Cronky

The job's only half done, as far as I'm concerned. I still can't see how Bridge and Terry can be involved in the same squad. After all, the players will be living together for 6 weeks during a World Cup. That's plenty of time for whatever tensions and divisions there may be in the squad to fester.

Just thought he was a bit slow, myself.

I wouldn't say Le Tissier was a wasted talent. He had fantastic skill on the ball and could produce some wonderful moments, but he was not much of an athlete and that was always going to hold him back. I don't think a move to a bigger club would have changed anything. That achievement of something like 42 successful penalties out of 43 is absolutely outstanding.

I find that a strange choice. I'd say Cole was one who made the most of limited ability. His touch on the ball wasn't great, and that's why he could never establish himself at international level. For a current example of wasted talent without excuse, I give you Anelka. A £20 million player for Real Madrid at the age of 20, he ended up at Bolton. The Chelsea move has given him a great last chance which he's been lucky to get. If he'd really applied himself, he could have been the best striker in the world, but most of the time he's seemed content to just do enough to keep the cheques rolling in.

...is the problem in a nutshell. I'm hoping Barton will solve it for him.

Shearer also had great touch, passing, crossing, shooting and decent pace (before injury) - think he had most of the talent you need to be a world-class player. It might have been achieved through a load of graft on the training ground, not sure if that makes a difference. We had him on trial as a kid and let him go! A widely accepted story but not true. We offered him an apprenticeship but he chose Southampton because he thought their youth set up was better. Bob, when Zoltan says "WE" I think he means WBA. Oh...right... did they?

Shearer also had great touch, passing, crossing, shooting and decent pace (before injury) - think he had most of the talent you need to be a world-class player. It might have been achieved through a load of graft on the training ground, not sure if that makes a difference. We had him on trial as a kid and let him go! A widely accepted story but not true. We offered him an apprenticeship but he chose Southampton because he thought their youth set up was better.

Am I right in thinking that Best fulfilled his very best though, and then turned his back on it? Stuff like that doesn't bother me tbh. Gazza for me is the biggest one I can think of from my era. Best did reach the top very early on, being European Footballer of the Year, and a winner of League Championship and European Cup medals, all in his early 20's. What he failed to do was mature as a player, in the sense of becoming a real leader on the pitch rather than a very talented maverick. Most players do still develop in their late twenties. Gazza is probably the worst case from more recent times. For all that, he kept battling rather than give up like Best, even though in so many ways he wasn't suited to handling all the pressures.

Shearer also had great touch, passing, crossing, shooting and decent pace (before injury) - think he had most of the talent you need to be a world-class player. It might have been achieved through a load of graft on the training ground, not sure if that makes a difference. I think it was mainly down to hard graft, which is all to his credit. I'm using the word 'talent' as something that's inborn, rather than developed.

Shearer I’d say was someone who made the maximum out of limited talent. His mental strength and intelligent reading of the game allowed him to over-achieve. Best has to be top of the list. He was the most talented footballer I ever saw, but gave up at the top level at the age of 26. I can’t think of another example of a player turning their back on so much ability.

He won 1 game out of 8, and we failed to score in 6 of those games. If his name wasn't Alan Shearer, this thread would not exist.

We're not playing well, but we're still comfortably top of the league. I honestly can't work out whether he's squeezing good results out of a poor group of players, or whether we'd be playing better and getting even better results if he was a bit more bold in his selections. If we get promoted, I'd keep him on and see how he does with a bit of money to spend and the chance to start forming his own side.

I'd agree on Kirkland, and fitness permitting, sooner or later I think he'll claim the jersey. The difficulty at the moment is that none of the keepers of that generation have really established themselves internationally, and a World Cup isn't the place to pitch in an inexperienced keeper.

If fit, I'd pick James. He has his duff moments, but none of the others have made a strong enough case for him to be dispensed with. In a World Cup, I'd go for his experience.

'Has anybody seen this man?' would be a better caption.

I don't think God would agree with you there.

I don't think there's a problem in Rooney's ability to handle the pressure of a big game. He doesn't seem to suffer from nerves. He also seems to have curbed his temper much better now. I still can't see him as an England captain yet - that'll come in the future. Barry or Gerrard for now.

No to the captaincy, no to the squad. As it stands, you can't have both Bridge and Terry in the squad, and you can't drop Bridge in order to make life comfortable for Terry. All the focus seems to be on Terry, but Bridge has to be considered as well.

Only two people know the answer to that question, and Wayne Bridge isn't one of them. The timing seems suspicious though.

You're not giving the England sqaud a lot of credit there, but whatever, you've missed the point. When Beckham shagged Rebecca Loos, it was a private matter. If he'd shagged Colleen McLaughlin, it would have been a problem for his presence in the England squad. It seems to me that, to most fans, Wayne Bridge isn't an important member of the England squad and is therefore expendable. Capello and the other squad members aren't going to see it that way.

From what I saw on Saturday, if he can run, he'll be an improvement,.

Rather incredibly, Rooney's now our best target man as well as our best withdrawn striker. It'd be worth a try, if only because it would open up a space for Joe Cole.

Absolutely absurd to make Nani man of the match. Rooney is playing the best football of his career.

If you decide that you can't include both in the squad (and I don't see how you can), do you drop the least valuable player or the one who is the guilty party? In practice, I don't think Capello has much choice.

This one sticks in the craw a bit because Wigan's interest only seemed to materialise once Moses had been linked with us. I hope it's not a continuation of Whelan's niggly battle with Ashley.