Milner

[albion534]

Jesus Christ what's with all the negativity?? Who would u rather him play? Downing? Henderson? Maybe Walcott, but Milner offers the defensive side to the team

 

[Solid at the back]

Not many English ones though!

Oxo cube on the right? Johnson on the left

 

[BensGrandad]

Johnson defended ok, but his crosses were utterly rubbish

People tend to forget that a defenders prime job is his defensive duties anything else is a bonus.

 

[Lethargic]

He may not be great but is there a better alternative accounting for Johnsons poor defending, I almost feel it would be a better option for Milner to play right back and Johnson play in midfield.

 

[HP Seagull]

Until we get Rooney back he is our best option on the right, with Walcott coming on as an impact sub.

Against Ukraine I hope Rooney plays behind Welbeck (who had a good game today), with Young on the left and the Ox on the right. The same midfield two, obviously.

 

[vulture]

Not bad not good but better option than Walcott

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I thought that he did quite well covering Johnson who also had one of his better games for England overall it was a good solid professional performance sticking rigidly to their apparent game plan.

Exactly right.

 

[beorhthelm]

80% of NSC viewers are not very tactically aware. sure, he's not a superstar, but would you want Walcott sitting in there trying to close out or win the ball off Ribery? He's fine for the job he's been to asked to do.

 

[Peever]

Was quality for the Villa, massive loss when he left the club. Not been the same since he left.....

 

[W.C.]

is there not a "not sure, seems pretty solid sometimes but far too average far too often" vote#?

this

 

[upthealbion1970]

People tend to forget that a defenders prime job is his defensive duties anything else is a bonus.

So attacking isn't a big part of a fullback's duties? Righto

 

[Seagull27]

The problem is, Milner is not a winger. He can play there, so is a useful utility player to have. But anyone who saw him boss the centre of midfield during his Villa days will see that he's being played out of position. I'd like to see us play him in a centre mid three of Milner, Parker, Gerrard.

I don't think he was awful yesterday though. As always, people see the mistakes he made upfront and forget how much good defensive work he did. If Walcott had been playing in his place, we would have lost.

 

[Gritt23]

Although he doesn't set the game alight, he fits very well into the role that we require in that system. The midfield worked incredibly hard yesterday, and I'm not sure who we have who would have played the role asked of Milner any better than he did.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Doesn't really have a position in which he truly shines,but is good player at club level in various positions.It's probably this versatility that gets him in the squad,but not a first pick.

 

[DTES]

As others have hinted, neither poll option for me.

Does a good job, and is probably better than any of the alternatives for the position at covering back - with a purely attacking player on our right-wing, France would have got a lot more from Evra going forward.

 

[BensGrandad]

So attacking isn't a big part of a fullback's duties? Righto

That is an extra bonus but their prime duty is to defend hence their job descriptive title defender

 

[Bold Seagull]

I thought that he did quite well covering Johnson who also had one of his better games for England overall it was a good solid professional performance sticking rigidly to their apparent game plan.

[MENTION=451]BensGrandad[/MENTION] - finally, I totally agree with you!

I thought Johnson played really really well, perhaps the best out of the back four to be honest. Defended well, had a great understanding with Milner, and got forward causing the French problems (okay a few crosses were a bit crap, but overall he was good). I thought Johnson would be a weak link, but actually I appreciated the merits of him being in there.

As for Milner, he really put a shift in, I was more impressed with him than I was Parker. I don't believe either of them is true international class, however both appear to be stepping up and giving their all. I don't really see any viable alternatives to either of them, and if they basically play to what I consider the best level that their personal ability will allow, then thats good enough for me.

 

[Badger]

Good enough but not sensational, I think England need a few players like him as we've seen what happens when we only pick players who think they are something special.

 

[Kumquat]

I think only Adam Johnson would have been a better option in terms of ability, but he's not as defensive or hard-working. Like Milner for this type of team though. He works hard and is solid. He's not spectacular but there's clearly a reason both Mancini and Hodgson play him ahead of Johnson.

 

[happypig]

Played OK but I think that that was the best of him. I think he'll be ok against Sweden and Ukraine but up against a top side on top form, he'll struggle. As others say though, who else is there ? H'es probably the best of a mediocre bunch.