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"Northern Ireland vs England"

After Englands lackluster performance in the last 2 games will they win?

I'm not sure.

Will the formation be the same and will Owen return to the squad or not?

Again not sure.

Discuss.

RastaBillySkank wrote:
> Robinson
>
> Young/Neville - Carragher - Ferdinand - A. Cole
>
> ---------------------Beckham----------------------------
> ------------Gerrard----------Lampard-----------------
>
> SWP-------------------------------------------Rooney
>
> -------------------------Owen-----------------------------
>
> Eliminates the Joe Cole problem.

I'm willing to bet it'll be that.

Well, after a promising start at Liverpool, it all seemed to fall to pieces for him so quickly after and he, for some reason, became one of the biggest laughing stocks in the Premiership?

His reputation suffered a fair bit. His career was begining to slide. He didn't appear quite the player he was at Leicester City, but I still always said he could do a job for England - as he did very, very, very well for England against Germany, as I remember.

Thankfully, he's picked himself up again since he joined Birmingham.

Yet, Eriksson would prefer to have Crouch and Andrew Johnson in his team - is it simply because they recieve much more of the media's attention these days?

Peter Crouch isn't all that bad, really, but Heskey's our target man. Well, he should be... With players like David Beckham in the team, we've GOT to have someone in the Alan Shearer/Teddy Sheringham mould - of whom you could expect to nod the ball in the back of the net nine-times-out-of-ten. Owen can't even reach the thing half the time, but we shouldn't hold out for the set-pieces so our only 'big-guns' can get forward from centre back. Not when we, theoretically, have the neccesaries to do so in open-play. :P

Aha, see, someone else agrees with me about Heskey returning to the England side. :D

We all know he's going to change things after the Wales game, but I still expect Beckham to be stuck out on the right (on the team-sheet, anyway) with Shaun Wright-Phillips dropping back onto the subs' bench. "Stevie" Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the centre, Joe Cole left.

You'd be a FOOLISH man to bet any money AGAINST Michael Owen starting alogside Wayne Rooney upfront. He's available again, it's as simple as that for Eriksson. Thankfully though, whether he's short of match practice or not, I think he's set for a great game tomorrow night. After the move to Newcastle and a return to the Premiership, his morale is sky-high again and he knows now, after the Denmark game, he owes it to the fans to show us "Michael Owen is BACK!!"

If I ever see Rooney playing as the lone-striker ever again for England, I won't be happy. It was a disaster right from the start. He's a free-roaming forward, he loves to get involved! Therefore, he tracks back, does Beckham's defensive work for him - and suddenly, when he wins us the ball back, there's no 'Alan Shearer' left back up top.


I heard a rumour recently suggesting Eriksson may be considering a recall to the squad for Emile Heskey - best move he's made since he took over! He's got strength, he's got power, he has height and he can run with/hold onto the ball... Stick him upfront with Owen as the "target man" of the two; slot Rooney in behind - and soon, we could rule the world!
(After a change of manager AND captain, of course! :I )

The media also seems keen to mention we should have a holding-midfield player who can actually... Do the job well! He's okay going forwards (long-ball game...), but without a doubt, David Beckham CANNOT defend for us. Michael Carrick and *AHEM* Scott Parker have been touted, and I'd love to see that.

But once again, that Swedish coward is still in the hot-seat. :(

Saying that though, I'm glad to see David James' England career appears to have, at long, long last, fallen right through his clutches and between his own legs. But it shouldn't have taken a little 'nudge' from the media to sway the Swede's nonsensical mind.

That is what I am ALWAYS worried about when it comes to England.

Owen says he expects to be picked like he has a given right to play in the team. I bet he'll start on the subs bench.

2-0 England

NI just don't have a good enough midfield / defence. But the way we're playing, neither do we. (But it's still better than theirs...)

Georgey5 wrote:
> Roy keanes form ROI not NI

Ant wrote:
> However, the stupid Irish gimp leaves at half time when
>he realises he's at the wrong bloody game. N. Ireland won't tell him because
>they want a good player in their team

Georgey5 wrote:
> Roy keanes form ROI not NI

wooooooooooooooooooosh

yeeeah.... you're right there.

...

...

Shouldn't you be at a match or something?

Roy keanes form ROI not NI