According to Spurtle's articles (great work, by the way), the only differences between the England squad we all chose and the one Roy chose were:
1) Phil Jones for Micah Richards
2) Gareth Barry for Michael Carrick
3) Stuart Downing for Aaron Lennon
4) Jermaine Defoe for Daniel Sturridge
5) James Milner for Grant Holt
These are all subjective choices, so i understand that some people have stronger feelings about some players than others - but for the most part there is very little difference:
1) Phil Jones - perhaps he got the nod because he is a bit more flexible. He can play full back, centre back, or even in the defensive midfield position. And to be fair - Micah Richards has been a sub for Man City recently.
2) Gareth Barry was always going to be the first choice to the defensive midfield position. He has had a good season winning the Premiership with Man City. Carrick is a good player - but it was going to take something special for him to displace Barry. Did he really do enough?
3) Stuart Downing - well, in Downing's defense (if there is one) he is an out and out left winger. Lennon is another right winger, and we already have Walcott etc.
4) Jermaine Defoe has been a sub almost all season for Spurs. But even as a Chelsea fan I would take him in place of Sturridge. If we need a goal with 10 minutes to play - I would prefer to be able to bring on Defoe.
5) Milner is a jack of all trades - and I suspect that is why he is in the squad. He can play on the wing, in the middle in defensive or attacking positions. And even at full back. That's why he was picked. Does anyone really think Grant Holt would have made a difference to our success at the Euros?
I guess my point is - how can everyone be so crazy about Roy Hodgson's choices? For the most part they are exactly the same as everyone else's. It's not like he is leaving out Messi or Ronaldo in place of Gareth Barry. We don't have anyone else good. We have a very thin squad. Relax everyone - let's just try to enjoy it while it lasts.
Difference between "our squad" and Roy's
posted on 16/5/12
If downing and Barry was right footed,would they be picked?
Because to me that's the only reason why they are in the squad to give balance,if they was right footed id highly doubt it.
posted on 16/5/12
But Richards is better than Jones, Carrick is better than Barry, Sturridge is/has been better than Defoe and Downing ( he can play wing) and I don't mnd Milner. What defence could you have about Carroll?
posted on 16/5/12
What defence could you have about Carroll?
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he's been quality for the last 6 weeks and he's not nearly as bad a player as you wish he was.
When he was at Newcastle everyone was bumming him but now he's at Liverpool and had a bad start with us, you can't stand him. If you didn't spend so much time with your head up your arsé LALing then you might be able to form an objective opinion.
I've had both Carroll and Crouch at Liverpool and I'd be taking Carroll all day long on current form.
posted on 16/5/12
If you didn't spend so much time with your head up your arsé LALing then you might be able to form an objective opinion.
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But you would clearly give me an un-biased account of Torres time at Chelsea if I asked?
posted on 16/5/12
Started terribly, probably weighed down by the size of the transfer fee in much the same way as Carroll was with us, has come on a lot throughout the season, perhaps creatively more than in front of goal, his hattrick aside.
Still second choice behind Drogba but I wouldn't be shocked if Spain picked him for the Euros as he's starting to show glimpses of his old self.
Fair enough?
posted on 16/5/12
I don't like Sturridge but I'd rather have him than Defoe. Defoe is as pointless as Downing imo. I can see why the others were selected, including Carroll, as he's better than Heskey and Crouch and we need a target man for our lump-it-long style.
posted on 16/5/12
comment by The Blue Kenyan, Ken-ya Feel It? (U1641)
But Richards is better than Jones, Carrick is better than Barry, Sturridge is/has been better than Defoe and Downing ( he can play wing) and I don't mnd Milner. What defence could you have about Carroll?
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Blue Kenyan - in answer to your questions (and all the others), the point I am trying to make is - it was basically a toss-up between all these average players.
"Richards is better than Jones" - maybe, but neither of them is Danny Alves
"Carrick is better than Barry" - maybe, but neither of them is Xavi.
"Sturridge is better than Defoe and Downing" - possibly (although I suspect you're wearing blue-tinted glasses) - but none of them is Messi. None of them is even good enough to get into the starting XI of their respective teams!
"What defence could you have about Carroll" - None. He's rubbish. We should have picked Pele instead, or at least Maradona. No, wait a minute - Grant Holt. Really? Is that what you're complaining about?
posted on 17/5/12
dont make much difference who we pick: hoofing it up the pitch (as we always do) hasn't won us very much in the last 50 years, so why will it work now?
posted on 17/5/12
"What defence could you have about Carroll" - None. He's rubbish.
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He looked pretty rubbish when he mullered your defense the other week
posted on 17/5/12
comment by Didi Hamann? He did doe twice didn't he doe? ** Rafa is not the way forward (U5172)
posted 8 hours, 48 minutes ago
"What defence could you have about Carroll" - None. He's rubbish.
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He looked pretty rubbish when he mullered your defense the other week
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Oooh - you got me there, Didi. A dagger to my heart. He mullered our defense just around the time we were winning the FA Cup.
But Didi, are you really suggesting that Carroll is a great striker? He's OK - roughly as good as Crouch or Holt, or Zamora. Is that about right - honestly? He's hardly going to strike fear in the heart of European defenses though, is he? It's nothing against Carroll - it's an indictment on the state of our squad in general. We just don't have anyone better to take - so why is everyone up in arms about Hodgson's choices. All the choices he had are very average. Let's just cheer them on and hope for the best.