Barry was robbed but second choice Steve must be gone soon
Wednesday, 07 February 07, 04:13 PM · Comments (13)
I'm going to delve into my personal life for a moment. Every night I have a glass of red wine. Normally I have this to unwind and relax in front of the TV, occasionally at dinner but as it's only the one I usually like to leave it until later in the evening.
Tonight the red wine has got me riled up over the England match I've just watched.
Were there any naturally left footed players in the starting line up? I don't think there was and I'm baffled as to why Barry was sitting on the bench for the first half.
I'm not actually that baffled now that I've written it as we do have second choice Steve managing the national team and we all know he shouldn't be, but I'll get to that in a moment.
What baffled me more than anything is that for the first twenty minutes that Barry is playing he plays on the left side of midfield, does nothing wrong and everything right.
Then, second choice Steve decides to bring on Downing. What exactly has Downing done so he always gets in the squad? What exactly has he done in any match for England that warrants him getting picked and then subbed into left midfield meaning Barry has to move position to left back?
It's wrong. Why play someone that you've never had play for you before for only one half, in a friendly, then move them out of position half way through that half?
It's clear to me now that Barry only got picked because of pressure. Second choice Steve wouldn't know a good think if he got slapped across the face with it. It's actually a disgrace the way Barry was treated tonight, no other player was treated like that, so why Barry?
On the upside, surely he won't last much longer and we'll get someone in that is clearly better at the job. I also have a theory on what would be better; not a manager or a coach but a player to take responsibility for managing the team, just like they do in cricket.
Why do we need an overpaid someone to sit on the bench for 90 minutes doing nothing? Are the eleven players on the pitch so stupid that they need a manager? They do this day in day out after all.
Surely, if picked for England they must have some ability. They need a player to take responsibility. There are enough coaches in the game that can take them through drills in training and enough players that know what is needed of them.
If second choice Steve is all the FA could come up with I'm going to ask the question; do we really need a manager?
I'm also not embarrassed about what I'm about to tell you. I don't usually watch England friendlies because they bore me, but tonight was different because of Barry. I put a tenner on three results; Holland and Germany to win and England to lose.
I'm happy because I've won ?80 and it was nearly the easiest money I've ever made. I put that down to second choice Steve; I'd be even happier if they got rid of him tonight!
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13 Comments · Add yours
I'm finding England farcical and have just lost all interest in the National team now. In fact to call him 2nd choice Steve is wrong as he is really the 3rd choice, the whole of England knows that he is nothing but a tool and a 'yes' man which is why he got the job...
For everything that was said about Eriksson the bottom line is this, he would have got us through qualification, McClaren isn't even going to get England to Euro 2008, and all the while the height of his ambition's will be to pick his favourites like Downing, and P.Neville, play Lampard and Gerrard together despite the fact that they can't and generally make England a laughing stock!
3 lions on the shirt?? What a load of utter rubbish!
McClaren was in the race for the England job with 2 other managers Big Sam and Martin O'Neil and I dont know why this muppet was choosen ahead of those 2
what was the score?
did i forget to mention the score ... 1-0 to spain. ;D
We seem to have all the talent in the world at our disposal in England, so why isn't it being picked? In the absence of owen/rooney, we should be trying out strikers as we're clearly not putting our chances away. It's time the talents of individuals like gerrard/lampard don't dictate who gets in, but a team which works together.. Right now it doesn't.
Barry should have been given a chance to replicate his form but i fear until Mclaren is gone we'll never progress. We should go all out to bring Lippi or Scolari who really know what football is about into the job...
Re: Christo
Simple answer to why he was chosen above better managers, and that's friends! He has been with the England set up for a while, the FA know him well, so he gets the job!
It's exactly the same with selections! He has favourites. It's something you expect from Sunday League football, not international stuff!
How a man who basiclly ran Sven's team anyway who has won nothing and achieved nothing could get the nod above a manager who has taken a team from bottom of the old 1st division to champions league challengers with hardly any cash is beyond belief!
Big Sam isn't scared to make big decisions like drop players who under perform, which is probably the main reason he didn't get the job! If big names get dropped, sponsors aren't happy!
Our country is pathetic!
I think that the manager (who?) is the problem in your National team. You have really talented players (not playing) but it is a time to change now, players like Phil Neville or Cruchie are not good enough to play for National team. And I don´t still understand, why can´t play Gerrard and Lampard together? I can imagine Barry-Lampard-Gerrard midfield really well. That is only a mistake of manager who can not prepare his players to work together as a team. Look at actim stats for example, this season are three mentioned above best mids in Premierleague! Of course, you don´t have C. Ronaldo but it is up to you, not to kill your players like SWP sitting on the Chelsea bench. You don´t have Drogba like players but still have Rooney (injured and angry psychomaniac) and, young talents like Young, Lita etc. So why don´t you play them? Oups, I forgot, Crouchie is the best, ha...
yes England are shit and McLaren is a joke but I think it is still fairly widely accepted practice that a football team needs a manager.
The F.A made a crazy appointment when they chose Mclaren. This is not hindsight, I felt it as soon as it was announced he would be manager. Nothing personal, I just don't rate him as a manager. Crouch, I wouldn't want him at Villa, so how could he be first choice for England? Granted, Rooney and Owen are out, but there's a host of other talent out there, namely, Defoe, Bent etc. I agree that Barry should have been given more of a chance, maybe in a three man midfield with Gerrard and Lampard.
My three up front when fit would be Rooney, Lennon and J Cole.
I am very glad that the FA messed it up with MON, but purely for selfish reasons! :D
damned straight :) ;) :D ;D >:( :( :o 8) :P :-\ :-* :'(
ha ha fair play mate,
I hope you get some nice red wine with your £80 ;)
up the villa ;D
Not to sure about players running the side but ex players such as Shearer who has only recently retired would be an top choice as he was 1 of the most successful players we have seen in the past 10 yrs.Rather than 1 man choose the squad what about a board of selectors, simular to what they have in cricket?It would also be an idea for players to be ranked over a period of games and the top players to be included in the squad rather than out of form favourites, perhaps a limit of 100 pts or over gets you in the squad
;Dvladimir styrer