England squad...

[winchester_royal]

Maybe I'm being slightly harsh on Richards, but it is telling that Zabaleta has been picked before him in the last couple of months.

I take your point about Mancini using him off the bench, but don't forget he did the same with Savic in the first half of the season.

There's a reason experienced coaches like Hodgson and Capello don't rate him. He has occasional lapses in concentration and you can't really afford that at international level. Johnson is also better with the ball than Richards is, and I'm sure that came into Hodgson's thinking.

[Silver Fox]

Whoever got picked England were always going to struggle, ever since Rooney's red card. I can see them getting nowt form the first 2 games and the inclusion of Downing and Carrick does little to cange that. 4 strikers is asking for trouble, Owen in '04 (was it?) style

[blindedbythelights]

it is telling that Zabaleta has been picked before him

If Zabaleta was English it might be, otherwise, no, no its not.

[winchester_royal]

it is telling that Zabaleta has been picked before him

If Zabaleta was English it might be, otherwise, no, no its not.

Don't understand your point m8. The fact that Richards was dropped going into the last part of the season suggests that Mancini doesn't have total faith in him. Just like Capello didn't. Just like Hodgson apparently doesn't.

[Hoop Blah]

it is telling that Zabaleta has been picked before him

If Zabaleta was English it might be, otherwise, no, no its not.

Don't understand your point m8. The fact that Richards was dropped going into the last part of the season suggests that Mancini doesn't have total faith in him. Just like Capello didn't. Just like Hodgson apparently doesn't.

No, it means that a very good international fullback did enough whilst Richards was injured to keep him out when he returned to fitness for the last 3 or 4 games.

For the most part of the season Richards was his first choice.

Just because Zabaleta has kept him out doesn't mean that he see's him as better than Richards or that Richards isn't the best available to England.

[blindedbythelights]

I think I'm one of about 5 people who have correctly pointed on this thread he was never dropped, he was injured. Subsequently returning from injury he has struggled to dislodge an outstanding Zabaleta.


edit - or just see post above

Even if he was the second choice RB at City, which he is not, hes still the best RB England have

[Maguire]

it is telling that Zabaleta has been picked before him

If Zabaleta was English it might be, otherwise, no, no its not.

Don't understand your point m8. The fact that Richards was dropped going into the last part of the season suggests that Mancini doesn't have total faith in him. Just like Capello didn't. Just like Hodgson apparently doesn't.

Capello and Hodgson can't call up Zabaleta instead, that's the point.

[TBM]

I think he's gone for Johnson over Richards though, due to him being a better "defender".......Richards is superb at going forward but his defensive abilities are sometimes questioned.

Anyway, i think Jones will be the one who plays there

[Maguire]

Whoever got picked England were always going to struggle, ever since Rooney's red card. I can see them getting nowt form the first 2 games and the inclusion of Downing and Carrick does little to cange that. 4 strikers is asking for trouble, Owen in '04 (was it?) style

Cheese pie. Carrick isn't in the squad.

[Maguire]

Sky appear to be the official Gary Hooper supporters channel. They seem to not bd able to understand how Hooper did not make the squad quoting goal stats etc

I didn't even know who Gary Hooper was until they just started banging on about him

It's tough to get selected for England playing in The Championship, let alone an even poorer league than that.

[winchester_royal]

If he was the best option available to England then why haven't the last 2 England managers picked him?

I don't understand the Richards love tbh. Quick but clumsy, with very little skill on the ball. That's okay for the hustle and bustle of English football, but international football has slightly different requirements.

Seems Capello and Hodgson agree with me.

[blindedbythelights]

I think he's gone for Johnson over Richards though, due to him being a better "defender".......Richards is superb at going forward but his defensive abilities are sometimes questioned.

Anyway, i think Jones will be the one who plays there

being good at getting forward but a bit rubbish at getting back and actually defending is never something johnson has been accused off

[TBM]

I think he's gone for Johnson over Richards though, due to him being a better "defender".......Richards is superb at going forward but his defensive abilities are sometimes questioned.

Anyway, i think Jones will be the one who plays there

being good at getting forward but a bit rubbish at getting back and actually defending is never something johnson has been accused off

isn't that what i just said

[winchester_royal]

Capello and Hodgson can't call up Zabaleta instead, that's the point.

But they can call up a guy who's got 35 international caps, and is pretty much the first name on the team-sheet for his club when he's fit.

[Victor Meldrew]

Maybe I'm being slightly harsh on Richards, but it is telling that Zabaleta has been picked before him in the last couple of months.

I take your point about Mancini using him off the bench, but don't forget he did the same with Savic in the first half of the season.

There's a reason experienced coaches like Hodgson and Capello don't rate him. He has occasional lapses in concentration and you can't really afford that at international level. Johnson is also better with the ball than Richards is, and I'm sure that came into Hodgson's thinking.

I agree with you.
Walker and Johnson are really wing-backs but neither are great defenders and IMHO Walker is worse than Johnson.
Richards throws himself into everything but is so ill-disciplined and often gives away stupid free-kicks;also he does seem to be injured a lot,ditto Johnson.
Jones is overhyped-at the moment a player who can play in a number of positions but none of them particularly well just like Milner.

Scott Parker-what on earth does he bring?
Scott Carson-a nightmare
Walcott-has had a poor season and gone backwards but Oxlade-Chamberlain a better option as well as being braver,stronger and less injury prone.
Downing-just like Milner a player who gets so many chances but hardly ever does much.
Carrick also has had enough chances.
Lennon-ought to be in the 4X100 squad at the Olympics and a player with no football brain.
Thank goodness the clamour for Scholes has gone .
As for Terry v Ferdinand let's hope the media forgets that one as I don't want to see or hear old wobbly mouth-one of the Twittest of all twitters.
Defoe-there is a reason why Harry doesn't play him but as could be argued with this squad, who else?
One other minor gripe-when did Hart get elevated to best keeper in the world?
I like him but he has made his fair share of mistakes this season behind a very strong and successful back 4 and whereas he has a good attitude I'm not sure that he has done enough to be lauded as no.1-Neuer of Germany for one and Casillas for another might feature if the discussion were taking place outside of England.

Picking an England squad/team is always a good topic and with expectations so low they might just surprise us this time but best that we don't hold our breath.

[TBM]

I agree with you.
Walker and Johnson are really wing-backs but neither are great defenders

I would say Johnson was better at defending than Richards but Richards was better at going forward

I think Roy wants a more defensive player as he'll have 5 midfielders to do the forward work

[Hoop Blah]

If he was the best option available to England then why haven't the last 2 England managers picked him?

I don't understand the Richards love tbh. Quick but clumsy, with very little skill on the ball. That's okay for the hustle and bustle of English football, but international football has slightly different requirements.

Seems Capello and Hodgson agree with me.

Capello didn't choose him because he felt he didn't follow his instructions, not because he wasn't a good defender, and, for a lot of the time Capello was in charge Richards was well out of form or injured so he formed his opinion and stuck with it.

I'd agree that Johnson is better technically and is the more graceful and skillful, but I wouldn't agree he's a better defender, not since Richards has bounced back from a dodgy year or two this season (I think the majority of those criticising him are remembering his dodgy spell when he seemed to believe his own hype and was switched to playing centre half too much).

I agree with TBM that it will quite possibly be Jones that starts at right back, possibly as just another way of getting him the experience of playing in a tournament as a future [probable] mainstay of the defence for year to come (if he ever gets to play centre half for more than a few games at his club).

Long term I'm sure Richards and Walker will be the two battling it out for the right back spot, but only time will tell.

[southbank1871]

I wonder how many more hilarious tweets or fb updates I'm going to see with people expressing their disappointment that they didn't make the squad or announcing their retirement from international football?

Further to this post, I used some of this epic bant at the start of a presentation I did this afternoon and got quite a few lolz

[TBM]

I'd agree that Johnson is better technically and is the more graceful and skillful, but I wouldn't agree he's a better defender, not since Richards has bounced back from a dodgy year or two this season (I think the majority of those criticising him are remembering his dodgy spell when he seemed to believe his own hype and was switched to playing centre half too much).

Watching City play (more last season, granted), then you'll notice that he bombs forward in to great positions but is then caught out when the attack is broken down - its only due to Kompany etc covering him that he isn't as exposed as much - unfortunately we don't have anyone near enough as good as Kompany in our team.

[winchester_royal]

If he was the best option available to England then why haven't the last 2 England managers picked him?

I don't understand the Richards love tbh. Quick but clumsy, with very little skill on the ball. That's okay for the hustle and bustle of English football, but international football has slightly different requirements.

Seems Capello and Hodgson agree with me.

Capello didn't choose him because he felt he didn't follow his instructions, not because he wasn't a good defender, and, for a lot of the time Capello was in charge Richards was well out of form or injured so he formed his opinion and stuck with it.

I'd agree that Johnson is better technically and is the more graceful and skillful, but I wouldn't agree he's a better defender, not since Richards has bounced back from a dodgy year or two this season (I think the majority of those criticising him are remembering his dodgy spell when he seemed to believe his own hype and was switched to playing centre half too much).

I agree with TBM that it will quite possibly be Jones that starts at right back, possibly as just another way of getting him the experience of playing in a tournament as a future [probable] mainstay of the defence for year to come (if he ever gets to play centre half for more than a few games at his club).

Long term I'm sure Richards and Walker will be the two battling it out for the right back spot, but only time will tell.

So, in other words, Capello felt he was a liability?

I'd imagine that Hodgson, given the way he sets up his teams, will want a player who follows instructions in every position.

Maybe I'm just trying to play a bit of devil's advocate here, but for me Richards is nowhere near the world-class full back that some in the media seem to think he is. Him and Johnson are pretty close in terms of ability, and Johnson's experience puts him slightly ahead.

Agree that Walker and Richards will be the ones fighting it out...but I think Walker will win that battle pretty easily.