If England are serious.....

Bilbo

about improving, I see absolutely no reason at all why they shouldn't spend a month this summer with Capello in a training camp. Throw in a couple of closed door friendlies, and Capello will get ample opportunity to work his magic with the players, and get them playing the system he wants to see.

FranklyVulgar

Why don't england just give up and accept that they are awful

Jacob

I'm beginning to think England will never make a good team.

Everybody keeps telling England has got good players but a bad team.

Is this really it? I can only think of Rooney, Rio, Gerrard and maybe Terry.

FranklyVulgar

I blame Platini

Tibs

No thanks.

I'd rather our players got a rest for the new season

Our needs come before England fc

Nick 0208 Ldn

I could go for that i suppose, suggested something similar a while back myself.

The simple act of playing [though not TV matches] and training together as a group could be very beneficial.

I think in the first half last night we continued to see sings of what Capello is doing for the side, the media and the supporters simply need to ba a little patient.

CnutOfAllCnuts

England have as good set of players as most nations.

Two world class centrehalves in Rio and Terry.
A superb left back in Cole.
Great set of various types of midfielders in Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Cole, Beckham, Hargreaves etc.
Two superb strikers in Rooney and Owen.

Bilbo

They could easily take three weeks off after the season ends and still do this. It wouldn't have to be a particularly strenuous time. Three weeks working on team shape and whatever other ideas Capello has in mind would be of great benefit.

CnutOfAllCnuts

An England XI looking something like this could beat any team in the world:

-----------James----------
Richards---Rio---Terry---Cole
Beckham-Carrick-Gerrard-Cole
--------Rooney-Owen-------

And a 'B' team of:

-------------Foster-------------
Brown---Woodgate---King---Bridge
Bentley-Hargreaves-Lampard-Young
---------Defoe-Crouch-----------

...isn't too shabby either.

Plenty of decent players to take from.

Murphman

It is feckin weird how players I watch every week become at best average in an england shirt. I watched last night only spasmodically but the difference in standards set by the likes of Gerrard Rooney and Rio is inexplicable.

I was in a meeting and was only catching glimpses from time to time but noticed England were pressing much higher up the pitch than under McLaren and Sven, did I imagine that?

CnutOfAllCnuts

That's how you normally watch football though, isn't it?

Crustanoid

There a big myth about 'making the step up to international football' that somehow mentally affects our players when they play for England yet somehow doesn't do the same for other nations.

Bilbo

The media are entirely to blame IMO. Build them up, knock them down.

RedDevilCanuck

They are boring and the long ball bullshit is embarrassing. France weren't much better. Why dont they use the wings and play "English" football and attack and play physical in the midfield.

giggs-beckham

Completely agree with those two teams - that bent fucker couldve been helpfull last night mind you all

Nick 0208 Ldn

It has been massively reduced since Capello came in actually.

Nick 0208 Ldn

Rooney and Owen does not work, not a long term option nor first choice strike partnership IMO.

20le_Solskjaer

-----------James----------
Richards---Rio---Woodgate---Cole
SWP-Carrick-Gerrard-Cole
----Rooney-Agbonlahor-------

Pace everywhere in the team. A solid defence and Michael Carrick to pass the ball around. Would work imo.

Scholesy

Foster/Hart
Johnson Rio Terry Cole
Becks Carrick Gerrard Cole
Ashton/Agbonlahor Rooney

20le_Solskjaer

SWP/Lennon>>Beckham

Plechazunga

Nick 0208 Ldn

As goes Agbonlahor alongside Rooney, very possibly, i expect that it is between him and Ashton long term when considering the role of a true striker for England.

Instant Karma

England's problems are -
1) Lack of strikers who are scoring goals consistently. There is not a single English striker in the top 10 of Premiership goal charts
2) Lack of skill and ability to go past players
3) Lack of players who have the vision to play through balls along the ground (like a Fabregas or Pirlo). Of the two players who can do that, Rooney gets played as a lone striker and Cole on the wing.

KingEric7

Joe Cole is another as is our very own Michael Carrick. Lampard is still the most productive centre midfielder going and despite being a shadow of the player he once was, Ashley Cole is still decent.

The talent is there.

Giggsy PO

The club managers would love that. I can see Fergie giving a warmly blessing to this idea.

Raven_Blade

To me, the players look like shadows of those who regularly make headlines in the Premier League. They are scared to go out there and express themselves. At the very least when the England golden generation hype was in full flow, they played better because they believed they were good. Reality has now set in a bit too much and they are almost feeling sorry for themselves. Its a mental thing and it needs to be solved quickly. Every player desperately needs to see a psychiatrist.

ps. Bring back Michael Carrick,

FranklyVulgar

I would honestly say that englands main problem is a lack of team spirit. For whatever reason the team do not play as a team, when you have players playing at a high level in club games yet seem to almost drop a level or two in international matches you have to question that.

Scotland are the opposite, a player like James McFadden who couldn't even get a game for everton ahead of the likes of Andy Johnson yet at international level has a better strike rate than Rooney.

Our players seem to raise their game, give it all yet the england players do alot of talking but not alot of doing.

KingEric7

I can agree with this.
We have some very talented individuals playing for us but there is quite a distinct lack of spark in the team. Rooney and Gerrard have it, as does Joe Cole. These are the players that will try and play the killer ball, or run past a man in order to open something up. Players like Lampard and Terry are excellent but in comparison, they are quite average with a ball at their feet.

If you look down the team sheet of the odious and detestable Portuguese national team, you will find players such as Ronaldo, Nani, Quaresma, Deco, who are all capable of brilliance.
The same goes for Brazil with players such as Kaka, Ronaldinho, Robinho and in the future, Anderson and Pato.

The problem with our nation as i have said time and time again, is the grass roots coaching system. Kids are never encouraged to run with the ball when they get it, neither are they encouraged to go for the adventurous. The focus has always been on moving the ball, keeping it easy, etc....
Players are berated for losing the ball after trying something out of the ordinary! The sooner we get rid of this mentality, the better. We need to drill it into our coaches around the country that we need kids to run with the ball and try to do the more adventurous. Cristiano Ronaldo is doing a better job teaching the kids at the moment than the coaches. It is players like him that will be the role models to the exceptional players we will produce in the future.

Bilbo

If it was sold correctly, I don't see it as a big problem. Players would still have a decent sized mid-season break.

Would he rather they spend five weeks on the piss?

Giggsy PO

Well maybe two weeks could be possible but one month is too much IMO.