England Squad

[soggy biscuit]

Odd interview with Defoe on 5Live yesterday. He certainly seems pretty angry about not being in the 23

[KC Royal]

I know everyone is raving about Luke Shaw but i personally think Kieran Gibbs is a better left back than he is and has the experience of big games.

Shaw is good going forward but is naive when it comes to defending, as shown on a number of occasions this season.

Why is Gibbs being overlooked (and not even put on the reserve list).....also, if Baines gets injured why will Roy try and persuade Cole to come out of his hissy-fit retirement

Maybe because you couldn't guarantee he would stay fit? He does seem to get injured a lot.

But tbh never been convinced by Gibbs, both offensively or defensively, but maybe just need to see more of him.

[Silver Fox]

Odd interview with Defoe on 5Live yesterday. He certainly seems pretty angry about not being in the 23

Which of the strikers did he think he should be in instead of? Wellbeck's the only one I can think of and it's pretty clear that Woy is a big fan of his.

[TBM]

I know everyone is raving about Luke Shaw but i personally think Kieran Gibbs is a better left back than he is and has the experience of big games.

Shaw is good going forward but is naive when it comes to defending, as shown on a number of occasions this season.

Why is Gibbs being overlooked (and not even put on the reserve list).....also, if Baines gets injured why will Roy try and persuade Cole to come out of his hissy-fit retirement

Maybe because you couldn't guarantee he would stay fit? He does seem to get injured a lot.

But tbh never been convinced by Gibbs, both offensively or defensively, but maybe just need to see more of him.

Yeah in the past maybe but he's played 33 times for Arsenal this season....Shaw has played 39 [for Saints]

Gibbs has 4 assists to Shaw's 1

[From Despair To Where?]

Odd interview with Defoe on 5Live yesterday. He certainly seems pretty angry about not being in the 23

Which of the strikers did he think he should be in instead of? Wellbeck's the only one I can think of and it's pretty clear that Woy is a big fan of his.

Admittedly, I don't rate Welbeck and although Defoe probably doesn't warrant a start, I think that, of all the available players, he would be the best option at chasing a game in the last 20 minutes

[TBM]

Odd interview with Defoe on 5Live yesterday. He certainly seems pretty angry about not being in the 23

Which of the strikers did he think he should be in instead of? Wellbeck's the only one I can think of and it's pretty clear that Woy is a big fan of his.

Admittedly, I don't rate Welbeck and although Defoe probably doesn't warrant a start, I think that, of all the available players, he would be the best option at chasing a game in the last 20 minutes

Its because Welbeck can play on the wing and runs the channels well - Roy likes a struggle-pig

[Whatevs]

Its because Welbeck can play on the wing and runs the channels well - Roy likes a struggle-pig

yep this.
If you need an attacking player to tuck in a bit and defend the left wing, he's your man.
Never convinced that he's gonna put the ball in the back of the net thought

Agree with you about Gibbs. Played very well this year

[Silver Fox]

'greed with both of you I think, I'd rather have Defoe in than Wellbeck but Woy clearly thinks otherwise

[Wax Jacket]

8 goals in 21 games for England, it's not the worst record.

LOL @ getting cross because your MLS goals have gone unnoticed. only Beckham used to get away with that.

[winchester_royal]

Disagreed with the Welbeck hate. Does plenty outside the box that often goes unnoticed, and Defoe nailed his own coffin when he went to play in what is the equivalent of League 1.

Also disagree with the idea that Gibbs is a better option than Shaw. You won't find anyone willing to spend 30m on Kieran, and there's a reason Shaw was in the PFA team of the year. Has been very solid defensively, and I'm not sure assists are the best indicator of how good a defender is.

[TBM]

Also disagree with the idea that Gibbs is a better option than Shaw. You won't find anyone willing to spend 30m on Kieran, and there's a reason Shaw was in the PFA team of the year. Has been very solid defensively, and I'm not sure assists are the best indicator of how good a defender is.

I'm not saying Shaw is shit - and his price is only that high cos of his age and potential (similar to why Walcott and Ox cost Arsenal so much)

I included the assists cos KC Royal said he wasn't convinced about Gibbs offensively.

In 4 years time there is no doubt Shaw will be our first choice left back but at the moment its one thing being good against Hull and then being good against Brazil, Argentina, Germany etc. Gibbs has CL experience so has been tested against international class players for a couple of years now

[P!ssed Off]

Yeah in the past maybe but Gibbs's played 33 times for Arsenal this season....Shaw has played 39 [for Saints]

Gibbs has 4 assists to Shaw's 1

In the PL this season:
Gibbs 24(4), 1 assist
Shaw 35(0), 1 assist

24 starts may be a lot for Gibbs, but it is not a full season. And tbh he is fairly average.

Shaw is better than Gibbs, and Gibbs is 6 years older. As winch says, who would spend £30 million on Gibbs?
Shaw is on the way to being world class, he'll have the England left back role sewn up for a decade, most likely. It's definitely time to blood him as back up now, Baines is already 29 and a half. Forget about Gibbs.

[TBM]

Yeah in the past maybe but Gibbs's played 33 times for Arsenal this season....Shaw has played 39 [for Saints]

Gibbs has 4 assists to Shaw's 1

In the PL this season:
Gibbs 24(4), 1 assist
Shaw 35(0), 1 assist

2 more assists in the FA Cup and 1 more in the Champions League.

Shaw is not a £30m player at the moment - as said he is only going for that much due to his age and potential. anyway the price of a player shouldn't determine whether they should play for England or not - Jack Rodwell cost Man City £15m, doesn't mean he's International class

I wont be convinced about Shaw until he's played at the top and in the Champions League etc.

[YateleyRoyal]

And taking him to the World Cup allows him to play at the top, does it not

[Hoop Blah]

Odd interview with Defoe on 5Live yesterday. He certainly seems pretty angry about not being in the 23

Which of the strikers did he think he should be in instead of? Wellbeck's the only one I can think of and it's pretty clear that Woy is a big fan of his.

Admittedly, I don't rate Welbeck and although Defoe probably doesn't warrant a start, I think that, of all the available players, he would be the best option at chasing a game in the last 20 minutes

A couple of years ago maybe.

This season he's hardly got a look in and has hardly troubled keepers either. He's moved to semi-retirement for a reason and I just don't think he's got it anymore.

[TBM]

And taking him to the World Cup allows him to play at the top, does it not

If you think throwing him in at the deep end is a good idea, yes

I'm talking about playing for a club in the Champions League for a season or two, gaining experience that way without the nation expecting him to be our new boy wonder.

[KC Royal]

Disagreed with the Welbeck hate. Does plenty outside the box that often goes unnoticed, and Defoe nailed his own coffin when he went to play in what is the equivalent of League 1.

Also disagree with the idea that Gibbs is a better option than Shaw. You won't find anyone willing to spend 30m on Kieran, and there's a reason Shaw was in the PFA team of the year. Has been very solid defensively, and I'm not sure assists are the best indicator of how good a defender is.

+1 on Welbeck. He can be frustrating at club level but he does seem to be one of those players who plays better for their country. He's more than a goalscorer, and for someone who doesn't always play up top 8 goals in 21 is a good return. He's impressed when I've seen him live for England, one sub appearance in the Spain friendly a few years ago springs to mind when despite limited service he worried the Spanish defenders with his pace.

Also scored some important goals in the qualifying campaign I think.

On Gibbs surprised at the assists v Shaw mentioned by TBM.

[Hoop Blah]

As for Gibbs, I think I've said before that I'm not his biggest fan but he has kicked on pretty well this season to be fair to him.

He's not done enough for me to get above Cole or Baines though, and Shaw just looks better than him both now and as a prospect for the future. He's stonger, probably even quicker, and for me uses the ball more intelligently than Gibbs who I still don't think can defend the back post (Baines isn't great at it either but his other strengths means he can get away with it).

[stealthpapes]

Thank christ Defoe's nowhere near the starting line up.

Now all you need is a Lampard injury.

[KC Royal]

Don't get the Lampard hate. He's probably not going to play, but those who heard/saw the Footballers Football Show with Hodgson a few months back will know why he's been picked. Also helps to have him around for a penalty shootout or chasing a game too.