If Joe Hart got an injury for this game, are John Ruddy/Ben Foster considered Champions League quality? No. If Casillas got injured, Valdes would step in.
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DTKF, Valdes is a World Class GK.

Ben Foster was up there with the best keepers in the prem last season.

IMO he was far better than Hart.

Ben Foster was up there with the best keepers in the prem last season.

IMO he was far better than Hart.
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That's a statement I'd have to agree with, hands down. However, Foster needs to get a move to a Top Club for me. That's the only I see him progressing. Even if that's 2nd/3rd choice somewhere. He's Hart's No.2/3 for England at the moment, but always seems like he's got better every time he plays for England IMO, so he just needs a big move.

Same with Ruddy.

You're having a laugh. Valdes is crap now. A few years ago he was class.

Unfortunately our national team doesn't have a very bright future at all, it's only a matter of time before we fail to qualify for one of the major championships. We aren't far away from losing two of our best ever players in Gerrard and Cole. Our current crop of youngsters are very poor, apart from Wilshere who is guarantee to be success for national team in the future?

All the English players can't play with top clubs because there are just so many foreign players better than them.

Spain do have players with Barcelona and Real Madrid but those players have earned it.

Some of the players for mid-table EPL clubs are decent but would they displace the player in their position at a big club?

Could be worse you could have Trap as manager and he picks Championship players ahead of EPL players.

You're having a laugh. Valdes is crap now. A few years ago he was class.
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Then surely much the same for Casillas as well? But the fact he holds valuable CL Final/Winning and his experience that Foster/Ruddy have never (really) done.

AWW, Agreed. There are a few that are up there. Ox is there, Walcott, Welbeck decent, Sturridge pretty good, Wilshere defo, Henderson if he continues to play like he has and Sterling and Ibe, but what about the defence?

Unfortunately our national team doesn't have a very bright future at all, it's only a matter of time before we fail to qualify for one of the major championships.

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We could well fail this year.

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We aren't far away from losing two of our best ever players in Gerrard and Cole.

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Cole I agree with. Gerrard has very rarely played well for England.

Henrik, This is why I'm saying, put Rules on the number of Foreigns and Non-EU players in a squad. That'd be interesting.

That's what the England players need to do. They need to earn their places as well.

They don't need to. Foster has been Hart's understudy for a good 3 seasons or so now, but every time I see Foster play, I see him improving all the time, even if he is 2nd choice, so if he moved to the bigger clubs, he'd only get better and would have a chance at someone like Arsenal really.

Fraser Forster did well in the Champions League to be fair, if he signed with any Premier League club at all he'd be in the squad as soon as most likely ahead of Ruddy.

We failed to qualify for a major tournament even with some top players in our squad.

I do think expectations are high, though. England aren't as good as Spain and Germany as teams nor do we have the pool of talent that those teams have either.

But it's not that bad, for crying out loud. We are still better than most nations. We are like Sweden - have some good players and occasionally have some really class players and will get to the quarters of a tournament and that's about our level.

The fact is that people aren't happy with this and complain we are crap. Well if that's crap then only the very best are deemed good.

We have been spoiled by the success of our domestic league and having quality English players within the teams that have done so well and expect that to translate onto the national stage, and when it doesn't it's the end of the world.

People do need a little more realism when it comes to England. Of course we need to improve and aspire to be better and winning tournaments but it won't happen over night.

Rickie Lambert deserves his England cap more than Welbeck.

Wasn't really my point. Valdes is just a crap keeper. His experience is redundant when he doesn't have the ability.

Rickie Lambert deserves his England cap more than Welbeck.

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Who is Rickie Lambert?

Exactly DTKF. But obviously, it's just natural for fans to want more and more every season. A lot are fed up of QF for the last like 10 years, we want to be progressing to win these.

But we are only falling behind because we don't create enough talent and we don't have enough real quality players at these Top Clubs.

LRF
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Gibbs is the only top young defender i can think of I know Utd fans rate Jones and Smalling but i'm not too sure about them. Even the players you mentioned aren't good enough to challenge the top teams:
Ox has got to have question marks over his head after last season even though he normally plays very well for England,
Walcott simply can't step up at international level,
Welbeck is a bit rubbish,
Sturridge may turn out good but i have a feeling he won't be able to step up similar to Defoe,
Henderson may well be one of the better youngsters with a decent chance,
Sterling and Ibe could do anything yet

They're still others though that get CL Football or very close to (like Spurs) that can fill in and do a good job.

I mean lets be fair, Alex McCarthy was once called up. Is he near the quality of Joe Hart? I love the guy, but shouldn't be touching an England shirt until he has a top move for Pete's sake. We are a Championship side and was considered being called up. I mean come on.

Who is Rickie Lambert?

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A striker, for Southampton...

AWW, I named them all because they are all players that are very close to getting to this level. They need to kick it up a gear, and play that well consistency and we will have a better side I think.

Even Championship clubs are neglecting their academies.

Spanish and Italian football is going to be strong for many years to come because they are financially crippled and playing younger home-grown players has become a necessity.

But if a better performing English player is playing for a team outside the top sides he deserves his chance.

Let's be honest, based on performance Ox, Welbeck, Young, Zaha and Cahill were only being called up because they were at big clubs, not because they were playing well enough.

It's a difficult one. Italy called up De Rossi for the Confeds despite not playing at a top club and had a poor season, yet he was/is one of their best players.

Sometimes club form isn't always relevant on the international stage, sometimes it can be.

There's no general rule for deciding an international team.

Just looked at the squad and shook my head

Is that really the best we can come up with. It's more or less the same crew who were garbage at the Euros

comment by Mæstro 💩 (U8867)
posted 1 minute ago
Who is Rickie Lambert?

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A striker, for Southampton

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Can't say I have noticed him much, other than his goal against us.