World Cup Qualifiers **spoilers and stuff**

(Barry ideally as a RB?, or did you mean Bridge - I wouldnt have him as a midfielder let alone out of position in RB)

I hope Briidge gets a few chances at RB now

You mean LB, and Bridge has always been shocking whenever I have sene him play in an England shirt.
 
^^ That, and Bridge has played a grand total of about 7 minutes of first-team football this season. Barry started out as a left-back with Villa, and I reckon he'd be worth a punt there, even now.
 
Probably do alright there - is it just me or does anyone else find players who are horrendously one-footed (Downing, Barry for example..probably tons more but those two stick out, probably cos they're lefties) incredibly frustrating?

It's fair enough favouring one foot, but professional footballers should really be at the very least adequate with both feet, is so frustrating when there's an obvious short pass or shot on and you see players kinda twisting their body round awkwardly and end up mis-hitting it with their favoured foot :p

Could be just me though :p
 
Probably do alright there - is it just me or does anyone else find players who are horrendously one-footed (Downing, Barry for example..probably tons more but those two stick out, probably cos they're lefties) incredibly frustrating?

It's fair enough favouring one foot, but professional footballers should really be at the very least adequate with both feet, is so frustrating when there's an obvious short pass or shot on and you see players kinda twisting their body round awkwardly and end up mis-hitting it with their favoured foot :p

Could be just me though :p

I don't know if it is just because the majority of players and probably supporters are right-footed, but to me it seems like the left-footed players are often much more one-footed than the righties, just refuse to use their right foot. I find it incredibly frustrating! I think Downing is rubbish anyway, so over-rated!

Back on topic. I think England will win 2-1 tonight, don't usually play too well away from home and I think it will be a tense game.
 
English please? Every time I see an England tread in here you are always coming out with bashing comments, what the deal here?

2-0 To England for me :)

What u get for posting when you just woke up :D edited :P

They deserve it, untill they play how they should be playing and not get over-rated all the time I will continue to bash them.
 
Since they earned a draw against Argentina and Germany in friendlies? Since they almost managed a draw in the Ukraine last month? Since they stuck one more past Andorra than we could manage? Since they beat the Dutch at home last year?

Take your pick.

I hate the way people always expect England to steamroller random European teams just because they've never paid any attention to them before.

All the teams you mentioned are well known for unlike england, not giving a hoot about friendlies, and Holland and Germany don't even turn it on in qualifying but tend to come out the shell in the cups, especially Germany.

Belarus are a team that won't make it to a cup like so many other teams and will try their absolute hardest in friendlies and qualies because its all they have.

Beating a team that simply doesn't care about a pointless result does NOT make them quality, not even close. Yes they should be a pushover, yes they are crap, and yes we should be them.

Just to point out how bad we were in the last game, we managed to beat pig farmers after they got so tired they couldn't play anymore. Belarus were being thoroughly dominated by Germany till they replaced 6 first teamers and Metzelder, previously injured and being played to gain match fitness was at fault for both goals late into a game after not having played for ages. A true sign of Belarus's quality, drawing with a second string, not match fit tired team at the end of a game.

The only thing that gives Belarus a shot, is how pathetic we are at the moment. They also beat Holland in a qualifiers for Euro 2008, remember how Belarus went on to qualify and play very well in Euro 2008, no that was Holland, belarus were no where.
 
^^ That, and Bridge has played a grand total of about 7 minutes of first-team football this season. Barry started out as a left-back with Villa, and I reckon he'd be worth a punt there, even now.

Actually Barry started off for Villa on the left side of 3 central defenders(Barry, Southgate & Ehiogu), before being moved to LB a season or 2 later when Villa changed to a 4-4-2 formation
 
Yep sorry I did mean LB - personaly even with Bridge having much less 1st team football he is a much better option than playing a 2nd rate player out of position (and Cole shouldnt be an automatic 1st choice for either Club or Country)
 
Bridge will do a great job at LB even though he hasn't played much this season, he's used to doing that and never seems to let the side down:)
 
[imaginary link to video of Bridge vs Croatia]

The only thing that gives Belarus a shot, is how pathetic we are at the moment. They also beat Holland in a qualifiers for Euro 2008, remember how Belarus went on to qualify and play very well in Euro 2008, no that was Holland, belarus were no where.
Yes, yes, the Dutch made it to Euro 2008 and Belarus didn't, hurrah for them. My point wasn't that Belarus were one of Europe's greatest teams, just that they have the ability to turn over a decent side on their day. So assuming we're going to beat them by loads, when they've only lost two games by more than two goals in the last four years, is sheer arrogance. And it just makes the whole thing even worse, because if England go there, play well, and "only" win by one or two goals, suddenly people like you will jump on their back for being rubbish,
 
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Yes he should.

He's been great this season, but if you had said that this time last year I'd have laughed at you :D At the moment Cole has to be our first choice left back though.

What's happened to Nicky Shorey? Seems to have dropped off the radar a bit since his move.
 
[imaginary link to video of Bridge vs Croatia]


Yes, yes, the Dutch made it to Euro 2008 and Belarus didn't, hurrah for them. My point wasn't that Belarus were one of Europe's greatest teams, just that they have the ability to turn over a decent side on their day. So assuming we're going to beat them by loads, when they've only lost two games by more than two goals in the last four years, is sheer arrogance. And it just makes the whole thing even worse, because if England go there, play well, and "only" win by one or two goals, suddenly people like you will jump on their back for being rubbish,

actually thats all, total, crap. Who've they played in the last 4 years in serious competition. The few teams that were mentioned are teams that played seriously weakened sides and didn't give a monkeys, while Belarus are essentially playing their FA Cup final, those are there most important games, while Germany, Holland weren't even trying. Sorry but you can't say they are good due to games like that.

AS for them playing well or not, they can draw, play brilliantly and I'm happy. I said we should beat them, we should. The fans that are killing us with ridiculous opinions are the ones who build up the insignificant games as possibly incredibly hard games. WE beat a POS team by 5 goals but due to all the fans deluding themselves that the teams are great, half the country gets into, wow, we beat Andorra, bring on Brazil, we'll trash them mindset. When this idiotic country insists on building up sides like Belarus, if those sides become the hard to beat sides in our players minds, what they hell do Brazil, Italy and Germany become in comparison. If you even remotely consider Belarus as a tricky side , with New Zealand at the other end of the scale of truly terrible, you simply make Brazil and co the top end of the scale at completely and hopelessly unbeatable. If you think thats a good mindset for our players to be in, great, I don't. We've had 10 years of talking up the incredibly mediocre or even terrible sides as being ruddy difficult to beat, hows that working for our team exactly?

Thats far more damaging. You can see it in the players, the fans and the press constantly talk about the possibility of losing to these crap sides, then the players start to say, and think they same. They go out against a woeful Khazakstan side and play like scared little girls.

I simply expect them to play well, they are by far the better team, leagues, and leagues, and leagues apart. I neither expect them to score 50 goals, nor lose, just play well. Its even possible for a team to play well, and lose, that happens in life, and I'm fine with it. But playing crap and winning, drawing or losing is worse.
 
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He's been great this season, but if you had said that this time last year I'd have laughed at you :D At the moment Cole has to be our first choice left back though.

What's happened to Nicky Shorey? Seems to have dropped off the radar a bit since his move.

Well Villa's defence has not been anywhere near as strong as last year. Shorey hasn't looked anywhere near to his form from the previous year or two. Cole probably deserves it, Bridge doesn't deserve to be in the squad. Shorey should almost unquestionably be ahead of Bridge based on the fact that Bridge is shockingly bad so very often even with match fitness, and he's no where near being match fit.
 
......based on the fact that Bridge is shockingly bad so very often even with match fitness, and he's no where near being match fit.

He's always good for Chelsea when called on and apart from the offside against Croatia he's always good for England :confused:
 
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