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The 30 Man Provisional Squad

EastStandBlue

Life President
Joined
May 29, 2005
Messages
15,519
The usual inclusions, with the "surprises" of Bent, Dawson, A. Johnson, Huddlestone and... Jamie Carragher? Please God no, Carragher has been more than a few yards off the pace for a few years now and I couldn't bear the thought of watching him against the better wingers in the tournament.

GK: Hart, James, Green
Defence: Baines, Carragher, Cole, Dawson, Rio, Johnson, King, Terry, Upson, Warnock
Midfield: Barry, Carrick, J.Cole, Gerrard, Huddlestone, Johnson, Lampard, Lennon, Milner, Parker, Walcott, SWP.
Forwards: Rooney, Crouch, Defoe, Heskey, Bent
 
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Carragher? No thanks.

Like you say, he is in decline. Possibly a year or two ago, but he has been woeful by his standards this season.

Adam Johnson I'm very excited about. Looks to be a top, top player. Certainly better than Stewart "push and run" Downing.
 
Not sure what to make of that to be honest.

Will have to have a chew over it for a few hours.

I thought Young and Gabby would of made the cut.
 
took me a second to realise it was Adam Johnson, not Andy Johnson!!
 
Not sure what to make of that to be honest.

Will have to have a chew over it for a few hours.

I thought Young and Gabby would of made the cut.

I thought Young would have made the provisional squad, not so much Agbonlahor.
 
The usual inclusions, with the "surprises" of Bent, Dawson, A. Johnson, Huddlestone and... Jamie Carragher? Please God no, Carragher has been more than a few yards off the pace for a few years now and I couldn't bear the thought of watching him against the better wingers in the tournament.

GK: Hart, James, Green
Defence: Baines, Carragher, Cole, Dawson, Rio, Johnson, King, Terry, Upson, Warnock
Midfield: Barry, Carrick, J.Cole, Gerrard, Huddlestone, Johnson, Lampard, Lennon, Milner, Parker, Walcott, SWP.
Forwards: Rooney, Crouch, Defoe, Heskey, Bent

Right....

Providing all of this lot are fully fit and no subsequent injuries between now and naming 23 the players I think should/will (similar) get shunted are:

Bent
SWP
Huddlestone

Warnock (One of the left backs as none of them provide CB cover)
Upson (One of the CB's because so many... upson/dawson must impress in training camp - kings fitness, always a prob, could see him dumped if capello runs the rule over him and doesn't like what he sees, it will have been the first time they have worked together. that said he was picked with his known problems)
J Cole/Johnson
Carrick
 
No real surprises. Agree about Carragher but why would Capello call him up and then discard him? Dawson is a much better option.
The rest pick themselves although how Downing can keep getting caps is beyond me.
 
The seven I'd be ditching would be Upson, Carragher, Warnock, SWP, Bent and two of Parker, Huddlestone, Carrick... Depending on which player shows the most in training sessions and in the last friendly.
 
The seven I'd be ditching would be Upson, Carragher, Warnock, SWP, Bent and two of Parker, Huddlestone, Carrick... Depending on which players shows the most in training sessions and in the last friendly.

madness, absolute madness
 
madness, absolute madness

International football is all about installing footballers into a system that's familiar with those involved. England, for whatever reason, just don't seem comfortable in a traditional 4-4-2 formation and I can't see Bent slotting in to any other role, other than playing off the shoulder of the defence alongside another forward like he is at Sunderland. Unfortunately, that role as "main forward" is already taken by Rooney.

If we're playing the more familiar 4-3-2-1 formation that we seem to opt for, then Heskey far outshadows Bent in terms of the "big man" up top, and Bent's link-up play isn't good enough to be considered for one of the roles to play off him like Rooney, J.Cole, Lennon and Walcott are capable of.

He's a good striker, but one that I just can't place in any of the systems that Capello likes to use. It's for similar reasons that I suppose Zamora has been overlooked... That, and the fact he's actually a fairly limited striker who's merely having a good season, of course.
 
International football is all about installing footballers into a system that's familiar with those involved. England, for whatever reason, just don't seem comfortable in a traditional 4-4-2 formation and I can't see Bent slotting in to any other role, other than playing off the shoulder of the defence alongside another forward like he is at Sunderland. Unfortunately, that role as "main forward" is already taken by Rooney.

If we're playing the more familiar 4-3-2-1 formation that we seem to opt for, then Heskey far outshadows Bent in terms of the "big man" up top, and Bent's link-up play isn't good enough to be considered for one of the roles to play off him like Rooney, J.Cole, Lennon and Walcott are capable of.

He's a good striker, but one that I just can't place in any of the systems that Capello likes to use. It's for similar reasons that I suppose Zamora has been overlooked... That, and the fact he's actually a fairly limited striker who's merely having a good season, of course.

I'd rather have Bent than Defoe, who has had a very poor 2010. I'd be getting Bent to run in the channels as a substitute if we have to revert to a more attacking formation.
 
Fabio Capello has achieved much in his short time as England coach. He has imposed discipline and structure on a team who were as slack as they were formless. He has enforced a new code of behaviour on his players and has been ruthless with those who breach it, even if they wear the captain’s armband. His changes have been so successful that, when he named his 30-man provisional squad for this summer’s World Cup it was hard to argue any of his choices. Suggestions that Owen Hargreaves would be included, after just 34 seconds of football in 21 months, proved to be mercifully wide of the mark, as did the reports that the lumbering Sol Campbell might make the cut.

Alas, for all of his talents, there is nothing Capello can do about the paucity of English goalkeeping. Impressive, but untested rookie Joe Hart joins the distinctly flappable David James and the inconsistent Rob Green in a triple-pack of mediocrity. Poor Paul Robinson. His unspectacular but competent form for unspectacular but competent Blackburn went entirely unnoticed.

Jamie Carragher’s inclusion seems infinitely more sensible when you consider that he will be there primarily to cover Glen Johnson as right-back. One of Matthew Upson, Michael Dawson and Ledley King will presumably be removed before the tournament starts with John Terry and Rio Ferdinand seeing off poor form and poor health to remain as the first choice pairing. There will be another fight for survival at left-back, where Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock will clash for the right to serve as Ashley Cole’s understudy.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are obvious choices in the midfield, but the picture is less clear behind them. Gareth Barry has been given the chance to prove his fitness, while Tom Huddleston and Michael Carrick will duke it out for the other withdrawn midfield role. Both can pass exquisitely, but neither is known for their tackling. That responsibility may fall to the pitbull in the pack, West Ham’s Scott Parker, deservedly called up after almost single-handedly saving his club from the drop. However, given that Parker has never played for Capello, it would be a surprise if he ended up on the plane.

Six wide men battle for four positions out wide. Shaun Wright-Phillips has wormed his way into contention despite being unable to break into the Manchester City starting line-up, a problem also experienced by fellow squad member Theo Walcott, though the Arsenal man’s ability to play up front will help him survive the cut. Aaron Lennon, just back from injury will put pressure on both of them, while James Milner’s incredible versatility will bless him with a place in the 23 and then curse him with a seat on the bench. Joe Cole, whose contract with Chelsea expires this summer, will have the opportunity to put himself in the shop window, but only if he can outperform Manchester City’s exciting and ambidextrous Adam Johnson.

Darren Bent will get one last chance to impress Capello up front, but he’ll have to really pull up some trees to cement a place in that final squad. Injuries notwithstanding, you’d expect Emile Heskey and Peter Crouch to act as the blunt object, while Wayne Rooney and Jermaine Defoe provide the finesse.

Two friendlies remain, Mexico at Wembley and Japan in Austria, before the trimming begins. All we need do now is to sit back and await the inevitable. The three players who will injure themselves, the one hapless wretch whose form will desert him in the middle of the final friendly and, because this is England after all, the one fool who will be photographed outside a nightclub with a kebab, a bottle of liquour and his pants around his ankles. There are some things that even Capello cannot change.

IAIN’S EXPECTED LUCKY 23

David James, Rob Green, Joe Hart

Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines, Glen Johnson, Jamie Carragher, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Ledley King

Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Joe Cole

Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch

IAIN’S EXPECTED UNLUCKY 7

Darren Bent, Adam Johnson, Shaun-Wright Phillips, Michael Dawson, Scott Parker, Stephen Warnock, Tom Huddlestone
 
By the way, that's what I think Capello will do, not what I'd do. I'd take Parker and Dawson and leave Upson and King or Carrick.
 
I can't see how Upson can go, he's been woeful this season (getting beaten to a header by somebody 5 foot 5 etc).

King will go, if anything because he can (if needed) play the holding role in CM). I can't see SWP going as he's had a poor season and surely Johnson would be worth a punt given the impact he's made at Man City.

Up front if difficult, Bent is the top English scorer so surely deserves a place, but put Defoe in front of goal and you know he'll bury it. Is still, however, can't see how Heskey is definately going - yes he's a big target man blah blah blah - but how many goals has he scored this year? (6, 7?)
 
My 23 from the provisional,

David James, Rob Green (I'd personally have Robinson), Joe Hart

Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines, Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Michael Dawson

Gareth Barry, Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Joe Cole

Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch
 
can't see how Heskey is definately going - yes he's a big target man blah blah blah - but how many goals has he scored this year? (6, 7?)

Ask Rooney who he'd rather play upfront with; Heskey, or any other English striker. He'll say Heskey 9 times out of 10.
 
It really ****s me off about Ashley Young, never gets a chance for England, can put in a great ball. Yet he got his 5 minutes at the end of the Egypt friendly was it? Yet we persist with 1 trick pony's such as SWP.
 
What Capello should do is release 1 player a week on BBC TV, and that player has to give his boots to Capello while singing 'Three Lions' as he is carried away on a giant football. This would be better entertainment than that Dorothy *****
 
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