Owen Hargreaves.

[Cajun]

I am with Bluf on this one. Especially if England want to succeed in the Euros or WC they need players to have broader experiences. The nations that have insular leagues where their own nationals rarely play outside of their own Country suffer. Look at Mexico - they have loads of money and support for their leagues and they overpay for their own players (so they rarely leave) and they suck internationally.

 

On the other hand I support Scotland so carry on.

 

He is 26 and hasn't played in this country at all yet, I can't see how his experiences will get any broader staying in Germany.

 

Wasnt he a bit of a squad/utility player for Bayern anyway?

 

[BlufPurdi]

I am with Bluf on this one. Especially if England want to succeed in the Euros or WC they need players to have broader experiences. The nations that have insular leagues where their own nationals rarely play outside of their own Country suffer. Look at Mexico - they have loads of money and support for their leagues and they overpay for their own players (so they rarely leave) and they suck internationally.

 

On the other hand I support Scotland so carry on.

 

He is 26 and hasn't played in this country at all yet, I can't see how his experiences will get any broader staying in Germany.

 

Wasnt he a bit of a squad/utility player for Bayern anyway?

 

 

No.  He was injured much of the last season and the previous though.

[CaliMag]

I am with Bluf on this one. Especially if England want to succeed in the Euros or WC they need players to have broader experiences. The nations that have insular leagues where their own nationals rarely play outside of their own Country suffer. Look at Mexico - they have loads of money and support for their leagues and they overpay for their own players (so they rarely leave) and they suck internationally.

 

On the other hand I support Scotland so carry on.

 

He is 26 and hasn't played in this country at all yet, I can't see how his experiences will get any broader staying in Germany.

 

 

I think the broader point still stands. Just because you are English (or in Hargraeves's case plays for England) doesn't mean you should have to play there - and in fact the fewer players on England who play abroad the weaker the team will become. English players are not "wasted" playing in the continent anymroe than Owen is wasted playing for Newcastle.

[Cajun]

I am with Bluf on this one. Especially if England want to succeed in the Euros or WC they need players to have broader experiences. The nations that have insular leagues where their own nationals rarely play outside of their own Country suffer. Look at Mexico - they have loads of money and support for their leagues and they overpay for their own players (so they rarely leave) and they suck internationally.

 

On the other hand I support Scotland so carry on.

 

He is 26 and hasn't played in this country at all yet, I can't see how his experiences will get any broader staying in Germany.

 

 

I think the broader point still stands. Just because you are English (or in Hargraeves's case plays for England) doesn't mean you should have to play there - and in fact the fewer players on England who play abroad the weaker the team will become. English players are not "wasted" playing in the continent anymroe than Owen is wasted playing for Newcastle.

 

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

[CaliMag]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

[The Bonk]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

[CaliMag]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

Shame he doesn't play for Canada... any chance of you qualifying next time around?

[thewellander]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

Shame he doesn't play for Canada... any chance of you qualifying next time around?

 

Canada has gone a long while without a manager for our senior squad, and now we're bringing in our U-20 manager as soon as the U-20 World Cup is done. So, it doesn't look good. We need a proper manager, and our football association has it's collective head up its collective ass.

 

With that being said, though, football is becoming more and more popular in Canada. Apparently we have more children playing "soccer" now than we do playing hockey. So, we should have more talented players to choose from going forward. Also, our U-20 squad is not too shabby.

[The Bonk]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

Shame he doesn't play for Canada... any chance of you qualifying next time around?

 

I don't blame him in playing for England, like the Wellander said, our FA is retarded.  De Guzman would be a coup if he chose to play for us, but I think the Dutch want him to play for their national side.  I think having the MLS here, which has taken off (support has been incredible), FIFA U20 WC, will generate more interest in the game. 

 

We'll never be as good as the US, but I can see us cracking the top 40 at some point in the future. 

[brummie]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

Shame he doesn't play for Canada... any chance of you qualifying next time around?

 

Canada has gone a long while without a manager for our senior squad, and now we're bringing in our U-20 manager as soon as the U-20 World Cup is done. So, it doesn't look good. We need a proper manager, and our football association has it's collective head up its collective ass.

 

With that being said, though, football is becoming more and more popular in Canada. Apparently we have more children playing "soccer" now than we do playing hockey. So, we should have more talented players to choose from going forward. Also, our U-20 squad is not too shabby.

 

Will you be attending the Toronto FC friendly against Villa this summer? Aren't you playing Celtic too?

[thewellander]

 

Will you be attending the Toronto FC friendly against Villa this summer? Aren't you playing Celtic too?

 

Yeah, I've got tickets to the Toronto v. Villa match. I'm pretty excited. My friend is a huge Villa supporter, so I'm bringing him along. I think Celtic are playing the MLS Allstars.

[The Bonk]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

Shame he doesn't play for Canada... any chance of you qualifying next time around?

 

Canada has gone a long while without a manager for our senior squad, and now we're bringing in our U-20 manager as soon as the U-20 World Cup is done. So, it doesn't look good. We need a proper manager, and our football association has it's collective head up its collective ass.

 

With that being said, though, football is becoming more and more popular in Canada. Apparently we have more children playing "soccer" now than we do playing hockey. So, we should have more talented players to choose from going forward. Also, our U-20 squad is not too shabby.

 

Will you be attending the Toronto FC friendly against Villa this summer? Aren't you playing Celtic too?

 

I'll be there, yeah mate.  I was at the Benfica game too, boring as hell.  Looking forward to the Villa match,

I'll report back with pic's and the like. 

 

 

[brummie]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

Shame he doesn't play for Canada... any chance of you qualifying next time around?

 

Canada has gone a long while without a manager for our senior squad, and now we're bringing in our U-20 manager as soon as the U-20 World Cup is done. So, it doesn't look good. We need a proper manager, and our football association has it's collective head up its collective ass.

 

With that being said, though, football is becoming more and more popular in Canada. Apparently we have more children playing "soccer" now than we do playing hockey. So, we should have more talented players to choose from going forward. Also, our U-20 squad is not too shabby.

 

Will you be attending the Toronto FC friendly against Villa this summer? Aren't you playing Celtic too?

 

I'll be there, yeah mate.  I was at the Benfica game too, boring as hell.  Looking forward to the Villa match,

I'll report back with pic's and the like. 

 

 

 

Good man! Enjoy it, the both of you.

[Teasy]

I am with Bluf on this one. Especially if England want to succeed in the Euros or WC they need players to have broader experiences. The nations that have insular leagues where their own nationals rarely play outside of their own Country suffer. Look at Mexico - they have loads of money and support for their leagues and they overpay for their own players (so they rarely leave) and they suck internationally.

 

On the other hand I support Scotland so carry on.

 

He is 26 and hasn't played in this country at all yet, I can't see how his experiences will get any broader staying in Germany.

 

 

I think the broader point still stands. Just because you are English (or in Hargraeves's case plays for England) doesn't mean you should have to play there - and in fact the fewer players on England who play abroad the weaker the team will become. English players are not "wasted" playing in the continent anymroe than Owen is wasted playing for Newcastle.

 

How does staying in the same league he's played in for his whole career broaden his Football experience?...  If anything moving to England will broaden it.

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

 

Nah, that was Joe Cole.

[BlufPurdi]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

 

Nah, that was Joe Cole.

 

Really? 

 

Debatable.

[The Bonk]

I never said he should have to play in England but I doubt him staying in Germany is going to make him a better player for England.

I honestly believe that it will make England worse - but I suppose I am pulling a "vic" here because I have no evidence to back that up and Hargreaves has hardly been the backbone of the England team has he.

 

Nah, just the best player for them at the last WC.  

 

Sorry, I'm over defending the lad.  I wouldn't say he's a crutch, but he's a key player for England. 

 

Nah, that was Joe Cole.

 

Really? 

 

Debatable.

 

Hmm...  didn't hear Joe's name as much as I did Hargreaves in the press (praise wise).  Cole played well, but I've got my red and white canadian spec's on. 

[BlufPurdi]

I think it was decided Hargreaves was the best, by the FA or something. He was certainly widely accepted and recognised as our best player though, Cole wasn't.

[The Bonk]

I thought Beckham, Cole, Rio and Hargreaves played well.  Lennon showed some spark, Rooney choked, Gerrard and Lampard were atrocious.  The rest don't really matter. 

[Taylor Swift]

Gerrard was actually decent man, what you on about?! He scored 2 goals and generally did more than just about everyone but Hargreaves. Rooney was only shit because of the injury/being unfit though I'll give you on the Lampard thing because he definitely was atrocious.

[The Bonk]

Gerrard was actually decent man, what you on about?! He scored 2 goals and generally did more than just about everyone but Hargreaves. Rooney was only s*** because of the injury/being unfit. Lampard definitely was atrocious.

 

I suppose it was unfair to lump him in with...  uhh... Lumpard.  I just thought Gerrard could have been better.  Did nowt when it truly mattered, Portugal game, but tis hard to make an impact with 10 men.  Which was Rooney's fault. 

 

 

[thewellander]

I wonder how much Hargreaves being the only one to score a penalty against Portugal coloured the opinions of who was the best. Personally, I would say it was down to him and Joe Cole, for certain. Aaron Lennon put on a good display, as well, when he came off the bench.

[Guest]

Does anyone actually remember the fact he scored the only penalty?

[The Bonk]

I wonder how much Hargreaves being the only one to score a penalty against Portugal coloured the opinions of who was the best. Personally, I would say it was down to him and Joe Cole, for certain. Aaron Lennon put on a good display, as well, when he came off the bench.

 

^^ Ahem ^^

 

Does anyone actually remember the fact he scored the only penalty?

 

Also:

 

http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/08/HargreavesGreece.htm

 

Hargreaves showed his true potential at the World Cup when he was England’s player of the tournament.

 

Steve McClaren rewarded him for his efforts with a starting place alongside Frank Lampard during the 4-0 win over Greece and was voted the man of the match.

 

Hargreaves says he is relishing the chance to play in his best position and believes it will only benefit the Three Lions as they look to qualify for the European Championships in 2008.

 

Is that good enough? 

[The Bonk]

Wait, just found this as well:

 

http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/08/Hargreaves.htm

 

Owen Hargreaves has revealed his delight after finding out that he has been voted England's player of the World Cup by you the fans.

 

After the World Cup we began a poll on the homepage asking who you thought was England's player of the tournament, and with more than 35,000 votes flooding in during July we got our winner.