Gerrard injured for England match...

[strings]

...but should be fit for Liverpool at the weekend!

Is it me, or does Gerrard (and a couple of others too) seem to be injured every time England play a friendly, but fit for their club the following weekend. This annoys me - does anyone else get annoyed about this too?

It just seem that some players care for their club a lot more than their country... am I getting annoyed too easily, or do some of our 'superstars' just not care about playing for In-ger-land?

 

[The Wizard]

This seems to happen on a regular basis especially with Liverpool its a rather uncanny coincidence that this always seems to happen around the time of international friendlies.
Lampard is better than him anyway, IMO.

 

[Easy 10]

The clubs pull the strings, its nothing new. Ever since the money got silly in football, clubs resent making their multi-million pound assets available for friendlies - although when it comes to the transfer market, the clubs are still very happy to reap the reward of the added valuation for their player having gained x number of International caps. Sticks an extra couple of noughts on the transfer fee dunnit ?

Hypocrisy and self-interest rules these days in football.

 

[jharris]

Ashley Young on the left ?

 

[Common as Mook]

RIDICULOUS timing for a friendly.

I notice United have pulled their first choice keeper out as well....

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

Lampard is better than him anyway, IMO.

almost had me for a minute there.

 

[Bwian]

RIDICULOUS timing for a friendly.

I notice United have pulled their first choice keeper out as well....

No, you don't understand, it's only Liverpool that does that and Gerrard misses every England game if Liverpool are playing the following weekend.

 

[Giraffe]

This really annoys me. People have a go at Lampard, but frankly (no pun) Lampard clearly wants to play for England and has in fact played when injured causing him to miss the following weekend game. Gerrard regularly pulls out and then plays for Liverpool at the weekend. Don't think Capello will stand for it though.

 

[Dave the OAP]

why dont we stop playing friendlies

they are a waste of time and especially this one is an excuse for the "top lads" to get a beating in Holland again.......Oh hang on

 

[logan89]

Just remember though last time when he pulled out, was made to travel to Germany i think it was, and then the England physio said that he was not fit and was sent home.

If he's not 100% why play him in a friendly, of course he will play for Liverpool as they are screwed without him.

 

[Easy 10]

RIDICULOUS timing for a friendly.

The timing for EVERY friendly is always described as "ridiculous", no matter when its scheduled for. There'll always be someone moaning about it being in the middle of a hectic League schedule, or Europe, or FA Cup etc etc.

There is nearly always an early-season August International date, and this time it happens to have fallen a few days before the start of the Prem. Big deal, get on with it. The worlds footballing calender does NOT revolve entirely around The Premiership, no matter what Benitez, Fergie and all the serial whingers would like to think. They're quite happy to spend most of the summer dragging all their precious superstars around the world, hawking their replica shirts in Asia and America playing in meaningless tournmanents, but when it comes to a friendly in Amsterdam we get all the same old tiresome shit with managers moaning and complaining about "pointless friendlies". f***ing hypocrites.

We've got a massive World Cup qualifier in less than a months time, and this will be Capello's only opportunity to get his players together prior to that. The clubs can go f*** themselves. Top players will regularly be selected to play for their countries, that is an inevitable FACT. Don't like it ? Then sign some SHIT players instead. They'll be a lot cheaper.

 

[The Wizard]

The timing for EVERY friendly is always described as "ridiculous", no matter when its scheduled for. There'll always be someone moaning about it being in the middle of a hectic League schedule, or Europe, or FA Cup etc etc.

There is nearly always an early-season August International date, and this time it happens to have fallen a few days before the start of the Prem. Big deal, get on with it. The worlds footballing calender does NOT revolve entirely around The Premiership, no matter what Benitez, Fergie and all the serial whingers would like to think. They're quite happy to spend most of the summer dragging all their precious superstars around the world, hawking their replica shirts in Asia and America playing in meaningless tournmanents, but when it comes to a friendly in Amsterdam we get all the same old tiresome shit with managers moaning and complaining about "pointless friendlies". f***ing hypocrites.

We've got a massive World Cup qualifier in less than a months time, and this will be Capello's only opportunity to get his players together prior to that. The clubs can go f*** themselves. Top players will regularly be selected to play for their countries, that is an inevitable FACT. Don't like it ? Then sign some SHIT players instead. They'll be a lot cheaper.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[tedebear]

The worlds footballing calender does NOT revolve entirely around The Premiership, no matter what Benitez, Fergie and all the serial whingers would like to think. .

Well said!

 

[Marc]

Firstly: Shit timing for a friendly as as been said above

Secondly: Managers at the clubs do this not the players IMO

Thirdly: The FA should bring in their own Physios to go and CHECK the players out (full medical) then THEY decide whether the player is fit or not.

 

[keaton]

Be thankful you don't support Wales. Apart from being stuck with that wanker Toshack, his brilliant decision to give the captaincy to Craig Bellamy has been rewarded by him going awol, then pretending to be injured but getting caught in full training with City. He and Toshack should both f*** off

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Next we will hear that they are playing too many games and so on. Regardless of the fact most of the top clubs have been jetting to all areas of the World to play in friendlies. Some thing to do with greed, I think.

 

[bhafc99]

The timing for EVERY friendly is always described as "ridiculous", no matter when its scheduled for. There'll always be someone moaning about it being in the middle of a hectic League schedule, or Europe, or FA Cup etc etc.

There is nearly always an early-season August International date, and this time it happens to have fallen a few days before the start of the Prem. Big deal, get on with it. The worlds footballing calender does NOT revolve entirely around The Premiership, no matter what Benitez, Fergie and all the serial whingers would like to think. They're quite happy to spend most of the summer dragging all their precious superstars around the world, hawking their replica shirts in Asia and America playing in meaningless tournmanents, but when it comes to a friendly in Amsterdam we get all the same old tiresome shit with managers moaning and complaining about "pointless friendlies". f***ing hypocrites.

We've got a massive World Cup qualifier in less than a months time, and this will be Capello's only opportunity to get his players together prior to that. The clubs can go f*** themselves. Top players will regularly be selected to play for their countries, that is an inevitable FACT. Don't like it ? Then sign some SHIT players instead. They'll be a lot cheaper.

TOP rant sir. I salute you.

 

[Safe.]

No point of playing Gerrard in a friendly any way.

 

[pasty]

It's odd that whenever the regular "Club or Country" poll appears on here, the vast majority vote club (91 v 12, 36 v 3, 63 v 4, 24 v 12 in the four polls I found)

Yet when Premiership (eg not OUR club) players pull out of a frankly ridiculously timed friendly everyone slates them.

If I was a supporter of one of the big four, I'd be pretty pissed off at star players playing an away international friendly just 3 days before the first game of the season.

 

[beorhthelm]

Liverpool fans at work suggest this might because he's constantly carrying niggly injuries anyway, but plays through them for Liverpool. he does have a tendancy to favour one leg or t'other when you see him on telly, so there might be somthing to this.