Barry to captain England against Ghana.....

[Oatway4England]

Okay i know its only for one game but the bloke shouldn't even be near the starting 11 for England......

 

[sten_super]

Okay i know its only for one game but the bloke shouldn't even be near the starting 11 for England......

He isn't, this is the reserve side.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

How long before someone writes the thread "how much money are we going to get for Barry becoming England captain ?"

 

[Oatway4England]

Didn't even make the bench against Wales... Just seems a strange decision to me.

 

[strings]

I looks like we'll be sending out a B team.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Wouldn't be at all suprised to see England get turned over by Ghana tomorrow, they are a good side and did MUCH better than England in the WC. Lets not forget they were a penalty away from being in the semi-finals.

I'm in the Ghana end with 20,000 away fans.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

If we play the second string I will be happy, we need to start giving fringe players a go.

Wilshere and Parker started against Denmark and kept there places in the team for sat.

The media are having a pop, but isnt this what they wanted?

 

[Pavilionaire]

You couldn't make this stuff up.

The only purpose for this fixture is for the FA to raise money for the ludicrous costs of the Wembley Stadium refit. England will be shawn of their Champions League contingent, so a severely weakened team will have to be fielded. We have the prospect of a bloke captaining the side who might not get back into the side again and, arguably, may be lucky to even continue to get selected for the squad.

Gerrard, Lampard, Wilshere, Parker, Milner, Young, Lennon and Johnson all bring more to the party than Barry IMHO.

 

[Sheebo]

Well I'm proud that Hastings Barry is going to Captain his country. Agreed he prob won't get in our strongest 11 though - Wilshere and Parker were fantastic on Saturday.

 

[beorhthelm]

shouldn't be near the first 11? is this the same Gareth Barry that plays 30+ games a season in the Premiership at a top 4 club and was, until recently, widely considered one of the best/most consistant England players? some people are fickle.

 

[sten_super]

Didn't even make the bench against Wales... Just seems a strange decision to me.

But he's the most experienced player (caps-wise) left in the squad. Assuming he sticks to the same formation the team pretty much picks itself...

TheFA.com - Team

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

shouldn't be near the first 11? is this the same Gareth Barry that plays 30+ games a season in the Premiership at a top 4 club and was, until recently, widely considered one of the best/most consistant England players? some people are fickle.

When did he sign for Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea or Spurs?

Seriously, I didnt think he has been playing that much this season?

 

[Oatway4England]

He just hasn't cut it this year. His performances have been very average and this season i never seen him give the ball away so much.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

If we play the second string I will be happy, we need to start giving fringe players a go.

Wilshere and Parker started against Denmark and kept there places in the team for sat.

I think this is exactly how friendlies should be used. You need to give fringe players a chance to play 90 minutes. How are they going to learn/adapt otherwise? It's a much better way to integrate them into international football than by swapping 70% of the team at half time. Plus, I'd imagine that fringe players care more about a friendly than the regulars as it's a chance to further their claim to a position in the team/the bench.

 

[beorhthelm]

Seriously, I didnt think he has been playing that much this season?

23 games plus 3 in europe, ok not quite 30 yet. and ok i over egged the top four (though last time i checked, Man City is in the top4 this year).

yes, he isnt as good as he has been in the past, but that still apparently good enough for Mancini and still should be contender for first 11. maybe somthing like this will set him right again.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

23 games plus 3 in europe, ok not quite 30 yet. and ok i over egged the top four (though last time i checked, Man City is in the top4 this year).

yes, he isnt as good as he has been in the past, but that still apparently good enough for Mancini and still should be contender for first 11. maybe somthing like this will set him right again.

Fair enough, I didnt think it was that many because he tends to play Toure and de Jong.

 

[Tooting Gull]

What a dilemma. On the one hand I think this match is a total waste of time, and it's outrageous a lot of marquee players have been pulled out, shortchanging fans have shelled out for tickets and will now be watching the reserves.

On the other hand, I have been offered a rare invite into Wembley hospitality tomorrow by a bookmakers with free food, drinks and betting vouchers all night as well as those seats behind the dugouts that are always empty.

On balance and after reflection, I have decided it is a most worthwhile fixture against quality opponents that deserve our respect, and a great opportunity to see how valuable squad members acquit themselves on the international stage. Bottle of Becks? Thanks a lot.

 

[Silent Bob]

If we play the second string I will be happy, we need to start giving fringe players a go.

Agree. That's why it's massively pointless to play Barry, let alone have him as captain. He has many caps, everyone knows all about him, what is to learn from playing him in a friendly against Ghana? Nothing.
Wilshere and Parker were in the first team on Saturday but they've got about 9 caps between them, so another game wouldn't hurt. Same for the likes of Bent, Young, even Joe Hart. Barry is exactly the type of player there's no need to play in this game, along with the likes of Crouch who will no doubt play. These players are experienced internationals who have played in tournaments and qualifiers for years, there's no benefit to playing them here.

 

[Pavilionaire]

The Ghana team were the best African side in the WC, almost reaching the S/F stage. They'll have thousands upon thousands of fans at Wembley, too. So what do we do? Insult them by fielding a weakened side.

I'm sorry but we're hardly helping ourselves, again (!)...

 

[perth seagull]

I think this is exactly how friendlies should be used. You need to give fringe players a chance to play 90 minutes. How are they going to learn/adapt otherwise? It's a much better way to integrate them into international football than by swapping 70% of the team at half time. Plus, I'd imagine that fringe players care more about a friendly than the regulars as it's a chance to further their claim to a position in the team/the bench.

Agreed. One of the few sensible posts amongst all the whining.