England squad...

[Simon's Church]

Tbf, I would have loved to see Britton replicating his brilliant form this season for England in the summer.

'Back to Terry, back to Britton, over to Cole, back to Britton, back to Cahill, back to Britton, Back to Terry'
ad infinitum

[TBM]

Tbf, I would have loved to see Britton replicating his brilliant form this season for England in the summer.

'Back to Terry, back to Britton, over to Cole, back to Britton, back to Cahill, back to Britton, Back to Terry'
ad infinitum

As my stats on the previous page suggest........for a central midfielder, having no assists and 4 shots ALL season is pretty poor.

[Ian Royal]

Tbf, I would have loved to see Britton replicating his brilliant form this season for England in the summer.

'Back to Terry, back to Britton, over to Cole, back to Britton, back to Cahill, back to Britton, Back to Terry'
ad infinitum

As my stats on the previous page suggest........for a central midfielder, having no assists and 4 shots ALL season is pretty poor.

Depends what his role is really. If he's there to sit in front of the back four and dictate play from deep, goals and assists are utterly irrelevant.

[cmonurz]

Is he a tackler too? Can't imagine Makelele's stats were much better than that, don't really remember if he ever scored.

[TBM]

Tbf, I would have loved to see Britton replicating his brilliant form this season for England in the summer.

'Back to Terry, back to Britton, over to Cole, back to Britton, back to Cahill, back to Britton, Back to Terry'
ad infinitum

As my stats on the previous page suggest........for a central midfielder, having no assists and 4 shots ALL season is pretty poor.

Depends what his role is really. If he's there to sit in front of the back four and dictate play from deep, goals and assists are utterly irrelevant.

So then why is Extended-Phenotype saying he would be a better replacement for Gerrard/Lampard?! - isn't that what we have Parker/Barry for?

[TBM]

Is he a tackler too? Can't imagine Makelele's stats were much better than that, don't really remember if he ever scored.

Look at Alex Song for Arsenal,

Games: 34
Goals: 1
Assists: 11
Shots: 14

IF Brittons stats where like that, then i would agree but being able to pass to your centre backs is hardly something England need to help us win the Euro's

[Ian Royal]

As my stats on the previous page suggest........for a central midfielder, having no assists and 4 shots ALL season is pretty poor.

Depends what his role is really. If he's there to sit in front of the back four and dictate play from deep, goals and assists are utterly irrelevant.

So then why is Extended-Phenotype saying he would be a better replacement for Gerrard/Lampard?! - isn't that what we have Parker/Barry for?

Because he can't stand them. Based on what he's saying I doubt very much that he'd be intending to play a midfielder to sit behind a lone striker. Which is the only place worth playing either of them.

[Simon's Church]

Is he a tackler too? Can't imagine Makelele's stats were much better than that, don't really remember if he ever scored.

Not really, Joe Allen is the one who puts is foot in for Swansea. Britton is just massively average.

[cmonurz]

Is he a tackler too? Can't imagine Makelele's stats were much better than that, don't really remember if he ever scored.

Look at Alex Song for Arsenal,

Games: 34
Goals: 1
Assists: 11
Shots: 14

IF Brittons stats where like that, then i would agree but being able to pass to your centre backs is hardly something England need to help us win the Euro's

I wish he was English, some of Song's assists to RVP have been sublime.

[Hoop Blah]

Is he a tackler too? Can't imagine Makelele's stats were much better than that, don't really remember if he ever scored.

Not really, Joe Allen is the one who puts is foot in for Swansea. Britton is just massively average.

He's good at what he does though, and that's why he's in the Swansea team.

It's easy to play that position badly but he obviously rarely loses the ball and helps them keep it under pressure. That's a difficult skill to master, but not really one that the England team would probably be looking to use in the Euro's.

EP can let off as much steam as he likes about Gerrard and Lampard being in the side but there isn't anyone better available to Hodgson to do the same job. Our lack of genuine replacement for Rooney means they almost certainly will fill in for him in one way or another.

The time to ditch them from the team is now after the Euro's when Hodgson can really stamp his mark on how we do things (hopefully!).

[who are ya?]

Just a shame wilshere has his drugs ban really

Have heard this as well, asked Jack myself, but he refused to comment.

Something like that's got to come out in the open at some point if it's true

[southbank1871]

I still dream that an England manager at some point will get the best out of Lampard and Gerrard. Tbf to Lampard, he did used to be pretty effective for England and scored some quite important goals. Gerrard has always given away possession far too much to be an effective international footballer imo.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Carrick only doesn't want to play because he would be on the bench behind Peahead and Fatso.

As one of the standout midfielders of last season, Murphy's age is irelevant.

Milner is far tidier with the ball than either Gerrard or Lampard.

And Britton completed more passes this season than Xavi.


Don't think any of those guys could be any worse than our aging poster boys.

They're not alternatives to Lampard/Gerrard though are they?

Alternatives to Barry and Parker perhaps, but none of those players are the ones to break from midfield and provide goals or to play off the forward in a 5 man midfield. Without Rooney that's what we need, and that's why they're both in the squad.

Because of course, there is only one formation in football.

And all outfield players should be judged purely on goals scored.

[Hoop Blah]

What are you trying to say?

If you're taking Britton and Murphy instead of Gerrard and Lampard how are you setting up the side then?

[Extended-Phenotype]

I'm saying, by using sarcasm, there is more than one formation.

4-4-2, two holding mids, wingers and fullbacks pushing on, big/little striker partnership.

--------------HART----------

JOHNSON--CAHILL--TERRY--COLE

--------PARKER--BRITTON-----

WALCOTT----------------YOUNG

--------CARROLL---DEFOE-----


interchangable with Barry or Murphy

[TBM]

I'm saying, by using sarcasm, there is more than one formation.

4-4-2, two holding mids, wingers and fullbacks pushing on, big/little striker partnership.

--------------HART----------

JOHNSON--CAHILL--TERRY--COLE

--------PARKER--BRITTON-----

WALCOTT----------------YOUNG

--------CARROLL---DEFOE-----


interchangable with Barry or Murphy

So your two central midfielders have a total of 1 assist and no goals between them.......are you then relying on Walcott and Young to provide Carroll and Defoe with the goals? - lets just hope teams don't twig that our central midfielders aren't creative ones

[winchester_royal]

Leon Britton failed at Sheffield United playing 4-4-2. He can't do it.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Both players being asked to play as holding mids, I wouldn't expect them to have many assists/goals.

It's not really that controversial a plan to play 4-4-2 with ball winning, possesional midfielders. We do it.

And in game three, we get Roons back, who opperates like an AM anyway. Half the problem with England is Rooney and Gerrard/Lampard tripping over each other all the time, playing in virtually the same space.

Two anchors will give Rooney plenty of space and cover to opperate, and I hardly think passing the ball forwards is going to be a problem for them in the first two games.

[soggy biscuit]

The stats generation fail again

[TBM]

Both players being asked to play as holding mids, I wouldn't expect them to have many assists/goals.

It's not really that controversial a plan to play 4-4-2 with ball winning, possesional midfielders. We do it.

Except Britton isn't a ball winning / holding midfielder.