England vs. Moldova & Ukraine: lineups and predictions?

[Dan]

I never thought i'd say this but Hodgson is tactically as inept as Steve MaClaren, he makes Sven and Fabio seem like king-ding-a-ling.

 

Moving Milner in to the centre was moronic beyond belief when we had Carrick on the bench and even Cleverley or Barkley.

 

I do not like the pairing of Jagielka and Cahill, ok we kept a clean sheet against a half decent team which we've not done for a while but they scare me together. Cahill brings more to the table but he needs to be alongside someone of higher calibre, sadly they've all retired.

 

What on earth is up with Theo Walcott? Crap vs Moldova and diabolical last night. Ashley Young has gone from being one of the best wingers in England to an absolute shadow inside 2 years, he was again anonymous when he came on.

 

That's Wilshere's first poor game for us and i've no qualms about how good he can be for us.

 

So much to work on. A fully fit squad and there's enough in midfield and attack to qualify but defensively we're bang average right now in terms of options.

 

What i'd do for Glen Hoddle to be manager again, scandalous comments aside he's about the only innovative English manager currently available.

 

Hoddle managing England was before my time but he's so refreshing to listen regarding England. Speaks so much sense on the matters time and time again.

[Bert]

With Rooney and Sturridge back in October we should win both games. Especially if we have the same 3 central midfielders playing.

The only real positive to come from last night is that qualification is still in our own hands. A clean sheet is always nice as well I suppose.

We were as scared of them as they were of us which meant the game panned out how it did. Both teams knew that if they were to lose that coming top of the group is effectively over.

Ukraine isn't the easiest place to go either, very hostile. We're good enough to get 6 points from the next two games, but we must improve.

[Bert]

Yes he is. Just the type of game last night where he'd have had precisely no affect at all.

He really is not shit.

Easily our best striker and I think he's going to become our record goalscorer as well.a

[Dan]

With Rooney and Sturridge back in October we should win both games. Especially if we have the same 3 central midfielders playing.

The only real positive to come from last night is that qualification is still in our own hands. A clean sheet is always nice as well I suppose.

We were as scared of them as they were of us which meant the game panned out how it did. Both teams knew that if they were to lose that coming top of the group is effectively over.

Ukraine isn't the easiest place to go either, very hostile. We're good enough to get 6 points from the next two games, but we must improve.

 

True to be fair, can't argue with us being good enough with Sturridge/Rooney back.

 

Yesterday's performance doesn't fill me with any confidence that the job is even close to done yet, though.

[Uncle Albert]

Wayne Rooney is for me still our best Footballer, some won't agree but he is. His problem when playing for England though is he's in a formation where he is the number 9 striker, Rooney doesn't play there for United anymore and has seemed to forget how to play that role for England.

Rooney comes so deep looking for the ball and then there is nobody in his position, this is one of the reason we've been so poor attackingly in the last year or so, we need to play with a genuine striker, a Sturridge or Defoe. Shame Sturridge is injured and on this occasion Hodgson realised he couldn't play a striker who hasn't started for his club in Defoe, pity he didn't think the same with Milner. Even Welbeck is deployed to the left of the front three.

We don't have any attacking flair, I can't remember the last time I seen Walcott get the ball at his feet and attack a full back and head to the goal or box, even get against Moldova the first thing he done was get his head up and pass the simple ball. It seems Hogdgson has got this not to lose the game mentality installed in the players.

We had two of the brightest wingers sat on the bench last night who have been playing for their clubs this season in Andros Townsend and Raheem Sterling, would have been so refreshing to have seen Hodgson turn to one of them and say "go on lad, you've got 20 minutes here go and attack them full backs" but no, what did he do? Sent Ashley Young on who I thinks touched the ball 4 times in the time he was on.

Too many players are playing for this England team on so called reputations, Ashley Young, James Milner, Tom Cleverley, Kyle Walker and Phil Jagielka should not be playing for England in a World Cup qualifying campaign.

If I was Hodgson I'd be on the phone everyday to John Terry begging him to comeback, maybe even Rio Ferdinand.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Yes he is. Just the type of game last night where he'd have had precisely no affect at all.

 

Aye alright, I'd have thought having someone link the midfield and attack that could pass a ball five yards or is clever enough to at least produce some kind of creative spark would've been just the job last night, evidently not.

 

I like Lambert and think he did the best he could last night but if you really think Rooney wouldn't have had a more positive effect on proceedings then I despair.

 

How often do you read newspaper headlines after an England game which say that Rooney was ineffective or had a poor game.

 

The same for virtually every England player recently then? You can't label Rooney shit in his entirety for his England form and nobody else when he's produced more in a national jersey than a a lot of his other more esteemed colleagues. Lampard has never been anything more than average for England but you don't feel the need to let the world and his dog know that you don't rate him.

[ScouseFox]

Still top of the group.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Hart

 

Johnson----Cahill====Terry-----Cole

 

Wilshere-----Gerrard

Rooney

 

Walcott-----Sturridge----Lennon

 

It'll never happen, but that line up really isn't all that bad - like Albert said though, Roy should be doing all he can to get John Terry back in the fold.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

That's Wilshere's first poor game for us and i've no qualms about how good he can be for us.

 

Problem for Wilshere last night is that he was virtually playing as a number 10, Wenger tried it for a brief time with Arsenal last year and it categorically didn't suit him. Needs to be facing play.

[Uncle Albert]

Yeah I agree Geordie, I think that number 10 role is more suited to Rooney and that would also give us an out and out number 9, either Sturridge or Welbeck. The problem Hodgson doesn't want to face is dropping Frank Lampard, which is the correct thing to do as you would have Gerrard and Wilshire sat behind Rooney. 

 

My England team going into these next two games would be:

 

HART

 

JOHNSON   CAHILL   JAGIELKA   COLE

 

GERRARD   WILSHIRE

 

WALCOTT            ROONEY           WELBECK

 

STURRIDGE

[Corky]

All we had to do was get a point against Croatia at home to qualify for Euro 2008...

 

Now all we need to do is beat two of the 'big three' other teams in the group at home to make sure we get there. Easy (says the snore-inducing, stale media).

 

One slip up and we're done for. A two-legged entry into the World Cup would not be fun and if we managed to overcome that we probably wouldn't be seeded as a result, meaning we'd have a ridiculously tough group.

 

Of course we might win both games 3-0 and cruise to Brazil, though that's being optimistic.

 

Yes, this is far from over.

 

The frustrating thing is we had the initiative in both Poland and Montenegro and surrendered it rather tamely.

 

Really don't fancy the play-offs.

[Dan]

To be fair if we got into the play-offs, turned in that game x2 against Portugal and beat them on penalties, it would be amazing.

[Dan]

I reckon "like watching Roy Hodgson's England play" will in time accompany "like watching paint dry" and "like watching grass grow" as synonymous with extreme boredom. This is truly awful, it's almost so bad I sort have a grudging respect for it, as if it's pushing some kind of shitty boundary of how bad we can be without losing the game.

 

I am howling

[The Year Of The Fox]

Aye alright, I'd have thought having someone link the midfield and attack that could pass a ball five yards or is clever enough to at least produce some kind of creative spark would've been just the job last night, evidently not.

 

I like Lambert and think he did the best he could last night but if you really think Rooney wouldn't have had a more positive effect on proceedings then I despair.

 

 

The same for virtually every England player recently then? You can't label Rooney shit in his entirety for his England form and nobody else when he's produced more in a national jersey than a a lot of his other more esteemed colleagues. Lampard has never been anything more than average for England but you don't feel the need to let the world and his dog know that you don't rate him.

It's very often that Rooney can't find a player with a 5 yard pass either.

And no i don't lay into any other player as much as I do rooney because he's the only one as overhyped as he is.

[marko]

It's pretty worrying to think the only teams we've beaten in this qualifying campaign are San Marino and Moldova.

[Dan]

It's pretty worrying to think the only teams we've beaten in this qualifying campaign are San Marino and Moldova.

 

Don't worry, at least we 'got the job done' eh

[kingfox]

Jermain Defoe in my opinion is the best finisher we have, and should be in every squad. Sturridge if he don't start scoring for England, because he will probably start when fit and available, then Defoe should start instead of Welbeck.

 

I don't see why Hodgson keeps on picking these dead wood players, who aren't playing well or are not getting a chance for their clubs sides. Cleverley pointless, Young pointless, don't like Smalling in an England shirt & Milner is pointless but he will always get picked. 

 

Would have Michael Dawson over Smalling as he is more experienced, would put Lallana in instead of Cleverley or Young, because he is a creative player and not an out to out winger. I would also like to see Nathan Redmond get a chance as well, really rate him. 

[ScouseFox]

Don't worry, at least we 'got the job done' eh

 

It's comments like this that get me. We're TOP of the group. You cannot do better than TOP of the group. We are definitely getting the job done.       

[Dan]

It's comments like this that get me. We're TOP of the group. You cannot do better than TOP of the group. We are definitely getting the job done.       

 

We're riding our luck and if we play like that against Poland & Montenegro, we will not have 'got the job done', because we will not finish top.

[Brainy]

Jermain Defoe in my opinion is the best finisher we have, and should be in every squad. Sturridge if he don't start scoring for England, because he will probably start when fit and available, then Defoe should start instead of Welbeck.

 

I don't see why Hodgson keeps on picking these dead wood players, who aren't playing well or are not getting a chance for their clubs sides. Cleverley pointless, Young pointless, don't like Smalling in an England shirt & Milner is pointless but he will always get picked. 

 

Would have Michael Dawson over Smalling as he is more experienced, would put Lallana in instead of Cleverley or Young, because he is a creative player and not an out to out winger. I would also like to see Nathan Redmond get a chance as well, really rate him. 

 

You are so contradictory First you'd rather pick Kevin Nolan instead of "has beens" Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, now whilst getting rid of the old guard with tonnes of experience you'd put in Michael Dawson, who isn't particularly anything special, just for his experience!?

[Stadt]

If Michael Dawson ever plays for England, I'm supporting Kyrgyzstan.

[whoareyaaa]

If Michael Dawson ever plays for England, I'm supporting Kyrgyzstan.

 

I feel the same about Milner, Milner should be nowhere near the top 20 English midfielders never mind being selected.

 

People wonder why we don't win games like this its because we(the manager) take no risks and play players with no ability such as Milner.

[Brainy]

Name the 19 midfielders better than Milner

[Leicesterpool]

I feel the same about Milner, Milner should be nowhere near the top 20 English midfielders never mind being selected.

 

People wonder why we don't win games like this its because we(the manager) take no risks and play players with no ability such as Milner.

Milner looked a cracking player at both Newcastle and Villa but since he's joined Man City he's looked pretty average maybe it's because he doesn't get many games? which begs the question why pick a player who isn't getting much first team action for his club!

[Guest ttfn]

Name the 19 midfielders better than Milner

Milner would be in my squad for the World Cup if we made it, no question.