England Squad for Andorra and Macedonia
Alright, I'm all for experimentation on the part of a new manager, but Steve McClaren's having a laugh with the squad that he announced today to meet England's first two opponents - Andorra and Macedonia - next Saturday and Wednesday. Sure, Rooney is suspended, Owen is crocked and Becks has been consigned to the dustbin of footie history, but really! There are just too many players on this list that would give me indigestion if they actually ever came on for England, including Wes "The 'Orrible Orange" Brown, Phil Neville, Jermaine Jenas, and Andy Johnson. What happened to the "Golden Generation?"
Here's the squad:
Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd), A Cole (Arsenal), Young (Charlton), P Neville (Everton), Bridge (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Brown (Man Utd), Dawson (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Carrick (Man Utd), Gerrard (Liverpool), Jenas (Tottenham), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Richardson (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Lennon (Tottenham), Defoe (Tottenham), Bent (Charlton), Johnson (Everton), Crouch (Liverpool)
Your thoughts, gentlemen?
posted by gatorbob @ 5:12 PM
7 Comments:
Two immediate thoughts.
The first is that it's Andorra and Macedonia and both are rubbish. I hear ya, we'll want to run up the score a to build a healthy goal difference in case there's a slip along the way, but it's still just Andorra and Macedonia.
The second is that it may serve McLaren to run numpties like Wes Brown, Michael Dawson, Neville P, Jenas, and Andy Johnson out and let them fail early on. There's been a drum beat from the papers for Johnson in particular just because he's lethal from the penalty spot and scored a screamer 2 or 3 times a season for Palace. And being fair, he took his first goal well for Everton. Letting these guys prove themselves unfit for international duty allows McLaren to ignore them later.
And surely, Brown and Dawson wouldn't get a sniff as long as Rio and Terry were fit. They're the only dangerous possibilities because they could be exploited for goals. The rest could safely be rubbish.
So what would your first team out of that lot be? For me it's:
Robbo
Young
Rio
Terry
Bridge
Carrick
Gerrard
Lamps
Downing
Bent
Crouch
I'd also like to see SWP and Richardson get a run out at some point if we've run up a score.
Rio is probably out with a broken toe.
Who will start with Terry?
That's a serious question, isn't it? With Sol out of the frame and Jonathan Woodgate off in the hinterlands of Spain - whatever happened to that kid? - we're a bit thin in that department. Why isn't Carragher in the squad? I'd pick him ahead of the others. Please God don't let McClaren play the 'Orrible one!
He is out for two weeks with an ankle injury picked up against Shef Utd.
It is going to be Dawson I would guess
Rio's already been passed fit to join the England gang. Just another one of Furg's impotent moves to try to dominate McLaren.
Still, by all means start Dawson just to illustrate that 11 sheep herders, sausage-fillers, and beret habadashers can make him look like the total mug he is. Too bad the 'range isn't hurt. Last time I looked, he could do with a proper shearing.
I'd rather that Dawson got found out in some meaningless friendly against Finland. If Rio and Terry are fit, I'd play those two plus a fullback - probably Bridge is the strongest. Then unleash the wide men against Andorra and run up an almighty score. I want Crouchie to get at least half a dozen and in his delirium to break out the Robot once more!
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