The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
James beattie:
A potent striker, who very much made a name for himself last season in the premiership. He has not had the best of seasons this time around, somewhat denting his chance of a place. He hasn't really performed well with owen in his few england caps, but is still a big possabiltiy for a place.
Kevin philips:
The other half os southamtons attack, and after a place seemed unlikely, he has shown dazzling form of late. Has made a few caps and has looked good with an owen or rooney partnership, and always a chance of a goal. sturrock has urged sven to consider kevin, so there is a good chance.
Jon Stead:
Started the season at Division 3 minnows Huddersfield, ends the season at blackburn and probably thre main reason they survived. Has the second best strike rate (only second to collins john, who averages a staggering 2 goals a game!), averaging a goal every other game, and although unlikely to feature, a future england squad place lies ahead i think.
Jermain Defoe:
probably the favourite for the role, jermain has revived his premiership career at spurs, scoring some wonderful goals, including a stonker against blackburn on saturday. Shows some dazzling talent, and the main highlight of the recent sweden friendly, has been deservably hinted for a place by tord grip.
Alan smith:
A die hard leeds striker, gutted at his sides slump to the first division, scored a goal against holland on his only england cap. a capable striker, who would play a supproting role behind owen, similar to how heskey does, is a possibility for svens squad.
Darius Vassell:
Englans super sub who was a star of the korea/japan world cup. has not had the best of league seasons, but has still played a great part in villa's rise to ea top six finish. Seems to save his best form for england and probably the one of the favourites along with Defoe and Beattie.
Francis jeffers:
probably unlikely to receive a place in the squad, has never played foir england and has shown another poor season. Showed bags of potential at his first spell, but his career fell apart at arsenal, as he never got a game, and dosen't deserve a place in the squad.
So there you have it. probably some of the vcandidates for the final place for a strioker in the squad, say who you think should represent us in euro 2004, or anyone else i have missed out, and No, gazza isnt a candidate. personally, i think defoe and Stead should travel, with rooney and owen. although stead is young, he has shown potential and this could sparkle his career. You may have noticed i don't think heskey should travle, as i think he is a worthless fat lump who cannot play, and should not only be dropped from the squad, but should be dropped for the humber suspension bridge :)
Get voting!!!
i wouldn't take stead above some other playersa in the prem, but he has shown bags of promise and is definetley ready, just not as good as some other strikers. i would not take heskey as he plays a poor supproting role behind owen, and come to think of it, heskey ius linked with a 3 million move to birmingham, yet at the start of the season rooney was a 25 million "target" for chelsea. massive difference? definetely.
i would take 6 defenders, as we always have that option of a 5-3-2 if injurys are a demon to us. i would take the two goalies james and robinson, with southgate (if fit), campbell,terry,g.neville,cole,bridge and p.neville, a 7 midfield playes are beckham,gerrard,scholes,lampard,dyer,parker and j.cole.
my five strikers (yes,5) would be:
OWEN
ROONEY
SMITH
VASSELL
DEFOE
He's not been huge this season (other than literally, as a genertically modified bump, of course), but then he wasn't *that* big last time around either. Its just nobody had any expectations, so we only saw positives.
His temprement is a problem, but I'm sure being around the England squad and a cool-headed manager like Sven (and away from Fergusson!) will help with that.
And this season I've seen some very nice play by him, especially individually, making fools of defenders. He's certainly not looked bad...
Sure, he's not a football god, but we have to be realistic here - England's 'prime' partnership of Owen and Heskey SUCKS! They've both had wink seasons.
You can say Rooney isn't quite a great player, but he's still the best option we've got!
Personally, I'd drop Heskey in a second, and bench Owen (hoping he might show a glimmer of life in training, if he did he'd play again).
I'd beg Shearer to come back, though he almost certainly wouldn't.
Assuming he wouldn't I'd start:
Rooney
Phillips
And bench:
Owen
Stead
I'd view Rooney and Phillips as the best strikers of a mediocre bunch, Owen would be worth taking a chance on, as he could just rise to the occasion and pull his thumb out.
Stead would be worth taking a chance on as he just might do a great job, and couldn't be much less useful than most of the other candidates.
Obviously just 2 'solid' strikers and 2 slightly suspect back-ups doesn't look great, especially if someone gets an injury.
But with Beckham, Scholes and Lampard (on the left to leave space for Gerrard, he can cope with it) all decent scoring prospects, I think we could still go into any one game expecting to get goals.
One thing's for certain though - England's best 11 has changed a lot in the last 2 years, and they've not yet been allowed a decent run together (Sven's friendlies) - we're a real unknown quantity this time around.
This season he has looked dreadful and Everton fans must be dissapointed. He isn't getting any better, in fact he seems to be getting worse. He temper doesn't help things either.
You can't criticise Vassell, as he's played superb for Villa this season and is looking like he could soon be a 20 goal a season striker. You can criticise Crouch all you like, he's a waste of money for a player bought for 5 Million BY Graham Turnip. He misses great chances and I somehow wonder how he manages score.
I'd probably change my strikers and have Beattie. Erikson needs to give this lad a full game to see what he's like in a England shirt. He's scored over 20 goals for Southampton for 2 seasons on a trot. Why does he not get a full 90 minutes just like Defoe?
Everyone was saying 'oh look at Defoe he's great'. Put Beattie on for the full 90 minutes, he'll probably get a goal. Him and Phillips have been a great partnership this season.
If Erikson takes Defoe and Rooney, he needs shooting.
Defoe is very selfish, just like Joe Cole can be at times. That's probab;y why West Ham got relegated.
I'll change my choice to these:
Beattie
Owen
Vassell
Heskey
Smith
And, after a pretty crap season at Everton, why can all the hype surrounding Wayne Rooney still be seen floating around; growing in size as we count-down the remaining 31-days until kick-off...?
Even the players have come out to say he's gonna the "big surprise because no-one else knows about him..." Well, if that's the case, then what was all that some months ago with REAL MADRID apparently interested in investing £20m for his services, eh?! The Premiership is also (as I'm quite sure) the most-publicised league across the whole of European Football. And then, with the size of teams like Man United spreading world-wide, I'm quite sure everyone does know Wayne Rooney after all, and what he can (and cannot) really do.
As for the extra striker, Alan Smith has got to get it for me. Then again, only an idiot like Eriksson would pick a Darius Vassel or Peter Crouch [no intended offence towards Villa fans!] over someone as hard-working and long-deserving as he is. I reckon he'll be the one regardless. Althought he may still only be second-string to the others, Eriksson has still shown a regular liking towards Smith in recent friendlies. And, with a move to the top of the table imminent for "Mr. Leeds United", how could Eriksson really say `no´ now?
Kevin Phillips has also had a surprisingly-good season back in the top-flight, forming a superb partnership with fellow contender James Beattie. If not Alan Smith, ask what Kevin Phillips has done so-wrong this season to not be within a reasonable shout.
I agree Rooney was brought-in at far too young an age - it was all purely because of the hype surrounding the Big Thing, and we all know Eriksson cannot resist capping any Englishman who gets his name in a newspaper somewhere... (Micahel Ricketts, anyone?). I don't care if people think "he has delivered" or not, he should've been made to work his way up, first. I mean, look at Alan Smith in the Under-21s, and look at what he can do now... Why should Wayne Rooney be given such an easy ride? It may be quite true in the lateral sense, but he is NOT bigger than football!
Beattie
Ameiobi
Owen
Heskey
I play Beattie and Ameiobi up front for england on champo. They are legendary together!
> hahahahahahaahahhahahahaha
> hahahahahahahahahaha
> hahahahahhaahahahaha
> hahahahahahahhahhaha
Erm. Another blind one, I see.
Michael Owen,
Wayne Rooney,
Darius Vassell,
Jermain Defoe.
vassel
rooney
smith
> Owen
> Rooney
> Smith
> SUTTON
hahahahahahaahahhahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahhaahahahaha
hahahahahahahhahhaha