That's true mate

England have been getting positive results and have played well without Lampard in the side so far hence his exclusion.

Who's watching the game? I'm in bed about to turn in. Just sending out some work related emails first.

You've been slacking. Back to work!

England may have lost while many expected them to win but Russia are not pushovers. I think some credit must be given to them and the focus should not be totally on England. Here is an Eastern European team, all of whom are never easy to play at home, coached by Guus Hiddink, a man who took South Korea to the World Cup semifinals, Australia to the World Cup and PSV to the Champions League semifinals for the first time. They weren't exactly camel fodder.

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Added on October 18, 2007, 8:41 amAs for Lescott playing at leftback? This isn't a club side, it's an international side with a wealth of players to choose from. So what if players like Shorey have little experience, it doesn't mean they'll choke. If anything, younger players can show more exuberance and enthusiasm.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Oct 18 2007, 08:41 AM

If Russia win their 2 remaining games, they qualify and England can watch the rest of the competition on TV.

Sorry mate but I'm not with you on this one. I don't mind if England doesn't qualify because I think the teams that finish near the top deserve to be there. Can you see England doing a Czech Republic and beating Germany 3-0 at home? I hope Russia go on to Europe because they have a good manager and they've been consistent. England on the other hand have been piss poor under McLaren. Will it be some coincidence though if England fail to qualify for another major tournament with Terry Venables in the setup again?

You got that right. Wonder what happened to the his twin, Martin Dahlin?

I won't write them off just yet. In recent times, England have never impressed in qualifiers. If you look at the Rugby World Cup, England just made the knockout stages and are now in the finals. They were trounced by South Africa in the group stages but you can bet your bottom dollar, it'll be much closer in the finals. I have this funny suspicion they'll make it.

The odds are against that but football is a funny game isn't it?

Like I said though, I just hope the best teams qualify for the tournament even if that means England missing out.

I've a feeling he will deliver. One time he kicked what? 20 pts against South Africa? That is phenomenal.

As for the football team... I doubt it but stranger things have happened.

Ohhh I don't know about that mate. The 1990 squad of Lineker, Beardsley, Barnes, Waddle, Robson, Butcher, Pearce, Gascoigne, Platt, Stevens and Shilton were no pushovers either. They only lost out on penalties to Germany who eventually won it. Adreas Brehme penalty past Sergio Goycochea, one of the best penalty savers I've seen. Was a good squad that.

While a players form in the EPL does give the England manager some sense of how he will perform on the international stage, the results are far from conclusive. Take Robbie Fowler and Ian Wright at two such examples. Both were scoring goals for fun at club lever but failed to light the international stage alight. In more recent times, players like Lampard and Gerrard have failed to bring their club form onto the international stage. Why weren't they dropped at some point? I'd bet my bottom dollar that a major reason was their reputation as players, coupled by pressure from the English media. People have gone on to say that at this crucial stage of England's qualifying campaign, experience counts. Yes, but so does hunger and desire, and since when have the likes of Bentley, Lita, Huddlestone, and company not had any experience? Players like James Milner are already considered seasoned veterans having graced the Premiership at 16. Most of them have played in Europe for their clubs against quality opposition. Is this to suggest that teams in the UEFA Cup are worse off than the likes of Macedonia and Andorra? All this repetitive talk about needs "experienced" players is beginning to annoy me. Firstly, the back up players are not exactly fresh out of the academy and secondly, exuberance, determination and drive do matter a great deal.

I'm amazed by how fortunate England are. It seems that whenever they are on the brink of elimination, other results will go their way. The Russian's really did them a huge favour.

True but there is also the issue of psychology involved. One could say that there was a great deal of pressure on Russia and they chocked.

I disagree, I don't think England have played well for the majority of their qualifying matches. Let's not take games against Macedonia and Andorra into consideration as these teams share the same ranking as Malaysia. I think they often look disjointed, as a team would if they had good individual players with big egos would.

Playing a lone striker is definitely and option given that England need only a point to qualify now. If he insists on playing Lampard, perhaps Gerrard can play just behind Crouch as he's done for Liverpool before. Slaven Bilic might have said that he's set on beating England but with Croatia already having qualified, club sides will tear into him if he risks injury. England on the other hand look to me like they'll be content with gaining a stranglehold in midfield and containing the East Europeans. England should qualify in yet another unspectacular fashion.

I don't see what Bent has done to deserve a place on the bench let alone a start. If anything, I think even Leroy Lita has done in his time playing for the U-21 side. Like qspn, I think McClaren will get the sack after the tournament even if they should qualify. Perhaps he should take some risks.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Nov 19 2007, 09:16 PM

Well Crouch is England's top scorer in their current campaign. He's notched up 13 goals in 23 games, with 10 of those being scored in one year alone. He is actually pretty prolific for England and it's just because he hasn't started much for Liverpool that he's not scored more in the league.

I actually think Crouch is better when the ball is played to his feet. Crouch does score more with his feet than he does with his feet. Even Luis Garcia was a better header of the ball. If anything, the big man unsettles defenders with his ungainly approach to the game. His height is useful for knock-ons but the power in his headers leaves much to be desired.

Alright then, I'll solidify my position now. England will play Crouch as a lone striker with Stevie G backing him up. I suspect that the game will end in a draw with much of the battle being fought in midfield. I seriously doubt that Bilic will go all out for a win and risk suspensions or injury.

There is always a chance that England might shoot themselves in the foot.

Where Stevie plays will depend on the formation adopted by Croatia. Hiddink is putting pressure on Bilic by stating that he's sure Croatia will win and he expects them to go for 3 points. If I were Bilic, I'd try not to get influenced. I mean, what's in it for him to go for a win when they've already qualified? Even if they lose by a goal, they still top the group.

I just read an article on soccernet where McLaren is now saying that it's time to look at the U-21 players. DUH! We've been saying that for ages haven't we? The juniors are putting the seniors to shame.