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Is this really..
- Thread starter Mellotron
- Start date
folkestonesgull
Active member
until Joe Cole comes back - arguably our best player in midfield for the last few years
- Thread starter
- #3
Yeah I'm curious what happens then.
Joe Cole is possibly the only player to have played consistently better for Country than Club over the last 3 or so years.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,107
I feel a bit sorry for Cole in that whilst he's been away England have hit a purple patch, and that Cappello's has realised if he can get the best out of Gerrard and Rooney we could win the lot.
It looks as though Cappello's favoured formation is 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 with Lampard and Barry holding, Gerrard wide left, Rooney centre, Walcott wide right, Heskey holding upfront and the full-backs pushing on.
Given there is Beckham and Lennon for the wide right position it seems Joe Cole will be back up for Gerrard wide left or Lampard in the middle. Either way, the competition for places in midfield is white-hot.
It looks as though Cappello's favoured formation is 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 with Lampard and Barry holding, Gerrard wide left, Rooney centre, Walcott wide right, Heskey holding upfront and the full-backs pushing on.
Given there is Beckham and Lennon for the wide right position it seems Joe Cole will be back up for Gerrard wide left or Lampard in the middle. Either way, the competition for places in midfield is white-hot.
And with Hargreaves, possibly our best holding midfielder, still to come back ...
Common as Mook
Not Posh as Fook
- Jul 26, 2004
- 5,634
Sad to say, I think he is finished as an international footballer. He has tendonitis in his knee which is virtually incurable.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Capello's working wonders.
Still surprised there's no room for Michael Owen in the squad now though, in light of the strikers we have out. I'd have brought in Owen over Bent every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. If Bent is an international striker, then I'm a Belgian dentist with a shoe fetish.
Still, who am I to question the Don.
Still surprised there's no room for Michael Owen in the squad now though, in light of the strikers we have out. I'd have brought in Owen over Bent every day of the week, and twice on Sundays. If Bent is an international striker, then I'm a Belgian dentist with a shoe fetish.
Still, who am I to question the Don.
I hadn't realised that it was that bad an injury... that is sad.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Ordinairily thats a sound enough stance.
But we were particularly unfortunate on Saturday to lose three strikers to injury (although I gather Crouch is going to be ok). IDEALLY you'd want your strikers fully fit and playing regularly for their clubs of course, but those injuries on Saturday have pushed us into a bit of a corner and changed the landscape a bit. And Owen would absolutely bust a gut to put in a performance and fight his way back into the squad.
Put it this way - in a tight game, with half an hour to go, who would the Ukraine defenders rather see coming off the bench...Darren Bent ?
Or Michael Owen ?
Knotty
Well-known member
Would have to be Owen. I'm sure he dreams of playing with quality players around him again.
...and if Capello's keen on having two holding midfielders, Carrick and Barry might be an option. Tough on Lampard, but it's the team that matters.
At least Capello is treating the Gerrard / Lampard dilemna a bit differently from previous managers; previously, Lampard always seemed to get his preferred role, and the more adaptable Gerrard had to fir in round that - holding, wide left, wide right or whatever. At least now Capello seems to be working on a "Rooney and Gerrard are the best - the rest can fit round them" approach now.
¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤
Banned
Can't believe that Kevin Davies is not being called up.
We've got so many stikers out injured and he's the type of player that Capello wants, i mean he picks Heskey, C Cole and Crouch. Davies is better in the air than all 3 of these, he puts in the work rate and is probably stronger than all 3 as well. Plus he's scoreed more than them aswell i think, at least in the league.
We've got so many stikers out injured and he's the type of player that Capello wants, i mean he picks Heskey, C Cole and Crouch. Davies is better in the air than all 3 of these, he puts in the work rate and is probably stronger than all 3 as well. Plus he's scoreed more than them aswell i think, at least in the league.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Yeah, Davies is a decent shout as well. I'd certainly have him in ahead of Bent.
Owen really should be a shoe-in given the injuries though.
Owen really should be a shoe-in given the injuries though.
crodonilson
He/Him
Cappello is doing a quite magnificent job. I know Barwick had his doubtors but one of his lasting legacies will be possibly the canniest tactician in all of football and a manager who is a winner with a capital W.
Three points on Wednesday and we have one foot on the plane to the promised land of South Africa 2010.
Three points on Wednesday and we have one foot on the plane to the promised land of South Africa 2010.
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Barwicks legacy was us sat twiddling our thumbs during Euro 2008 - he was DIRECTLY culpable for that. Right Crodo ? 
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
Common as Mook
Not Posh as Fook
- Jul 26, 2004
- 5,634
Really?! I have tendonitis in my knee...
Don't panic. All it means is that it will hurt after rigourous exercise for a while.
A professional footballer will therefore suffer slightly more than your average Joe!
Publius Ovidius
Well-known member
Really?! I have tendonitis in my knee...
I have been told I have Ankylosing Spondylosis in my back
Off to see a specialist on Thursday and not looking forward to what he may tell me.
I just hope he gives me somethiong to make me sleep....
