Official World Cup Thread

[Leeds And Proud]

Well, what can you say? I know he's scum but where do England look now?

Defoe isn't good enough. Crouch is just rubbish. I wouldn't be surprised to see some donkey like Harewood included in the squad. Or how about reliable old Heskey?

Who else is there? (Don't give me Freddie Eastwood!!!)

[c-101]

Eastwood is more likely to score for England than Rob Hulse or Robbie Blake

Well with Owen as a doubt for group stage it will have to be Defoe and Crouch or maybe Vassell, but England definately wont score very many goals now.

[mr cambo]

What about replacing him with someone like Carrick

No... wait, hear me out...

Crouch, Defoe etc are all decent, but another of our biggest problems is how to play Gerrard and Lampard together, as they both like to attack, and despite being fantastic players they don't really gel as a midfield duo.

So change the formation to a sort of 4-5-1 or 4-1-4-1

Play Carrick (or Ledley King) in front of the defence. That would allow Gerrard and Lampard to do what they do best... box to box running, tackling and scoring (hopefully not in their own box though). With Cole and Beckham alongside them but wide, the support they would provide for Owen could be lethal.

The only problem is whether Owen can play as a target man, which he would need to do at times.

Should I be part of Sven's tactical staff

[cossie(LUFC)]

Hopefully Carrick is going anyway. Aaron Lennon ould give the opposition something to think about and must be a better bet than Shaun Wrong-club Phillips.
He is bound to take 5 strikers now
Owen, Crouch, Defoe, unfit Rooney and ...... My guess is Bent but don't rule out Vassell.I would be controversial and pick Andy Johnson (but only so he doesn't try too hard in play offs!!)

[Leeds And Proud]

I think Dean Ashton might get a late call up if his hamstring injury clears up.

But if the Incredible Hulse bangs in a few tonight watch out!!!!

COME ON LEEDS!!!

[mr cambo]

Theo Walcott ahead of Bent, Defoe, Vassell, Heskey, Fowler, Sheringham, Beardsley, Lineker and Keegan.

Why only 4 strikers (of which Owen and Rooney are not fit), and why Walcott

Wright-Phillips hasn't been picked because he's not played much this season , but Walcott hasn't played at all

[mr cambo]

4-1-4-1 or 4-4-2

My main worry is that the team isn't balanced with 4-4-2 as Lampard and Gerrard can't play their main games, while with Owen as a single striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation he can't hold the ball up as a good target man should.

Solution

Drop Owen and play the new goal machine- Peter 'robot' Crouch as the single striker... that way the also mighty Jamie Carragher can also play. Surely the more Liverpool players the better

[cossie(LUFC)]

Good Idea Mr Cambo, bore the opposition to death!!

[mr cambo]

The ball looks like one of those large light tennis balls. Actually no, they're more like a balloon.

Can I change my top scorer prediction and put down Gerrard, and if his average scoring shot is from over 30 yards I get an extra bonus

[mr cambo]

I can see the headlines now...

Gary Neville out, replaced by Jamie Carragher.

Owen goes off again in the 55th minute, with England 1-0 down to T+T.
JC is pushed up as an emergency striker and grabs a hat-trick to give England a 3-1 win.

Sing along....

Jamie is our hero,
Jamie is our hero,
la la la la,
la la la la

[cossie(LUFC)]

After the game tonight I have the following observations.

I thought Rio, Joe Cole, Owen Hargreaves and Robbo played well, Lampard, Ashley Cole and Beckham did ok, Crouch was poor, Carrigher and Terry were awful and Rooney just needs more games.

If Sven was brave enough to take Walcott then why not play him?

Why can't we defend corners?

If England are serious about winning the tournament then we MUST play better as a team

[mr cambo]

What a great squad of strikers we have!

Michael 'crocked' Owen, Wayne 'unfit' Rooney, Peter 'why does everyone hoof the ball at me' Crouch and Theo 'I've only ever played for my school team' Walcott.

Where is Jermaine 'I am fit and have loads of Premiership experience' Defoe??

Sven won't drop Beckham, so I guess we're gonna play a 4-1-4-1 sort of formation with Rooney and Hargreaves as the 1s.

Either that, or if Sven is brave (dropping Becks), a Chelsea style 4-3-3 with Joe Cole and Aaron Lennon either side of Rooney, and Gerrard, Hargreaves and Lampard in midfield.

That won't happen so we will struggle to beat Ecuador, and then lose to either Holland or Portugal in the quarter finals.

10 days ago we were

Now we're

[cossie(LUFC)]

Just a thought but.....

could Micheal Owen be our Jimmy Greaves? When he got injured all thought of winning the 1966 world cup dissapeared until Sir Alf picked Geoff Hurst to replace him....
will Theo turn into our Geoff Hurst??

[mr cambo]

will Theo turn into our Geoff Hurst??

If he is, he's going to have to get on soon!!

What odd's Theo makes his debut in the 3rd/4th place play-off game??

My question though...

Gerrard/Lampard/Beckham - we should only be playing 2 of them... but which two

[mr cambo]

So that's it for another 4 years

So much hope, so little reward. Sven didn't take Wright-Phillips because he hadn't played enough this season, but took Theo who has never played before!

As mentioned before, despite the improved performance in the last game, we look a lot better on paper than we do on grass! Does that mean the blame lies with the management team?

One final though I heard earlier today... if Scolari had managed England yesterday, and Sven has managed Portugal, who do you think would have won

Forty years of hurt... looks like I gotta keep dreaming...

[c-101]

Englands supposedly best 5 players and penalty takers are.

1. Michael Owen injured, didnt take a penalty

2. Wayne Rooney sent off, didnt take a penalty

3. David Beckham injured, didnt take a penalty

4. Steven Gerrard fit and missed his penalty

5. Oh God Frank Lampard an embarrassment to England who also missed a penalty.

For me England didnt perform half as well as they should of, they were a joke Owen Hargreves was one of our best players in my opinion along with Joe and Ashley Cole

[Mr Benn]

Yes, agreed.

And i am already worried as our best player in the tournament, Hargreaves, won't be there in June; our second best, Joe Cole, is still not match fit; and our next best, Ashley Cole - in the form of his life until his inury - is now a crock. And a c0ck.