SUFC England hopefuls

[bromtom]

Whilst I'm having a rant.....

What is this obsession all of a sudden with "ball-playing defenders"? Call me old fashioned but the number 1 attribute that a defender should have is the ability to defend the goal. Out of that squad today there is probably only maguire who's best attribute is defending. The rest are either attack minded full backs or "ball-playing defenders". Now being able to pass a ball 5 yards out of defence to a midfielder is not classed as a ball player in my book but that's why the likes of dier, mings and keane are allegedly picked for.

And just to debunk the myth even further.

Accurate passes in 2019/20 season

JOC - 1145 (58th in the league)

Mings - 1081 (68th)

Mings is shite, only good to head lofted balls away.

Can't pass.

Can't travel with the ball.

Whiffs at everything.

50p head and feet.

Neshes out of blocks.

Can't sort his feet out if you run towards him.

Stamps on people's faces.

But he cost £26m so...

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

Today’s squad announcement merely reinforces why I’m always quite happy to see England lose.

I concur 100%

 

[Chabuddy G]

Wouldn't mind Southgate getting really poorly and having to give up the England job.

Any time now will do

 

[OrderOfStGeorge]

He was racially abused in Bulgaria though. If we drop him, the racists win.....

What has that got to do with ability on the football pitch, players are supposed to be picked on merit.

 

[OrderOfStGeorge]

Yeah I get that, but you have to wonder where his head will be at with all this happening, it makes sense to let him sort himself out whilst we try other options. But Southgate doesn't want to try other options, he still picked fucking Mings for fuck sake reputation before ability as always

Baffles me how Jack O Connell has not had a look in.

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

Baffles me how Jack O Connell has not had a look in.

He plays for Sheffield United and only cost £400k.

If he played for Villa and cost £40m he'd be picked first

 

[SuperBobbyHatton]

Mings picked over JOC is just a joke. It makes no sense at all.
I also agree that the left back Burtram not getting a shout even tho there are no other left backs in the squad is baffling. So much for him picking people on form.

 

[Champagneblade]

What a load of shit that squad is.

Are you seriously telling me that Keane, Mings and Dier had better seasons than O'Connell or Basham?

Kalvin Phillips? Not a single minute in the Premier League, yet Jack O'Connell has done it all year.

I get Liverpool had a good season but I'm not all in on Gomez. Most of us could look decent with VVD partnering us.

 

[JackSUFC]

Some of those selections are so underwhelming.

Swear Phillips has only been picked because Jamaica were apparently trying to tap him up.

Can’t believe Jack Grealish has been overlooked again.

Southgate was (surprisingly) refreshing when he took the job. Now he’s just morphed into the typical England manager.

 

[TJ blade]

What a load of shit that squad is.

Are you seriously telling me that Keane, Mings and Dier had better seasons than O'Connell or Basham?

Kalvin Phillips? Not a single minute in the Premier League, yet Jack O'Connell has done it all year.

I get Liverpool had a good season but I'm not all in on Gomez. Most of us could look decent with VVD partnering us.

Southgate your a fucking joke of a manager!!

 

[Bennyand the Blades]

He plays for Sheffield United and only cost £400k.

If he played for Villa and cost £40m he'd be picked first

I think Maguire proves this ,no matter how he plays from now on he'll still be the first name on the team sheet.

 

[YES Blade]

I assume Chilwell is injured, it's very odd he's picked 2 right backs! Don't get me wrong they are all decent players, but why would you pick 3 unless he's gonna play one of them at left back?

Some selections I wouldn't have made, but it is what it is. Can't knock Southgate for being loyal to players who he's picked before I suppose. He's been successful with these players, so I can kind of see what he's thinking in that respect.

 

[Champagneblade]

Southgate your a fucking joke of a manager!!

He was ok when he was blatantly trying to copy Sheffield United. Let's face it, he's cosies up nicely to the FA top brass but his only prior experience was doing a shit job with Boro.

I'm not sure Pickford had as good a season as Ramsdale either to be honest.

Amazed Mings gets in but Grealish doesn't. Who do Villa depend on most?

Would have liked to have seen Coady, O'Connell, Tarkovski, Chilwell in there.

 

[O Fletch]

Im pretty sure 5/6 of these will pull out injured and it will be quite a different squad by the time a match starts

 

[YES Blade]

Southgate your a fucking joke of a manager!!

To be fair he got us to a World Cup semi final, the nations league finals and qualified for the Euros at a canter. OK he's not Alf Ramsey, but he's doing pretty decent especially when compared to some of the other recent England managers.

 

[Withington Blade]

Pretty sure that Southgate is the only person in England who thinks Eric Dier should be anywhere near the England squad. Baffling decision, not a chance he would have been selected if he played for an unfashionable team.

 

[robbiez666]

Do England play 3 at the back now? If not, JoC will not get picked in an England squad. He's not proved he can play in a back 4.

 

[TJ blade]

The

Pretty sure that Southgate is the only person in England who thinks Eric Dier should be anywhere near the England squad. Baffling decision, not a chance he would have been selected if he played for an unfashionable team.

Twat picks him because he plays for one of the so called clamour clubs, he's shit.

 

[What the Hecky]

Baffles me how Jack O Connell has not had a look in.

Well there Is the guilty, wonder if that will lose him his place or will Southgate just let it fly like when they keep mentioning on sky the prison sentence that could be handed down, even though anyone with half a brain knows they won't do anything like that. Must be nice to be wealthy

 

[bromtom]

To be fair he got us to a World Cup semi final, the nations league finals and qualified for the Euros at a canter. OK he's not Alf Ramsey, but he's doing pretty decent especially when compared to some of the other recent England managers.

He was adequate at the world cup, beat the teams England should in the group.

Struggled past Colombia, beat Sweden, and lost to the any team that was one of our peers on paper, like Belgium twice and Croatia.

Nations League was England's best chance of getting a trophy and he fumbled it against a Netherlands team that was still getting back on it's feet.

The talent England have is ridiculous, but he doesn't see it and picks boring 4 at the back formations with 2 defensive midfielders even and snubs English attacking talent.

Weakest part of the England team is defence, yet he plays defensive football.

Briefly be played 3 at the back and they were so much better, but it was a bit too exciting for Southgate so he changed it and started playing Henderson and Rice at the same time for maximum mundanity.

 

[TJ blade]

To be fair he got us to a World Cup semi final, the nations league finals and qualified for the Euros at a canter. OK he's not Alf Ramsey, but he's doing pretty decent especially when compared to some of the other recent England managers.

If England had been in the other side of the draw instead of the soft lads group in the World Cup they would have been out earlier, but then again I suppose it's not Southgates fault we've only got limited amount of average player's.

 

[CrookesBlade]

In fairness to Southgate he’s got England to a World Cup final, appearances in which aren’t exactly ten a penny. He also, for a time, made England watchable again.

But fuck me.......Mings is a good championship centre half but not much more. Phillips will probably hit the standard eventually but has been fast tracked in there because of all the hype surrounding Leeds and Bielsa.

Harry Winks Partridge Shrug.

Eric Dier is Carlton Palmer without the shithousing.

The absence of Grealish is unfathomable. He would sit perfectly in a side wanting to play exciting, attacking football.

...and Dean Henderson, possibly the best young keeper in Europe will get no minutes on the pitch again.

 

[YES Blade]

He was adequate at the world cup, beat the teams England should in the group.

Struggled past Colombia, beat Sweden, and lost to the any team that was one of our peers on paper, like Belgium twice and Croatia.

Nations League was England's best chance of getting a trophy and he fumbled it against a Netherlands team that was still getting back on it's feet.

The talent England have is ridiculous, but he doesn't see it and picks boring 4 at the back formations with 2 defensive midfielders even and snubs English attacking talent.

Weakest part of the England team is defence, yet he plays defensive football.

Briefly be played 3 at the back and they were so much better, but it was a bit too exciting for Southgate so he changed it and started playing Henderson and Rice at the same time for maximum mundanity.

A World Cup semi final is adequate these days? Bloody hell, are we still talking about England here?

You gloss over the fact that we beat Croatia and Spain to react the Nations League finals.

Defensive football? We scored 37 goals in 8 qualifying matches. Only Belgium scored more and they played 2 extra matches. What more can the bloke do in qualifying? You might say it's poor opposition, which is true, but Steve McClaren showed it's never a formality.

 

[Digs blade]

Like everyone else I’m astounded that o’connell isn’t in there but when you have quality like Mings and Keane in front of him what can you do ( said no one ever who knows anything about football)

Also that midfield has mediocre written all over it.

 

[bromtom]

A World Cup semi final is adequate these days? Bloody hell, are we still talking about England here?

You gloss over the fact that we beat Croatia and Spain to react the Nations League finals.

Defensive football? We scored 37 goals in 8 qualifying matches. Only Belgium scored more and they played 2 extra matches. What more can the bloke do in qualifying? You might say it's poor opposition, which is true, but Steve McClaren showed it's never a formality.

At that world cup with the way it shook out I think it was the least England should have achieved to be honest.

And as I said, Spain, Croatia, Belgium are/should be England's peers. Teams full of Premier League/ Champions League stars and winners, beating them occasionally in my opinion is not something to congratulate Southgate on too much.

He is nowhere close to getting the most out of the pool of players he has to choose from.

 

[N.E.Blade]

Declan Rice. Fml. Some half decent championship players on that squad list.

 

[JPSharpy93]

O’Connell must be livid!! Him and Ramsdale should be gunning to prove Southgate wrong before next summer: both to try and replace Mings and Henderson.

 

[bromtom]

O’Connell must be livid!! Him and Ramsdale should be gunning to prove Southgate wrong before next summer: both to try and replace Mings and Henderson.

Mings and Pickford.

Pope, Henderson, Ramsdale is a far better 3 than any with Pickford in.

 

[bromtom]

Sheffield United fans

 

[JackSUFC]

Defensive football? We scored 37 goals in 8 qualifying matches. Only Belgium scored more and they played 2 extra matches. What more can the bloke do in qualifying? You might say it's poor opposition, which is true, but Steve McClaren showed it's never a formality.

As awful as McClaren’s spell in charge was, he did have Russia and Croatia in the qualification group, who are decent level European nations. The group we’ve just qualified from was a joke.

Southgate has arguably the most exciting generation of young English players in years at his disposal. There’s no way he’s the man to lead them to a trophy though.