ITT, we solve all problems regarding the English national team

I believe that with a Morinho, Sven, Scolari or Redknapp etc etc in charge they would have "walked" this group.

or Redknapp

lol

actually we all know it should have been Hiddink right? are any of the others up there really any good?

I assume he means Louise.

xp

England failure 'would be good

so says Paul Parker. in principle I agree with this and have been saying so for a while. but only if it causes the board of the FA to resign en masse. which I think we all know it won't.

Friendly tomorrow's gonna have a bit of a weird vibe, being played on the eve of the game that will determine their embarrassing exit

http://www.cuadp.org/book_imgs/B00000K0DQ.jpg

http://www.skysports.com/poll/results/0,19911,12782_2159,00.html

There's one.

There seems to be a bit of a groundswell of "we need Martin O'Neill to tell it like it is and put the FA yes-men in their place" sentiment again, which seems slightly naive. Partisan allegiances mean I can only really deal with that with feral growling.

O'Neill doesn't strike me as idealistic/stupid enough to take the England job. Unless he's on some "I MUST AVENGE THE NEGLECT OF MY SENSEI CLOUGH" tip.

definitely O'Neill isn't stupid enough. presumably it'll be either Venables or another overrated overpaid foreigner.

I've given up on Israel v Russia - it's Macedonia I'm cheering for. Only cos that might make England v Croatia a bit of a goal chase (we score three, they get one back O NOES etc).

haha

I think he wanted it before but didn't get it - Did Dave B not promise to deploy some Juicy Info as to why he didn't at one point on here?

Even if they did let him have carte blanche to have his own coaching staff and say and do whatever he wants now it would seem a bit daft for him to be all "oh yes please let me hurriedly pick up the pieces left by you rejecting me for Steve Fucking McLaren, this is a great honour"

xpost to Clough Sensei

Yes because Martin O'Neill is really setting the world alight at Villa isn't he? Despite having money to spend and far more time to shape a team than, say, the overrated foreigner Sven.

I think they should have adopted my awesome 3-5-2 total-football XI.

Shall I also say something inflammatory and facetious about how winning the Scottish league is not all that of an achievement, and even Steve McClaren managed to lose a UEFA Cup final?

tony adams, mark my words.

out of character, i know, but Jol in anyone?

Jol lol

I say the FA should scrap this overpaid manager stuff and just throw a load of money at the players. Or maybe give them big fines for every fuckup.

Eighteen months ago I would have said England could have Wenger - how good of me - but that was coming at the end of his second team's spell. He's started a third now so is not allowed to leave til the job is done and the double is won.

The England players don't have enough motivation to play as it is. if you fine them they'll ALL have mysterious injuries two days before a game and be right as rain by the weekend's trip to Craven Cottage.

x-p

Dump all these overpaid Premiership 'stars', pick some people who are gonna play for the shirt, people with real pride in their country. I'd rather see an England team with Andy Holdsworth in it than one with fancy-dan ponces like Joe Cole or Wayne Rooney, that granny-shagging fat numpty.

Allan Holdsworth?

http://www.unplugged-cafe.org/images/d/d3/Allan_holdsworth.jpg

Eighteen months ago I would have said England could have Wenger

But Wenger has so little experience of working with English footballers

x-post to LJ

I agree that you should pick the players that are going to work hardest and fit best into the team I think you're wrong to pick out Rooney. I think he's one of a select few who actually works hard when he plays for England. surely this is where we start slagging off fat Frank and (her name is) Rio Ferdinand.

I've come to the conclusion that the best Englishman currently managing is Ian Holloway. So, yeah, ban England.

Dennis Wise for England

xxpost to Uto11: eveerrrrr heeaarrrd of a strrrrawwwwwmannnnn

Aidy Boothroyd for England, then we might actually overhaul Watford.

Best fact from F365 recently: Aidy is the longest serving manager in the Championship, having been in charge of Watford for a massive 2 and a half years.

LJ

well yeah, I just didn't see one coming from you.

Sorry. Sometimes this sort of debate gets so boneheaded (not, I emphasise, this particular ILX debate, but the topic at large), I can't help but throw a spanner or two into the works.

Rooney's England work ethic is coupled with complete inability to play in position and the temperament of a 12 year-old on a full-fat cola and pop-rocks diet. So fuck him.

Best player in the England side by a million miles

4 years ago.

OK, a thousand miles now

Rooney needs a strong manager behind him, isn't this pretty obvious? Thus I suggest Paul Ince for England boss.

naah, he'd never leave MK Dons.

he has too much respect for their history and fanbase to leave them in the lurch

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/gallery/2004/05/26/jonathangerrard.jpg

He could tell Ashley Cole to get "touch tight" with those big Croatians.

You know who England ACTUALLY need as manager? This guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorvan_Vieira

He'd get rid of all the pampered prima donnas and replace them with hard grafters who play for the shirt like Anton Ferdinand and Marcus Bent and all those other legions of English footballers who are supposed to be better than the current squad.

Uh-oh

"In an interview to the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias, he even states that in the future, he wants to live the rest of his life in Portugal, and that he plans to coach a Portuguese football club."

Matt, I've already cracked that one. We're talking about Jorvan Vieira now. What a dude! I heard an interview of his on the radio a few months ago and he's probably the most impressive football manager I've ever heard speak about the game.

"Jorvan Vieira is a Muslim."

Oops.

It'd never happen, partially because he's far too intelligent, partially because the morons wouldn't accept a Muslim coach, and partially because he's never managed a mediocre Premiership team to 11th place.

And partly because his sole career achievement to date is winning a minor cup tournament against a bunch of underachievers (Australia) or teams in constant flux (Saudis, Koreans).

Perhaps we should make Bruce Arena the next England manager?

I don't think people would be even remotely bothered that he was a Muslim if they thought he could win things. I would take some convincing that he could win things.

How many Muslims are there playing in the Premiership these days, just out of interest?

Alongside compatriot José Faria he led Morocco into the second round of the tournament as group winners ahead of England, Portugal and Poland[2], becoming the first African side to do so in the process.

Bruce "That's why we're the greatest country in the world!" Arena. He'd instil some pride. Not necessarily in our own country, but who's complaining?

Muslims in Prem? I'll start: Kolo Toure

Mido

Tuncay Şanlı?

isn't the cedilla below the C?

El Hadji Diouf

Tugay!

dunno Louis I c&p it

Robin Van Persie

Robin van Persie

oops

you're right, i'm wrong. weird place to have a cedilla mind. oh, that's a good one, dom. and onimo.

robbie keane

Papa Bouba Diop

was dean richards a muslim?

Anelka

Emre

Eddie Newton.

Sissoko

Emmanuel Eboue

Gallas?

I guess this is proving my point that being a Muslim probably isn't that big a deal*, especially if you are a Brazilian Muslim.

*Okay maybe if you are a Premiership footballer from say, Saudi Arabia or Iran, certainly not with the African players.

Isn't there an Iranian who plays for Bolton? He's a Christian tho.

I think your average scumbag wouldn't know half of these men were Muslims because they don't come from terrist raghead countries.

nice stereotyping of scumbags. they have mothers too, you know.

and fathers?

well, obviously they don't know them, but theorietically yeah.

ask england international jermaine pennant.

Change team name to "Socceroos".

OK...well...at least you'll qualify for *something*...

i think they should pay them more

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/women/7095951.stm

Has McClaren even been to a Mosque this season?

he went to a kabballah church to see beckham or somethin

or was it a scientology bat (shit) cave?

How many Thetans are there playing in the Premiership?

1. Titus Bramble

It's not a cedilla Louis (but don't ask me what it's called).

McClaren wouldn't even think about going into a Mosque.

That's why The Sun hired him as England manager!

McClaren wouldn't even think about going into a Mosque

Fixed

Fair call.

It's not a cedilla Louis (but don't ask me what it's called).

It's still a cedilla. It's the bleedin' voiceless postalveolar fricative, innit? Like the "sh" in "showboating" or "for missing from there you want bloody shooting".