Football (Soccer)

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
I've never actually seen Gerrard 'control a whole game'.

You know, really do it. Not just based on faulty hindsight or opaque rose glasses.

The cup finals he has supposedly won single-handedly seem to have metamorphosed in people's minds.

What is certain, as well, is if he has ever done that for Liverpool, he has never ever come close to doing that for England.

I've seen Gerrard do it quite a few times for Liverpool, but I've never seen Lampard completely dominate a game for Chelsea. Sure, neither of them have done it for England, but then apart from Beckham's performance against Greece all those moons ago, when was the last time an English player dominated in an international game?

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
International managers (of England, mostly) tend to pick on history and hype/reputation, neglecting form completely. It's absolutely ****ing stupid. Why can Bent get nowhere near the team? How much worse can he do than Rooney? Or than Crouch when the opposition isn't a nation where the country's top goalscorer also delivers your mail.

How much worse could some new players do than this shower of shit? What exactly are they hanging on for by refusing to start newer players?

Yeah, I agree. Why don't we just play the players who are playing the best in their best positions? Seems simple, doesn't it? The managers must think it just makes too much sense, and couldn't possibly work.

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
As well, like it or not, England sorely, sorely miss Beckham. I was one of his biggest critics, and I still feel he is overrated. However, now he has stepped aside, it's quite clear there is absolutely **** all in the way of creativity.

Of late, his brand of 'creativity' was kick the ball a long way, or cross it to strikers who can't score with their heads...

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
What does Carrick do again? Pass? Shall we start picking players who can 'kick'? 'Run'?

Just imagine if all the England players could do that...

Originally posted by Df02
Gerrard is fantastic... Lampard is merely good on the international scale.

agreed.

we missed gerrard, joe cole, owen and hargreaves. we need those playewrs back. the england system does not suit lampard at all. so mclaren should change the system or drop lampard.

rooney likes to get the ball turn ,and lay balls off, he coudnt do that with players like crouch and neville.

carrick was poor also.

why cant i manage the team?

at least id play players which would benefit the team

neville terry ferdinand a cole

..............hargreaves...
...............................gerrard
.............................rooney

phillips/lennon.....................................joe cole
....................johnson/owen

......

whats the problem with that team? high energy in the centre of midfield, lots of creativity, and players like rooney and gerrard will run with the ball. then you have some class wingers with lots of pace who willalways cause problem. then you also have someone quick up front who can latch onto the through balls.
carrick and lampard in yesterdays flawed system was disasterous. no ideas, no creativity, no energy at all.

the team last night had rubbish written all over it.

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
What does Carrick do again? Pass? Shall we start picking players who can 'kick'? 'Run'?

Carrick passes well, he holds the ball up as good as any other midfielder in the premiership... he has unmatchable composure on the ball.
He also has deep midfield creativity, he picks out the best pass for the situation he's in 99 times out of a hundred... you can garuan-****ing-tee he wont ping the ball back and forth with the centreback like England seem to do all the time now. Infact during the Croatia game i remember him taking the ball off Rio's foot because he wasnt doing anything constructive with it, and whipped it instantly out to the winger... slightly infront of him so he would run on to it rather than collect it and pass it back to the centreback again.

England have a solid defence, what we dont have is midfield creativity, Carrick has some semblence of creativity from deep in midfield, which is what england sorely need, not a midfielder who will tackle constantly but always seems to be in a poor position to collect a pass, a la Hargreaves...

and you were saying about how Beckham is sorely missed, and now you mock picking players for one attribute... well Beckham is a 'kicker'.

id have hargreaves over carrick. if we want someone who can pass the ball then we can look to lampard or gerrard.

hmm yea, and thats worked hasnt it?...

Lampard is as good as Gerrard, face it people.......some of you are so far up Gerrard's arse it's actually frightening

Originally posted by Df02
hmm yea, and thats worked hasnt it?...

carrick wont put it right either

Originally posted by Mattomic
Lampard is as good as Gerrard, face it people.......some of you are so far up Gerrard's arse it's actually frightening

gerrard has more to his game in my opinion.thats all i ever said.

lampard is barely hanging on, but there seems to be a shortage of players that mclaren is willing to use, i'd bet if hargreaves was fit lampard wouldnt play...

and i dont know how the f*ck lampard is on the player of the year shortlist...

after seeing wright phillips against macedonia i'm even more convinced he should be first choice on the right, and i've been saying it for a long, long time...

england's defence, to me, is nowhere near good enough at international level... only terry is good enough imo...

wes brown, carragher and ledley king are far better choices than neville, ferdinand and ashley cole...

and i dont know if im the only one, but micah richards of man city should be in the team, or squad at least... he's young, but he's fearless... watching him against germany the other night (and last season for city), the guy has something special to him... put him in mclaren...

We cudda done with someone like Jimmy Bullard aswell, had he not been injured, he is a big game player, would not get overawed by the occasion at all, and he has the ability to change a game

Originally posted by pr1983
lampard is barely hanging on, but there seems to be a shortage of players that mclaren is willing to use, i'd bet if hargreaves was fit lampard wouldnt play...

and i dont know how the f*ck lampard is on the player of the year shortlist...

after seeing wright phillips against macedonia i'm even more convinced he should be first choice on the right, and i've been saying it for a long, long time...

england's defence, to me, is nowhere near good enough at international level... only terry is good enough imo...

wes brown, carragher and ledley king are far better choices than neville, ferdinand and ashley cole...

and i dont know if im the only one, but micah richards of man city should be in the team, or squad at least... he's young, but he's fearless... watching him against germany the other night (and last season for city), the guy has something special to him... put him in mclaren...

i agree enitirely. shaun wright phillips can be a loose cannon sometimes but at least he runs with the ball and trys to make things happen. richards should defo get a call up aswell imo.
lampard cannot adapt to englands system, so he should be dropped. bang gerrard in the middle, with hargreaves and rooney.

I like SWP but he ruined him self when he went to Chelski! he should of stayed where he was then i rekon he would of been taken to Germany!

Originally posted by Df02
Carrick passes well, he holds the ball up as good as any other midfielder in the premiership... he has unmatchable composure on the ball.
He also has deep midfield creativity, he picks out the best pass for the situation he's in 99 times out of a hundred... you can garuan-****ing-tee he wont ping the ball back and forth with the centreback like England seem to do all the time now. Infact during the Croatia game i remember him taking the ball off Rio's foot because he wasnt doing anything constructive with it, and whipped it instantly out to the winger... slightly infront of him so he would run on to it rather than collect it and pass it back to the centreback again.

England have a solid defence, what we dont have is midfield creativity, Carrick has some semblence of creativity from deep in midfield, which is what england sorely need, not a midfielder who will tackle constantly but always seems to be in a poor position to collect a pass, a la Hargreaves...

and you were saying about how Beckham is sorely missed, and now you mock picking players for one attribute... well Beckham is a 'kicker'.

Carrick does **** all. Actual ocular evidence of it every single game. The most 'nothing' player I've ever seen, including Downing.

Beckham is the same as Carrick, yes. One single attribute. However, if you're going to do that, and apparently they are, at least pick the better one.

Originally posted by pr1983

england's defence, to me, is nowhere near good enough at international level... only terry is good enough imo...

I think Terry is almost as overrated as Gerrard. The problem with Terry as well is he has no pace. Therefore England's defence plays deep, thus the midfield plays deep so as not to leave a gap, and so forth into England-style Hell, culminating in 30 minutes of hanging on for dear life. Though admittedly that is better than last night.

After his cameos for England so far, I think it's obvious that Lennon should be playing on the right when he is fit. Then, if you put Cole on the other side, with Gerrard alongside someone in the middle, we would have a genuinely threatening and creative midfield.

I agree with the Terry comments, but seeing as he's been made captain, he's there to stay.

I still say my team - abeit slightly alterated - is the best, so far...

------------------------Robinson---------------------------

Neville-----------Ferdinand-----King------------Cole-----

--------------------------------------------------------------

----------------Gerrard--------Hargreaves----------------

Lennon-----------------Rooney-------------------Cole----

---------------------------Owen-----------------------------

Now, that would be a team worth watching! Which, if you think about it, really should be the only consideration when picking a team to play a game of football. Football is, first and foremost, a form of entertainment, so teams should be picked on their ability to entertain.

I'd prefer Carragher in for King. Good to see the Canadian boy on the starting lineup. I also think it sucks for Gerrard to be stuck in such a reserved role. He has a lot to contribute offensively that he didn't get to show enough in the World Cup.

Carragher sucks ass. FACT.

Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
Carragher sucks ass. FACT.

Carrager only sucks when Steve Mclaren or Sven play him as a right back never a centre back.

Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
After his cameos for England so far, I think it's obvious that Lennon should be playing on the right when he is fit. Then, if you put Cole on the other side, with Gerrard alongside someone in the middle, we would have a genuinely threatening and creative midfield.

I agree with the Terry comments, but seeing as he's been made captain, he's there to stay.

I still say my team - abeit slightly alterated - is the best, so far...

------------------------Robinson---------------------------

Neville-----------Ferdinand-----King------------Cole-----

--------------------------------------------------------------

----------------Gerrard--------Hargreaves----------------

Lennon-----------------Rooney-------------------Cole----

---------------------------Owen-----------------------------

Now, that would be a team worth watching! Which, if you think about it, really should be the only consideration when picking a team to play a game of football. Football is, first and foremost, a form of entertainment, so teams should be picked on their ability to entertain.

Looks like a solid team.......would look even better with Lampard in it

Originally posted by Mattomic
Looks like a solid team.......would look even better with Lampard in it

But then I'd have to drop Gerrard, and I don't want to because I think he's better than Lampard.