Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

SaintPowelly wrote:The thing is Pob, you bring up technically gifted players, the most technically gifted player in the England squad is Adam Lallana, and he sits on the bench to accommodate Danny Welbeck, who is a sub at Man United. NO-ONE with a half functioning footballing brain can justify Danny Welbeck playing, yet he does,because he plays for a "big club" ( and I use the term "plays" lightly ), until we eradicate this problem from the game, England will NEVER advance.

Our views are pretty close if your above point is anything to go by, you just see it as a problem with individual selection, I think the problem is much deeper.

We see on these boards often about Welbeck, there are quite a few people on hear, on TV, in the press, that like him.... that think he offers the team something and wanted him there.

What does that say about the footballing culture of your country when you shove a guy on the left wing with no touch, no passing ability, no crossing ability, no ability to run at defenders and beat them, no close control, and who cant even score goals alongside world class players at his club side, playing up top?

In return, in a typical English way, he isn't rubbish in people's eyes because he works hard, or some other "unrelated to flair" type argument. He got thumbs up in the Italy game for making some tackles, but who the hell picks a winger in a 4-2-2-1-2 system on their ability to press? Yeah, its a decent quality, but if the guy cant hit a barn door and offers less going forward then Maradona does at 55 having too many pies and lines of coke, he isn't a player who should be getting near the team.

Basic technical ability should be the corner stone of your team. Welbeck may win 10 tackles over Lallana, but he also loses the ball 20 times a game more by his no existent ball control, he shite passing, or his "don't clear first man crosses".

there isn't any players in England with that technical ability though because we accept players like Welbeck can make it in the English leagues without it. He wouldn't have made Spanish League three with his rapist touch

Cardiff would of been relegated in January if it wasn't for Caulker ( and Marshall ), did he go to the WC ? Nope, Smalling and Jones who are also on the Man U bench went instead.

What incentive do young kids have to play good football, when they don't see half their national team ever playing.

Don't all countries pick players who mainly play in one of their countries best teams, or for a top 5 team abroad?

Dr Robert wrote:Don't all countries pick players who mainly play in one of their countries best teams, or for a top 5 team abroad?

yes, ones that PLAY...not sit on the bench for 83mins a week.

sussexpob wrote:What England really need to do is the following....

3. Do away with league systems in youth football, and encourage players to play to develop, not to win.

Eliminating competition means players won't learn how to play in pressure situations. Having good technical ability is one thing, but it's no use if a player is prone to bottling it on the big occasion.

Another reason why England don't perform on the big stage is because the best young talent don't play in the marquee youth competitions. England's participation in the Under 20 World Cup is virtually non existent and the percentage who played and are currently plying their trade in the Premier League is miniscule.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_FIFA_ ... .A0England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_FIFA_ ... .A0England

The England U17s won the European Championships a few weeks back, the games were only 80mins and straight to pens because they can't play more than that, and England won on pens in the end, but atleast its something, maybe there is a small bit of hope.