Engerlaaand!

laurentian

Here is Roy Hodgson's provisional squad for Euro 2016. The final 23 must be submitted by 31 May.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, Fraser Forster, Tom Heaton.

Defenders: Nathaniel Clyne, Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Ryan Bertrand, Danny Rose.

Midfielders: Dele Alli, Ross Barkley, Fabian Delph, Eric Dier, Danny Drinkwater, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, James Milner, Raheem Sterling, Andros Townsend, Jack Wilshere.

Strikers: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy.

Thoughts?

verylonglegs

Surely Delph has to be one of the three for the chop, he doesn't even play regular club football mainly because he isn't good enough.

Centre half looks to be our weakest area so lets hope we can score enough. That isn't Hodgson's fault, he has clearly picked all that's available for that position.

Ben6899

"Wilshere!?" is my initial thought.

I've played more minutes* of football than Jack Wilshere, this season.

*120min kickabout at Christmas

schlepcycling

So not a squad picked on form then. How does Jack Wilshere get into the squad he's only played 90 minutes all season and Rooney's been sh*t all season. Henderson, Barkley, Sterling and Milner have all had average at best seasons, why no Defoe, Noble or Antonio.

joenobody

Ben6899 wrote:

"Wilshere!?" is my initial thought.

I've played more minutes* of football than Jack Wilshere, this season.

*120min kickabout at Christmas

https://twitter.com/bet365/status/732164529304539136

keef66

schlepcycling wrote:

So not a squad picked on form then. How does Jack Wilshere get into the squad he's only played 90 minutes all season and Rooney's been sh*t all season. Henderson, Barkley, Sterling and Milner have all had average at best seasons, why no Defoe, Noble or Antonio.

Quite. Dave Brailsford should have a word with him...

Jay_Forme

schlepcycling wrote:

So not a squad picked on form then. How does Jack Wilshere get into the squad he's only played 90 minutes all season and Rooney's been sh*t all season. Henderson, Barkley, Sterling and Milner have all had average at best seasons, why no Defoe, Noble or Antonio.

Surely its clear why they aren't included in the squad.... they don't play for a 'big' club.

As a west Ham fan I have no idea why Noble and Antonio aren't included, I get the AC situation as he is injury prone and "we don't play that type of football". But Noble has had a great season.

Deplh
Sterling
Wilshere
Sturridge
Townsend


I wouldn't have included any of them, but they play for the so called bigger clubs so cant exclude them.

laurentian

Personally, I think Wilshere is worth the risk- I believe he brings something that no other English player in his position does (I also think he'll probably get crocked in the warm up games anyway!). Rough on Noble though.

I would definitely take Rooney . . . and play him. If he could adopt the "Scholes" role servicing the pace of Vardy and Kane, we will score some goals.

DeVlaeminck

I don't think it's a bad squad - maybe Noble should be in there ahead of Delph but I can't see Delph making the trip anyway and I'd leave Henderson at home with him. Noble must have known he wasn't going anyway he needed a game before now to be considered and as things stand he's too much of an unknown even though that probably is Roy's fault.

I can't see any obvious omissions and it's a squad so he can afford to take one or two punts which I think he's done with Rashford's age and Wilshere's lack of playing time.

I'd expect two of the midfielders to be left at home - Delph and one other - and I can't see how Rashford makes the trip unless he is willing to drop Rooney. Townsend is an interesting one - I think he's a threat and something a bit different to throw on if you need a goal but I'm not convinced he'd go if Roy thought one of his strikers could be trusted to put in a performance out wide.

Sturridge and Sterling have to go - they might not be in sparkling form for their clubs but they are still quality players that can frighten the opposition and we've got enough solidity in there. Barkley is probably luckier anyway given he seems to have gone backwards but he has shown such promise in the past I would have him in there on the basis if he produces he can be a match winner.

rick_chasey

None of them are going to change England's course for a couple of drab goalless draws, a 1-0 defeat to the group favourites and a lowly exit at group stage.

lostboysaint

Jay_Forme wrote:

schlepcycling wrote:

As a west Ham fan I have no idea why Noble and Antonio aren't included,

I'm NOT a West Ham fan and can't understand how either of those have been left out!

The rest of your post is relevant as well.

It's a sad indictment of English football that a new manager comes in and says "I will select players on form" and then within a few years (and a failed tournament performance where he ignored form players in favour of those with "experience") he is simply yet another that picks names from "big" clubs or because of media pronouncements.

As a Southampton fan I'd like to apologise to the nation as it's our fault that Townsend is in - we let him perform his one trick and that was enough for the media to demand his recall - sorry!

pblakeney

Rick Chasey wrote:

None of them are going to change England's course for a couple of drab goalless draws, a 1-0 defeat to the group favourites and a lowly exit at group stage.

That'll be tricky as England are the group favourites.

rick_chasey

Christ.

Like England were 3rd favourites for the World Cup in SA?

Stevo_666

Rick Chasey wrote:

None of them are going to change England's course for a couple of drab goalless draws, a 1-0 defeat to the group favourites and a lowly exit at group stage.

If your footy predictions are anything like your political predictions, we're going to win it this year

CiB

Unambitious, unexciting, safe, drab. Roy living down to his reputation again I see.

Hart? Schmeical is the form keeper, so take him instead.

Defensively it looks a bit shaky so Simpson merits a place (curfew can be lifted for the duration), add Fuchs on the other side and Morgan & Hoof in the middle. That's the goals against sorted.

Kante either side of Drinkwater ((c) Steve Walsh, good one Steve) bosses the midfield, with Mahrez just in front in a lazy Boxing Day party formation. Vardy is a no-brainer judging by his interviews since his party two weeks ago but play him anyway, with Ozaki off his shoulder in the hole roaming home home on the range role.

How can that possibly fail? Most are European. It's the European Cup isn't it?

pblakeney

Rick Chasey wrote:

Christ.

Like England were 3rd favourites for the World Cup in SA?

No.
Like they are initially in a group, and favourites to win that group.
Do try to keep up. Or have you switched off after the play offs?

schlepcycling

lostboysaint wrote:

Jay_Forme wrote:

schlepcycling wrote:

As a west Ham fan I have no idea why Noble and Antonio aren't included,

I'm NOT a West Ham fan and can't understand how either of those have been left out!

The rest of your post is relevant as well.

It's a sad indictment of English football that a new manager comes in and says "I will select players on form" and then within a few years (and a failed tournament performance where he ignored form players in favour of those with "experience") he is simply yet another that picks names from "big" clubs or because of media pronouncements.

As a Southampton fan I'd like to apologise to the nation as it's our fault that Townsend is in - we let him perform his one trick and that was enough for the media to demand his recall - sorry!

Just to be clear I'm NOT a West Ham fan even though the quote above seems to suggest that I am.

verylonglegs

Rick Chasey wrote:

None of them are going to change England's course for a couple of drab goalless draws, a 1-0 defeat to the group favourites and a lowly exit at group stage.

Never mind, you can always revel in the free-flowing attacking football the Netherlands will be bringing to the tournament. Oh hang on...

rick_chasey

I know! Terrible! They have the opposite problem to England. Pants in qualifying, pretty good in the group stages.

You'd think England should have beaten them too in that last friendly, given, y'know, they weren't good enough to qualify.

verylonglegs

The trouble is they'd already played well against Germany a few days previously and one of the reasons England don't win tournaments is they are very capable of following one good performance with an equally poor one. They always have been.

keef66

CiB wrote:

Hart? Schmeical is the form keeper, so take him instead.

Tricky one that; I believe the Danish squad have nabbed him...

pblakeney

keef66 wrote:

CiB wrote:

Hart? Schmeical is the form keeper, so take him instead.

Tricky one that; I believe the Danish squad have nabbed him...

Reminds me of this classic from Talksport.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J62gcFkBHMQ

joelsim

I like the squad, we have a team of players who appear to get on well together with very few primadonnas.

Kane has to be the focal point and we have plenty of talent in midfield. Personally I'm pleased that Wilshere is in the provisional squad as the guy has so much quality which is what is needed at this level more than just graft.

My team would be:

Hart
Clyne Stones Smalling Rose
Dier Wilshere
Alli Barkley Sterling
Kane

In a 4-2-3-1

CiB

keef66 wrote:

CiB wrote:

Hart? Schmeical is the form keeper, so take him instead.

Tricky one that; I believe the Danish squad have nabbed him...

Oh. Much like Austria have already played Fuchs as their captain, Morgan turns out for Jamaica, Mahrez is Algerian, Kante scored for France on his birthday recently, Hoof was in the German world cup squad that won it and Ozaki is reportedly Japan's highest scorer...

laurentian

Joelsim wrote:

I like the squad, we have a team of players who appear to get on well together with very few primadonnas.

Kane has to be the focal point and we have plenty of talent in midfield. Personally I'm pleased that Wilshere is in the provisional squad as the guy has so much quality which is what is needed at this level more than just graft.

My team would be:

Hart
Clyne Stones Smalling Rose
Dier Wilshere
Alli Barkley Sterling
Kane

In a 4-2-3-1

Like

laurentian

So, half of the games in the tournament played, Kane not setting the world alight, Rooney arguably MOTM in last two games and Slovakia standing between England and a very possible top of the group qualification to the next round.

Any degree of confidence out there?

pblakeney

laurentian wrote:

So, half of the games in the tournament played, Kane not setting the world alight, Rooney arguably MOTM in last two games and Slovakia standing between England and a very possible top of the group qualification to the next round.

Any degree of confidence out there?

Nope.

verylonglegs

Slightly less confidence if anything after seeing how the Slovakians dealt with Russia in a way we couldn't, we should be on 6pts and looking forward to the next round already. Except we are not and there are strong rumours that significant changes are to be made for tonight. I hope they come good.

pblakeney

Still nope.

mr_goo

I must have watched a different game to the pundits and news reports. Having over 60% counts for absolutely nothing in football and so it proved. I thought the game plan of Woy was to play at an English Prem Lge pace. But every attack was at walking pace. I've seen faster octogenarians on zimmer frames on the cliff tops at Barton on Sea.

No pace.
No ideas.
Poor final ball.
Very poor crossing.

Same old same.

Lookyhere

Mr Goo wrote:

I must have watched a different game to the pundits and news reports. Having over 60% counts for absolutely nothing in football and so it proved. I thought the game plan of Woy was to play at an English Prem Lge pace. But every attack was at walking pace. I've seen faster octogenarians on zimmer frames on the cliff tops at Barton on Sea.

No pace.
No ideas.
Poor final ball.
Very poor crossing.

Same old same.

why is anyone surprised ?