Incognito

It helps when a club can actively seek someone from around the world to replace their 35 year old midfielder. Roy Hodgson unfortunately only has a selected pool of players to choose from in which Lampard is still high on the list, and rightly so as even at 35, he's still better than the majority. He still provides a goal threat even at 35. Im not a fan of his but at least he offers the team something. Barry offers minimal and even at his peak offered little more.

Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhh.

That's twice you've voiced your opinion of a player by how they've fared against us. Ludicrous argument honestly.

I know football is a game of opinion and even as someone who isn't a Lampard fan, I find that preposterous.

I'm not dismissing any of them. But none of them are any great shakes either. That's just my point. I would have retired Gerrard/Lampard/Barry etc. long time. Since we haven't and the younger players don't have much experience, I would just pick the best players in the best form come June. That might mean Barry, that might mean Henderson. The general ability levels for England won't be drastic. Did you drop out of college whilst studying for a degree in the bleeding obvious? Jesus wept.

That's possibly the worst argument I've ever seen on this forum.

Barry is past his peak and when he was at his peak he was found wanting at International level. Why on earth is he even in the discussion?

In a crap league. At International level, at best, he's run of the mill.

I think his so called renaissance, and to be fair he has had a good season thus far, is more down to the quality of the Premier League or lack of it than anything else. I always harp on about previous eras when discussing England, and there ain't many that I can think of where Gareth Barry would've been a permanent squad choice. To me he's not much more than a run of the mill player. This part is not true. He's comfortably one of the better CM's in the division. Read the whole of the posts Disco and myself made instead of cherry picking it. It explains that the Premier league isn't very good hence why someone as run of the mill as Gareth Barry is rated by some. Fucking Happy Shopper Ronaldo.

Take your keyboard for a shite.

I think his so called renaissance, and to be fair he has had a good season thus far, is more down to the quality of the Premier League or lack of it than anything else. I always harp on about previous eras when discussing England, and there ain't many that I can think of where Gareth Barry would've been a permanent squad choice. To me he's not much more than a run of the mill player.

I agree with you. That said, I wouldn't pick either at this moment in time.

Should be nailed on for me to be in the squad. Having an excellent season. Carrick/Barry are pathetic options, can't believe that's the best we have to offer and no real sign of a top DM coming through either. Carrick/Barry are pathetic options, yet Henderson has been excellent? Barry's having a very good season. Doesn't mean he's actually cut out for top level international football because he's not. Neither is Henderson. We know what Barry can do at International level but whilst Henderson flattered to deceive last time of asking, he has come on leaps and bounds this season and I feel he us worthy of another go.

Me too. Quite a lot more too.

I can. Anything close to £20m would get him IMO. Less than 2 years on his contract? But they paid 27m for Fellaini. Hold out for a Carrollesque fee though I'd sooner not sell at all.

I have little doubt we would be in/around champions league. the sad thing is KK couldnt work with the idiots Ashley put above him. what a shame. Keegan's second spell should show anyone we'd be more than likely be at the other end of the table tbh. P21 W6 D6 L9 He never really repeated his first spell with us anywhere. Did you see the state of West Ham yesterday? Yeah, drink that in - that's what he inherited from that fat f***ing fraud and had to turn around half way through a season. After the initial losing streak we actually went on a great fun, too. Look, I get it, Keegan's first spell was amazing, miraculous even, but the unadulterated man-love that persists is pathetic. Pardew is our manager for the foreseeable, the signs are good IMO, we are actually getting better. The once in a lifetime turnaround which was Keegan's first spell is not going to repeat itself, in fact it's rarely happened anywhere else (I can't even recall the like at all). You've missed my point completely, but then you probably meant to. I don't think we're getting, really, any better or considerably worse to be honest since Pardew was appointed. We've had a few good streaks under him and some abhorrent ones to boot. Our record in the derby and cup games under this clown is pathetic, and due to a combination of injuries, luck, 'science' or whatever we'll probably never be good enough to win anything or bad enough to go down with the players we seem to be getting. Keegan was a better manager and player than Pardew could ever hope to be. On one hand you have a guy who was out of the game for a while, inherited an under confident shambles of a squad from Sam f***ing Allardyce and within a couple of months started turning it onto it's head completely in terms of tactics and player confidence. Here we have a bloke that's been in charge for a few years, has a technically sound collection of international players and still resorts to throwing on Shola. f***ing. Ameobi and benching one of the most naturally gifted footballers in Europe. How you can ever say we're somehow getting better is beyond me like That substitution turned the game back in our favour, and we won, just because some hate Shola doesn't make bringing him on wrong, as was proven yesterday. Using that substitution yesterday as a negative example is moronic. We have more than competed with the top four this season head to head (apart from first game), we annihilated West Ham yesterday, away from home, and yet we're not getting better, Aye OK. Your desire to see us fail, because you don't like certain personalities, is not matched by the evidence. West Ham have been f***ing garbage this year, to say we annihilated them is a bit of a stretch. Forest annihilated them if you wanted a better example. I have no desire to see us fail whatsoever, I'm a f***ing supporter of this football club I can't help but wonder what the yardstick for improvement is for you though. Are you comparing this to last season? Because anything barring relegation can be considered an improvement to that season Where do you honestly see us in 2 years time? Do you think it's somehow taken this prick 3 years to learn how to play to his teams strengths and instil a confident, winning mentality within his players? My yardstick is 40+ years of watching this usually shower of shite club, with brief hiatus's in amongst the garbage with KK and SBR. Based on that I am accepting that progress will be slow (absent a sheik or oligarch) in my opinion, we appear to making aforesaid progress. We caught lightning in a bottle once, with KK (first time), it is unlikely to happen again. I am therefore quite happy with continuity and gradual development (in squad capability and manager). We were except for about 15 minutes start of second half, always in control yesterday, despite having my ingrained NUFC will fuck it up mind-set. If, regularly winning away, particularly in London, being bloody unlucky losing to Arsenal/City and beating Chelsea and Man U (at old Trafford) aren't positive signs compared to decades past, never mind seasons past, I don't know what you expect, but you're going to be disappointed. As for your 3 years comment, they were singing "Ferguson Out" at Old Trafford into his 3rd/4th year, he would have been fired long before that cup win in 1990 in todays game. Do you know why Ferguson wasn't fired in 88-89 or 89-90? Obviously not, so I will tell you. Ferguson had to tear the club apart to build the dynasty he has just left. He overhauled the youth system and saved them millions, he made unpopular decisions with the fans, getting rid of Mcgrath, Strachan and Whiteside and while the fans weren't happy with the trophyless seasons, the team Ferguson was building always entertained and it's what kept him in a job that he so nearly lost before Mark Robbins came to his aid. You cannot say that about Pardew. Not in the slightest

On current form Henderson should be in the squad too. Certainly before certain Manchester United no. 23s.

Of course it has. Tommy Smith, Ron Harris and the like made careers from them kind of tackles.Playing the ball without touching the opponent; nobody would bat an eyelid 20 or 30 years ago.Sliding through players to get the ball, as long as the ball was played, nobody batted an eyelid, indeed them tackles were even applauded. No room for it in this day and age though and that's why I agree he had to go. Two footed jump ins have never been acceptable, going through the back of a attacker was something i used to get away with, also as you pointed out sliding through someone to get the ball. The key here is he never slid through some, or went throught back of someone. He jumped two footed, launch himself in a ridiculous tackle. Would have been red years ago, not just now. 30 years ago you wouldn't be sent off for intent alone. Which Debuchy rightly was . You wouldn't get a straight red without contact to the player. No way.

Didn't look out of place at International level which to me means he isn't shit. He isn't immobile either, when fully fit of course.

Tomorrow it's Little Mix vs The Supremes

His first name sounds like a Mackem Agatha Christie detective.

He was just starting to get a bit of form when Dogleash got the tin tack to be fair to him. Obviously Blobfish didn't want a bar of him. But he did ok for England at Euro 12 when he was called upon. I still think there is a very good target man centre forward in there somewhere.

He needs a run of games, and as we've seen in the past when that happens he's a very good central defender. When he's rusty he isn't. He doesn't get much leeway on here mind. He was blamed in some quarters here for Manchester City's first goal last week when it was more Williamson not recognising he needed to put the ball out for a corner. And he rarely gets kudos when he does good things. It's just the ridiculous errors that really shouldn't be in his game with the experience he has that irritate me but as I say with a run of games, I'm sure he'd be back to his best. Whether he gets them is probably unlikely.

Yep, a massive cock up from them Nah, they have Thomas Stupidly

Agreed. He has no technique, no vision, no skills. He is just a big lump who is strong and a bit physical. Its only throw-backs like Dalglish and Allardyce that have kept someone like Carroll a PL player. He had a purple patch for us for a brief spell but he still looked a bang average footballer and in time I reckon he'd have become just another Shola type for us, but without the professionalism and right attitude. 2 shocking posts there. Whatever his weaknesses, he'd walk into our side when fit. Agree. Would make an excellent focal point for our attack if fully fit. Unplayable when fit and served correctly. Good out when under pressure too . When was the last time he was unplayable over a consistent period though? Consistently? Probably as a Newcastle player. I'd willingly pay 6 million or so to see if he could recreate what he had before. Bet he wishes he could have the last 3 years back.