must work on to be a good team.
If u are not blind . . . . u shouldnt have mentioned ATTACK in one of your lousy points.
Regarding Italian defence . . . . Its either u are remarkably STUPID or u are just taking the piss.
Whatever it might be . . . . .I think u need to slow your roll and take time to read posts before u type.
I think your missus should condemn u to a temporary MOUSE ARREST . . . . .Ban u from touching a mouse for some weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Le Chacal knows u are sometimes typeractive as your finger just itches to tap something on the keyboard without any degree of intelligence.
Neville, Rio/Carragher Terry and Ashley Cole are better than any DEFENCE QUARTET in the whole FUCKING WORLD.
I can argue this from Niger to Nepal.

@ Akolawole,

Spain has a very good league . . . . .
Can u explain why they havent won anything major in their football history.
How many people are saying RAUL, HIERRO, EMILO BUTRAGUENO, TORRES, ALONSO, FABREGAS are over-rated?
Lets reason objectively. . . . . . . . . . .
There are many countries in the world with good players that will never win something major.
They are known as under-achievers , , , , ,They got the tools and talents but THINGS ALWAYS FALL APART.
Nigeria has only won Cup of Nations twice with the large army of talents we have.
If u ask me . . . . .We should be winning it every time it holds but have we done so?
How does that translate to Okocha, Kanu, Martins and Utaka are over-rated?

@Debosky and Mc Omo

My oyinbo friend once told me this " Kola, they only look good because they were surrounded by excellent foreign players".

Imagine Chelsea without Essien and Drogba! Watch outfor JM and Joe cole in January transfer window

Thats why i will always respect Wenger man, he doesnt care about them English.

No wonder he has english enemies :http://www.thesun.co.uk/discussions/posts/list/27875.page

Jackal:

Spain has a very good league . . . . .
Can u explain why they havent won anything major in their football history.
How many people are saying RAUL, HIERRO, EMILO BUTRAGUENO, TORRES, ALONSO, FABREGAS are over-rated?
Lets reason objectively. . . . . . . . . . .
There are many countries in the world with good players that will never win something major.
They are known as under-achievers , , , , ,They got the tools and talents but THINGS ALWAYS FALL APART.
Nigeria has only won Cup of Nations twice with the large army of talents we have.
If u ask me . . . . .We should be winning it every time it holds but have we done so?
How does that translate to Okocha, Kanu, Martins and Utaka are over-rated?

Their league is good but their national team is crap. I repeat average bunch who are clueless in major championship. Do you know i am one of the Prayer warriors that prayed for them before they could land Nigeria '99, their very first cup

True Naija won african cup twice but we are in the final match more than any country in Africa in fact since Ethiopia '76 we have never take part without winning a medal(Gold,Silver or Bronze).

@ Akolawole,

U just hit the nail on the head.
If PLONKERS like Wenger keep signing foreigners in the league then how do u expect young English lads to develop?
Let him continue to sign his Foreign Legion . . . . I am sure Platini will soon effect the rule that says 6 home grown players must feature in any game.
Once that takes effect . . . . . .I wonder who Wenger would play.
He will go and hire lads in Hackney to help him out by then.

Chelsea's spine is CECH-TERRY-ESSIEN-LAMPARD-DROGBA.
Lampard's absence knocked 3 points off u on Sunday.
Terry's long absence ripped the title off ur hands last season.
Why not say imagine Chelsea without Lampard, Terry and Joe Cole?
I can see Essien playing as a central defender and keeping clean sheets . . . . .U hypocrites!!!!!!!!!!!!

wait a minute, talking about 'defences'- weren't Terry and Ashley Cole in the team that chopped 2 goals at Villa?

or Carra in the game where Arsenal scored 4? or Rio and Neville in the team spanked by Milan?

So much for the much vaunted defence. BULLSHIT!

@ Debosky,

Italian defence(Nesta + Maldini) in the team that conceded 3 goals against Liverpool in 18 mins at UEFA finals.
Roma defence(with Panucci) that conceded 7 whooping goals against a Man Utd that started 8 British players on the night?
I am talking about the defence quartet in a unit and u are isolating em one by one.
Are u tryna taking the piss?

Roma defence? is anyone in the Roma defence part of Italy's top 11?

I was just trying to point out the deficiencies in your position, as a unit the English side sucks, every team on the planet including Togo can point to some area where they are secure - Belarus will say their midfield is ok because of Hleb, but that doesn't mean they dont suck as a team.

even the 'quartet' as you put them are not that good, the qualifiers show it, if not England's problems would solely be a matter of scoring not defence.

didn't Inter beat Milan 4-2 last season?Does that mean Milan can't defend and their defenders are rubbish?

@ Debosky,

I can't believe what u are spewing here.
England's quartet is not good? When was the last time the 1st choice players played together as a unit?
Gary Neville is crocked. . . . . . . .Terry has not been fit all year and other fuckeries i can't even mention.

A 10-man England side that defied all odds to force Portugal into penalties in the world cup.
Tell me any team in the world Terry wont play as a central defender?
You just have to feel for this guys . . . . Penalties has robbed England in major competitions more than any team in recent times.
Who do u blame for that? Defenders or The Queen?
Y'all guys don't have a CLUE . . . . . .You just follow what people say without checking the facts.

@ I-man,
Thank You very much.
The way some people come out here and disrespect the 3 LIONS is DISGUSTING.
People just spew trash and fuckery . . . . England is this  . . . .England is that.
Spain has won nuthing and they have one of the best league in the world.
I am yet to hear that RAUL or FABREGAS or TORRES are over-rated.

Akola said English players are over-priced. Is that a good point?
Tell me a single thing that is not over-priced in England . . . . .
Timabaland boots is 120 pounds in England and $80 in USA . . . . Thats a little example.
London is the 2nd most expensive city in the world so let em DEAL WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just read Jackal's responses and I dont see why the argument shd go on . . . He is f@cking crazy to suggest Rooney and Owen would make the starting X1 of any team ! Schmuck !

MC Obo

Are you saying Rooney and Owen are not quality players?Are they not better than Fred and Vagner Love-Brazil's current first choice front pairing?

@Akola, what exactly did u expect 4rm supporters of a club that discriminates against African players ?

Mc Omo:

@Akola, what exactly did u expect from supporters of a club that discriminates against African players ?

If England are crap then African players are crapitistic.How many African nations don make am into the Q/F of the World Cup.That's why we don't sign them.

Milan had no African players when they won the Champions League .You should be supporting Pompey if you love African players that much