Tragic Football Stories - Let us Kick Around the misshapen Jabulani that is English football right here

Lancashire = home of English sport

(Arsenal had a striker on called Benik Afobe and the playmaker who got them to the final was injured in the semis, an Arsenal lad called Chuks Aneke, although he may still choose Ghana iirc as his international team.)

An England player called Chuks would be a boon to tabloid sub-editors everywhere, which reminds me

there's a lot of misconception around the success of junior sides. as that lengthy nytimes ajax piece explains, it's far better to have 2 potentially great players in a crappy u-17 team than 6 or 7 who'll eke out careers in the championship.

Regarding the 'athletic, intelligent (hmmmm, Johnson? Rio?) and fairly skilful defenders', one of the real problems I can see is that there are none of these coming through. Three of England's current leading centre-halves - Terry, Ferdinand, King - are very comfortable on the ball, but I don't think any of the younger ones are in the slightest.

naturally i did caveat glen johnson who is prone to catalepsy in defence. if rodwell is developed into a cb as moyes wishes then add another to that list.

File lack of ball-playing centre half alongside lack of first-rate goalkeeper, deep-lying passing defensive midfielder and mobile poacher and I really think England are going to struggle to qualify for the next two tournaments.

dunno about mobile poacher, bojan looks amazing but it's difficult to see where he fits into a 4-3-3, or even 4-2-3-1. so little 4-4-2 at the highest level. huddlestone shd be played in a 4-3-3 and if tottenham get a rly good forward he may get his wish next to modric and palacios.

I just assume most of these youth players will be the same as they've always been in the past: kids who are big and skillful for their age but end up vanishing as adults once their developmental advantage has gone bye-bye.

One of the Everton under-17s is apparently called Jasper Johns. Good target man, I hear.

^^^^otm.

Huddlestone next to a shield like Rodwell or Cattermole, with an inventive attacking midfielder in front of him (Wilshere?) would be terrific to watch imo.

One of the Everton under-17s is apparently called Jasper Johns. Good target man, I hear.

Wow

huddlestone shd be played in a 4-3-3 and if tottenham get a rly good forward he may get his wish next to modric and palacios.

451, iirc tbh, based around Pav

x-post

No one from Chelsea/Man United/Spurs/Arsenal at all.

Think this is wrong, Chelsea had two players in the team, McEachren and a 15-year-old called Chalobah, and William Keane def plays for United.

http://www.uefa.com/under17/matches/season=2010/round=15345/match=2002343/index.html

1 youth player per annum graduating to stay first team = fielding an entire team of homegrowns ranging from age 30-19.

I was basing that on Wikipedia, so it could well be wrong.

really, what huddlestone needs is a tough tackling yet mobile player behind him, and a player who makes the late runs into the box and can take a pot shot too to stretch the defence/midfield.

zokora, jenas are prob good bets.

Take it to the Tottenham thread dudes.

Or do a diagram, one or the other.

          ^
          |
<-   Cattermole  ->
      Huddlestone
     /     |     \
    /      |      \
   |       |       |

-> runs/screening/rough nasty sweaty work
- wonderful elegant killer balls

- Profit

ya profit sheesh

I think what i'm tryin to say there is that cattermole and huddlestone should comandeer a spider legged spaceship for maximum effect

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aRIdDrwDIgs/SuFflCWmJGI/AAAAAAAADJk/N5BVE634MBM/s320/parliament_mothership_connection-1.jpg

Germany skipper Philipp Lahm has delivered a withering put-down to England by claiming his side "now have to beat a big team".

I don't even think the Germans are trying to zing at this point, just speaking truth.

Worse again, I think Beckenbauer is trying to fuckin help ye

Yeah, I thought Beckenbauer sounded more disappointed and concerned than anything.

Those Germans really dig that 'measured by the strength of yr enemies' shit imo

Not unlike English pundits expressing concern for the plight of Scottish football

English pundits like Hansen and Lawro you mean?

Get fucked are you getting away with palming Lawro off on us.

srs line in the sand shit right there

lololololol

http://cache1.asset-cache.net/xc/78981510.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF87892155F29F61288AC1CA45CED72E9EA92363790556070386E3A220EF5264B1D9A9B9

nope, it checks out

have you seen the news lately? anyone can get an irish passport, sure.

http://scottdouglas.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/tony-cascarino.gif

"Ah begob 'tis the wearin' of the green"

English pundits like Hansen and Lawro you mean?

Has Alan Hansen ever spoken about Scottish football? Lawro has, occasionally, sure he's a terrible man for the pontificatin'

I'm pondering now if Hansen's ever had occasion to broach the subject.

xxp swear to fuck i have that exact jpg just ready to paste

1st up on GIS innit

This is the pity of Scotland not qualifying for major tournaments, now that media is more hysterically Anglocentric than it's ever been (IMO), I wonder how they'd handle it, Hansen would have to do some research on Scottish players for a start

Fingers crossed that we're on our way back to the 70s, with Scotland qualifying and England not qualifying, oh what fun!

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2008/12/5/1228491824927/Tony-Cascarino-001.jpg

was gonna go with this xp, being garotted for defiling the green by true son o' the soil

xxp re hansen having to do some 'research' -would he fuck, going on the level of research demonstrated this past couple of years.

HE'S RESEARCHED SOME OFF-LICENCES, AMIRITE??

*slouch* *sneer* *pick up expenses*

I can imagine the reaction you'd get asking townsend to come spend a few hours sweating on the bog with you

I can't imagine, amidst all this WC shockah fallout, that England still won't absolutely cruise to qualificiation for the Euros, btw.

btw I still think if Argentina win the World Cup under Maradonna this year, Gazza should get a shot as England manager.

Fuck that, If Maradona wins the WC for Argentina, the FA should be targetting him

I dunno man, Wales will be up for it and that Montenegro team must have 30 or 40 professionals to choose from.

I would just like to see Maradona try and snog Stuart Pearce tbh

I dunno man, Wales will be up for it and that Montenegro team must have 30 or 40 professionals to choose from.

Once you've faced the might of Slovenia you can have few fears