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When you look at the top of the scoring-charts for the the Premiership at this point in the season, you'd expect to see only a name like Thierry Henry, or Ruud van Nistelrooy at the top, followed by someone like Michael Owen, Teddy Sheringham or Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink who never quite seems to meet their chart-topping expectations anymore, like they used. So when you do look at the table this season, I bet you'll be very surprised to see none-other-than James Beattie ontop of the lot - a Southampton player, would you believe!
"What on Earth is James Beattie doing above Henry and van Nistelrooy??" - I bet that's your first question. But as he's shown us all this season, to write-off his goal-scoring potential, just because he isn't part of a top-of-the-league side like Arsenal or Man United, is a huge mistake to make as the former-Blackburn striker is now a lot closer than ever to getting that all-important first England call-up for Eriksson's team to face Australia in a friendly, later this month.
And after the form he's been on at St.Mary's this season, can you honestly say he doesn't deserve the chance to try and fill the boots of the one-time England savious Alan Shearer??
If you were to look at the young James Beattie during his days in the Blackburn reserves, with very-little first-team chances, then you'd see a completely different player to the man who can't stop scoring for Southampton this season.
Ever since he left Ewood Park for mere "peantus" compared to what Gordon Strachan values him at today, Beattie has come a very long way, in a reasonabley short space of time too. During his early days in the Premiership with 'Rovers, with the acute number of first-team chances he was given, it seemed that this player would be destined to become nothing more than an attacking-midfielder; in the same style as one of Blackburn's current future-stars David Dunn. You wouldn't have thought of him back then as being able to one-day top the scoring-charts in the Premiership at such a late-date in the season. And who's to say he can't go all-the-way and keep his place ontop of the pile, while helping former-Relegation Candidates Southampton to league status they would usually have missed-out on by miles?!
He has the potential to be one of the Premiership's most-feared English strikers for the next-few-years to come. That's the way I see it now, anyway.
But what about for England? Can the Saint one-day rise to internation success with England on the World and European stage??
Again, I think this guys has a lot of potential.
You can see for yourself how far he's come during the last few years after a good-run of first-team football in the Premiership. Just think of what could be if he was to earn himself a consistant run alongside Michael Owen in the England squad....
No more Emile Heskey - what a relief that would be!! :D
To me, it doesn't matter which team you play for if you're on the internation scene. OK, so many of the current England squad may still be based in Manchester, Liverpool, and southern parts of London, but you can quite easily look at a number of England players from the past that have come-in from a bottom-half Premiership side and impressed the gaffer and his supporting country...
Wayne Bridge is a classic example here. Year-after-year and it's the same-old-story; England are in need of some decent left-sided players. We've seen Nick Barmby, Darren Anderton, and even European Champions Real Madrid's Steve McManaman have all been tried-and-tested down that left-hand-side. But none have quite been able to keep-up with the strong and consistant form that Beattie's Southampton team-mate has put-in every-time when played in that left-back - or even left-wing - position.
But if Bridge isn't the man to answer England's left-sided problems then after his performances in the World Cup last-Summer (most-notabley the one against Argentina), West Ham's former-QPR man Trevor Sinclair is more than capable as a tealented versitile attacker playing at the wrong-end of the league table.
And even Emile Heskey was being tipped for an England call-up during his days at Filbert Street with Leicester; long before he signed for Liverpool and has since seen his career and reputation sink faster than a tank in quick-sand.
If Emile "Donkey-boy" Heskey can make it JUST because he plays for Liverpool, with Michael Owen, then surely a man who can still score goals, James Beattie, should be well-ahead of "Bruno" in the competitive line for places??!
Beattie is, to me, a young footballer with good awareness and a good sense of direction and intellegence that allows him to find those defensive holes and exploit them with chance-after-chance on goal. - Just what every striker needs to succeed!
What more could you want from this man, Mr.Eriksson, to recognise his potential as an ideal long-term replacement for the dearly-missed Alan Shearer??
If Sven-Goran Eriksson and his scouts really are as good as everyone else seems to think they are, then surely "James Beattie" has already been written-down alongside the number "9" in the starting-XI for England's long-awaited friendly with Australia -- and in black ink, too! I'm confident that as a manager who has already given players form struggling "weaker" Premiership sides like West Ham, Aston Villa, Charlton, and even Southampton before; Sven-Goran Eriksson will undoubtabley give current top-scorer the chance he deserves to impress on the international scene.
This guy's no Kevin Keegan - he knows his Premiership football (...and women)!
"Beattie for England!!"
"What on Earth is James Beattie doing above Henry and van Nistelrooy??" - I bet that's your first question. But as he's shown us all this season, to write-off his goal-scoring potential, just because he isn't part of a top-of-the-league side like Arsenal or Man United, is a huge mistake to make as the former-Blackburn striker is now a lot closer than ever to getting that all-important first England call-up for Eriksson's team to face Australia in a friendly, later this month.
And after the form he's been on at St.Mary's this season, can you honestly say he doesn't deserve the chance to try and fill the boots of the one-time England savious Alan Shearer??
If you were to look at the young James Beattie during his days in the Blackburn reserves, with very-little first-team chances, then you'd see a completely different player to the man who can't stop scoring for Southampton this season.
Ever since he left Ewood Park for mere "peantus" compared to what Gordon Strachan values him at today, Beattie has come a very long way, in a reasonabley short space of time too. During his early days in the Premiership with 'Rovers, with the acute number of first-team chances he was given, it seemed that this player would be destined to become nothing more than an attacking-midfielder; in the same style as one of Blackburn's current future-stars David Dunn. You wouldn't have thought of him back then as being able to one-day top the scoring-charts in the Premiership at such a late-date in the season. And who's to say he can't go all-the-way and keep his place ontop of the pile, while helping former-Relegation Candidates Southampton to league status they would usually have missed-out on by miles?!
He has the potential to be one of the Premiership's most-feared English strikers for the next-few-years to come. That's the way I see it now, anyway.
But what about for England? Can the Saint one-day rise to internation success with England on the World and European stage??
Again, I think this guys has a lot of potential.
You can see for yourself how far he's come during the last few years after a good-run of first-team football in the Premiership. Just think of what could be if he was to earn himself a consistant run alongside Michael Owen in the England squad....
No more Emile Heskey - what a relief that would be!! :D
To me, it doesn't matter which team you play for if you're on the internation scene. OK, so many of the current England squad may still be based in Manchester, Liverpool, and southern parts of London, but you can quite easily look at a number of England players from the past that have come-in from a bottom-half Premiership side and impressed the gaffer and his supporting country...
Wayne Bridge is a classic example here. Year-after-year and it's the same-old-story; England are in need of some decent left-sided players. We've seen Nick Barmby, Darren Anderton, and even European Champions Real Madrid's Steve McManaman have all been tried-and-tested down that left-hand-side. But none have quite been able to keep-up with the strong and consistant form that Beattie's Southampton team-mate has put-in every-time when played in that left-back - or even left-wing - position.
But if Bridge isn't the man to answer England's left-sided problems then after his performances in the World Cup last-Summer (most-notabley the one against Argentina), West Ham's former-QPR man Trevor Sinclair is more than capable as a tealented versitile attacker playing at the wrong-end of the league table.
And even Emile Heskey was being tipped for an England call-up during his days at Filbert Street with Leicester; long before he signed for Liverpool and has since seen his career and reputation sink faster than a tank in quick-sand.
If Emile "Donkey-boy" Heskey can make it JUST because he plays for Liverpool, with Michael Owen, then surely a man who can still score goals, James Beattie, should be well-ahead of "Bruno" in the competitive line for places??!
Beattie is, to me, a young footballer with good awareness and a good sense of direction and intellegence that allows him to find those defensive holes and exploit them with chance-after-chance on goal. - Just what every striker needs to succeed!
What more could you want from this man, Mr.Eriksson, to recognise his potential as an ideal long-term replacement for the dearly-missed Alan Shearer??
If Sven-Goran Eriksson and his scouts really are as good as everyone else seems to think they are, then surely "James Beattie" has already been written-down alongside the number "9" in the starting-XI for England's long-awaited friendly with Australia -- and in black ink, too! I'm confident that as a manager who has already given players form struggling "weaker" Premiership sides like West Ham, Aston Villa, Charlton, and even Southampton before; Sven-Goran Eriksson will undoubtabley give current top-scorer the chance he deserves to impress on the international scene.
This guy's no Kevin Keegan - he knows his Premiership football (...and women)!
"Beattie for England!!"
The sagacious one wrote:
>(given the inevitable spate of top five team injuries the night before)
Do you blame them?
>(given the inevitable spate of top five team injuries the night before)
Do you blame them?
Why not give him a chance?
He has potential, and is scoring on a regular basis. Playing for Southampton and scoring that many goals proves that he should be given the chance to play for England.
Don't get me wrong, but I think Southampton are a above average team. Beattie has scored more than Van Nistlerooy who gets a lot of service from Giggs, Beckham and co. If Beattie got that kind of service from Southmapton, then surely he could be on 20+ goals now. He takes his chances very well.
But who should he partner?
Owen always seems to score quite alot of goals for England, while Vassell has a better goal ratio. There are quite a few more good strikers, but I reckon that he should partner one of them 2 players.
I also think that Gareth Barry deserves a chance to play against Australia. He is a young talented player, who plays very well on the left of midfield providing dangerous crosses in the penalty box. He can also score goals.
He has potential, and is scoring on a regular basis. Playing for Southampton and scoring that many goals proves that he should be given the chance to play for England.
Don't get me wrong, but I think Southampton are a above average team. Beattie has scored more than Van Nistlerooy who gets a lot of service from Giggs, Beckham and co. If Beattie got that kind of service from Southmapton, then surely he could be on 20+ goals now. He takes his chances very well.
But who should he partner?
Owen always seems to score quite alot of goals for England, while Vassell has a better goal ratio. There are quite a few more good strikers, but I reckon that he should partner one of them 2 players.
I also think that Gareth Barry deserves a chance to play against Australia. He is a young talented player, who plays very well on the left of midfield providing dangerous crosses in the penalty box. He can also score goals.
You really are a t**t!
Why not give Beattie a chance? He's banging the goals in for a team that, lets face it, don't give him loads of chances so i say yea it's only a friendly where is the harm in giving him a shot. Anybody is better than donkey boy Heskey anyway.
Beattie and Defoe up front with Rooney on the bench...
Barry, Lampard, Parker and Cole in midfield.
Pick your own back four.
Robinson in goal.
That's the team I so poorly predict against the Aussies (given the inevitable spate of top five team injuries the night before).
Barry, Lampard, Parker and Cole in midfield.
Pick your own back four.
Robinson in goal.
That's the team I so poorly predict against the Aussies (given the inevitable spate of top five team injuries the night before).
Solskjær wrote:
> I also believe that after his move, Robbie Fowler will soon get back
> to his goal-scoring ways with Man City, and back on the England scene,
> before it's too late.
As long as he doesn't start scoring until after this weekend, I don't care!
> I also believe that after his move, Robbie Fowler will soon get back
> to his goal-scoring ways with Man City, and back on the England scene,
> before it's too late.
As long as he doesn't start scoring until after this weekend, I don't care!
Or†ega wrote:
"PS. Beattie has 16 premiership goals while Henry has 17."
Yes, but he's the top-scorer out of all the English strikers! :)
Who needs Emile Heskey when Beattie's available?
And I agree with you when you say that players selected for the England squad should be chosen after being based on their recent form, and not their name or reputation.
To tell you truth, I think Michael Owen's in there too-often, and he never seems to prove himself like he used to anymore, before-hand.
But Emile Heskey keeps getting chosen for some reason...?
I also believe that after his move, Robbie Fowler will soon get back to his goal-scoring ways with Man City, and back on the England scene, before it's too late.
And Alan Smith did very-well on his England debut too.
"PS. Beattie has 16 premiership goals while Henry has 17."
Yes, but he's the top-scorer out of all the English strikers! :)
Who needs Emile Heskey when Beattie's available?
And I agree with you when you say that players selected for the England squad should be chosen after being based on their recent form, and not their name or reputation.
To tell you truth, I think Michael Owen's in there too-often, and he never seems to prove himself like he used to anymore, before-hand.
But Emile Heskey keeps getting chosen for some reason...?
I also believe that after his move, Robbie Fowler will soon get back to his goal-scoring ways with Man City, and back on the England scene, before it's too late.
And Alan Smith did very-well on his England debut too.
I think he *has* to be picked.
I mean, how many decent english strikers are there available at the moment apart from him? Only Owen and Heskey spring to mind. Fowler has yet to prove his match fitness, Sheringham is surely past national selection, Cole has "retired" from the England setup...I really cant think of that many.
They usually take 5 strikers for these friendlies dont they?
PS. Beattie has 16 premiership goals while Henry has 17.
I mean, how many decent english strikers are there available at the moment apart from him? Only Owen and Heskey spring to mind. Fowler has yet to prove his match fitness, Sheringham is surely past national selection, Cole has "retired" from the England setup...I really cant think of that many.
They usually take 5 strikers for these friendlies dont they?
PS. Beattie has 16 premiership goals while Henry has 17.
I think Beattie deserves a shot. Kevin Phillips deserved a shot when he was on form, and never really got it.
The England squad should be selected based on who's playing best at that time, and no-ones place should really be guaranteed.
The England squad should be selected based on who's playing best at that time, and no-ones place should really be guaranteed.
When you look at the top of the scoring-charts for the the Premiership at this point in the season, you'd expect to see only a name like Thierry Henry, or Ruud van Nistelrooy at the top, followed by someone like Michael Owen, Teddy Sheringham or Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink who never quite seems to meet their chart-topping expectations anymore, like they used. So when you do look at the table this season, I bet you'll be very surprised to see none-other-than James Beattie ontop of the lot - a Southampton player, would you believe!
"What on Earth is James Beattie doing above Henry and van Nistelrooy??" - I bet that's your first question. But as he's shown us all this season, to write-off his goal-scoring potential, just because he isn't part of a top-of-the-league side like Arsenal or Man United, is a huge mistake to make as the former-Blackburn striker is now a lot closer than ever to getting that all-important first England call-up for Eriksson's team to face Australia in a friendly, later this month.
And after the form he's been on at St.Mary's this season, can you honestly say he doesn't deserve the chance to try and fill the boots of the one-time England savious Alan Shearer??
If you were to look at the young James Beattie during his days in the Blackburn reserves, with very-little first-team chances, then you'd see a completely different player to the man who can't stop scoring for Southampton this season.
Ever since he left Ewood Park for mere "peantus" compared to what Gordon Strachan values him at today, Beattie has come a very long way, in a reasonabley short space of time too. During his early days in the Premiership with 'Rovers, with the acute number of first-team chances he was given, it seemed that this player would be destined to become nothing more than an attacking-midfielder; in the same style as one of Blackburn's current future-stars David Dunn. You wouldn't have thought of him back then as being able to one-day top the scoring-charts in the Premiership at such a late-date in the season. And who's to say he can't go all-the-way and keep his place ontop of the pile, while helping former-Relegation Candidates Southampton to league status they would usually have missed-out on by miles?!
He has the potential to be one of the Premiership's most-feared English strikers for the next-few-years to come. That's the way I see it now, anyway.
But what about for England? Can the Saint one-day rise to internation success with England on the World and European stage??
Again, I think this guys has a lot of potential.
You can see for yourself how far he's come during the last few years after a good-run of first-team football in the Premiership. Just think of what could be if he was to earn himself a consistant run alongside Michael Owen in the England squad....
No more Emile Heskey - what a relief that would be!! :D
To me, it doesn't matter which team you play for if you're on the internation scene. OK, so many of the current England squad may still be based in Manchester, Liverpool, and southern parts of London, but you can quite easily look at a number of England players from the past that have come-in from a bottom-half Premiership side and impressed the gaffer and his supporting country...
Wayne Bridge is a classic example here. Year-after-year and it's the same-old-story; England are in need of some decent left-sided players. We've seen Nick Barmby, Darren Anderton, and even European Champions Real Madrid's Steve McManaman have all been tried-and-tested down that left-hand-side. But none have quite been able to keep-up with the strong and consistant form that Beattie's Southampton team-mate has put-in every-time when played in that left-back - or even left-wing - position.
But if Bridge isn't the man to answer England's left-sided problems then after his performances in the World Cup last-Summer (most-notabley the one against Argentina), West Ham's former-QPR man Trevor Sinclair is more than capable as a tealented versitile attacker playing at the wrong-end of the league table.
And even Emile Heskey was being tipped for an England call-up during his days at Filbert Street with Leicester; long before he signed for Liverpool and has since seen his career and reputation sink faster than a tank in quick-sand.
If Emile "Donkey-boy" Heskey can make it JUST because he plays for Liverpool, with Michael Owen, then surely a man who can still score goals, James Beattie, should be well-ahead of "Bruno" in the competitive line for places??!
Beattie is, to me, a young footballer with good awareness and a good sense of direction and intellegence that allows him to find those defensive holes and exploit them with chance-after-chance on goal. - Just what every striker needs to succeed!
What more could you want from this man, Mr.Eriksson, to recognise his potential as an ideal long-term replacement for the dearly-missed Alan Shearer??
If Sven-Goran Eriksson and his scouts really are as good as everyone else seems to think they are, then surely "James Beattie" has already been written-down alongside the number "9" in the starting-XI for England's long-awaited friendly with Australia -- and in black ink, too! I'm confident that as a manager who has already given players form struggling "weaker" Premiership sides like West Ham, Aston Villa, Charlton, and even Southampton before; Sven-Goran Eriksson will undoubtabley give current top-scorer the chance he deserves to impress on the international scene.
This guy's no Kevin Keegan - he knows his Premiership football (...and women)!
"Beattie for England!!"
"What on Earth is James Beattie doing above Henry and van Nistelrooy??" - I bet that's your first question. But as he's shown us all this season, to write-off his goal-scoring potential, just because he isn't part of a top-of-the-league side like Arsenal or Man United, is a huge mistake to make as the former-Blackburn striker is now a lot closer than ever to getting that all-important first England call-up for Eriksson's team to face Australia in a friendly, later this month.
And after the form he's been on at St.Mary's this season, can you honestly say he doesn't deserve the chance to try and fill the boots of the one-time England savious Alan Shearer??
If you were to look at the young James Beattie during his days in the Blackburn reserves, with very-little first-team chances, then you'd see a completely different player to the man who can't stop scoring for Southampton this season.
Ever since he left Ewood Park for mere "peantus" compared to what Gordon Strachan values him at today, Beattie has come a very long way, in a reasonabley short space of time too. During his early days in the Premiership with 'Rovers, with the acute number of first-team chances he was given, it seemed that this player would be destined to become nothing more than an attacking-midfielder; in the same style as one of Blackburn's current future-stars David Dunn. You wouldn't have thought of him back then as being able to one-day top the scoring-charts in the Premiership at such a late-date in the season. And who's to say he can't go all-the-way and keep his place ontop of the pile, while helping former-Relegation Candidates Southampton to league status they would usually have missed-out on by miles?!
He has the potential to be one of the Premiership's most-feared English strikers for the next-few-years to come. That's the way I see it now, anyway.
But what about for England? Can the Saint one-day rise to internation success with England on the World and European stage??
Again, I think this guys has a lot of potential.
You can see for yourself how far he's come during the last few years after a good-run of first-team football in the Premiership. Just think of what could be if he was to earn himself a consistant run alongside Michael Owen in the England squad....
No more Emile Heskey - what a relief that would be!! :D
To me, it doesn't matter which team you play for if you're on the internation scene. OK, so many of the current England squad may still be based in Manchester, Liverpool, and southern parts of London, but you can quite easily look at a number of England players from the past that have come-in from a bottom-half Premiership side and impressed the gaffer and his supporting country...
Wayne Bridge is a classic example here. Year-after-year and it's the same-old-story; England are in need of some decent left-sided players. We've seen Nick Barmby, Darren Anderton, and even European Champions Real Madrid's Steve McManaman have all been tried-and-tested down that left-hand-side. But none have quite been able to keep-up with the strong and consistant form that Beattie's Southampton team-mate has put-in every-time when played in that left-back - or even left-wing - position.
But if Bridge isn't the man to answer England's left-sided problems then after his performances in the World Cup last-Summer (most-notabley the one against Argentina), West Ham's former-QPR man Trevor Sinclair is more than capable as a tealented versitile attacker playing at the wrong-end of the league table.
And even Emile Heskey was being tipped for an England call-up during his days at Filbert Street with Leicester; long before he signed for Liverpool and has since seen his career and reputation sink faster than a tank in quick-sand.
If Emile "Donkey-boy" Heskey can make it JUST because he plays for Liverpool, with Michael Owen, then surely a man who can still score goals, James Beattie, should be well-ahead of "Bruno" in the competitive line for places??!
Beattie is, to me, a young footballer with good awareness and a good sense of direction and intellegence that allows him to find those defensive holes and exploit them with chance-after-chance on goal. - Just what every striker needs to succeed!
What more could you want from this man, Mr.Eriksson, to recognise his potential as an ideal long-term replacement for the dearly-missed Alan Shearer??
If Sven-Goran Eriksson and his scouts really are as good as everyone else seems to think they are, then surely "James Beattie" has already been written-down alongside the number "9" in the starting-XI for England's long-awaited friendly with Australia -- and in black ink, too! I'm confident that as a manager who has already given players form struggling "weaker" Premiership sides like West Ham, Aston Villa, Charlton, and even Southampton before; Sven-Goran Eriksson will undoubtabley give current top-scorer the chance he deserves to impress on the international scene.
This guy's no Kevin Keegan - he knows his Premiership football (...and women)!
"Beattie for England!!"