The official guess the England 22 thread

[RobRoyal]

And we have a bite!

Oh right...

Good one.




Well, this has been fun.

[JimmytheJim]

I had completely forgotten about Milner.

He is quite forgettable.

I really think we'll do well at this tournament. If Chelsea can make the Champions League Final, England can win the World Cup. By winning all three knockout games on penalties.

[parky]

I will 100% guarantee you that England will not win the World Cup this summer.

[Victor Meldrew]

Nobody has mentioned Fraizer Campbell.
Was it that idiot Pearce who picked him the other week?
Thank goodness Pearce hasn't been chosen as England's manager.
I have to say that there is no wow factor in any of the suugestions made because frankly there are no wow English players and there haven't been for some years other than Gerrard of course but he has been dragged down by the other England players to their level.

There are no players like Messi coming through, no, but then we aren’t in the best few teams in the world, and save for a select few years in our history, never have we been. But we do have (it seems to me at least) more young players of international ability, or the potential to play for England at one time than we have had in a long time.

Hart, Smalling, Jones, Walker, Cleverley, Wilshere, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rooney, Sturridge, Welbeck – 11 players around which our World Cup in Brazil 2014 might be based, and that list eliminates a number of other young and promising players like Richards, Rodwell, Cahill, Young, Carroll, and a small handful of keepers, whilst also ignoring, Rooney excepted, some older players who nevertheless have a lot of ability and some international experience like Bent, Johnson G, Johnson M, Lescott and Milner.

And a good sign is that with a few major championships ahead of them, all of those players bar Oxlade-Chamberlain are playing regularly in the Premier League and in most cases for some of the best sides in the division.

We’ve got a decent pool of players to pick from at the moment, even once the ‘old guard’ make way.

Still can't get excited about that lot-it's just a list of names of players that have featured for a not very successful U21 side.
That is the crux of our problem-we have always been able to list 30,40 or even 50 players but they tend to be much of a muchness with no standout talents.
With defending in the Premier League so dreadful anybody with a semblance of attacking flair can look good and so few of those defenders listed have shown any where near enough defensively to think that they might have long and successful careers at international level.

If the last lot was a golden generation this group looks to me more like bronze.
I await the next lot of U19s and U21s to see if England has a rosy future or we will probably turn up just to make up the numbers for the next 2 or 3 tournaments.
I don't envy Hodgson with the players that he will have available although both Lescott and Barry have made great strides playing with top players at City whereas Milner and Johnson have gone backwards.

[Big Ern]

Goalkeepers

1 Hart
2 Carson
3 Ruddy

Defenders

4 Lescott
5 Walker
6 Cole
7 Richards
8 Johnson G
9 Jones
10 Cahill
11 Baines

Midfield

12 Gerrard (c)
13 Lampard
14 Young
15 Barry
16 Parker
17 Oxlade-Chamberlain
18 Lennon

Forwards

19 Rooney
20 Walcott
21 Crouch
22 Welbeck

Thats would be my guess. Depends if he will drop the 'Old Guard' If so we could see Cleverley in for Lampard.

[RobRoyal]

Doubt that with Rooney suspended we're going to go with only 2 other genuine strikers.

Good call on Lennon though, he's got a chance though his form has been nothing great.

[sheshnu]

Think Ferdinand might be in with a shout for this first squad - is Gerrard the captain at the moment?! Honestly wouldn't pick him otherwise but then it's not my job so what do I know...

Like the look of Ern's squad but maybe swap Richards or Johnson out for Smalling (dunno how fit he is, mind); gives more cover at both centre and right back with him in the team. I might agree with the 'bring another forward' shout if there were an obvious candidate..!

So Hart +2 spare goalies (much of a muchness)

Richards
Walker
Smalling
Jones
Ferdinand
Lescott
Cole
Baines

Young
Walcott
Lampard
Parker
Barry
Carrick (why not?)
Chamberlain
Johnson (that left winger)

Rooney
Welbeck
Crouch
[Woy's choice] - maybe even someone like Milner and use Young/Walcott/Chamberlain as forwards? Actually that might be an overly-attacking team...

Actually yeah, stick Gerrard in there.

[pea]

Would be very surprised if Sturridge doesn't go.. how come people are leaving him out?

[Hoop Blah]

Goalkeepers
Defenders

4 Lescott
5 Walker
6 Cole
7 Richards
8 Johnson G
9 Jones
10 Cahill
11 Baines

Not sure I'd see the point on taking 3 right backs, and 5 fullbacks, even if a couple of them can play centre back. I think you'd be better off taking an extra attacker instead, especially with Rooney being suspended.

Carrick (why not?)

Not a bad suggestion. I did think of him being on the fringes as we suddenly seem thin on the ground for central midfielders.

Hodgson seems to like 'responsible' central midfielders, but ones who are technically pretty good, not just blood and thunder ball winners. Carrick pretty much fits that bill, but I think might still be behind Barry and Milner in current thinking. There aren't many others who really come into the frame though.

Interestingly though, I think Hodgson looked to play Gerrard as one of his two traditional central midfielders when he was at Liverpool.

[Handsome Man]

I'm not playing guess the squad, becuase Hodgson will get crucified if he doesn't pick the old shit players.

There isn't an awful lot to choose from at the moments, but this...

Hart +2 (I really have no idea - Foster, Ruddy)

Richards
Walker
Gibbs
Cole
Jones
Ferdinand
Cahill (Jagielka if not fit)
Lescott

MIlner
Parker
Barry
Lampard

Lennon
Johnson
Walcott
Oxlade-C

Wellbeck
Sturridge
Crouch
Rooney, I suppose

[TBM]

I would take Carroll over Wellbeck

[Hoop Blah]

It does seem/sound pretty certain that it will only be one of Terry and Ferdinand doesn't it.

I wonder how far that split will eat into the rest of the squad. That might be the biggest decision Hodgson has to get right in his first few weeks.

I wouldn't mind Terry being totally excluded but, red card aside, he's actually looked to be playing quite well recently and there's a bit of a partnership there between him and Cahill if Hodgson wanted to make the most of it.

Tough call really.

[Hoop Blah]

I would take Carroll over Wellbeck

I'm no Welbeck fan (I just think he's a workhorse with little quality) but I'd still take him over Carroll, especially if Crouch is in the squad.

Perhaps Zamoro or Andy Johnson might get a call up.

How many Johnsons could we potentially take?

[TBM]

I just feel Carroll would work well when we start playing our long ball shit.......at Liverpool they don't provide him with enough to use his ability (ie, in the air)

[No Fixed Abode]

My starting 11 would be

Hart

Lescott Terry Ferdinand
Walker Lampard Parker Carrick A Cole
Rooney Welbeck

[TBM]

My starting 11 would be

Hart

Lescott Terry Ferdinand
Walker Lampard Parker Carrick A Cole
Rooney Welbeck

What about the first 2 games?

[pea]

Sounds like Foster will be in squad after all

[Ian Royal]

Hart
Carson
Ruddy

Cole
Baines
Walker
Richards
Lescott
Cahill
Jagielka

Parker (c)
Milner
Gerrard / Lampard
Carrick

Young
Walcott
Downing
Johnson, A

Rooney
Crouch
Holt
Sturridge / Welbeck

Start the tournament with with:
..................Hart
Walker, Lescott, Jagielka / Cahill, Cole
Walcott, Parker, Gerrard, Downing
.............Crouch, Holt

Bring in Rooney for Holt when he's available. Then as we progress (sorry, if) to playing the better teams switch to.

..................Hart
Walker, Lescott, Jagielka / Cahill, Cole
............Parker, Carrick
Walcott,...... Gerrard, .......Downing
.................Rooney

Happy to admit I've been paying very little attention to the Prem and some of these are probably crap choices.

[cmonurz]

Crouch and Holt up front? HOOOOOOOF!

[Ian Royal]

Crouch and Holt up front? HOOOOOOOF!

I'd be dropping any player who consistently hoofed it upfront to Crouch, he's tidy on the deck and bloody awful as a target man. Though his heading from crosses seems to have improved in the last couple of years. More room for Young / Welbeck / Sturridge to come on and change the game with pace and skill against tired defenders too.

Like I said, probably some crap choices, but Holt has one of the better scoring records of the English players this year and it'd damn well mean something to him. And he's got a bit more age and nous to him than just chucking in another talented youngster. I rate him.