AyeDubbleYoo

looked similar V blackburn and fulham. In that we were poor, maybe, but his preferred style and philosophy is clearly to pass it around. The problem is getting the players to do it. I've never seen Hughton line up with 6 defenders.

The suggestiong that Hughton plays football anything like Allardyce is total bollocks BTW.

My Dad owns this forum actually, and he's bigger than your Dad as well.

Short is better on him tbh Let's just say we have different taste in men.

Hello again. No chance!

To be honest, the ponytail is probably Carroll's best ever haircut.

True, we've seen how our midfield has been transformed with the addition of Tiote. Someone with discipline, passing and without an ego is the most important part of a modern midfield IMO.

Clarified that for you. For some players it is a genuine step-up though, Johnson and Boateng come to mind. I know, I was being simplistic. It's almost as much of a risk for the players you mention though, they could easily find themselves as permanent reserves (as Given and Johnson are finding). I would recommend Man City to any players at the moment really, unless they're purely motivated by money.

Clarified that for you.

I don't think that clubs not playing 4-4-2 is a reason for England not to play it. That's flawed logic, clubs are full of foreign players.

Interesting point about Rooney. People seem to think he is 'wasted' when he's working across the pitch and back into midfield, but maybe that is actually what his game should be about.

The press are all over him today it seems... The Times says his international career is over. I doubt it with Capello in charge.

Good story that Dave, just wish that the media had realised it was a non-story at the time.

Exactly, our problem is mainly picking the wrong players in the wrong positions. Even Arsene Wenger is just waiting until Theo is ready to play through the middle, it's stupid for England to be acting as his training ground as well. We have enough good players to do much better than we are.

I was joking about playing all three.

Actually, people who don't understand the importance of retaining possession is one of mine!

Get Pulis in! Are you wanting Big Sam in-charge by any-chance? Cheers. If they're interested, what I was responding to was the idea that England can't be successful because we don't produce the players of the raw technical ability of Spain and France. I'm not advocating long-ball crap football, but I think we have the players to play a pressing game and an up-tempo direct(ish) game in attack, and be quite successful at it. The problem is picking wide players with no pace (Milner) and a midfielders who don't work together or have no actual attributes (Barry).

Also, let's remember that there is more than one way to play successful football. If the only way to win was pass it like Spain, Arsenal would have won the Premier League every year.

I'm not upset, just commenting on their opinion, like we all do on this forum.

Total utter bollocks. Also, a lot of callers saying England were crap front to back, apart from Steven Gerrard. Mental.

Some mong on 5-Live criticising Carroll because his presence encourges the long ball game.

No doubt any manager that left him out would be immediately ripped to pieces by the press if results went against them. It would take a manager with a properly thick skin, open mind and lack of attachment to big names to make the changes that England need.

Agreed, it's just a shame nobody else turned up to play with him.

Possibly, but I don't think he has the discipline to stick to the position. That's basically his main weakness wherever you play him.