If only Tom Huddlestone could run and turn he would be the answer to all our prayers :(
― Vulvuzela (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 July 2010 09:51 (fourteen years ago) link
Or some of them at least.
― Vulvuzela (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 July 2010 09:52 (fourteen years ago) link
Surprising number of that much-hyped England Under-17 side seem to come from Liverpool and Everton and they may get a chance in the coming years. A few from Man City, who obviously won't, and a handful from yer Southamptons and Boros and what have you who will probably end up picked up by Spurs or Arsenal or whoever in the future.
No one from Chelsea/Man United/Spurs/Arsenal at all.
― Vulvuzela (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 July 2010 09:57 (fourteen years ago) link
Lancashire = home of English sport
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 09:59 (fourteen years ago) link
(Arsenal had a striker on called Benik Afobe and the playmaker who got them to the final was injured in the semis, an Arsenal lad called Chuks Aneke, although he may still choose Ghana iirc as his international team.)
― samuel :D (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:01 (fourteen years ago) link
An England player called Chuks would be a boon to tabloid sub-editors everywhere, which reminds me
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:03 (fourteen years ago) link
there's a lot of misconception around the success of junior sides. as that lengthy nytimes ajax piece explains, it's far better to have 2 potentially great players in a crappy u-17 team than 6 or 7 who'll eke out careers in the championship.
Regarding the 'athletic, intelligent (hmmmm, Johnson? Rio?) and fairly skilful defenders', one of the real problems I can see is that there are none of these coming through. Three of England's current leading centre-halves - Terry, Ferdinand, King - are very comfortable on the ball, but I don't think any of the younger ones are in the slightest.
naturally i did caveat glen johnson who is prone to catalepsy in defence. if rodwell is developed into a cb as moyes wishes then add another to that list.
File lack of ball-playing centre half alongside lack of first-rate goalkeeper, deep-lying passing defensive midfielder and mobile poacher and I really think England are going to struggle to qualify for the next two tournaments.
dunno about mobile poacher, bojan looks amazing but it's difficult to see where he fits into a 4-3-3, or even 4-2-3-1. so little 4-4-2 at the highest level. huddlestone shd be played in a 4-3-3 and if tottenham get a rly good forward he may get his wish next to modric and palacios.
― nakhchivan, Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:10 (fourteen years ago) link
I just assume most of these youth players will be the same as they've always been in the past: kids who are big and skillful for their age but end up vanishing as adults once their developmental advantage has gone bye-bye.
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:11 (fourteen years ago) link
One of the Everton under-17s is apparently called Jasper Johns. Good target man, I hear.
― Stevie T, Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:14 (fourteen years ago) link
^^^^otm.
Huddlestone next to a shield like Rodwell or Cattermole, with an inventive attacking midfielder in front of him (Wilshere?) would be terrific to watch imo.
― samuel :D (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:15 (fourteen years ago) link
Wow
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:19 (fourteen years ago) link
huddlestone shd be played in a 4-3-3 and if tottenham get a rly good forward he may get his wish next to modric and palacios.
451, iirc tbh, based around Pav
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:21 (fourteen years ago) link
x-post
Think this is wrong, Chelsea had two players in the team, McEachren and a 15-year-old called Chalobah, and William Keane def plays for United.
http://www.uefa.com/under17/matches/season=2010/round=15345/match=2002343/index.html
― Pete W, Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:27 (fourteen years ago) link
1 youth player per annum graduating to stay first team = fielding an entire team of homegrowns ranging from age 30-19.
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:29 (fourteen years ago) link
I was basing that on Wikipedia, so it could well be wrong.
― Vulvuzela (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:30 (fourteen years ago) link
really, what huddlestone needs is a tough tackling yet mobile player behind him, and a player who makes the late runs into the box and can take a pot shot too to stretch the defence/midfield.
zokora, jenas are prob good bets.
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:32 (fourteen years ago) link
Take it to the Tottenham thread dudes.
― Pete W, Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:33 (fourteen years ago) link
Or do a diagram, one or the other.
^ |<- Cattermole -> Huddlestone / | \ / | \ | | |
^ |<- Cattermole ->
Huddlestone / | \ / | \ | | |
-> runs/screening/rough nasty sweaty work- wonderful elegant killer balls
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:38 (fourteen years ago) link
- Profit
― Vulvuzela (Matt DC), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:47 (fourteen years ago) link
ya profit sheesh
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:52 (fourteen years ago) link
I think what i'm tryin to say there is that cattermole and huddlestone should comandeer a spider legged spaceship for maximum effect
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 10:53 (fourteen years ago) link
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aRIdDrwDIgs/SuFflCWmJGI/AAAAAAAADJk/N5BVE634MBM/s320/parliament_mothership_connection-1.jpg
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 11:03 (fourteen years ago) link
Germany skipper Philipp Lahm has delivered a withering put-down to England by claiming his side "now have to beat a big team".
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:39 (fourteen years ago) link
I don't even think the Germans are trying to zing at this point, just speaking truth.
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:41 (fourteen years ago) link
Worse again, I think Beckenbauer is trying to fuckin help ye
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:41 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah, I thought Beckenbauer sounded more disappointed and concerned than anything.
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:43 (fourteen years ago) link
Those Germans really dig that 'measured by the strength of yr enemies' shit imo
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:48 (fourteen years ago) link
Not unlike English pundits expressing concern for the plight of Scottish football
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:48 (fourteen years ago) link
English pundits like Hansen and Lawro you mean?
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:51 (fourteen years ago) link
Get fucked are you getting away with palming Lawro off on us.
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:54 (fourteen years ago) link
srs line in the sand shit right there
lololololol
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:57 (fourteen years ago) link
http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/78981510.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF87892155F29F61288AC1CA45CED72E9EA92363790556070386E3A220EF5264B1D9A9B9
nope, it checks out
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 1 July 2010 12:57 (fourteen years ago) link
have you seen the news lately? anyone can get an irish passport, sure.
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:00 (fourteen years ago) link
http://scottdouglas.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/tony-cascarino.gif
"Ah begob 'tis the wearin' of the green"
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Has Alan Hansen ever spoken about Scottish football? Lawro has, occasionally, sure he's a terrible man for the pontificatin'
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:01 (fourteen years ago) link
I'm pondering now if Hansen's ever had occasion to broach the subject.
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:02 (fourteen years ago) link
xxp swear to fuck i have that exact jpg just ready to paste
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:03 (fourteen years ago) link
1st up on GIS innit
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:04 (fourteen years ago) link
This is the pity of Scotland not qualifying for major tournaments, now that media is more hysterically Anglocentric than it's ever been (IMO), I wonder how they'd handle it, Hansen would have to do some research on Scottish players for a start
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:04 (fourteen years ago) link
Fingers crossed that we're on our way back to the 70s, with Scotland qualifying and England not qualifying, oh what fun!
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:06 (fourteen years ago) link
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2008/12/5/1228491824927/Tony-Cascarino-001.jpg
was gonna go with this xp, being garotted for defiling the green by true son o' the soil
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:06 (fourteen years ago) link
xxp re hansen having to do some 'research' -would he fuck, going on the level of research demonstrated this past couple of years.
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:07 (fourteen years ago) link
HE'S RESEARCHED SOME OFF-LICENCES, AMIRITE??
― I saw Mommy kissing Santa Cruz (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:07 (fourteen years ago) link
*slouch* *sneer* *pick up expenses*
― I am utterly and abjectly pissed off with this little lot (Tom D.), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:08 (fourteen years ago) link
I can imagine the reaction you'd get asking townsend to come spend a few hours sweating on the bog with you
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:09 (fourteen years ago) link
I can't imagine, amidst all this WC shockah fallout, that England still won't absolutely cruise to qualificiation for the Euros, btw.
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:11 (fourteen years ago) link
btw I still think if Argentina win the World Cup under Maradonna this year, Gazza should get a shot as England manager.
― voodoo sailor (ken c), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:11 (fourteen years ago) link
Fuck that, If Maradona wins the WC for Argentina, the FA should be targetting him
― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Thursday, 1 July 2010 13:12 (fourteen years ago) link