The england squad......

[divebomb]

Now I just want to make this clear I don't care that beckhams made the squad or not or whether he shud have recalled etc, the naming of this squad angered me for totally different reasons.

The main reason being the exclusion of Gareth Barry. Now I know i'm a villa fan and would like to see our captain in the squad, but putting my villa hat away for a bit, I really cannot see why maclaren will not include certain players. Opta stats for last season barry was the fourth best english midfielder in the premiership. fact. the only english players above him were lampard, gerrard, and scholes. two of the worlds best midfielders and the best internationally retired midfielder in the country.

Barry has been a revelation in midfield for villa, or as a wing back so one would think that a player than can play well in a couple of different positions would be useful to an international team that does not have a back up plan. Ever. (no phil neville does not count, Me an my mates have never got over the attempt that they have been trying to push that he can be a holding midfield general, and i'm sure I heard roy keane, even from hear let out a little chuckle)

It is not just Barry neglected but Kevin Nolan, Steve Sidwell (although he'll get in next season or as soon as he trains with chelsea) and kevin davies plus others.

The somewhat crap suggestion that Stuart downing is now our saviour for the england team as he managed to put a couple of goals past a team who are mostly made up of part time players, or as we like to call the nationwide conference players. Downing is good, but as a sub. Whenever he starts a match guaranteed he'll flake out around 50 minutes in an international.

The inclusion of kieron dyer. A class act 8 years ago before injuries took their toll, and so has maclaren has put him in the squad to congratulate the half a dozen games he's played for newcastle this season?

Alan Smith, a cracking player, but is nowhere near the form of an international striker, and yes he did score in the B game, set up by, yep, gareth barry.

Michael owen. Maclaren has virtually said he has put him in the squad as a reward for coming back from injury, passionate about england that boy, obviously the newcastle fans and board feel the same way.

Out of the 10 midfielders he has called up 6 are right sided players (gerrard as well you knows how macca likes it) one is a centre midfielder and another is a holding midfielder, obviously there to protect our back four from the might of he estonian attack. Two are left sided. One of them is left footed. One has been injured for almost the whole season, the other has been playing (?) for middlesborough who could have done with him in just a little better form last season.

In an interview I watched with macca today they asked how owen hargreves absence will effect the squad to which macca replied that
"Its a big blow, and it means that we will have to look hard at how we can accomodate for this loss" - rubbish. there should be ample alternatives on offer. does fergie go, carricks out, it means that I'l have to ask bobby robson what those different formations we used to use back in the day were called. or would chelsea fans be happy to pay all their money to go and see them play and all of a sudden shaun wright phillips picks up a niggly injury to which jose picks up the ball shakes the other managers hand and forfeits the game because his plans are ruined.

Finally the big one. Since when did playing estonia become a BIG game? The same as russia macedonia etc. ten years ago a big game to england was a country who had actually been playing football for more that three years. The fact that we consider these as big games now shows how big we are, a third rate dads army of a team held together with gaffa tape to stop the injured getting worse, as pike, i'm sorry maclaren runs to and fro trying to convince himself that it was actually his decision, no-one elses that beckham was bought back. codswallop.

It seems that somewhere along the line it is going to take an england fan confronting maclaren during a match brandishing his sun dream team entry as his excellent qualifications for taking on the national managers job. (and the fa saying he is over qualified)

rant over............................for now

[sidestreaker]

I can't believe a team with such quality players can perform so badly continously.

they should fire the coach and the whole staff and start over again...again

You can have marco van basten as coach cause we(dutchies) will give him away for free.

yes marco ...you suck and we all know it.

and estonia is a dangerous team...bwahahahahah ..those crazy badass estonians :O