Welcome back,
We say goodbye to our prize sponsor for March - ESPN STAR Sports - and will announce the new sponsor for next month, next week. But The Postman's questions continue...
If mediocrity sells, then the England team is proof of such an award-winning product. Yet, we can't live with them, or without them, it seems.
Who wants an autographed England jersey signed by underperforming stars and a stiff of a manager? Oh yes, many of us wanted that this month...
So, if talking about mediocrity fires you up, let's continue here on England as they shape up to face Andorra.
I wonder what transpired between McClaren and Rooney after the Israel game? Do you believe it?
I wonder what McClaren is drawing on his tactics board now, as he sits back with some tea and biscuits, and chats amiably with English journalists. Can you foresee his line-up or what happens should one of them ask what to do with the bread knife?
Or will a win over Andorra temporarily gloss over the defects?
Tell us, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).
Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Midweek Topic".
At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and especially bloggers, e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams)
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62 comments:
me·di·oc·ri·ty Pronunciation[mee-dee-ok-ri-tee]
1. the state or quality of being mediocre.
2. mediocre ability or accomplishment.
England is not being mediocre. They are being below average. It's been a while they had a win.
What transpired between Wayne Rooney and Steve McClaren could be fact or fiction. If it's fact, who else can play striker for England these days? Steve McClaren needs to win less enemies these days and read the book 'How To Win Friends And Influence People'.
I foresee him recalling David Beckham. If he doesn't, the one to replace Steve McClaren better does. David Beckham is the reason why England had been scoring in the past. Those crosses and free-kicks are like the 'uumph' in their teh tarik.
A win over Andorra will give Steve McClaren another lifeline. A draw or a lose will see McClaren walk that door baby bye, bye, bye.
Yes, love them or hate them, they are everyone's favourite topic. Even the poor start for World Champions Italy doesn't seem to grab the headlines the way the England team does.
The argument between McClaren and Rooney could just be the clever ploy of the English media to get the players fired up. However, knowing Rooney, his temper and his competitive streak could have gotten the better of him after that disappointing result.
I do not forsee many changes in his starting line-up. Perhaps
1) M.Richards to replace P.Neville on the right to give England more power. Knowing its well, Andorra, they can sacrifice alittle of their defensive stability for more power in attack
2)Defoe should come in for Johnson. Seeing that Defoe had more chances in 10 minutes than Johnson had in 80 minutes adds weight that Defoe should be starting.
3) I would like to see Lennon play on the right where he is definitely more effective.
Other than that, I still see him starting with Gerrard/Lampard. Giving in and dropping either would be bowing down to the media. Well, if the row between McClaren and Rooney turns out to be true, McClaren could drop him but i doubt so. Simply because there's a lack of options in the striking department and Rooney on his day can win any match, much more against Andorra. England should go on and win this match convincingly. I do not forsee this as a stopgap measure because i have doubts that the FA will sack McClaren until its mathematically proven that England will not qualify for the Euros. Given the time to assimilate into the new team, it would definitely be hard to find a reputable manager who is keen to risk his reputation to steer this ship on-course.
Cheers,
kel
As a team England was never world class. Even though they have some splendid individual players who can walk into the first team of any team in the world.
Mediocrity doesn't sell, definitely. it is a fact that English fans or fans around most parts of the world are very loyal fans, they will get angry over bad performances etc but however even if their teams are relegated from a division or knocked out of a competition, they remain as loyal fans.
I believe that there were some harsh words exchanged between McClaren and Rooney but let's not read too much into that. Even in weekend kickabouts, there would be guys in the same team ranting at each other just because they lost. But its all in the name of the game and the strong desire to win. So i reckon its just some "man-talk". As 'MIGHTY' England(and the most hyped about team), would u speak niceties after drawing a game whereby you thought you could win? No. That's for sure.
I reckon this time he will want to kill off the game as soon as possible and appease the fans. So he would go for a 4-3-3 (let's keep our fingers crossed)
i dun think he would change the back four comprising of Neville, Ferdinand, Terry and Carragher.
3 mid:Gerrard,Hargreaves,Carrick
3 att:Defoe,Johnson,Rooney in the hole between mid and att.
England will need to win this one against Andorra and i reckon they would win convincingly. They would not want to face another backlash from the fans and the media.
Sacking the Manager now? i dun think so, having said that, McClaren wasn't the best choice to replace Eriksson in the first place.
It's reliance on old colonial ties, neighbour countries of it's colonies and Ex-World War II foes which partly helps to sell for England.
Given England's reputation for mediocre performance, there will be die-hard sucker fans from former colonies like Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, India and Myanmar still buy their jerseies and spend thousands of dollars just to go and support Engalnd live in the last World Cup 2006 despite deep inside their hearts knowing English players will return home early to enjoy their summer holidays.
Neighbours like Thailand and Indonesia of England's former colonies, due to it's historical ties, also spend lots of money to buy English memorabilas including counterfeit stuff.
Former African colonies, provided they're not in the same competition with England, band together to support English team despite knowing their mediocrity performance.
Same with Ex-World War II foes Germany, Italy and Japan, whose citizens not only support their own countries but also Enlgand.
Overpaid, over-hyped, under-performed and mediocre players in England Team but made to look like excellent players in their clubs due to brillant performances by foreign players which is the current crisis that England is facing it.
Steve McClaren's Charisma is seen in FA top brass's eyes which led him to become England's manager.
It is also individual players charisma which blinded fans of England, that result in continuing support despite it's mediocrity.
Mediocrity doesn't sells for Engalnd but it's undeserved charisma that binds blind fans to support them.
From: Chester Low
Errrr... As far as I know, Thailand and Indonesia were never under British rules in the past. Thailand was a French colony along with Laos and Cambodia, while Indonesia was under the Dutch governance...
So what's this fascination about England??? Blame the TV broadcasters for constantly airing the old Div 1 highlights every Sunday morning and increasing the coverage over the years...
Winning against Andorra looks like a formality, but it still won't be enough to salvage their pride and what's left of their campaign. It's all over as far as I see it.
As for the tete-a-tete between McClown and Rooney, it's normal. If I was in Rooney's shoes, I would hit back at the coach myself for singling me out when there were 12/13 others, including the subs, who didn't do their job, Fat Frank esp, who seems to get the nod / be defended by his cousin who is now a dumb football pundit...
after england's dismal showing against israel, i'm not even sure if they can even muster a 1-0 win over andorra. and to be fair, the whole england team wasn't putting in the effort to try and claim a win against israel, and i don't think it's right for mcclaren to single out rooney. has he forgotten? the england team is made up of 23 players, with 11 on the pitch, not just rooney alone. what was lamb doing on the pitch, anyway? to be honest, i still can't understand why mcclaren insisted on playing him.
it's in this instances where england needs beckham to save them like he did during the world cup when england just failed to score. but i don't think mcclaren will swallow his ego and give the former captain a slot on the wings. so the i foresee the midfield staying as it is, unless mcclaren realize that he needs to drop lamb.
rooney needs a good striking partner,and england doesn't have anyone to complement him. that's the problem upfront. rooney is not an efficient lone striker; he needs an assistant to assist or for him to assist. in other words, the england lack strikers.
it'll be horrible if england don't make it through cos then who am i going to watch for Euro other than Portugal and Germany? nobody will care much about Euro if england isn't in it. but i guess the media will have a field day analysing how lousy the Three Lions are, which will make for interesting read.
we can complain about how terrible they are, but england is here to stay.
The Andorra game couldn't come at a better time for England. A resounding victory will go a long way in improving morale as well as appeasing the fans and media who has been clamoring for an impressive result.
While victory looks a foregone conclusion, England need to deliver in a manner fit for an International powerhouse. The English stars have stuttered and flattered to deceive in recent matches and much of the blame should fall on McClaren's shoulders.
Instead of building a star team, he has desperately been assembling a team of stars. Lacking cohesion, creativity and balance, McClaren's side has become too predictable. He needs to address the issue sooner rather than later. And the Andorra game should be the platform in which his side should turn the corner.
McClaren needs to attack the Andorrans and take the game by the scruff of the neck from the start. Go with Defoe upfront with Rooney in the hole. Play Gerrard and Hargreaves with Lennon and Downing wide, with support coming from overlapping full-backs in Cole and Richards. Better yet, play with 3 strikers if he must.
I shudder to think he would still go for the tried-and-tested 4-4-2, with Lampard and Gerrard in the middle. If that happens, it would be the same old, predictable, mediocre England that we truly love to hate.
Funny isn't it?With so many outstanding English players who possess great skills and technique in the squad but when you put them in a basket,it seems like a basket of apples which look great on appearance but rotten inside.Mediocrity,underachieving or whatever disappointing words a fan will use can be apply on England just about now.
A victory against Andorra is a must and only by winning the game with a big margin will stop the acherers from releasing more venomous arrows.
McClaren with the players at his dispose have the capability to win this one with one eye closed.He should have saw where his problems lie in the match against Israel,if not he should pack up and leave.Ashley Cole will be back in the left back slot certainly and Carragher will most likely start at right back.However I will like to see the more adventurous Micah Richards in action.McClaren shall be bold for once leaving Lampard or Gerrard out in the lineup and bring in the cultured left-footed Downing on the problematic left-wing role and stop torturing Gerrard by placing on the right.We know what he can do in the middle of the park and what Lennon does best on the right flank.England strikers seem to be on a drought period with Rooney reportedly on the receiving end of McClaren criticism.True or not,who cares.Rooney is one who can win a game in a moment of magic although he tend to be anonymous in some matches.He just need to partner to share his burden up front.Andy Johnson tried but don't seem quite successful.Defoe is my favourite choice but he just can't get on the good books of his club and country managers.I don't know why but Defoe surely deserve more playing time,McClever should start him and if England does lead by a huge margin by 60-70 minutes,throw on Nugent and see whether he has the potential to make the step up and be a mainstay.
Nothing to lose at this stage anyway.The damages have been done.Take Care MaC.
Ooo... PM! Jamie Redknapp's not a dumb football pundit! He's a good-looking football pundit (although I can never see how he and Fat Frank can possibly be related). Haha, never mind, but I just like him. :)
We talked about player power in Eriksson's days, but the difference was, I don't think the England players ever seemed to dislike Eriksson. Quite the opposite in fact, as Eriksson seemed to favour certain players, and they almost always seemed to automatically pick themselves into the starting XI every game.
With McClaren currently, I can't help but feel that despite what they're saying, the players are probably doubting him. McClaren always used to be number 2 at England, and Man U, and even at Boro, he was never that great as number 1. Thus it wouldn't surprise me if any of the players don't have as much respect for him. Still, it would surprise me if any of them has already said it straight into his face ("You're worse than Eriksson! You're not even half as good as Fergie!")
Well that's the curse you get by being a number 2 to Alex Ferguson - Brian Kidd (Blackburn relegation), Carlos Queiroz (one season at Real Madrid) and McClown (his record with Boro and England speaks for itself). You try to emulate the Great One, but you are forever living in his shadows with bad results to boot. No wonder Martin Jol turned down the offer to be Fergie's number 2 a few years ago before they appointed Queiroz. But then again his position at Spurs is no better...
Ladylala, I cringe everytime I watch the Champions League round-ups with Jamie Redknapp as one of the pundits. He's like the Jacintha of football punditry, to summarise in one word - "Nonsensical"... :)
pujangga malam, what's this about Jamie Redknapp? He's my favourite player of all time. He has a beautiful wife (though my 'wife' covers like a Muslim lady and she's abroad currently :( ), his playing skills are similiar to mine (plenty of short passes and long-range shooting) and his behaviour outside is just like me.
I even have a Liverpool 'Redknapp 11' jersey. Yes, before Claude Makelele, my favourite player is Jamie Redknapp.
He's the reason why I supported Liverpool in my upper secondary school days. I always wanted to be like him. Courteous, graceful and popular with the girls. Am I popular with the girls now? That's the answer only the pretty Singapore girls, tourists and housewives can answer ;)
Jacintha doesn't make any sense at all, but I think Jamie does! (Although I can't remember anything he says haha) Oh well, I like seeing him on TV after CL matches... He makes all the old men around him look bad. Hahaha. Never mind, maybe I'm just being female again, but in Fat Frank's book (ok I'm ignorant, but it was only after I read that did I realise they're related), Frank was saying how EVERYONE loves Jamie (I think he's jealous). But his smile doesn't win you over eh? Ok, enough of the female hormones... :)
Anyway, I can never understand why they appointed McClaren. Were they really so starved of choices? Alright, I think McClaren must have done an okay job at Boro, but strangely enough the only results I remember from his Boro days were Sevilla 4 Boro 0, and Arsenal 7 Boro 0.
Yes..There's really something about England. Something that compel us to watch and tolerate the mediocrity of football that England keep throwing in our face.
I guess most probably this happened because of our overzealous passion for them at club level that spill over at country level. Maybe we are expecting too much from them and this is affecting their results.
Sometimes we as fans should take a step back and just let the England team do their own thing. We can't expect greatness from them just because they play great at club level.
Playing for their club is entirely different from playing for their country. Yes, it is true that England players seem to have more passion for their club than their country. But maybe this is due to the amount of time they spent playing with their club team mates as compared to their county team mates. Every team with brilliant players need time to gel as this is the case for England where players are not gelling well(Eg lampard and gerrard, rooney and any of his strike partner)
To me the problem with England is that there is more focus at club level where club managers grumble each time their players are taken away for Friendlies and Qualifiers which should not be the case at all. England players being worried about getting injured and not being to play at club level causes them to hold back when playing for England which set off the chain of mediocrity in england football.
So the problem lies deep in the dynamic of England football where they need to find a balance between club and country.
Temporary solutions like sacking MacClaren and finding a better coach or about getting Rooney a perfect strike partner will not free England from the chains of mediocrity if the dynamic of England football is not changed.
Lizawati Taini
23
catalog specialist
I believe England is still the most popular among the locals here though some might be led away by the captivating Brazil or the exciting young Spain/Holland/Germany teams. In recent years, England wins haven’t always been pretty but year in year out they still seemed to be the team to support.
Except for the ‘66 triumph, England performances have always been disappointing. It’s not that mediocrity sells but that we know England can do so much better than the bland football they are plying right now.
The faith England managers have had in their star players is the same amount that the England FA has always had in the managers they have appointed. The line-up against Andorra would be the same (barring any injuries) just like we know that as long as McClaren brings England to the Euro’08 Finals, he would not be out of favour.
A win over Andorra isn’t enough to protect McClaren’s job nor be convincing for the 3 Lions’ crowd to stop the jeering. The win should have never be any frustrations and reduce the pressure mounted on the under-performers.
Hargreaves will be dropped in favor of a winger, if reports from the media are to be believed. But wasn't Hargreaves being pinpoint as the main factor for the points lost during Oct? Hmmz...
At the rate England is 'progressing', the likelihood of them going out is higher than they qualifying for the next round. It's been a while and everyone except England's manager failed to see that Lampard and Gerrard cannot be on the same team.
As a Chelsea fan, I feel that Lampard should be dropped. At international level where chances are few, long pot shots are not going to win you games. He wastes simply too many chances.
I still maintain by my belief that England lacked prolific strikers. Look at the scoring charts across the top tiers league and you will get what I mean. No goals means no win, it is as simple as that.
England players are simply overrated and something needs to be done about it before it's too late!
Latest news read that McClaren will drop Hargreaves in favour of the central pair of Lampard and Gerrard.Against Andorra of course he can stick with this partnership as a victory is almost a foregone conclusion.He is calling the right decisions by bringing in Micah Richards and Stuart Downing but why persist with the idea that Gerrard and Lampard are going to click,even if they did,it could just be a one-off situation,and against Andorra who will care whether the pairing works or not.Most fans will agree that even without Gerrard and Lampard,England can still win the game easily with reserve players like Carrick and Dyer.
McClever just never learn from mistakes isn't he.
Didn't Lampard and Gerrard played together in the Euro 2004? Didn't it work well enough to bring them to the quarterfinal stage? I think this overemphasis on the Lampard-Gerrard problem, is bullshit.
I'm sure it is more due to Steve McClaren's inability to manage a team properly. And why is Lampard being blamed when Gerrard has the whole of the right flank to spread out, he keeps coming in onto Lampard's position. Whose fault is that?
I think it is also due to the England's team inability to play together effectively. You have a team of superstars, but you can't get them to communicate and improve teamwork, how can anyone Superstar individual beat 11 substandard opponents?
ladylala, "Fat Frank" scored 59 goals in 3 seasons for Chelsea. I bet Stevie Me Gerrard's record doesn't come even close.
Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. I'm sick and tired of people saying drop Frank and put Stevie.
Frank Lampard wants to buy Stevie G a box of chocolates, Stevie G wants to tickle Fat Frank's belly.
Who cares what they are going to do?
As long as England is not amongst the watchers like World Cup 1994, Stevie G should have more 'dates' with Frank Lampard (I seriously thinks he's not fat. Plenty of girls find him cute like yours truly) at McDonalds discussing tactics and mutual harmony.
Yeah..i agree with cfcfan that the overemphasis that lampard-gerrard cannot play together is crap. As some as mentioned, why would Mourinho want to play buy Gerrard not once but twice. The media is always going on and on about Rooney being off-form, Lampard not scoring as much as for Chelsea and Gerrard not pulling as much weight. They just happen to be the scapegoats. Why blame only them when almost the whole England team is not playing well? Against Andorra, the team will definitely do well. Well, they always do so against the weaker teams, scoring a truckload of goals against them. But if scoring goals give them confidence, let's hope it lasts. When Hargreaves was out, he was deemed a missing link by McClaren. Unless, he has not regained his match fitness, it would be really daft to drop him. If England has to play with a 4-4-2, i would prefer Downing and Lennon to play as wingers with Hargreaves partnering Gerrard. Downing and Lennon will give England a more natural shape while it could be good to rest Lampard who has be omnipresent for both England and Chelsea.
Cheers,
kel
okay. This injury will solve McClaren's headache of whether to play Lampard/Gerrard together. With him ruled out for the game later with a fractured wrist, at least we will see more shape in the England midfield. I suspect if England wins convincingly as it should, they will be clamouring for McClaren to continue with the Hargreaves and Gerrard partnership even if this was achieved against Andorra whom last heard were ranked even below Laos whom our very own Singapore whipped 11-0.
Cheers,
kel
The widespread coverage of the EPL has converted a global audience to fans of English football. While the EPL product continues to dazzle us with their exciting brand of football, the national side's performances leave much to be desired.
It has to be said the top players and scorers in the EPL are non-English.Foreign players have made the EPL one of the best leagues in the world.
The lack of English talent coming through the first team will undoubtedly have a bearing on the national team. If England are underachieving now, we can only pray and hope where they will be come 5 years time.
Simply put, McClaren needs to be brave and experiment. While we can go on and on about Lampard-Gerrard not working in tandem, it is games like the one against Andorra that McClaren should allow other squad players to prove their worth.
Players like Jenas, Dyer,Carrick and Defoe should be given a run-out and valuable experience at this level. They have been in the squad for a number of years so it's time to see if they are indeed International caliber.
At least if his best players don't perform in future, he has options whom he knows he can rely upon rather than stick to the tried and tested. There is no doubt England will beat Andorra so why not be brave for once oh McClaren?zuksq
Please treat the following post as a JOKE...
The Postman Wrestlemania matches
The Postman Championship Triple Treat Match
cfcfan Vs pujangga malam Vs nor hadi
The Postman Women's Championship Fatal Four Way
ladylala Vs syafiqah Vs vette Vs priscilla
Give Me My Letter Of The Month Or Else Match
ernest luis vs q-s
The Postman Tag Team Championship
Man U Die Hard (kelvin kwek & eric kng) Vs The Mok Brothers
I'm Not That Old Match
peter davies vs samuel ng
Results will be shown after 1 April :D
Hmm... Stevie rules eh? :D
And it seems like McClaren listened to Kelvin too... Haha.
Yeah..Spot on, ladylala! Actually, i called McClaren before the game and i told him this was the way to play if England was going to make progress :)
Downing's inclusion saw England having more shape and width with Lennon being more dangerous down the right. Gerrard/Hargreaves partnership was good with Gerrard running the show from start to end. Whether Lampard's injury was a blessing solved McClaren's headache on whether to drop either. But as i said earlier, with Lampard looking jaded, i guess he would have been dropped even if fit. However, i felt Downing's performance in particular his crosses was disappointing yesterday. One encouraging sign for England was the performance of Dyer whose pace cause many problems although his finishing left much to be desired. Even though it was against Andorra, the team, in particular Gerrard showed great willingness to press and pressure. Another plus was obviously Nugent whom i felt gave England something extra the way he pulled his markers away creating spaces for Dyer to run into. The confidence may still be lacking but at least with this result, England shows that they are back on winning ways.
Cheers,
kel
Everyone have seen how Gerrard turned the game on for England against Andorra but the arguement of what Lampard could have done if he play will surface.Lets face it,one of them got to be sacrifice.An eye for an eye makes you blind.
Bravo to McClaren because he made changes to my likings.haha.The appearances of Micah Richards,Downing and Nugent who even scored late in the game on his debut certainly freshen up things.Well,the performances of these guys can still be much better nonetheless.Lets just hope Nugent won't be another Francis Jeffer.
England is struggling judging from their lacklustre efforts in the first half,something is missing and thanks to Gerrard's goals which provide that spark and a short lifeline to McClaren whose career now is hanging in the balance.
Try harder England...
I was reading my funny comments in past archives of The Postman blog around 1am. The wife sms me saying I should sleep first and wake up later. So I set the alarm, slept at 2am and woke up at 2 55 am. I only watched 5 minutes and fell sleepy. I slept on my bed and woke up 6am checking on the scores on www.soccernet.com.
England won. Steven Gerrard and David Nugent. Steve McClaren missed a stroke in a game of 'hangman'.
Seeing how close Kelvin and Eric are, I regret not exchanging my handphone number with them during our prize collection. I still have that 6 October 2006 edition of The New Paper where 5 of us posed with our prizes. Remind me of the boyband Take That and Take That returns nowadays!
Gerrard saves England woopee.
We'll see how effective really, having Lampard out and Gerrard in will solve the issue when England face a decent opposition. For now, Steve McClaren's job is not unsafe.
I was wondering, why didn't Singapore FA plan a friendly with England. At their current state, I think we would have been able to put up some fight and maybe, defeating them could create an interesting part in Singapore football history. HAHA, we can dream, right.
I think England is just over rated for the matter of fact.
A mediocre or young English player is worth at least 5million. Comapare that to a young Spanish player who worth 2 million?
They are 6th in FIFA rankings, but their performance over the last few months and even years. Quarter-finalist for the world cup isn't much to boast about.
What can McClaren do? He's probably the worst England manager ever in history.
One thing I hate about managers who manage England is that they always practice favouritism. For example, favouritism towards Ferdinand, Lampard and Rooney.
The English team is also always dependent on one player. For example now, Steven Gerrard, the vice-captain. Why ain't he the captain? Yet again, favouritism.
English managers always have this mentality that Chelsea and Man Utd players are better than the rest. I do agree but not all players. When they need the drop, give them right into their face. Liverpool players has always been the underdogs compared to players of the Big 4.
Examples are, Peter Crouch, Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
In conclusion, I think that the English premier league is great to watch, but the English team is a big flop. Yet again, favouritism by fans.
Haley, what's funny is the irony in your post.
>>A mediocre or young English player is worth at least 5million. Comapare that to a young Spanish player who worth 2 million?
I can explain this for you. An English player is used to the English league and English climate therefore, he is much more valuable than an untested Spanish player. The Spanish player being young makes the investment even more risky.
Also, you must be referring to top quality English players. Because, there have been mediocre English players being sold for less than a million pounds. As you might realise, top quality young English players are a rarity unlike young Spanish players, their prices difference are understandable.
>>They are 6th in FIFA rankings, but their performance over the last few months and even years. Quarter-finalist for the world cup isn't much to boast about.
Last few months okay, but last few years? What about Euro 2004? Did you expect England to win it? They were great and were knocked out by the lottery penalty shootout system. Quarter-finalist is a good achievement for any country. They've gone to a stage where 16 top countries failed. That is something.
>>What can McClaren do? He's probably the worst England manager ever in history.
No, you can't say that. Because you don't know much about their history.
And the biggest rubbish from your post comes from these paragraphs:
>>One thing I hate about managers who manage England is that they always practice favouritism. For example, favouritism towards Ferdinand, Lampard and Rooney.
>>The English team is also always dependent on one player. For example now, Steven Gerrard, the vice-captain. Why ain't he the captain? Yet again, favouritism.
And I suppose you think wanting Gerrard as captain isn't favouritism on your part too?
>>English managers always have this mentality that Chelsea and Man Utd players are better than the rest. I do agree but not all players. When they need the drop, give them right into their face. Liverpool players has always been the underdogs compared to players of the Big 4.
Utter nonsense. I had to listen to the constant reminders by my Pool mates that Liverpool provided England with the best keepers in their history, like Gordon Banks etc. And also, Chelsea players bar Terry and Lampard have not been everpresent in the English squad until recent years.
Just face it. You are a sore deluded Liverpool fan. Wake up.
>>In conclusion, I think that the English premier league is great to watch, but the English team is a big flop. Yet again, favouritism by fans.
And yet again, a masterpiece of bull. Amazing.
>>The English team is also always dependent on one player. For example now, Steven Gerrard, the vice-captain.
You should also realise that Lampard and Gerrard have scored the same number of goals for England for roughly the same number of games. This statement is completely baseless.
cfcfan, if you are the relief teacher for young haley, you are going to give him 'F9' for all his work, right? LOL
When I was around his age, I remembered watching the World Cup 1994. England did not qualify. So my question for you cfcfan (may I know your real name) is - Who is the bigger idiot, Graham Taylor or Steve McClaren?
We got Watford to beat this Saturday. Hope Elton John doesn't sing 'Candle In The Wind' during half-time. LOL
>>cfcfan, if you are the relief teacher for young haley, you are going to give him 'F9' for all his work, right? LOL
Haha. Maybe. Or I'd just throw his paper away.
>>When I was around his age, I remembered watching the World Cup 1994. England did not qualify. So my question for you cfcfan (may I know your real name) is - Who is the bigger idiot, Graham Taylor or Steve McClaren?
As you said England failed to even qualify, the answer is obvious I think.
>>We got Watford to beat this Saturday. Hope Elton John doesn't sing 'Candle In The Wind' during half-time. LOL
Yes let's very much hope we can start well like against Sheffield. Then its cruise control to conserve energy because we have a massive congestion of fixtures, midweek games every week onwards up till the FA Cup and Champions League finals if we make it.
The plus is I get to see more of Chelsea of course, but I hope the players don't get too tired. Its almost like the EPL Christmas period, but this time, a reeeally loong Christmas. If we can't win the EPL, we'll push United all the way. And they know it. I'll be hoping for a good game.
Whispering And hope a certain red team(asking for three of them would be a little too much)to drop some points. Of course I'd want the team that will be dropping points would be the one that matter to us.
Haley, i do not mean to pinpoint u but i found several of your points rather ridiculous.
English managers always have this mentality that Chelsea and Man Utd players are better than the rest.
Can i ask u if you know how many Man U and Chelsea players played yesterday?
Ferdinand - Well, i know you are going to argue that Carra should definitely play ahead of Ferdinand. But Ferdinand has always been chosen because of his pace and his ability to carry the ball out of defence. His international experience is definitely more than Carra. And he's chosen simply because England hasn't done too badly when Ferdinand partners Terry. As the saying 'Why fix it when its ain't broken', why change the defence when its working fine?
Rooney- Okay, he may not have scored in the recent two matches. But name me 1 English player who is capable of turning the game around the way Rooney is capable of. Notice, i am not even going to ask you to name from your favourite team.
Terry and A.Cole-name me an English player who should replace them.
Zitch?And so what favouritism are you talking about? Gerrard should be captain and Terry not? In modern football, the armband is only a representation of the leader of the team. If you have noticed, players like Gerrard, Lampard,Ferdinand and some other senior players bark out orders and rouse their team during matches. It doesn't mean that you have to wear the armband to do that. In you saying that Gerrard should be given the armband instead of Terry shows a severe case of sourgrapes.
The fact about McClaren being the worst manager in history is also a joke. On what grounds are you basing this on? Favouritism? Just because he has not exactly made a positive start to this campaign? Just how many England managers so you know? Luckily you chose the word probably.
Even if you are young, I do not mean to sound rude above but i think that if you are good enough to post comments here, you are old enough to expect rebuttals to some of your comments. You are of course free to rebutt my comments or justify your statements after you read this.
Cheers,
kel
Although Kelvin, he does have a point on Rooney. There was a reason I didn't quote Crouchie's name, I agree that Crouch is a proven goalscorer in an England shirt while Rooney obviously isn't. So although it might not exactly be favouritsm, it could probably be due to him not having the guts to bench England's overhyped-up superkid.
For the sake of playing devil's advocate, I'd like to see Wayne Bridge play ahead of Ashley Cole. I personally rate Bridge above Cole. (Maybe LBH can give an opinion on this?) Of course, no one should ever replace Terry, because of many reasons, but I'd like to see how Carragher could perform in an English shirt. He has been magnificent this season, and probably deserves a start.
Crouch ahead of Rooney, and probably Defoe beside him.
Joe Cole ahead of Downing simply because Joe Cole provides excellent crosses (we missed that) and he has about as much pace as Downing. The rest of the team seems pretty good enough although Lamps and Gerrard can rotate.
Benching Wayne Rooney is not a good idea, dudes. Wayne Rooney is the best England striker there IS. If Peter Crouch plays first, we all know what type of player Crouch is. He holds the ball for his fellow striker to score. So my take is, play Peter Crouch AND Wayne Rooney in the starting XI.
Peter Crouch will provide the SERVICES for Wayne Rooney and maybe score some. In my earlier posts, I did comment on Wayne Rooney needing SERVICES. Who better than Peter Crouch to provide it? :)
Let me first make a comment. There is a reason why Crouch wasn't mentioned as an alternative to Defoe or Johnson.
Crouch is injured with a broken nose.
So obviously i do not know what favouritism Haley is talking about unless he is thinking of replacing Rooney with Pennant.
If you look at the number of English players at Liverpool who can play for England, who do you have besides Carra and Crouch who is injured? Pennant? Or Fowler who's obviously not been getting games at Pool.
Cheers,
kel
Hmm... well, I think I'll just add on to this debate huh?
I personally feel a little irritated whenever players like Carra and Stevie get played out of position for England. Maybe it just so happens that Liverpool players happen to be more versatile, so you'd rather play Stevie and Carra out of position than Lampard or Rio. Is that favouritism, I don't know, but I certainly rate Carra above Rio, and Stevie above Lampard. That's a personal opinion though, and I don't think it extends to certain clubs specifically. For example, I do rate the likes of Terry, Joe Cole, G Neville etc. I don't dispute their inclusions in the team.
And for the situation with Rooney or Crouch (ideally it's both of them now right? With Owen injured for a longer period that is.), obviously again, I rate Crouchy more than Rooney here. For ENGLAND that is. Rooney hasn't scored for England since like when? 2004? But alright, in a way one can still justify his inclusion based on his performances for Man U. Here's the only thing I was particularly irritated with, and it's not exactly related to McClaren, but instead it's with Sven: When England were playing against Portugal in the WC q-finals, Rooney who only just recovered from his injury was favoured ahead of Crouchy (who was England's only goalscoring striker at the WC) in the starting lineup. Now, I can't help but feel that was favouritism. We all know what happened later.
But overall, I think there may be favouritism shown to certain key players. But I don't think it's particularly because of the names of their clubs.
Do you think Quarter-finalist is good for them? They are just over-rated ok. Accept the fact. There are many other teams below them in the FIFA rankings which can play better. And are much better teams.
I would agree with ladylala sating that Liverpool players are also played in the positions they aren't best in.
Best example Gerrard, except for the match against Andorra. The fact is Gerrard is best in the centre!
Yes mediocrity, or mediocre performances work for England, that is if they are looking to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Ok I'm a bit late to suggest what side McClaren should be putting out against Andorra but I do agree with Ernest's reports today. Lampard's broken wrist incident does sound fishy. I believe it's a ploy to play down the dropping of Lampard.
The conflict with Rooney could very well be true. We all know how Rooney has been performing for his country and there's no doubt McClaren would have a word with him about it. Considering Rooney's temper, a rift might just have happened if McClaren's words aren't music to his ears.
-Raymond Ng, 19, Man U and er, England fan too
Well lala,Haley and Reds fans,I feel you guys shouldn't feel irritated or frustrated that Gerrard and Carra didn't play in their strong position.In fact you guys should be proud of them as they are those who will play anywhere for the sake of putting on the armor of the 3 Lions.
I feel for Carra as he doesn't seem to be able to take centerstage in the center defense for England even based on the fiery form he is having for the past 2 seasons,due to the existance of Rio and Terry(perviously Campbell).Carra is in the mould of Terry,a no-nonsense defender but just lacking a bit more presence that Terry possesses.As we have always argue that similar players can't play together.So the one to partner Terry is Rio who is prone to occassional mistakes but he is a classy ball-playing sweeper who is able to start an attack from defence,just niec to complement Terry perhaps.Poor Carra just got to wait for his chance.
Well said Eric. Carra has just gotta wait for his chance.
England is overrated. I agree with that because we are so familiar with the team that we think they are best after watching them week in week out. While i agree that the FIFA ranking system is flawed, it is fundamentally wrong to say that being in the quarters is nothing to boast about. In fact, it is everything to boast about considering they are the top 8 nations of the world. To put it in a bigger perspective, it means they have performed better than the many many countries that have taken part in the WCup from Qualifiers till Finals.
Honestly, i do not know why you are complaining that the fact that Gerrard does not play in his favourite position is due to favouritism. I thought as a Liverpool fan you would be happy that a Liverpool player is versatile to occupy more than one position. So when Benitez plays Gerrard on the right, what do you complain about? That Benitez has favourites too and he does not like Gerrard thats why he plugs him on the right at times? Wrong. The truth is given the likes of Hargreaves, Lampard and Gerrard, it would be logical to play Gerrard on the right since he's definitely more mobile and capable of those crosses. Its similar to Pool when you have the likes of Sissoko, Alonso, Mascherano and Gerrard. So where's the favouritism you are talking about?
I have also realised that you aren't exactly justifying your comments against my rebuttals. On hindsight, i guess you have nothing to defend yourself against and perhaps agree with my observations thats why your posts get shorter.
cheers,
kel
I was a Liverpool fan from 1996 to 2002 because of Jamie Redknapp. When he left for Spurs, I stopped supporting them. 1996 I was obsessed with the spice boys style of Redknapp, Fowler, McAteer, McManaman and James that I emulated them with my football teenage pals by going to Orchard Road trips the 5 of us during December holidays.
Those are the teenage years. Wish I could turn back time. *Sigh*
Very well said Kelvin.
Haley, lets be realistic. Until what point would you consider a "good" achivement then? Winning the world cup? The truth is, the FIFA rankings reflect nothing more that the standard of the team's performance over a number of fixtures. It does not guarantee you to go to the finals or the semis. If you knew anything about football, you would have realised that.
I too don't understand the complain about Gerrard being played at the flank. Isn't that where he's being played at Liverpool? Wouldn't it be logical to put him there instead of Lampard who doesn't have as much pace as Stevie?
Raymond and Ernest, nice to have some conspiracy theories here, but it is not true. It has been written in the official website that Frankie has really injured his wrist and he is hoped to be fit for Watford. Woudln't it be better for Steve McClaren to drop Frankie publicly in his current situation, to put him as the scapegoat? Why cover-up then? It just doesn't make any sense.
EDIT-I am glad there's some hot debate going on though.
Guys, guys, guys lay off young haley harrison. He's only 13 or 14 years old and hasn't have his first kiss yet. (Or his first wet dream)
LMAO.
>> hasn't have his first kiss yet. (Or his first wet dream)
I think THAT is uncalled for. Something you should take note, q-s.
I will say don't read too much into the FIFA ranking or whatever World ranking.That speaks for nothing unless you have the results to back up your position.
Rankings are like accounting balance sheets,all are based on past records.So what we see now won't reflect anything at the present moment.Just look at Northern Ireland,I don't know about their rank but surely Sweden is higher in the rank standing and look what happened.
Based on last 2 rounds of qualifiers performances,European powerhouse like Italy and England shouldn't be that high up.Instead teams like Croatia,Scotland and Northern Ireland who have been impressive so far should replaced those top guns in the ranking but too bad,the ranking system don't works that way.Germany will top my personal up to date ranking definately,they have move from bound to bound by playing attractive football with young players,a total refreshing scenario from what we used to see.Brazil will come a close 2nd as they are still a very great team to watch with so many fantastic players around but Dunga has yet to find the right mix.
eric kng, as for rankings, I would rather listen to Power 98 Top 30 Countdown, AT 40 Countdown With Ryan Seacrest on Power 98 or watch MTV Top 10 Pop Inc. Countdown.
cfcfan, you, eric kng and kelvin kwek has been bullying haley harrison. We all know he's a coward by not accepting my street soccer invitation months ago. There's no need to compare ourselves to someone who hasn't even have one 'O' Level pass yet.
And ernest luis, how are we football studs and intelligent girls are going to show our football knowledge on Romario when you haven't posted it yet?
iain mcintosh column was quite irrelevant. I was a 2nd Sergeant of the National Cadet Corps. Big deal.
Its just lame that plp who are 20 plus already yet still pertulant as a kid,even me as a by-stander could not stand such a hideous sight.This is a soccer discussion colum yet you are talking about such irrelevant issues.I mean don't you have more important agendas like career,studies or just keep quiet and enjoy the game.Just hope something can be done to filter these parasites who have nothing better to do than gaining joy from putting people down.Thank you.
I never once did put a kid down. I mean if you are old enough to write stuff here, you should be old enough to accept criticisms. Each time i write a comment here, i am prepared to be rebutted. In addition, if you had noticed, regardless of age, many of us has been rebutted before. Thats what makes this blog interesting- The airing of different views amongst the different groups of people in Singapore.
I do not intentionally attack someone simply because he's young. If he's a 50 year old man, i will still do the same if i find his argument faulty.
cheers,
kel
>>cfcfan, you, eric kng and kelvin kwek has been bullying haley harrison. We all know he's a coward by not accepting my street soccer invitation months ago. There's no need to compare ourselves to someone who hasn't even have one 'O' Level pass yet.
I don't know about you, but I've never gone personal with anyone here. "Deluded" or "sore" or "rubbish" or "nonsense" comes within the normal range of acceptable comments to other people in forums. Comments like "coward" should not be used preferably. Perhaps you are not used to basic forum ettiquettes?
For me, as long as you can speak and give your points clearly, and you don't resort to comments that wind people up only without any other thing useful, you are more than welcome to debate with me. I don't give a damn whether you're 6 or 8 or 13 or 15 or 20 or 50. But thats just me. Haley, I'm not in any way trying to bully you. I can't even see how this is bullying. Its debating. I'd do the same if you were 50. Just want to make this clear.
Pff.. snap twist Kelvin. Well, it still qualifies as one as we pretty much said the same thing at roughly the same time.
If you don't get this, its okay.
I don't even remembering myself debating on something mentioned by Haley!haha...
Most regulars here should have felt the wrath or hair-dryer treatment of our very own cfcfan by now but hey its just friendly fire after all isn't it.No offense there eh cfcfan.heh.Although the posts smell fire in them sometimes but everyone is just trying to state their points.No one will get killed in heated debates or will it?Not in here at least.
Cheers.
I'm sorry guys. I was a regular in Yahoo! chat rooms as 'Dirty Boy' or 'Cool Guy' and was used to comments that are really under the sun.
I'm thankful that I was a Letter Of The Week winner. An achievement only maybe 5% of the Sports readers of The New Paper can be proud of.
And the week that I won that accolade coincided with the IMF meetings, I'm proud that IMF delegates who bought The New Paper on that week got to see my name 'Qyaerus-Syahrein' as a winner.
Maybe just ONE of my Question Of The Week entries get published again (I don't really care about the prize), I will become the cool guy Ernest, Kelvin, Eric, Alan and Tommy knew for just one hour back again. :D
>>Most regulars here should have felt the wrath or hair-dryer treatment of our very own cfcfan by now but hey its just friendly fire after all isn't it.No offense there eh cfcfan.heh
None taken most definitely. Its true anyway HAHA.
>>I'm sorry guys. I was a regular in Yahoo! chat rooms as 'Dirty Boy' or 'Cool Guy' and was used to comments that are really under the sun.
As they say, you're only as good as you're taught, I have been in great forums where there are intelligent moderators. Learnt a lot from them, and got criticised and rebutted a lot in other forums when I didn't say things that make a lot of sense, and thats probably where I learnt to do better.
Yahoo! chat doesn't exactly have a good reputation for intelligent debates, so I guess you can't be blamed totally..
Haley, I'm not in any way trying to bully you. I can't even see how this is bullying. Its debating. I'd do the same if you were 50. Just want to make this clear.
Ditto for me. Well said. I guess many of us share the same sentiments. Age is no longer a barrier in this forum. As long as we do not discriminate against you because of your age and do not insult you, i think its perfectly fine. And as what cfcfan has said, even if you are 50, we will still say the same things. haha..strange that we chose the age 50. perhaps great minds think alike.
Whatever it is, its just a case of friendly banter with no harm intended. I guess the regulars would recall cfcfan and i debating over 1 issue in the past too. I am sure someday, it will be my turn to be shot at.
Cheers,
kel
Only one? Was it the Gallas one then where there was a serious argument? Can't recall. Although I remembered we never had a conclusion for that one. Postman posted a new blog before it ended.
This is like That 70s Show between me, cfcfan, eric and kelvin. Joker, Ace, King and Queen. When will ernest post that Romario thingy? I have something good up my sleeve.
How can a 50k per week footballer be declared bankrupt. Ask Riise. Hilarious.
That Riise being bankrupt news is indeed funny but I read another news which is even more hilarious or ridiculous you may say.
Real Madrid sporting director, Pedrag Mijatovic wants Kaka and C.Ronaldo at the club,at the same time claiming Real Madrid is the most important club in the world and any player wants to go there.This statement I find it hard to digest.Yes no doubt Real Madrid has a rich history like any other big clubs and it is the most successful club in European football but what makes them having the right to buy any players in the world.
He must have forget about AC Milan and Manchester United illustrious pasts here.Making such statement is showing disrespect to every football teams.So what they have the cash,after 4 barren seasons they still havn't get over the Galaticos syndrome.Most important club in the world,tell that to Ronaldinho please,he rejected Real,remember?
Well, it's good you guys thrashed it out...and thanks for that little bit of moderation, "drying the wet"...CFCfan.
I'd like to see if Frank Lampard plays over the weekend, and we may have something in The New Paper on Monday.jjtza
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