Eng vs Scotland

[Yorkshire Blue]

Well it was a great start to his debut, but I think he showed he isnt England quality by the two misses.....

This.

Looked a donkey on the floor. I'd have expected an international centre-half to have done better on both of those, let alone an international centre-forward.

I'm not sure if it was Scotland having to chase the game or Oxlade-Chamberlain coming on (can't remember who for), but we looked a lot more dangerous at the end.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

England v Scotland

Great to see Ricky Lambert score but I still think England will struggle to qualify for Brazil in September.They could use a new centre back pairing for a start.

 

[Ricey]

Agree on the centre back pairing. I like Jagielka but Cahill I'm no convinced on. We really are struggling for quality if we have to call up Rickie Lambert to the England squad, same like when we called up Leon Osman. No disrespect to both of them but they are hardly world class players.

We just don't have a great pool of players anymore due to the over inflated price for English players these days. Teams are preferring to spend overseas because you can get a Michu for £2 million instead of a Carroll for £35 and £17 million.

We will never win a World Cup in anyone on this forums life and that's the depressing truth and we, the pundits and the journalists need to wake up and smell the bacon, England are **** and always will be.

 

[Pubey]

I thought Lambert looked good on the deck actually, the first one took a deflection before it got to Lambert and the other one was poor I agree. He linked the play up well and found some good space.

Don't get the love for Zaha, he looks really raw. The Ox offered so much more than Cleverley did for the first 60mins, think he looks an exciting prospect in the middle.

Currently my views are:

Cole > Baines
Johnson = Walker
Ox > Cleverley

 

[Beefy]

Agree on the centre back pairing. I like Jagielka but Cahill I'm no convinced on. We really are struggling for quality if we have to call up Rickie Lambert to the England squad, same like when we called up Leon Osman. No disrespect to both of them but they are hardly world class players.

I don't agree with this at all. Lambert is quality.

 

[chapperzUK]

Not sure if you can judge Zaha on a 15 minute performance when we were trying to control the possession rather than go out attack.

I didn't think Oxlade performed that well, maybe I wasn't paying that much attention towards the end but when Cleverley was on the Scotland midfield were pressing high and quick but as the game went on they tired and allowed more space which would have been exploited by fresh legs. Cleverley made a great pass to Walcott, who put it away well after it looked like he messed it up with 2 poor touches.

Another note on Lambert, the ITV commentary was woeful. All this talk of it shows to other Premiership strikers that they have a chance in the England side. No **** really? Like every English player in the top flight thought they wouldn't have a chance at being in the England team until Lambert from "lowly" Southampton came along.

They treated him like he was a special needs kid who won a competition to play. Well he didn't, he got there on merit. He scored a load for Bristol Rovers to earn a move to Southampton and continued to score a bucket load for them in every division up to the Premiership.

The only thing ITV deserve to televise is Piers Morgan taking a dump, or as they call it "The Only Way Is Essex" or "Made in Chelsea" or some other crap that I would rather have my balls cut off with a butter knife than watch.

 

[Ricey]

I don't agree with this at all. Lambert is quality.

If he was quality he would of scored at hat trick, the chances were there and if it was a world class player who had those chances they would of had a hat trick.

 

[Beefy]

What does World Class even mean? Even Barry Corr misses chances occasionally.

 

[Smiffy]

We were pretty average, but still turned over a Scotland side playing out their skins.

On paper I think we have a decent team, but for whatever reason they do not seem to play well together very often.

We will qualify for Brazil, then exit in the QF, standard England.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Leighton Baines was woefully under-used, Wilshere didn't pass him the ball once despite him being in acres of space down that left hand side in the 1st half. What was Townsend on giving Welbeck the MOM? He was a spectator for about an hour, I'd have given it to Walcott who seemed to have one of his best England games.

Cahill is a good defender but looked very uncomfortable last night, I thought Jagielka did ok alongside him by comparison. Gerrard looked past it to me, England looked so much better when Lampard came on, and even more so when the Ox did. Midfield was lacking some balls in the 1st half and these two improved things hugely.

Rooney played far too deep and had no rapport with Welbeck, which is strange when you consider their club background. I'd have preferred him not to start, his fitness looked ok but his sharpness was missing. Delighted to see Lambert score with his first touch, and would prefer him to other forwards in a sub role, but no way is he a starter as mentioned above.

 

[bucket&spade.f.c]

We were pretty average, but still turned over a Scotland side playing out their skins.

On paper I think we have a decent team, but for whatever reason they do not seem to play well together very often.

We will qualify for Brazil, then exit in the QF, standard England.

100% will we and we will finish top.

We have 4 games left with 3 of them being at home

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

England were poor until they used either speed via Walcott or in the last part a "traditional" centre forward.
Midfield made little passes but no cutting edge; and the defence was ponderous for most of the game with poor reading (aka Moore/Terry/Butcher etc) of the likely passes/moves of a hard working but not gifted Scot team.
As Gerrard and Lampard "can't play together" then SG would be benched for me.

 

[Jam_Man]

I don't agree with this at all. Lambert is quality.

I thought last night showed he actually lacks quality.

That last effort was terrible.

He had 3 chances last night, a poorly marked header which he took very well, and two easy chances which he totally fluffed. He wont get 3 chances in most internationals and if he cant convert more than 1 in 3 clear cut chances he isnt good enough.

What does World Class even mean? Even Barry Corr misses chances occasionally.

The chances Corr misses Messi, Pele or Maradonna couldnt score. Absurd example.

 

[Jam_Man]

Agree on the centre back pairing. I like Jagielka but Cahill I'm no convinced on. We really are struggling for quality if we have to call up Rickie Lambert to the England squad, same like when we called up Leon Osman. No disrespect to both of them but they are hardly world class players.

We just don't have a great pool of players anymore due to the over inflated price for English players these days. Teams are preferring to spend overseas because you can get a Michu for £2 million instead of a Carroll for £35 and £17 million.

We will never win a World Cup in anyone on this forums life and that's the depressing truth and we, the pundits and the journalists need to wake up and smell the bacon, England are **** and always will be.

I bet Greece and Denmark both thought they would never win a tournament either, ir the likes of South Korea would get to the semi-finals.

THe odds are certainly against us and we will not go into any tournament as favourites in the foreseable future, but its a cup competition and anything can happen.

 

[Beefy]

I thought last night showed he actually lacks quality.

That last effort was terrible.

He had 3 chances last night, a poorly marked header which he took very well, and two easy chances which he totally fluffed. He wont get 3 chances in most internationals and if he cant convert more than 1 in 3 clear cut chances he isnt good enough.

One of those chances was next to impossible because of the deflection the ball took on the way to him which caused Lambert to shin it instead of make a decent contact.

Lambert is a goalscoring targetman, and the second best one in English football at that. He's not a goal poacher. There are very few players in Europe who can play that role better than he can.

 

[Uncle Leo]

I'm not sure if Hodgson sees Lambert as having a viable international future or if that cap was a 'reward' for the way his career has gone. I think and hope the former, but it did get me thinking....

Is it right to hand out England caps as a 'reward' when the player's chances of having a decent international career are minimal? Kevin Davies' cap a couple of years ago being a prime example. Leon Osman (albeit now capped twice) possibly another.

I see an international cap as one of the highest accolades a player can achieve, but am alright with the idea. Caps shouldn't be thrown around willy-nilly (getting a cap for coming on with 90 seconds remaining in a friendly just seems wrong) but as a reward for a fine professional who is maybe just shy of the highest class I like the notion.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Lambert is a goalscoring targetman, and the second best one in English football at that. He's not a goal poacher. There are very few players in Europe who can play that role better than he can.

Much as I like Lambert (and I remember seeing his last game at Roots Hall a few seasons back) that's just laughable.

Pretty much every club in La Liga I see (including Espanyol) has a better striker than him.

 

[Beefy]

Well we all know your ability to spot a decent goalscoring targetman.

Would you care to name the Spanish targetmen who outscored Lambert last year in a far easier division? Eight players in La Liga scored more goals than Lambert did. Only two of them - Negrado and Ronaldo - are more than 5'11 tall and Ronaldo isn't a targetman.

If Lambert played in Spain he'd hit 25 goals easy.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Much as I like Lambert (and I remember seeing his last game at Roots Hall a few seasons back) that's just laughable.

Pretty much every club in La Liga I see (including Espanyol) has a better striker than him.

Name names then Barna! Not suggesting you're wrong, but am keen to know who they are.

I wouldn't say no to Ricardo Lamberto lining up for Betis, although I hope our new big man from Uruguay Braian Rodriguez will do well for us.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

If Lambert played in Spain he'd hit 25 goals easy.

Hughes didn't when he played for Barcelona.He didn't have the close control to turn on the ball and pass or lose his marker,unlike Gary Lineker.