Reply to: England World Cup Squad

[d000hg]

Have you ever tried to compete non-stop for nine months at the peak of fitness for your sport? I thought not.

Have you?

It's almost like it's their job... my point was regardless if you're a bit tired then something lime the world cup should be enough to get you excited. It's mental tiredness more than physical which is the problem.

[Doggy Styles]

Roy Hodgson reveals England’s 23-strong World Cup excuse list

That excuse list in full:

1.The temperature was too hot
2.The temperature wasn’t as hot as we’d planned
3.The hotel was too isolated
4.The hotel was too central and busy
5.Inexperience
6.Too much experience
7.Homesickness
8.Media intrusion
9.Theo Walcott injury
10.Andros Townsend injury
11.Kyle Walker injury
12.No Theo Walcott
13.Lack of Chris Smalling injury
14.Influx of premier league foreigners
15.Too many Premier League games
16.‘Silly mistakes’ on the pitch
17.Cheating foreigners robbing our brave boys
18.WAGs
19.Theo Walcott wasn’t there
20.Local food wasn’t right
21.The Internet
22.John Terry texting a player’s girlfriend
23.“I got it wrong”

Only one John Terry text?

[Doggy Styles]

I don't really buy the "they're tired and not trying" argument, or at least I don't want to. Playing for your country is something that the majority of the squad couldn't take for granted - other than Hart and Rooney very few safe spots. In a life filled with money and every material thing you could reasonably wish for, this is one thing you have to earn.

Have you ever tried to compete non-stop for nine months at the peak of fitness for your sport? I thought not.

[BrilloPad]

Roy Hodgson reveals England’s 23-strong World Cup excuse list

That excuse list in full:

1.The temperature was too hot
2.The temperature wasn’t as hot as we’d planned
3.The hotel was too isolated
4.The hotel was too central and busy
5.Inexperience
6.Too much experience
7.Homesickness
8.Media intrusion
9.Theo Walcott injury
10.Andros Townsend injury
11.Kyle Walker injury
12.No Theo Walcott
13.Lack of Chris Smalling injury
14.Influx of premier league foreigners
15.Too many Premier League games
16.‘Silly mistakes’ on the pitch
17.Cheating foreigners robbing our brave boys
18.WAGs
19.Theo Walcott wasn’t there
20.Local food wasn’t right
21.The Internet
22.John Terry texting a player’s girlfriend
23.“I got it wrong”

[d000hg]

That's where we disagree. It's precisely my argument that amongst all the money and fame, playing for your country is the one thing you can't take for granted and really have to strive for, and would care about.

No matter how well paid you are and how skillful, you cannot succeed as a top-level athlete without drive and passion and a competitive nature. That's what got them to the plum £100k/week level in the first place.

[TykeMerc]

I don't really buy the "they're tired and not trying" argument, or at least I don't want to. Playing for your country is something that the majority of the squad couldn't take for granted - other than Hart and Rooney very few safe spots. In a life filled with money and every material thing you could reasonably wish for, this is one thing you have to earn.

Earn yes, care really passionately about (truthfully), unlikely.

The game is about money, all pretences it's a sport disappeared decades ago, they just feed of the fanaticism and tribalism.

[d000hg]

I don't really buy the "they're tired and not trying" argument, or at least I don't want to. Playing for your country is something that the majority of the squad couldn't take for granted - other than Hart and Rooney very few safe spots. In a life filled with money and every material thing you could reasonably wish for, this is one thing you have to earn.

[Doggy Styles]

And by June they are all fecked at the end of nine non-stop months racing around the pitch like madmen in "The most exciting league in the world".

[d000hg]

They do perform to their level actually, it's just that their level is top 12 teams in the world and not top 3 or 4.

Not sure, there have to be at least 11 great English players who don't look outclassed by league team-mates from far more successful nations. Something clearly isn't right though, but when you consider a league team play together every day in training and every week for real, and that it can take a manager/team months to gel, it's not really a surprise that putting great players together doesn't automatically produce results. Even bringing in one great player to an established team it sometimes doesn't work out; for a team to be great every man has to know what the others will be doing instinctively and there's really no way to do that but spending time together... same as (I think) a band.

[DodgyAgent]

How do you w*nk sh1t?

Ask SASguru

[doodab]

I don't know TBH, with a core of Liverpool players (Gerrard, Sterling & Sturridge), a much better back four, a hopefully in form Wayne Rooney and some of the other younguns in the squad I reckon they could put on a half decent show.

[Zippy]

Also this is how the world cup will pan out for England

First Game - Win resulting in media frenzy about this year being the 'One'
Second Game - Lose resulting in a media frenzy about this team being the worst ever
Third game - do enough to get through the group stages - muted media response
1st Knockout phase - Win beating <insert average team 3-0> - media frenzy on how this is definetly the year
2nd Knockout phase - Lose to <insert decent team name here> on penalties after a gutsy 0-0 draw.

There you go!

WHS. Games to be conducted inside death traps unfinished stadia

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

dont worry Andy Carroll is on the standby list

I'm actually surprised Hodgson didn't pick him. He is ideal for the boot it up and hope for the best style that he brings to the squad.

[FiveTimes]

dont worry Andy Carroll is on the standby list

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

That is rubbish there is a lot of talent to choose from

there always has been

the main problem is that rarely do the players perform to the skill levels they show week in week out in the premiership

could be the players, could be the manager

who knows

They do perform to their level actually, it's just that their level is top 12 teams in the world and not top 3 or 4.