just heard there that Michael Owen limped off earlier with a feared groin strain, well now confirmed by reporter that he has pulled his groin muscle and is likely to miss wednesday CRUCIAL game against Croatia and will be out of Newcastles next fixture at home to Liverpool.
Ok am not an England fan but am a Newcastle fan and please explain why so soon before a crucial international game do they play bloody pointless friendlys. The guy is prone to an injury and too but do you not think these are the kind of games to rest the big boys for wednesdays game and try out new players and new formations.
This will now infuriate the english support and the newcastle staff and fans. What is everyones views on these pointless games? and by the looks of the result and the performance, even against Austria i have not seen anything special and actually worry about your game against Croatia as they are no mugs.
This is not a wind up or me trying to infuriate anyone just want other pps opinions
I think the friendlies are worth while if the youngsters and inexperienced at international level are given chance. Playing people like Owen is pointless with a big game coming up.
Obviously, i’m an England fan - been to 2 World Cups, 2 Euros and god knows how many home & away games with them and naturally hope we qualify.
However - we don’t deserve to qualify and it will be justice if Russia get there. Why should our prima-donas go because another nation couldn’t finish off their job? If we don’t qualify, perhaps it will be a wake up call to the FA, players and fans!
Its about time as fans we accepted we are no longer a major player in European football - let alone World football. To appear in only one major final - and that being in our own country - doesn’t represent value for being a top football nation
dave i agree with you, experienced players should be rested before the big games and give the younger guys a chance to break into the team at a later stage - heard on the radio today that every player who played for england during qualifying will still recieve £150k even if they dont get there, that is a disgrace, after the FA only paying the ladies team £40 a day for there world cup and these over rated clowns are getting that.
i think alot of those players are starting to believe in there own hype and are not putting in the effort that is required and by the looks of things there are 8 or 9 players that are always guarenteed there place come every fixture.
england do not deserve to be there next summer, russia have produced the goods, england aint and it will only be justice to see russia there next year.
i think this is the big wake up call england as a team and the press and media have needed to show them they aint as special and as great as they think.
the mind boggles,such a pointless game ,and now without star striker[although inj prone].just before possibley a crucial game against croatia.my heart says england will go through my head says russia will get the result they need.
Although I am a football fan and a season ticket holder at my local premiership club I have been disallusioned with the England set up for the last 10 years. We have some of the best well paid players in World football and some of the best talent but we just look ordinary at best.
The problems in English football is the devolpment of our Youngsters. We seem to lack a natural progression for our best players. Rooney is a great player but he was thrown in at the deep end early in his career. He as no u18 or u21 experience which is vital in my opinion in learning how to handle pressure and fame. I know he was good enough to go straight in the seniors but look at his discipline record its pretty poor.
The press also like to hound the Players and Managers religously and in the Great British tradition of building someone up to knock them down. McClaren is a FA yes man and he is a coach not a manager. He was brought in because Scolari turned them down but he lacks tactical awareness at this level. I have never seen any wing play since he took over and to play Lescott at LB was a mad decision considering he had Shorey in the squad. I honestly think Mourinho is the best candidate to take over if England fail to qualify which seems the most probable outcome. McClaren said judged me on results and the table doesn’t lie. If he had dignity he would go like a man but I fear he will be given more time.
i support Celtic and Newcastle, sorry do you not have a scottish team no? it just seems routine up here you have an SPL team and an EPL team ok and dont go saying am glory hunting cause how the fook can i be supporting Newcastle.
if you might not have known i was not born in aberdeen, i was born in Glasgow and possibly the fact my entire family are catholics and celtic fans is why i dont support the team of the city i stay in ok.
are you personally from coventry? or can you not be hooped travelling to brummie land to support any of them? and what has this to do with me as i stated am not on here for a wind up it was a general question, some people just cant help themselves eh!!! >:(
england are in the position they deserve to be in! for too long the media have claimed this ‘golden generation’ of players will produce something big, but it just ain’t happened. The team is mediocre at best and the results prove that. We delude ourselves that we are better than we are, but performances in major competitions has shown us exactly where these ‘superstars’ belong in world football!!
Go Scotland, with the group they had to come through (far tougher than englands group) I really hope they pull it off!! If the england team played with that passion, determination and togetherness they’d have got the group wrapped up with games to spare!!
Can’t agree more with James apart from the go Scotland bit. But you are right if we showed the team spirit the sweaties did we would win a major tournament. I can’t believe we have copper head in charge when Jose is on the dole. Love him or loath him or dislike his style of play he gets results and commands respect. It will never happen as the F.A. want a yes man in charge.
Gutted for Owen and England with him going to miss the next game. He just doesn’t seem to get the breaks he needs (no pun meant!) and everytime he looks like getting back into a bit of form another injury crops up. It’s frustrating being out for a few weeks but with what he’s been through in recent years he must be ready to burst. I know this injury may not be a major one but England could have really done with him, Newcastle too of course.
I’m off to catch the train to Hampden shortly for Scotlands crunch match but will be hoping that Israel can take some points off Russia too.
Why would I support a club from another country? Do you also have a Spanish, Dutch and Italian side?
Never understood people who support clubs from different areas that they have in no way an attachment to. It’s funny the amount of Jocks who I have met who hate the English with a passion and are the supporters of the “Anyone who is playing England” club yet all follow English clubs. Weird bunch.
Born in Coventry, England. Support Coventry and England. Simple really.
It was a joke having a friendly last night, just seen football focus and McClaren was there with his smarmy grin saying if we didn’t do it we’d have just been sat around.
It’s not as if they haven’t played together before I don’t see y it was necessary, they just threw it away against Russia and I can’t see how it would have been a benefit to play it if we’d beaten Russia, you run the risk of injuries and there ya go, I’d have preferred to see em wait til Croatia and let all the adrenaline out then, oh well, might not matter by then anyway?
I support Wigan and I live in Wigan but I do like to see Rangers doing well because a lot of my family live up there so I can be excused for that. I don’t really follow England at all because there is no passion and there asn’t been for the last 10 years. The current bunch of players think its to hip and trendy to sing the national anthem and the way they ask for apperance money and bonuses is a disgrace to the shirt.
as a newcastle fan this latest injury of his just makes me laugh as it is a joke the blokes on a 100k+ wiv us yet he is only bothered bout england in my opinion thers been a lot of talk bout him leaving and if we got any where near 10mil 4 him fink u wud find it difficult to find any newcastle fan who would be disappointed to seem him go his attitude is f*kn shit >:(
…and why Lampard? He was the best midfielder on the park the other night and has obviously come back stronger for being dropped. I thought we looked a much better team with him and Barrry on, so why not drop Gerrard? I keep hearing and reading things about golden boy Gerrard, but when was the last time he dominated in an England shirt? Lampard was the scapegoat and was dropped for Barry who IMO came in and outshone Gerrard. Lampard then comes back in and outshines Gerrard, so why not Lampard and Barry to start against Croatia?
Typical of the mentality in English football at the moment.
Throw a hissy-fit and lose all faith with a manager before we know our fate, instead of getting behind them until the end. You just have to look at the amount of managers who have lost their jobs already this season at club level, It’s ridiculous that managers can’t be given more time and work under less pressure.
Lets have a look at that table after the Croatia game and then we can do as McClaren asked and judge the results and final table.
I know we don’t have a divine right to win and beat the so called lesser nations but this group should have been wrapped up months ago. If he wants to be judged on results lets look at the Russia, Croatia and Macedonia results as my school report said should stop talking and must do better ;D
As you say though we have no divine right to beat anyone. Maybe that’s the problem, too many people think and expect us to, and the pressure because of that becomes too much.
The manager should be judged on one thing only IMO, and that’s whether we qualify or not. If we qualify, which is now looking likely, then why the need to sack the manager just because we haven’t won every game?
Should Italy sack their coach for failing to beat Lithuania?
Should France sack their coach for failing to beat Scotland?
Should Portugal sack their coach for failing to beat Finland, Poland, Serbia and Armenia?
Should the Czech Republic sack their coach for failing to beat Republic Of Ireland and Wales?
Should Germany sack their coach for failing to beat Republic Of Ireland and Cyprus?
Should Spain sack their coach for failing to beat Northern Ireland and Iceland?
Apart from Portugal who need a draw in the last game against Finland all the other countries have wrapped up their groups with games to spare why would they sack their managers?
All I am saying is McClaren said judge me on results as far as I can see these are not good enough. I am normally like you and very pro England managers the last time I felt like this was Graham Taylor. We have such a strong crop of players that this is a vital time to get someone in who commands respect and McClaren isn’t the man. We need to show a pair of balls and be proud to wear those three lions like the Scottish have shown during their campaign
