Owen

[Kinky Gerbil]

Its not in the Top 3 of Sven weakenesses perhaps, although her really doesn't seem to know what to do with Rooney.

As for McGhee, I'll admit that I'm surprised Hart is preferred to El-Abd at RB at the moment. But there must be a reason for it. Maybe he's not been training well. Maybe McGhee doesn't feel he's up to it at the moment. But whatever way you slice it, McGhee does not have the plethora of players and options to choose from as Sven - he may have one or two alternatives to try, Sven has as many as he likes. Thats the nature of the job. Svens job is to find the best player for every position, even if that means sacrificing a "flair" player for the sake of the shape of the team. But he'd rather play square pegs/round holes to accomodate everyone who he feels MUST play.

If he drops lampard or Gerrard he who be slated by the media

 

[Uncle Buck]

Its not in the Top 3 of Sven weakenesses perhaps, although her really doesn't seem to know what to do with Rooney.

As for McGhee, I'll admit that I'm surprised Hart is preferred to El-Abd at RB at the moment. But there must be a reason for it. Maybe he's not been training well. Maybe McGhee doesn't feel he's up to it at the moment. But whatever way you slice it, McGhee does not have the plethora of players and options to choose from as Sven - he may have one or two alternatives to try, Sven has as many as he likes. Thats the nature of the job. Svens job is to find the best player for every position, even if that means sacrificing a "flair" player for the sake of the shape of the team. But he'd rather play square pegs/round holes to accomodate everyone who he feels MUST play.

Does not know what to do with Rooney? Saturday was probably the first time he was give a task other than a freeish role he normally plays. Normally he plays behind Owen and goes deep to get the ball, that is his natural game and he does it well and so is allowed to do it. Saturday, for whatever reason Sven does not see Defoe as ready and so jigged things around. It was not an outright success, but it collected us 3 more points and that is the main thing.

The square peg / round holes argument is exactly the same one the media used at Bobby Robson in the run up to Italia 90. They were screaming at him to play a sweeper system and to look at either Robson or Hoddle in that position. Hoddle got injured before the tournament and Robson as every in the first game. Robson did move to the sweeper system, once he was comfortable that the players could do it and Walker was one of the successes of that tournament.

 

[Easy 10]

If he drops lampard or Gerrard he who be slated by the media

So ?

Thats half the problem...he shys away from the big decisions, to maintain the status quo. So what if the media slaughters him. I'd like to see him attempting to solve this midfield problem, and if it meant dropping Lampard or Gerrard to accomodate a holding midfielder, then sign me up - I'd be all for him trying that out. Its patently obvious that the midfield simply does not function as a unit at the moment, so he bloody well SHOULD be trying something else. Ideally in friendlies, but I gather no-ones allowed more than 45 minutes in those, and we always have to have about 6 changes rather than a couple, so we never really get to find out unfortunately.

 

[Uncle Buck]

So ?

Thats half the problem...he shys away from the big decisions, to maintain the status quo. So what if the media slaughters him. I'd like to see him attempting to solve this midfield problem, and if it meant dropping Lampard or Gerrard to accomodate a holding midfielder, then sign me up - I'd be all for him trying that out. Its patently obvious that the midfield simply does not function as a unit at the moment, so he bloody well SHOULD be trying something else. Ideally in friendlies, but I gather no-ones allowed more than 45 minutes in those, and we always have to have about 6 changes rather than a couple, so we never really get to find out unfortunately.

But when it comes to friendlies it is the likes of you that moan he is not taking these seriously as he does not play the best team or makes too many changes. With people like your claiming to be England Fans he does not stand a chance as he cannot win.

 

[Marshy]

your comments bore me nearly as much as Svens teams do.
i cant remember the last time i was excited by an England performance, probably Germany...and how long ago was that.

 

[Uncle Buck]

your comments bore me nearly as much as Svens teams do.
i cant remember the last time i was excited by an England performance, probably Germany...and how long ago was that.

Thank you, nothing like a jibe, makes me all warm inside. Normally means I am correct as well.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Thank you, nothing like a jibe, makes me all warm inside. Normally means I am correct as well.

another win for team goat.

 

[Marshy]

obviously your correct Uncle B you do goto the games after all ,where as we are just armchair fans therfore cannot have an opinion.

 

[Uncle Buck]

obviously your correct Uncle B you do goto the games after all ,where as we are just armchair fans therfore cannot have an opinion.

Well you should always repsect your betters, that is the class system after all....

 

[Easy 10]

But when it comes to friendlies it is the likes of you that moan he is not taking these seriously as he does not play the best team or makes too many changes. With people like your claiming to be England Fans he does not stand a chance as he cannot win.

So now you're going to try to tell me that Sven actually makes use of friendles ?!?

Come ON, this is just getting to be ridiculous now. Making use of friendlies would, for me, be trying out one or two alternatives during the course of 90 minutes. Trying something different, with no more than 3 subsitutions, with a view to trying to see a real pattern of play emerge. Giving a couple of new caps amongst the more established first team players and *gradually* integrating them into the team.

Are you telling me that the dogs dinners we get served up in friendlies are in ANY WAY useful as practice for the real thing ? Yes, he has to make some changes, but this bloke was playing 22 different players in ONE f***ing game before FIFA stepped in and limited the substitutions. And he's still be doing it now, given the chance.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

So now you're going to try to tell me that Sven actually makes use of friendles ?!?

Come ON, this is just getting to be ridiculous now. Making use of friendlies would, for me, be trying out one or two alternatives during the course of 90 minutes. Trying something different, with no more than 3 subsitutions, with a view to trying to see a real pattern of play emerge. Giving a couple of new caps amongst the more established first team players and *gradually* integrating them into the team.

Are you telling me that the dogs dinners we get served up in friendlies are in ANY WAY useful as practice for the real thing ? Yes, he has to make some changes, but this bloke was playing 22 different players in ONE f***ing game before FIFA stepped in and limited the substitutions. And he's still be doing it now, given the chance.

#



You seem to suggest its just england that do this?

 

[Easy 10]

I don't care who else does it. I just don't want England doing it.

Anyway, Brazil usually have a pretty settled side, and they seem to do ok now and then.

 

[Uncle Buck]

So now you're going to try to tell me that Sven actually makes use of friendles ?!?

Come ON, this is just getting to be ridiculous now. Making use of friendlies would, for me, be trying out one or two alternatives during the course of 90 minutes. Trying something different, with no more than 3 subsitutions, with a view to trying to see a real pattern of play emerge. Giving a couple of new caps amongst the more established first team players and *gradually* integrating them into the team.

Are you telling me that the dogs dinners we get served up in friendlies are in ANY WAY useful as practice for the real thing ? Yes, he has to make some changes, but this bloke was playing 22 different players in ONE f***ing game before FIFA stepped in and limited the substitutions. And he's still be doing it now, given the chance.

It is the old issue, for competitive games clubs have to release their players. For friendlies they always find ways around it (look at the USA Tour). So Sven took the line of actually talking to the top managers (which his predecessors had not done, they instead used to bitch in the media) and came to an arrangement that some of the established players would not play in the whole game. OK so you see more substitutions than is desirable, but you also see some of the better players in these games.

As I said he cannot win with you lot.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I don't care who else does it. I just don't want England doing it.

Anyway, Brazil usually have a pretty settled side, and they seem to do ok now and then.

They played a second string side for most of the confeds cup

 

[Uncle Buck]

I don't care who else does it. I just don't want England doing it.

Anyway, Brazil usually have a pretty settled side, and they seem to do ok now and then.

Brazil often have 2 sides. The one of South American players that often plays in friendlies as the European clubs often find an excuse for not letting the players travel and one of European players for competitive games.

It says something when Argentina are arranging a game with England in Geneva to try and get round this issue.

 

[Easy 10]

When it comes to talking to top managers, Sven has, unfortunately, got the backbone of a jellyfish. Thats not his fault, but its not an ideal trait for an England manager.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

When it comes to talking to top managers, Sven has, unfortunately, got the backbone of a jellyfish. Thats not his fault, but its not an ideal trait for an England manager.

ok then who would you have?>

 

[Easy 10]

Allardyce.

 

[Uncle Buck]

When it comes to talking to top managers, Sven has, unfortunately, got the backbone of a jellyfish. Thats not his fault, but its not an ideal trait for an England manager.

He has done more than his predecessors, at least he is getting the players for the friendlies, something nobody in the past managed. He just went down the route of talking to the clubs rather than bitching about it. Good plan, I would think.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Allardyce.

He wont leave Bolton and he has never managed top players