England Team Thread

[PaTaito]

No clue on how to attack...it reminded me of watching man city on a bad day, you know where they labor the ball, devoid of idea's.

Whatever happened to the "one two" around the edge of the box? rather the ball was constatly and harmlessly sent wide again and agin.

Then there is Sturridge, his form last night proved why both man city, and chelsea got rid.

He squandered one of the most promising attacking moves of the game by slowing things down to a crawl, and giving their defense time to gather...constantly trying to be tricky, when we couldn't even nail the basics in attack.

Give me defoe anyday.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Then there is Sturridge, his form last night proved why both man city, and chelsea got rid.

He squandered one of the most promising attacking moves of the game by slowing things down to a crawl, and giving their defense time to gather...constantly trying to be tricky, when we couldn't even nail the basics in attack.

Give me defoe anyday.

Nonsense - especially the last sentence.

Granted, Sturridge was poor yesterday but that was to be expected when there was next to no service on for him.

If you honestly think that Defoe is a better striker at club or international level, you're deluded.

[DeathAdder]

I don't remember the teams put out by Hoddle playing quite as boring football as that served up by the team that beat Trinidad and Tobago, or the team that drew with Algeria, but neither do I remember them serving up many spectacles - the first half of the 2-2 draw with Argentina and the afore mentioned Columbia game aside. Perhaps there were others that have slipped my mind.

[nakamura]

Nonsense - especially the last sentence.

Granted, Sturridge was poor yesterday but that was to be expected when there was next to no service on for him.

If you honestly think that Defoe is a better striker at club or international level, you're deluded.

Haha. Defoe is a class striker, his goal record says that. Sturridge is doing very well though. Certainly the in form man.

[Team Andromeda]

I agree about Hoddle. The best I can remember England playing for him was the 2-0 win over Columbia in the 1998 World Cup, iirc.

Since 1990, I can't remember many really good performances at all, particularly the Euros on foreign soil seem to bring out England their worst and dullest.

I say since 1996; England were really awesome in the Euro 96 played great football and was always a threat in front of goal (remember that England ?) . The last time England really looked like they could win anything . Since they they've been every average with players that are so overrated and delivered nothing its untrue

[nakamura]

That was more my thinking. In1996 we were great. 1998 also a top quality squad. Since then, never felt like top quality.
I didn't specifically mean Hoddle was a great manager, more the quality we had.

[fallenangle]

The problem with Defoe is his size and I say that as great fan of him and Spurs. Put JD up against world class defenders who dwarf him and anything supplied in the air he has little hope of getting on the end of it. That is a major disadvatage when played as a lone striker. With Defoe you have to have the team set up to service him or he'll be ineffective or, certainly, less effective.

That said the England team yesterday simply wasn't providing enough service full stop, so whether Hodgson played him or Sturridge I doubt it would have made a difference,

[Team Andromeda]

That was more my thinking. In1996 we were great. 1998 also a top quality squad. Since then, never felt like top quality.
I didn't specifically mean Hoddle was a great manager, more the quality we had.

I thought Hoddle was a poor manager of England myself - England were dull as dishwater to watch under Hoddle imo

[Nu-Eclipse]

Haha. Defoe is a class striker, his goal record says that. Sturridge is doing very well though. Certainly the in form man.

A guy who has struggled to get first-team football for Spurs for quite some time now and hasn't been any kind of prolific for the same amount of time?

Yeah, okay.

One of the most overrated strikers ever to come out of this country. Capable but not top-class at all. Sorry.

[PaTaito]

Defoe scores goals...only one season i can remember where he hasn't been prolific. Also in recent seasons he's had the likes of van der vaart, adebayor, soldado to keep him from getting guaranteed first team games.

Sturridge on the other hand, has been mostly wasted potential...hence why both city and chelsea got rid. He's been good at liverpool(so far, but i dont expect that to last for any large period) largely because he has suarez next to him.

And lets face it who else have liverpool got up front to keep sturridge from playing?

Last night he was terrible, and in the previous england game he wasn't much better.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Defoe scores goals...only one season i can remember where he hasn't been prolific. Also in recent seasons he's had the likes of van der vaart, adebayor, soldado to keep him from getting guaranteed first team game

Sturridge on the other hand, has been mostly wasted potential...hence why both city and chelsea got rid. He's been good at liverpool(so far, but i dont expect that to last for any large period) largely because he has suarez next to him.

And lets face it who else have liverpool got up front to keep sturridge from playing?

Last night he was terrible, and in the previous england game he wasn't much better.

You've clearly not watched Sturridge at Liverpool then - he's probably been at his best for us when Suarez hasn't been in the team.

Defoe might've scored goals way back when (and he's never really been a 20 or even a 15 league goals a season striker). Not so nowadays - he doesn't get first-team action at Spurs and hasn't done so for quite a while now. VdV hasn't been at Spurs for some time now, Adebayor's been injured/crap and Soldado ain't scoring. The fact that he still doesn't play says it all.

[EJG1980]

Despite being a Spurs fan, and a fan of Defoe, I have to agree with Nu-Eclipse on this one. He's a good player and I wouldn't want him to leave Spurs, he's been a great servant to the club, but compared to the amount of praise he gets I do feel he's overrated.

He's 31 now but only three times in his career has he scored more than 11 league goals in a season (if you include his two half seasons at Pompey as one season). For a player who is often sited as an amazing natural finisher by pundits, it's not that an amazing record.

He has spells where he's on fire and everything he hits seems to go in, but he often has longer spells where he doesn't score and gives very little to the team at all. Jol, Ramos, Rednakpp, AVB, he's eventually ended up on the bench under all of them.

[nakamura]

I hope Strurridge keeps it up this season. Even without Suarez he is dangerous.

[PaTaito]

I hope Strurridge keeps it up this season. Even without Suarez he is dangerous.

I cant see it carrying on for any length of time...it never lasts with sturridge.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I cant see it carrying on for any length of time...it never lasts with sturridge.

Not being funny, but I'm not sure how Man City and/or Chelsea fans can possibly know that for sure when he was never given a fair run in either first-teams at those clubs.