# The England Football Team **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 16, 2008, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185 "2008-10-16T12:50:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/1 "2008-10-16T12:50:01Z")
So we’ve won 4 on the trot in the World Cup qualifiers, looks on the face of it as if we’re gonna make it to S.Africa for the finals. BUT!! there’s a long way to go and a good few games left to play. At last England look like a team who actually play like one instead of a bunch of blokes running around like headless chickens. Under Capello they’ve gelled. Rooney has at last started to fire on all cylinders and Heskey is playing bloody brilliantly, all he needs is a goal. Likewise Gerrard, Lampard, Ferdinand, and to a lesser degree, Walcott are playing some pretty decent football. What I don’t understand is why Shaun W-P isn’t on from the off, whenever he does come on he’s pretty impressive down the wing, he’s fast and can usually beat the backs, he’s also got more strength than Walcott ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/2 "2008-10-16T13:07:11Z")
I actually think you guys are almost there, just be wary of the two Ukraine matches. Croatia is probably going to be strugling to get second place. I must also say that it is the first campaign Ican remember where the (relative) minnows are actually dismissed with ease (according to the scorelines). You are not as fortunate as us Dutch though, playing badly, yet winning three games while the remaining teams keep sharing the points. I looks like we are going to be home clear by the end of the current season.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/3 "2008-10-16T13:42:53Z")
According to [Rio Ferdinand](http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/internationals/wags-circus-era-ridiculed-by-ferdinand-961253.html), Capello has changed the dressing room culture. > [@](#): > > Responding to a question about the failings of the team in past campaigns, Ferdinand said: “I think we got caught up in the whole… we became a bit of a celebrity in terms of the whole WAG situation. There was a big show around the whole England squad. It was like a theatre unfolding and football became a secondary element.” I think we all knew that. > [@](#): > > It was perhaps apt then that he was speaking in the Palace of the Republic here, Minsk’s main concert hall, when he added: "People were worrying more about what people were wearing than the games. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/4 "2008-10-16T13:57:58Z")
I think we’ve been pretty crap actually. The first half yesterday was terrible, nobody in the middle was closing anything down. At one point the ball was 2’ from Lampard and an opposing player ran half the length of the pitch to beat him to it\*. Every time an England player got the ball in our half; they hoofed it up for Walcott and promptly forgot about it. Belarus’ first goal was as easy as it was deserved. The second half was better, Capello obviously told them to close down in midfield, but we still gave Belarus too much space and time. There were moments, no doubt, where England gave me hope for a better future. Rooney’s goals were great and Heskey has really impressed me. I think Walcott should be dropped for a little bit and Ashley Young given a chance. What does Ashley Young have to do to get into the team? His position is one of Englands weakest and he’s the bloody Premiership player of the month! I think he has the potential to be a permanent first team player, if given a chance. He deserves a place over SWP at least. I though he was supposed to be picking players based on performance, not reputation… I’m also getting a little pissed about Beckham’s easy caps. I like Beckham and think he still has a place in the team but come on… Rooney possibly getting a hat-trick was more important than bringing Becks on for the last 10 minutes of a game even we couldn’t contrive to lose. \*Possible exaggeration ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/5 "2008-10-16T16:12:14Z")
I think we’re one of the only countries that could score 14 goals in four matches and still be pessimistic, that’s for sure. That said, I do agree that we were pretty crap for a large chunk of the first half. But playing well for more than half the match is a massive improvement on last year, and it was even nice to watch in places. Reasons to be cheerful, I reckon. I also have no complaints with Beckham coming on; I don’t think Capello is doing it for any other reason than that he believes Beckham still has something to offer. Also, as my friend was saying last night, you’ve got to respect Beckham’s attitude. Many ex-captains would’ve huffed off rather than accept a smaller role, but he’s happy to work hard and be used however the manager thinks is appropriate. I don’t think his selection is a sop, but even if it were I think he’d probably deserve it more than most. The Belarus goal really was special, though. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/6 "2008-10-16T18:12:38Z")
> [@MJinks](#): > > What does Ashley Young have to do to get into the team? His position is one of Englands weakest and he’s the bloody Premiership player of the month! I think he has the potential to be a permanent first team player, if given a chance. He deserves a place over SWP at least. I though he was supposed to be picking players based on performance, not reputation… Well of course you are right here. 😛 It’s turning into a pretty good year. 4 wins out for 4 for England, Spurs rooted at the bottom of the table. I mean, who can’t get behind that. They are about the biggest of the annoying clubs that we can realistically hope will get relegated. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/7 "2008-10-18T02:48:17Z")
Fabio Capello is coaching England? Poor bastard. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2008, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/8 "2008-10-18T07:16:14Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Fabio Capello is coaching England? > > Poor bastard. Why poor bastard? Thus far he’s done a pretty good job, let’s hope he keeps it up ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/9 "2008-10-19T05:23:08Z")
> [@Dead\_Badger](#): > > I also have no complaints with Beckham coming on; I don’t think Capello is doing it for any other reason than that he believes Beckham still has something to offer. Also, as my friend was saying last night, you’ve got to respect Beckham’s attitude. Many ex-captains would’ve huffed off rather than accept a smaller role, but he’s happy to work hard and be used however the manager thinks is appropriate. Beckham gets a lot of stick for his celebrity status and I think that unfairly overshadows not only his work ethic but also his mad football sk1llz. Sure, he’s lost a half-step, but he’s not dead yet. Now I follow football and I like it, but I’m not all up on the technical side of things so maybe I’m missing something. But let me tell ya - when I watch (for example) Spain in international competition, those guys look like they’re ENJOYING the game. The German side? Sure, they’re workmanlike, but they also look like they’re having fun. Anyone watch Hiddink’s Russians? Didn’t they all look like they were relishing their Euro experience? And then there’s England. “Right. Ok. We’re here. We’re British. We have to be. 1966. Le sigh. I make more money playing for my club.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/10 "2008-10-19T05:26:31Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Why poor bastard? > > Thus far he’s done a pretty good job, let’s hope he keeps it up Because it’s the worst job in the world… like being Paris Hilton, only it doesn’t come with the same fortune. Living in a fishbowl, eviscerated in the papers every day because you only beat San Marino by 5, etc. I decided at a fairly early age (sometime during Glenn Hoddle’s tenure, I think) that while I still wanted to _play_ for England, you couldn’t have paid me enough to _manage_ England. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2008, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-england-football-team/468185/11 "2008-10-19T11:46:13Z")
You really think it’s any easier to manage Italy or Spain?