The business of sport, fantasy football, & MSE

StevieJ

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Good quality league.

Premier league is full of very average players and teams.

If you say so

Group F Points
Arsenal 11
Marseilles 10
Olympiakos 9
Dortmund 4 Can't be right that

FTBFun

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Good quality league.

Premier league is full of very average players and teams.

The German league has its fair share of average teams also. It is however a little more balanced - 5 different teams have won the league in the past 10 seasons (although admittedly Bayern have won half of these).

Compare that to the other major leagues - only 3 teams in Italy (Juve, both Milan teams), 3 in Spain (Valencia, Real Madrid, Barcleona), 3 in England (Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal), 4 in France (Lyon who won it 7 times in a row, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille).

FTBFun

England squad for Euro 2012:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), Rob Green (West Ham), John Ruddy (Norwich)
Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Leighton Baines (Everton)
Midfielders: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Man United), James Milner (Man City)
Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man United), Danny Welbeck (Man United), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)


Not convinced Stewart "No goals, no assists" Downing should be there but I can't really argue with the rest of it.

Thrugelmir

FTBFun wrote: »

Not convinced Stewart "No goals, no assists" Downing should be there but I can't really argue with the rest of it.

Shame Bale isn't English.........

Formation will be interesting. With no Rooney initially.

purch

Can't see how continually picking the same players who have failed to deliver time and time again will somehow work this time.

Germany picked a young team full of potential for the last World Cup, and look where that got them.

Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Cole and to a lesser extent Barry have a history of underachievement behind them. Even Rooney has done nothing since he lit up the 2004 Euros.

Why waste yet another tournament on these never were's.

Generali

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Shame Bale isn't English.........

Formation will be interesting. With no Rooney initially.

Obvious innit: hoof it up for the big man (Carroll) to knock it down to the [STRIKE]opposition defender[/STRIKE] the little bloke (Defoe).

2 big blokes as centre backs, 2 slow blokes that like to get forward as full backs. Who cares about the midfield as they just get neck ache anyway. Plus Scott Parker of course.

English football as it has been played with great success since I first remember watching games on TV with the 1978 FA Cup Final.

Thrugelmir

Generali wrote: »

Obvious innit: hoof it up for the big man (Carroll) to knock it down to the [STRIKE]opposition defender[/STRIKE] the little bloke (Defoe).

2 big blokes as centre backs, 2 slow blokes that like to get forward as full backs. Who cares about the midfield as they just get neck ache anyway. Plus Scott Parker of course.

Good old fashioned 4-4-2........

I guess with so little time to prepare. Playing a simple formation is Hodgson's choice.

Thrugelmir

purch wrote: »

Lampard, Gerrard, Terry, Cole and to a lesser extent Barry have a history of underachievement behind them. Even Rooney has done nothing since he lit up the 2004 Euros.

Why waste yet another tournament on these never were's.

This speaks for itself.

Standby - Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge.

FTBFun

Jack Butland played 24 games for, err, Cheltenham last season. I expect he's there just for experience in case he gets called up (he's 19).

I'd have Johnson ahead of Downing personally.

I suspect, assuming we'll be utter toss in Euro 2012, its the last hurrah for Terry, Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, and possibly Ashley Cole, and would expect to see some newer players for the 2014 qualifying.

purch

Thrugelmir wrote: »

This speaks for itself.

It does, I guess.

But why not give Sturridge the place over Defoe at least, and Johnson instead of one of the 4 or 5 identikit plodders in midfield :mad: