England Squad

[EastStandBlue]

The Racing Post editor (Bruce Millington) is a Palace fan and usually quite downbeat about their prospects and indeed their players. But he has been absolutely buzzing about Zaha for a while now - "best Palace player I have seen in my 40 years supporting the club".

I've one or two Palace-supporting friends who say the same and I'd be the last one to doubt Zaha's ability, I'm just erring on the side of caution given some of the media reaction to his call-up. He's been linked with Real Madrid today, which almost certainly wouldn't have happened if he'd remained in the U21 side this week.

On the plus side, it's pleasing to see Hodgson beginning to bring through more of the U21/U19 crop, particularly Steven Caulker who I'm a big fan of. Was very impressive at Swansea last season and he's been featuring regularly for Spurs this season. If the likes of Caulker, Jenkinson, Bertrand, Zaha, Sterling, Wilshere, Cleverley and Welbeck can continue to develop, then that's a promising crop of players to look towards for 2014 and beyond.

Not Jonjo Shelvey, though. Aside from him baring a rather sinister resemblance to Alexander Litvinenko post-poison, I just don't get the fascination with him. He's been distinctly average each time I've seen him play and Cleverley's the far superior player in that particular position.

 

[Uncle Leo]

But against who?

The opposition.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Fascination from whom? Cleverley's clearly ahead of Shelvey in the pecking order.

Hodgson has deliberately avoided calling up journeymen to make the numbers up and is deliberately recruiting from the u21 set up. I think he's doing a terrific job as England manager in difficult circumstances.

Meanwhile more bad news, with Gerrard being passed fit.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Meanwhile more bad news, with Gerrard being passed fit.

I heard Souness on the radio last night referring to Gerrard as England's "most important player of the last decade".

To coin a phrase once used by another England player, I nearly swerved off the road.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

The opposition.

Actually, looked it up and it can't have been against us as he was still at Stafford when Palace narrowly beat us in the Rumbelows Cup.

As you were....

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I heard Souness on the radio last night referring to Gerrard as England's "most important player of the last decade".

To coin a phrase once used by another England player, I nearly swerved off the road.

Souness is Scottish.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Souness is Scottish.

Probably why he only agreed to a telephone interview, so that they couldn't see him laughing his head off while he said it.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Fascination from whom? Cleverley's clearly ahead of Shelvey in the pecking order.

Hodgson has deliberately avoided calling up journeymen to make the numbers up and is deliberately recruiting from the u21 set up. I think he's doing a terrific job as England manager in difficult circumstances.

Meanwhile more bad news, with Gerrard being passed fit.

Aye, not fascination from Hodgson or his staff, more fascination from sections of the media that herald Shelvey as this great, young fulcrum of a midfielder who's become pivotal at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers, despite being abundantly ordinary. He probably is pivotal at Liverpool, but this is the new, mediocre Liverpool who currently lie 13th and closer to the foot of the table than they are to the summit.

Hodgson is, by and large, doing a terrific job. Some of his squad selections and reasons for those selections baffle me though - Gerrard as you rightly mention, who was utterly dreadful in the last England game I saw, Carrick's fleeting use despite being our most accomplished passer of the ball and the closest thing we have to the much fawned over Pirlo, the perseverance with Oxlade-Chamberlain who looks like he needs more U21 football, and his decision to nail his colours firmly to John Terry's mast, rather than Rio Ferdinand's during the summer.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Aye, not fascination from Hodgson or his staff, more fascination from sections of the media that herald Shelvey as this great, young fulcrum of a midfielder who's become pivotal at Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers, despite being abundantly ordinary. He probably is pivotal at Liverpool, but this is the new, mediocre Liverpool who currently lie 13th and closer to the foot of the table than they are to the summit.

Pls see bold for explanation.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Liverpool, but this is the new, mediocre Liverpool who currently lie 13th and closer to the foot of the table than they are to the summit.

Wonderful, isn't it?

 

[EastStandBlue]

There's a Liverpool die hard in the office who, strangely, hasn't been as die hard these last few months as he has been in the past. I'm sure it's merely a coincidence though.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Just seen this from @beardegenius on Twitter (I don't listen to Talksport myself)

"Talksport are debating whether Steven Gerrard is England's greatest ever midfielder. Gerrard shares his nationality with Sir Bobby Charlton."

**** my old boots. I'm not quite in the YB camp when it comes to Gerrard and England, but that truly is ridiculous.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Just seen this from @beardegenius on Twitter (I don't listen to Talksport myself)

"Talksport are debating whether Steven Gerrard is England's greatest ever midfielder. Gerrard shares his nationality with Sir Bobby Charlton."

**** my old boots. I'm not quite in the YB camp when it comes to Gerrard and England, but that truly is ridiculous.

Greatest as in greatest disappointment?

Gerrard's not fit to lick the boots of a cardboard cut out of David Beckham.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Zlatan, too, weighed in to the Gerrard love-in, but with ultimately more hilarious results.

His presser today went something like this, Zlatan: "Steven Gerrard feels more international. He has more skills than a normal England player. He could have played for a big club."

 

[markw]

Zlatan, too, weighed in to the Gerrard love-in, but with ultimately more hilarious results.

His presser today went something like this, Zlatan: "Steven Gerrard feels more international. He has more skills than a normal England player. He could have played for a big club."

i love that bloke :P some of his quotes are fantastic:

“At Barca, players were banned from driving their sports cars to training. I thought this was ridiculous – it was no one’s business what car I drive – so in April, before a match with Almeria, I drove my Ferrari Enzo to work. It caused a scene.”

“Guardiola started his philosopher thing. I was barely listening. Why would I? It was advanced ******** about blood, sweat and tears, that kind of stuff.”

“It was David Trezeguet’s fault. He made me do one drink of vodka after another. I slept in the bathtub. Now I hold my vodka much better.”

 

[Bluesmanager]

7 45 kick off, right? Hope so, I'll be back from the cinema by then.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

7 45 kick off, right? Hope so, I'll be back from the cinema by then.

You will be fine as Tracy Beaker the movie ends at 6 because its a school night.