It certainly wasn't a brilliant performance and, first half, we were very strangely stretched, but in the end we ran out comfortable winners against a decent Mexico team. I heard before kick-off that West Ham had released Franco. Why for pity's sake? Look at the way he turned King in the first half - the guy has class. Sign him up for another season.
But back to England. I hate to say it, but we looked so much better second half with Carragher on the pitch. I didn't want the cheating Scouse traitor brought back into the fold but, on the basis of tonight, he is worth his place in the team, never mind in the squad.
That first half was poor. Carrick looks out of his depth and we saw tonight how much we miss both Lampard and Barry when they aren't playing. I know Hammers fans will make the case for Parker but I have always maintained that he lacks the vision and class for international football. The decision not to use him at all tonight suggests that Capello has reached the same conclusion. Is Huddlestone the answer? I'm not sure about him either. Personally, I hope Barry is on the mend!
Rooney had a quietish game which, given the result, is good news because it shows we can win with our genius playing as an ordinary mortal. Crouch again showed that he adds a certain something to the mix. Yes he looks ungainly but, say what you will, the guy is amazingly effective. Never mind his handball offside goal, he set up our first superbly.
Not sure about King based on tonight's performance, and Rio looked all at sea, but how much was that down to a midfield unit that were misfiring and looking like they had never set foot on a training pitch together? Second half, the midfield played much better as a unit and, as a result, we looked so much more secure at the back. Unlike Green, Hart didn't really have a save to make. That said, I felt much more comfortable with Hart between the sticks - he exudes confidence and was bossing his defenders, giving them verbals throughout the second 45; unlike Green. Yes Green made two very good saves but Mexico didn't test him on crosses (why didn't Franco tell his team mates to crowd Green at corners?) and there was that one awful moment when that shot straight at Green rebounded off his chest into the middle of the penalty box; he was so lucky there wasn't a Mexican on hand to stick that rebound away.
Johnson was excellent going forward and scored a brilliant goal; Baines looked ordinary sadly. Walcott flickered brightly at times but his final ball was invariably poor and his decision making was often flawed. Lennon looks the better bet to me. How quick did he look when he burst through to win that free kick? In the World Cup proper, Mexico would have had two players sent off, one for that foul on Lennon and the other for the foul on Gerrard.
Overall, it was an average performance but we still won 3-1. This is becoming a very refreshing habit!
22 comments:
I thought that game was crying out for Parker. With Carrick having one of his ghost games and Milner huffing and puffing out of position, a proven defensive midfielder looked like the answer to me, but what do I know. I presume he'll get a bit of pitch time against Japan, otherwise why put him in the 30 at all? You're right about Franco though, he is a good player and will no doubt be traded in for a donkey...
Phil the power taylor is a legend. 2 nine dart finishes in 1 match. What a legend.
Can't say I mind a few donkeys - the most important thing is that EVERYONE plays in position - left footed players on the left and right footed players on the right. I also like to see all players play attacking football with all mid fielders being proven goal scorers.
Phil the Power Taylor
WAKE UP LIAM BELL
HF is a prick
This blog rocks/sucks???
Marc Grant is a drac
Marc Grant is a drac
Completely unfair about Green. He prevented what should have been a certain goal against a player who tends to chip the goalkeeper. I felt secure with green in goal, and isn't the idea of having a defensive captain to bark the orders, not the goalkeeper? No way, Green was excellent, it would just go against your hatred of him to say it. Well done Greeno!
Excellent? What about the shot that rebounded off is chest. that was ROUTINE and he made a hash of it I'm afraid. Two good saves, one major cock up. Not great in 45 minutes I'm afraid. I fear Green could cost us the World Cup.
there's more to football than playing left footed donkeys on the left and right footed donkeys on the right. Great players can alternate positions during games and utilise different tactics and strategies. If we end up with an unchanging side we will become very predictable and ergo beatable. I don't think you can mean that you would welcome bad players. do you? you probably do...
Green made one good save. The others were poor finishing to be fair.
Always said how awful Carrick is and it showed in that game. Barry is just as bad HF and I cannot for the life of me understand what you see in him....maybe you don't wanna admit that I was right about him :). Back end of the season he was rubbish for City. If Parker lacks the vision and class for international football then Barry not only lacks those two things but has no other useful asset either.
Rio wasn't that bad and Kings errors were unfairly highlighted just to kiss Terry's arse. Terry makes those mistakes every 20 minutes. King will get into it and his partnership with Rio looks a much better one. Compare King to Terry when he's on the ball and add to that King's pace and the answer of which two to pair is a simple one.
As for the performance, I dread meeting Spain, Argentina or Brazil because we will be witnessing a lesson in football. Rooney knows this, hence his frustrations. I feel for him; the only world class English attacking option there.
1913, the donkey comments were not made by me. That is Hammersfan Alter Ego, a clown signing in as me. It keeps him amused!
Stani, check the stats. Barry had a higher pass completion rate than both Parker and Carrick last season and won more tackles than both as well. That means he is more effective than both. And, as Graham Taylor said this morning, Barry is naturally left footed so gives balance to the centre of our midfield.
Rooney and Cashley are both undoubtedly world class. We also have two other very special weapons: the pace of Lennon / Walcott which will terrify even Spain and Brazil; and the unknown factor of Crouch. What the hell do you do with guy? No defender in the World Cup will be comfortable marking him and Rooney will revel in the panic that will result from this "height and pace factor". Add in Gerrard and Lampard, and we have no much scoring potential. Look how we score every game now. How many teams have taken Croatia apart in the way we did? Egypt and Mexico are not bad teams but we hit 3 past both of them. Don't quote Spain and Brazil, we had virtual reserve teams out in both those games. Keep Rooney fit and we win the World Cup. Watch! And I predict that we will do so without playing either Spain or Brazil.
This fake hf needs to be stopped... btw any of you guys seen this? it's on the OS
"West Ham United has emerged as a shock possible future destination for NBA basketball superstar LeBron James.
The Cleveland Cavaliers forward could become a free agent this summer, sparking a worldwide scramble for his services ahead of the new season.
The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat are all rumoured to be interested in the 25-year-old, but Washington Post reporter Norman Chad has suggested that the Hammers could also be in the running.
"This would be the gutsy move for LeBron - head to England and the Premier League for a team that has never won a Premier League title," wrote Chad in his 'Couch Slouch' column.
"The team is without a manager, so LeBron could bring in his own guy. Granted, he's never played soccer, but, then again, David Beckham's a big deal and I don't think he ever plays soccer, either."
Akron, Ohio-born James, who has spent his entire professional career with the Cavaliers, is likely to command wages in the region of £200,000-a-week.
In the 2009/10 season, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player earned a salary of $14.41m - or £9.949m by today's exchange rate.
Having played alongside Shaquille O'Neal at Cleveland this season, James has proved he can partner a bigger forward able to hold the ball up when surrounded by defenders. He is also well-known for his deadly long-range shooting and his willingness to take control of the game when his side is under pressure.
However, it remains to be seen whether the club would be interested in a player as yet unproven in the Barclays Premier League.
Any move to West Ham is likely to leave US President Barack Obama with mixed feelings, seeing as the former Illinois Senator is rumoured to support both the Bulls and the Hammers."
Greeno made TWO very impressive saves in the first half and (he is) the England No 1! his reactions to me looked the best all season. His one-handed save from Carlos Vela in a one-on-one was nothing short of superb and he cannot in any way be blamed for the sloppy defending that led to Mexico's goal.
So Stani - Ledley King SCORED a goal Woopeee, but didn't he look slow? To me he didn't look at all sharp, he lost his marker for the Mexico goal and his body language suggested early fatigue and tirdness.
Actually Hammersfan Alter Ego, it was Rio who lost his marker for the goal. The Green saves were good, nothing more. I would back Hart, Robinson and James to save both those shots. The issue is that terrible error. Do that against a better team and we are out! One major error in 45 minutes of football is not acceptable for an international keeper. Hart didn't make a single error and did not concede a goal.
That stuff about LeBron is really odd Hammersfan Alter Ego. Somebody having a wind up before leaving his job perhaps? Thank you for sharing this with our readers, an excellent contribution. You have been busy helping me out again tonight and your efforts are greatly appreciated. But seriously, have you seen that psychiatrist yet?
You can't use Carrick as comparison HF because I rate him even less than Barry! The guy is pulling a scam. As for Parker, swap him and Barry in their respective sides and the stats will reverse too. Barry was part of a team but Parker was a one man show. It's not his fault all around him were shite. But I'm no necessarily saying replace Barry with Parker....replace him with anyone, I don't care.
If the left footed player is shite, balance is still not achieved HF. And Graham Taylor?!?! Come on HF?!?! I'm praying Barry doesn't make it! I'd have any one of Milner, Huddlestone or Parker ahead of Barry/Carrick. Capello can even go to what he did before with Lampard and Gerrard. He told Lampard to play the holding role and Gerrard the attacking and had them both in the centre of midfield. That would give us the option of Johnson/Milner/Joe Cole on the left and Lennon/Walcott/Cole/Milner on the right.
The technical side of the English game is still very poor. Look how Mexico passed and moved at the beginning of he game. Why the hell can't Gerrad, Lampard etc do that? It's all that b*ll***s training without the ball the English footballer is brought up on isn't it? Yes, it's fine with the likes of Mexico but we wont be able to live with the teams mentioned before.
....and just to mention, Barry's high pass completion is because he passes sideways and backwards. Serious, watch him.
Hammmersfan impostor,
But I didn't mention that King scored as back up for my argument....even though it would have been easy to. You have to be fair to King, it was his first international back. He clearly got better as the game went on and looks faster, more commanding and better on the ball than Terry.
Hammmersfan impostor, look in the press - there's not one paper that isn't singing Greens praises and for the lost marker - just watched it again on the sky box and it's deffo King = who's knees will go at any minute
@00:45 this other guys is right idiot - thanks hf for bring the weirdness of the NBA article on OS to our attention - WTF is that all about?
Hammersfan stop being a dick for once. If someone made that save against a west ham player it would have been a great save. So what if the ball rebounded off his chest, did it lead to a goal? Give the man credit where it's due.
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