Your 23 man squad for the WC

[cmonurz]

Rooney is a far far better player on his own up front, so um in conclusion, play him on his own

Didn't we score a record-tastic number of goals in qualifying playing 4-4-2?

And Rooney has contributed just 1 of England's last 18 goals.

[No Fixed Abode]

Gerrard should be fresh after having a career break last season.

[SLAMMED]

Wasn't funny when you said it the first time m8.

[PlasticRoyale]

Gerrard should be fresh after having a career break last season.

This is what i'm thinking as well...Gerrard has not had a good season and his short passing in midfield tight play is woeful. TBF thats prolly my only criticism of him

[Ark Royal]

Gerrard should be fresh after having a career break last season.

This is what i'm thinking as well...Gerrard has not had a good season and his short passing in midfield tight play is woeful. TBF thats prolly my only criticism of him

What about his total inability to defend?

[PlasticRoyale]

Defend as in being in the right position or being able to win tackles 50/50 (i'd always put my money on Gerrard wining a 50/50)

[Ark Royal]

Gerrard is great going forward, but I don't think he is that good defensively in a 4-4-2 and does not track back enough. That is why I think he would better deployed just behind Rooney.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Did Norman Hunter make the final cut?

[Royal Rother]

Gerrard should be fresh after having a career break last season.

This is what i'm thinking as well...Gerrard has not had a good season and his short passing in midfield tight play is woeful. TBF thats prolly my only criticism of him

What about his total inability to defend?

And his irritating voice.

[papereyes]

Gerrard may make some thunderous tackles but his defensive positioning and awareness is pretty pish. As he's fast, big and strong, he gets around it by chasing players down and physically imposing himself on them.

A better defensive player would do it with a fraction of the effort and risk.

[Silver Fox]

High fives to the people who can understand you don't just pick the top English scorer in the premiership, if it was that easy Adrian Durham would be England manager.

Watching SSN last night it seems the people of Sunderland are particularly stupid regarding this point

[leww_rfc]

Rooney was the top English scorer though.. not Bent HTH.

[rfcjoe]

OH SHIT, SF GOT HTH'D.

[readingbedding]

Rooney was the top English scorer though.. not Bent HTH.

Correct!
Particularly stupid indeed.

[Wax Jacket]

Gerrard may make some thunderous tackles but his defensive positioning and awareness is pretty pish. As he's fast, big and strong, he gets around it by chasing players down and physically imposing himself on them.

A better defensive player would do it with a fraction of the effort and risk.

not to mention his passing - the attacking back-pass, the Gerrard special out to the wings (well, row Z of the wings) and of course the Stephen Hunt-esque shank behind the goal

[BR2]

I was a bit surprised to see how many posters thought that Joe Cole (totally right-footed)should be in the starting eleven playing on the left,especially after the dreadful season he has had for his club.
On the basis that Capello said that he would only select fit and in-form players Ferdinand,Carrick,King,Barry,Upson and Cole can all count themselves fortunate to be in the final 23 but we would be scraping the barrel if they weren't going I suppose .

I remember Vision saying on here a couple of years ago that he felt Johnson was a better long term prospect than Downing and it looks as though he was right.
Johnson is genuinely two-footed and the only wide player who is so I would have picked him for that reason alone ahead of any of the others.

I am glad that Walcott wasn't selected as he is way out of form,can't tackle back and apart from being a sprinter does not have much of a footballing game or brain.
Without Heskey or Crouch up front in a two I could see Rooney just getting crowded out of a game and if he is (supposedly)our wonder-striker then we need to create space for him to finish and I feel that it can only be done with the battering ram or giant alongside him.
Also so few teams play with a big front man and I feel that gives us a bit of an advantage against defenders (e.g the Mexico game)who don't come up against that sort of thing too often.

How anybody could think of leaving our best two players out (Gerrard and Lampard) I think is crazy especially if the likes of Carrick,Cole and Milner are regarded as alternative options when they are so far behind in ability.
The fact that Gerrard and Lampard don't always perform well for England is irrelevant-the others don't either and we know that on good days these two can be up amongst the best in the world and that is why Capello is preoccupied with Barry's fitness so that both Gerrard and Lampard can do what they do best-attack.

Earlier Royal Rother spoke of Gerrard's irritating voice-has he ever heard Ferdinand and the two Coles speak?
They are what I call irritating with their London drawl bettered only by the late David Beckham for cringeworthiness.

[TBM]

I was a bit surprised to see how many posters thought that Joe Cole (totally right-footed)should be in the starting eleven playing on the left

Cos he is right footed, he'll cut in more which'll leave more space for Ashley Cole to get forward and do what he does best. If you have a out and out winger there then A.Cole is restricted in what he does.

[Wax Jacket]

our best two players (Gerrard..

we'll have to agree to disagree

[Tails]

The fact that Gerrard and Lampard don't always perform well for England is irrelevant

Highlighted for emphasis.

[Ginger Ninjas]

On the basis that Capello said that he would only select fit and in-form players Ferdinand,Carrick,King,Barry,Upson and Cole can all count themselves fortunate to be in the final 23 but we would be scraping the barrel if they weren't going I suppose.

And Gerrard. Take the red specs of for once!