England's, England's number one

[Jimmy Floyd]

Who should get the gig for the World Cup in mother Russia?

[John]

Pickford.

[Giggles]

Is this thread because of the save he made from the header about 20 minutes ago?

Best of a bad lot though, so it has to be him.

[Mike]

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/DaJa.JPG/220px-DaJa.JPG

[Jimmy Floyd]

Is this thread because of the save he made from the header about 20 minutes ago?

Best of a bad lot though, so it has to be him.

Kind of - I've never been that convinced by him, but then it struck me there probably isn't a better one.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Pickford is probably the best of a pretty shit bunch.

[Lewis]

David Seaman looks ridiculous without his moustache.

[Giggles]

Pickford out.

[mo]

The likes of Forster, Foster, etc have nothing on Nigel Martyn.

[Ian]

Kevin Pilkington.

[Baz]

They’re all terrible. Like worse than David James bad.

Pope is probably the only one with any sort of consistency (well, other than being consistently bad) but he plays for Burnley. England’s World Cup keeper can’t play for Burnley.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I reckon they'll stick with Hart, which is gloriously absurd.

[niko_cee]

Heaton, if he ever plays again.

[Spikey M]

They’re all pretty lol, so we should go for the most lol option possible. Stick Harry Kane in goal or something.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Could we play without one? Would throw the oppo. Bit of British ingenuity.

[Raoul Duke]

Anyone but Joe Hart

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDlGJH0OTm0

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/john-oshea-of-manchester-united-fills-in-for-injued-goalkeeper-edwin-picture-id73201539?s=612x612

100% clean sheet record.

[Ian]

I reckon they'll stick with Hart, which is gloriously absurd.

Joe Hart is 100% going to be starting because he's a fixture now. Despite him being as good as absent for at least two of the goals we let in at the last tournament.

I'd have basically any of the other realistic candidates over him because otherwise why are the rest even bothering?

[Reg]

Pickford has been good whenever I've seen him, which isn't that much. I can vaguely remember one howler but given how much he's played already it seems they're very rare.

I think Hart will be in the squad for the know-how. Unfortunately he doesn't know how. But it's nice to be nice.

[niko_cee]

Pickford's bound to chuck one in (as are most of the main candidates). He always looks like he's going to cry as well.

[mo]

They’re all terrible. Like worse than David James bad.

Pope is probably the only one with any sort of consistency (well, other than being consistently bad) but he plays for Burnley. England’s World Cup keeper can’t play for Burnley.

Agree with this - not sure if Pope is genuinely decent or just looks good because he plays for Burnley.

[Browning]

Get Almunia out of retirement.

[McAvennie]

Butland?

[Ian]

He always looks like he's going to cry as well.

Well, I suppose being ready for England tournament duty this far in advance is a positive.

[Spikey M]

To be fair to Pickford, he was better than Sunderland and may even be better than Everton. It’s between him and Butland for me, but they are both average at best.

[igor_balis]

Russell Hoult

[hfswjyr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDlGJH0OTm0

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/john-oshea-of-manchester-united-fills-in-for-injued-goalkeeper-edwin-picture-id73201539?s=612x612

100% clean sheet record.

Bold strategy, picking an irishman.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Bold strategy, picking an irishman.

Not a problem if you give FIFA a nice big brown envelope.

[niko_cee]

Seems to work the other way round well enough.

[Giggles]

Seems to work the other way round well enough.

With capped and now retired English players?

[Baz]

Hansen, Lawrenson, Cascarino etc.

[Giggles]

Hansen, Lawrenson, Cascarino etc.

They all had 116 caps for England?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They were removed from the record.

[niko_cee]

Eligibility criteria. I knew there was a reason John O'Shea wasn't getting a game in goal for England.

[Weaver]

I reckon Hart, Butland and Pickford will be the three who go - I personally would go with Butland as #1.

I suppose it depends how much Southgate trusts the latter two in comparison to Hart.

[Giggles]

Eligibility criteria. I knew there was a reason John O'Shea wasn't getting a game in goal for England.

I think he was already capped before he'd have qualified for a passport. The passport is the criteria.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It doesn't.

The England set up is a lads club, if you're a true lad then your spot is all but guaranteed. Look at how long it took for Rooney to be removed and then as soon as he showed a glimpse of something decent Southgate was trying to get him back in.

Hart will start and he'll chuck goals in. Luckily the group is fucking horrendous and the one for the knockout opponent isn't much better.

Edit: That was to Weaver.

[ItalAussie]

It's not an inspiring list. That's a pity, because England have a really competitive-looking squad at the moment. Not favourites, but could easily make a solid go of it if the chips fall right.

[Yevrah]

Absolutely no chance we make a 'solid go of it'.

It'll be turgid shit, scrape through the groups and out against the first proper football nation we face. And this time, in this post Iceland world, there's actually even the possibility that it won't take a proper football nation to send us home, just an organised one with a competent manager.

[Andy]

Butland, I'm not a huge fan of Pickford. Butland was the only stoke player who looked like they belonged in the Premier League yesterday.

[Raoul Duke]

Absolutely no chance we make a 'solid go of it'.

It'll be turgid shit, scrape through the groups and out against the first proper football nation we face. And this time, in this post Iceland world, there's actually even the possibility that it won't take a proper football nation to send us home, just an organised one with a competent manager.

Topped off with an unsackable manager :groove:

[Baz]

Absolutely no chance we make a 'solid go of it'.

It'll be turgid shit, scrape through the groups and out against the first proper football nation we face. And this time, in this post Iceland world, there's actually even the possibility that it won't take a proper football nation to send us home, just an organised one with a competent manager.For the first time in a while, I actually think england could be good. Harry Kane is too good to just write them off.

[Spikey M]

For the first time in a while, I actually think england could be good. Harry Kane is too good to just write them off.

Then they stick him on Freekicks and Corners so that, I can only assume, they can nullify the threat he provides and ruin his confidence.

[Giggles]

For the first time in a while, I actually think england could be good. Harry Kane is too good to just write them off.

:drool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

England's failures are nothing to do with the players. It's the shirt, the FA, the vile number one journalists who follow them around, the Sheffield Wednesday band, and most importantly of all, the white shirts. Bland white nothingness.

[Ian]

Although he's improved even more since wasn't Kane also "too good" to write us off last time? Then he lumbered about and twatted the ball into the first defender every single time he got it.

And Jim has it in the above post. It's like the shootout thing. Most of the players step up in a shootout, for example, for us and go "Oh, bugger, here we go again" before they've even kicked the damn thing.

[Lewis]

Who was it who loves the band as much as me? I want to say Yevrah, but he could also have FUCKING HATED IT.

[niko_cee]

England could have a chance of doing something if they were to go 6+ at the back and hope Kane or Beckham does something, but that whole approach relies on not having a 'keeper who's going to lummox one in out of nowhere and completely ruin your game plan. And having (a) Beckham for set pieces. So we're fucked on both fronts. I've really no idea how anyone can get excited about our attacking options (beyond Kane).

[Ian]

Because despite all the evidence to the contrary people look at players who are doing well in the league (let's pick Raheem Sterling as a totally random example) and convince themselves said players won't forget to pack their backbone before boarding the plane to Russia.

[Giggles]

Isn't 2018 Kane just 2010 Rooney?

[niko_cee]

Yeah, but is Sterling really doing that well in the league? He's probably City's 5th best (attacking) player this season. I don't even know how England are going to set-up. 3 at the back? Who are the central defenders? What does that leave the 'attack' looking like? 'Dele' and Kane? :face:

Midfield? The Ox and Jack Jack Wilshere? McWhathisname? Man alive.

We're going to have the creativity of a door knob.

[Ian]

It's going to be bad, this much we can all agree on.

[Jimmy Floyd]

We could easily go down to Panama and their identity. Tunisia probably a bit too shit even for us.

[Andy]

Assuming 4231;

Butland, Walker, Stones, Cahill, Bertrand, Wilshere, Dier, Lingard, Alli, Sterling and Kane.

That must be the worst XI ever.

[Lewis]

Is Jordan Henderson injured?

[niko_cee]

Is Jordan Henderson injured?

Just coming back to form and fitness now!

:uhoh:

If Lingard is anywhere near the team at least we can all give up hope early doors.

Could do with the Lallana of 18 months ago re-emerging, although I think he may have been the exception sadly.

[Lewis]

Everyone whose name precedes Lingard's in that side is worse than him.

[-james-]

They should pick the squad by lucky dip and see if they do any worse than normal. And continue doing the same with Rooney's starting position.


Pope
Dunk - Mawson - Lascelles
Rooney - Grealish - Shelvey - Chilwell
Ibe - Murray - Gray

[Reg]

Yeah, but is Sterling really doing that well in the league? He's probably City's 5th best (attacking) player this season. I don't even know how England are going to set-up. 3 at the back? Who are the central defenders? What does that leave the 'attack' looking like? 'Dele' and Kane? :face:

Midfield? The Ox and Jack Jack Wilshere? McWhathisname? Man alive.

We're going to have the creativity of a door knob.
Sterling's the league's 4th top scorer (granted he's playing with De Bruyne and Silva.)

I agree we could do with Lallana - it's all running without much craft otherwise.