Come anticipate Fabio Capello's two years as England manager with me

johnson was fucking things up literally from the first touch

Pretty much all of the established big players looked like they were playing at walking pace and making wilfully bad passes in protest at having to play.

Rooney and SWP more in their traditional no I'm the best player let me do it I can skin all of them me modes.

Wayne Bridge has pulled out of the squad - his position is "untenable and potentially divisive" apparently.

Says who? He himself, or Capello? It would be quite funny if it was JT mouthing off.

wow.

England's defence at the World Cup is going to be embarassing if things continue this way. A seemingly-permanently-injured Ferdinand, an off-form Terry, a shit Glen Johnson and a just-back-from-injury Ashley Cole/some other loser. Oh also lol English goalkeeping.

hibbert, dawson, johnson, baines

Terry must now carry with him the additional burden of knowing his own actions have resulted in someone he used to class as a close friend missing the biggest tournament any professional can be involved in.

yes this is bound to weigh heavily on the famously introspective and considerate john terry.

Calling Ryan Shawcross (xp)

tbh i'd love to see a capello led defence of hart; hibbert, dann, johnson, baines/warnock - not exactly milan 91 but for 10 games or whatever? it could be great. or yeah, shawcross xpost

warnock is easily england class.

dawson is a liability, though. would fuck you at first opportunity under a high pressure situation.

most of the players here could easily perform defensive duties as a unit for capello, as long as the press/pundits didn't start to get on his back about the (secondary) consideration of their 'footballing' abilities.

lol spurs, basically

any chance of lol woodgate being not-dead?

never a chance of him being back match fit- sorry england, because he is class.

Phil Jagielka plays tonight, btw- is he any better than Dawson as a player that people see every now and again and think 'he's not as bad as I thought'

Whither LOLean Lescott?

let's just get psycho back out there as left back.

Lescott was an obvious choice this time last year, but tbh I'd take king ahead of him at this stage

Chelsea v Man City is gonna be fun this weekend, isn't it?

terry to 'do' bridge rather than the more just reverse imo

Never even occurred to me - I was thinking out of this weekend's four games that that was the one I could safely miss.

Jagielka was the shit, I just forgot he is still breathing.

So yeah, thinking about the way England have been set up under Capello, and the possibility of going to the World Cup with Leighton Baines and Steven Warnock, neither of whom are the sort to bomb forward at every opportunity.

Surely the rationale of playing Gerrard on the left was it kept him out of Lampard's way and Ashley Cole attacking down the left flank allowed him to drift further infield/maraud forward etc. That's got to be under threat with a more defensive left-back... good for James Milner or Joe Cole I'd say.

Then again the way things are going this may just entail switching Gerrard to the right.

or just not play him? he's not at his best form or late non?

I for one am incredibly glad we won't have two attacking minded full backs considering the state of lol glen johnson. In fact I wouldn't be averse to picking Brown, especially if we were to come up against a Di Maria or Ribery or Ronaldinho...

I had forgotten all about Ribery 'til I inadvertently flicked on espn at my parents' at the weekend, just as he was running straight at some terrified defenders like he was in that pink panther advert. Love him all over again now.

Much as I hate Ashley, he's far too good for England to easily get by without him this summer.

Its fine, every world cup there is a 'oh noes will player x make it back in time? oh well he'll only miss the first match' bit going on

good luck usa

Its fine, every world cup there is a 'oh noes will player x make it back in time? oh well he'll only miss the first match' bit going on

And then they come back and play like shit until we go out.

yeah but this time it'll be an adulterers fault we go out...

oh wait...

petty thug replaces philanderer as skippa

http://www.talksport.co.uk/sites/default/files/imagecache/ts_magazine_big_picture/england_future.jpg

The future of England has lots of people looking at angles.

a remarkable amount of odd eyebrow-action on the go there.

Wayne Rooney is larfing.

At You!

Rooney's all "I've been shit for six years now, but still I'm here!"

The future of England is a bit shonky at the back.

Phil Jones was robbed. And maybe Smalling I guess.

Also weh to Sturridge and Delfounso?

Think Welbeck is starting to look p deserving of a place, at least on the bench too. and Cattermole for the 'i'm mark van bommel and i will kill your whole family' role every modern side needs.

muamba should be ahead of rodwell, right?

Dunno, haven't watched much Bolton this season. I guess their league position suggests that yes, maybe he should be.

I hope the option will be for Wilshere to stay in front of the back four, like a centre-back

Fabio Capello

guys does capello not know what a centre back is?

Steve McClaren is available btw

Why has EBJT not pulled out of the squad? Does he need the appearance fee?

guys does capello not know what a centre back is?

Maybe he means an old skool centre back like in 2-3-5 days, but with 4 at the back :/

This might be a radical interpretation but I think he means he's supposed to defend rather than go forward.

Anyone else on side of the mighty Ickle Feo / Darren Bent dream team?

blind feo: like regular feo but can put a decent cross in

Can pass the ball but still can't pass other players.

has wilshere saved the empire yet?

Was hardly given the ball due to being a filthy cheating foreigner etc.