Owen dropped, Bullard called-up.

[Shearer9]

Capello is getting very suspect now, but I've reserved judgement until Croatia, that game will be very telling.

[mrmojorisin75]

like others i have to say fuck england, not remotely interested...i preferred the euros just gone without us in it, far more enjoyable all round as i didn't feel obliged to watch them stumble past the group stage then fail pitifully when faced with someone good, again

 

however for a manager not to include michael owen, one of englands all time top scorers (4th?  5th?) is wierd - i could understand it for friendlies but to not do it for games where he could come off the bench and have an impact is nuts

 

wouldn't be the first time in his career that cappello flew in the face of criticism & came out on top though would it?

[Ally]

I'm waiting for Capello to pull off a mask and actually be Steve McClaren.

[oldtype]

I'm waiting for Capello to pull off a mask and actually be Steve McClaren.

 

At least that would explain the Dutch bloke impersonating McClaren at Twente right now.

[Rob W]

let's face it - there aren't that many top rate players in the England

 

we're dependent on set pieces played in by a semi-retired American resident

 

we struggle to beat teams that are anywhere near us in the rankings

 

we've gone through three managers in as many years and none of them have managed to make any impact

[cubaricho]

Bullard potentially becoming an England International shows how far backwards we've gone as a footballing nation in the last dozen or so years.

You're surely taking the piss right?  The problem with the past few England managers is that they don't care about building the best team but about getting the "best" players - or more precisely the players the media thinks are the best - which they end up regretting afterwards (albeit after taking a huge chunk of change).  I'm not going to act like I know where/when Bullard should be played but I can argue the fact that he was instrumental in Fulham's "great escape" last season and ads a lot of passion to a squad.  He may not be as fashionable as Mr. Gerrard or Lampard but he can add a lot to a team that is built in the right way.

 

I don't necessarily agree with the rest of the squad (ie: Young should definitely be in it and probably Owen too) but I do feel like Bullard has earned his place in the England setup.  Obviously the same shit we've seen for the past 6-8 years has produced fuck all - it's nice to try and get a bit of freshness to the squad and if Bullard is the start of that then I am a happy man.

[Swissmag]

Does Beckham really deserve to be in there still?

 

yes

[Guest nufc_geordie]

I can understand Owen not being included as he has only played one full 90 minutes since his return from injury. How Walcott is in the squad ahead of Agbonlahor I've got no idea, and what else does Ashley Young have to do to get in there? Upson and Lescott are also suspect selections although I do agree with the inclusion of Rob Green who has had an excellent start to the season. I suspect that if Wright-Phillips gets going at Man City, wer may well see the end of David Beckhams England career. All SWP needs is a run of games and he will be Englands No. 7.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Very strange decision again for Capello.

 

We all thought he was going to be his own man and not just pick the same players, then he goes and picks the same players. So then we say he's the same as McLaren and he picks Jimmy Bullard, seemingly to show he's thinking for himself. Weird...

 

Also the ommissions of Agbonlahor and Young are bizarre.

[LooneyToonArmy]

I agree with what Shearer says here

---

 

"When you consider he has got a goal every two games it's a big shock," Shearer said on BBC's Match Of The Day Two programme.

 

"None of the other players have got a good goalscoring record at international level but Michael Owen has.

 

"He's the sort of player who, if you are 1-0 down to Croatia, you would want to come off the bench and get you a goal."

[Mr. Snrub]

Heskey, Defoe, Walcott and Rooney the 4.

 

That's an embarrassing choice of strikers for a national team like England.

[Guest Sniffer]

As I said before, Bullard is a solid player that is better than anybody in our midfield but I'm still a bit surprised that he's in the squad. Just that some dumb shits on here can't face the fact that the England manager doesn't share their opinion that Bullard is useless.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

As I said before, Bullard is a solid player that is better than anybody in our midfield but I'm still a bit surprised that he's in the squad. Just that some dumb shits on here can't face the fact that the England manager doesn't share their opinion that Bullard is useless.

 

Bullard is a good player, but he's not one for the future. And he's not going to be thrown into the first team against Croatia is he? So I don't see the point in putting him in.

 

And it's not like he hasn't ignored the good form of Agbonlahor and Young, the squad's not exactly revolutionary.

[kingkerouac]

I couldn't give a flying fuck about the England team. That game against Croatia sealed it for me.

That bunch of cunts like Terry, Gerrard, etc. Was I the only person who thought 'Why the fuck is everyone pointing the finger at McLaren?'

I do care when they have players in the team who give a fuck. I like Jimmy Bullard, he has something of the Sunday league about him.

And I also like the fact that Capello is not following the subtle whispering from the Tabloids. Every England manager I can remember barring Sir Alf

let those ignorant cunts dictate the team with implicit threats. What they did to Graham Taylor was over-the-top.

I hope they win, but in my heart of hearts I don't really care that much anymore.

[Guest Stephen927]

I'm out of touch with the England team these days, lost interest quite a while ago.

 

Hopefully Bullard will provide a bit of enthusiasm through the middle but can see his lack of quality being shown up against the quality teams.