ponsaelius

Good for him. More people from the islands need to go abroad more often, would definitely benefit English football in the long run. I agree entirely with this notion. However I don't think he's anywhere near good enough for a club like Roma, who finished runners-up in Serie A last season.

Joe Ledley going to Roma

Yep. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_FIFA_World_Cup_squads#Chile Cheers. Class, just reading on his Wiki that it was his first call-up, and that he couldn't actually speak any Spanish.

Chile played in 1950, although I'm not sure whether Robledo was in the squad.

Andy O'Brien in 2002.

Only thing I'd change with that squad is Johnson over SWP. Everything else is fine tbh.

Benni McCarthy dropped by South Africa. EDIT: Sorry Disco, you got there 4 hours earlier

The way they're going on as if it's some kind of national disaster ffs. At the end of the day, Capello has picked a squad that he thinks is capable, as a collective, to win the World Cup. There's no bias, no conspiracy and Fabio is almost certainly not a racist. International managers leave out players who are performing well all the time, yes I agree the basis for the squad should be on current form, however theres also the fact of including your best players regardless of form and also picking the players that will complement each other the best rather than just selecting certain players beacuse of good statistics. Look at the Brazil squad as a prime example. In my personal opinion I don't think Bent is cut out for international football. His game relies up on sitting on the shoulder of the last defender and he wont get the opportunity to do that in the current England set up at international level. He doesn't have the allround game to offer the team much and at the end of the day obviously Capello agrees that he doesn't offer enough to be of benefit to his set-up, couple this with doing little in the friendlies and Bent has done nothing to suggest he should be on the plane.

Christ it's anarchy, they're all supporting other countries in protest

What's with all these diminutive Moroccan-Dutch attacking midfielders coming through PSV with names that begin with A? Affelay, Amrabat, Aissati. I always just think of them as the same player.

Aye, wtf was wrong with Hartlepool and Darlo. Fucking jocks can piss off.

11 days

Oh. They were still the best team in the tournament though. You don't beat Brazil, Germany and Italy by chance.

And Greece won the Euro's a few backs that is what tournament football throws every now & again. At U17 World Cup, Brazil has won 3 of the last 7 & runner up once. Out of the last 4 Spain have got to two finals & have a 3rd place. I noticed the Swiss did not have player of the tournament I suppose anomilous results do occur. Not taking anything away from them though, it was nothing like Greece's negative win at all costs football from 04, they'd played some of the most entertaining expansive football I've ever seen at youth level and were more than deserving winners. Ben Khalifa should of been player of the tournament, he'll be some player in a few years. However I reckon most of that squad will never be heard of again (atleast at the top level), and the same will probably occur with this England team. There will hopefully be the odd few that make it however. EDIT: Just looked it up, and Ben Khalifa is now at Wolfsburg and their other standout player Seferovic is at Fiorentina. So the 2 biggest talents got snapped up, while the rest as of yet don't even have Wikipedia pages.

Hate to say it but it's unlikely that U17 football is a hugely accurate scale for future success. Switzerland were cowned U17 World Champions last year by sweeping aside Brazil, Italy, Germany, Colombia and then Nigeria. However I don't see them dominating the senior level any time soon.

He'd do well to get on a Newcastle forum if he was North Korean.

He looks very strong physically in comparison to the usual Asian build. Wonder if he'd do a job in Europe.

I thought the Japs had a special relationship with Brazil? There's a lot of Brazilians in Japan and vice versa as well, so they get to pick up Brazilians who grew up in Japan, Brazilians in Brazil with Japanese parents/grandparents etc. As for the Koreans, it's mostly people who's grandparents moved/were forced to move there during the occupation and never got around to going back home. I wouldn't really class these players as Koreans because they're really just Japanese in every way but name. Grew up in Japan/Speak Japanese/have a Japanese passport etc. As far as I know, no "Jainichi," as we call them, has made the Japanese NT in recent memory. A couple of them are making up the spine of the North Korean team though, including Chong Tae-Se, who's pretty much the best out-and-out goalscorer in Asia at the moment. His goals vs Greece were fantastic. Him alongside Park Chu-Young might have been alright for you guys. Oh well, that boat has sailed.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES! Two major international-level f***-ups this year for the fake-Japanese c***. Why is he fake? I think he's Brazilian-born. He's a brazilian who gets to play for Japan by virtue of having a Japanese grandfather. Japan have a bit of previous with this naturalised Brazilian shit. Alex at the last World Cup is one that sticks out. Weren't Korea gonna try something similar not long ago? Mota or somebody.

Correct. Thankfully he's done enough and others have failed which should get him a place in the last 23. Although, there should never have been any doubt imo.

-----------------Hart------------------ Johnson--Terry--Ferdinand--Cole Lennon--Barry--Lampard---J.Cole -----------------Gerrard-------------- -------------Rooney------------------ That would be my line-up like. Maybe Joe Cole as the second striker but I've never liked Gerrard wide left. Dependant on Barry being fit mind, I dunno whether I'd have faith in Huddlestone stepping in there.

If Joe Cole doesn't go I'll be pissed.

Tulio was out of contract for a while aswell, I remember McClaren was after him at Twente. He's moved now though.

Cherundolo is better than Spector surely. Spector is an absolutely calamitous defender.

Bent OFF. Walcott OFF. Play Lennon on the right ffs. What a pile of gash that was.