Gary Cahill out

Martin Kelly in.

Why Martin Kelly? Has he even played this season?

Surely Richards, smalling or rio should have got the call?

"You're getting sacked in the morning, sacked in the moooooooooooorning!"

Seriously, that's a huge blow to Roy. But why did he replace a CB with a RB?

Kelly can play either like Jones.

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:Kelly can play either like Jones.

Most likely his thinking is to play jones at cb if needed, so he wants some fullback cover.

Still would have picked Richards and smalling first as they too can play both positions.

What does Micah Richards have to do to play for England?

Can England complain about Dries Mertens? I never saw the incident but apparently it was deliberate.

So its going to be Jags and Terry in the centre one would think. Big blow as I think Cahill has really grown as a player this season, settle in nicely at Chelsea and has looked solid enough for England. I like Jags though, always thought he has been consistently a solid defender and wouldn't let England down when called upon. Still surprised to see Kelly called up, he looks a decent prospect but like others have said ahead of Richards and Rio.

I think England should have taken:

Rio-Over Terry
Richards-Over Jones
Carrick-Over Henderson/Barry
Johnson-Over Downing
Lennon-Over Milner

TSC wrote:Can England complain about Dries Mertens? I never saw the incident but apparently it was deliberate.

What good would that do?

big blow! luckily we have enough replacements, jagielka, jones. but id play lescott

that mertens is a Muppet. hated him whole game before and after the incident. and yes it was a blatant push sending cahill clattering into hart

azania wrote:

TSC wrote:Can England complain about Dries Mertens? I never saw the incident but apparently it was deliberate.

What good would that do?

No idea, but it might appease some fans.

martyr_94 wrote:So its going to be Jags and Terry in the centre one would think. Big blow as I think Cahill has really grown as a player this season, settle in nicely at Chelsea and has looked solid enough for England. I like Jags though, always thought he has been consistently a solid defender and wouldn't let England down when called upon. Still surprised to see Kelly called up, he looks a decent prospect but like others have said ahead of Richards and Rio.

I think England should have taken:

Rio-Over Terry
Richards-Over Jones
Carrick-Over Henderson/Barry
Johnson-Over Downing
Lennon-Over Milner

I reckon Kelly's been called up because he has been training with the squad. so they know he's fit and up to speed with England's tactics.
As for those players you've listed, while I might agree with some and disagree with others, there's hardly vast amounts of difference between them is there? It's not like Hodgson has left oustandingly talented players at home, is it?

I saw the incident alright, I thought Cahill would come out with maybe a concussion but that was terrible luck.

If I were Jonjo Shelvey I would cancel any holiday plans in the hope Roy calls him up for another injured player. Rio must be peeved. Why 6 Liverpool players? Is he asking for forgiveness or something?

I've just heard about this call up for Kelly, this is getting embarrasing now. Another unproven Liverpool player to add to the woeful ones that are already selected. It's like Roy doesn't realise there's a major championships less than a week away and that's he's focusing on the World Cup in 2014 and the qualifiers. If we have a shocking Euro's which looks more than likely, I doubt that Roy will even be in charge for the World Cup. As for not picking Richards is a total disgrace. I'm sure Roy will come calling for Micah when the qualifiers come around but he should stick two fingers up at Roy and say 'do one' for treating me this way.

Totally shambolic and England are in turmoil.

Liverpool are a midtable team, it's frankly a joke how many players from that club are going. Rio (I'm guessing he doesn't want to cause some tension in the squad with JT), Richards and Smalling should be ahead of him.

Also according to an Irish radio station the French have sold 22 tickets for the match!

azania wrote:

TSC wrote:Can England complain about Dries Mertens? I never saw the incident but apparently it was deliberate.

What good would that do?

It was a friendly match - you don't expect to get assaulted and end up with a double jaw fracture. In future managers won't allow players to play in friendlies if they end up being assaulted on the field.

Potential unselected England 11

Foster
Richards Smalling Rio Gibbs
Lennon Scholes Carrick Johnson
Crouch Holt

For me this team would give the current starting 11 a pretty good game, midfield is probably better.

I'm sure an injured 11 could be pretty decent too.

Assaulted is not really the word I'd use. I don't think Mertens meant to push him into Hart at all. Looked like an accident. Of course he did push him and got booked as a result, every footballer pushes and gives away dumbass frees. This just turned out worse than usual.

Ent wrote:Potential unselected England 11

Foster
Richards Smalling Rio Gibbs
Lennon Scholes Carrick Johnson
Crouch Holt

For me this team would give the current starting 11 a pretty good game, midfield is probably better.

I'm sure an injured 11 could be pretty decent too.

Foster and Scholes are retired, So you can't really include those two in an unselected eleven.

Kelly has been picked for versatility, can play all across the back four and has never been found wanting when he's played in the premier league.

hampo171 wrote:

Ent wrote:Potential unselected England 11

Foster
Richards Smalling Rio Gibbs
Lennon Scholes Carrick Johnson
Crouch Holt

For me this team would give the current starting 11 a pretty good game, midfield is probably better.

I'm sure an injured 11 could be pretty decent too.

Foster and Scholes are retired, So you can't really include those two in an unselected eleven.

Kelly has been picked for versatility, can play all across the back four and has never been found wanting when he's played in the premier league.

Why not?

They are fit active English players, so available for national team selection. No doubt you could produce a better side from unavailable players (through injury and suspension).

They aren't available though, both opted to remain retired when approached about the squad. Just read that Carrick and Richards turned down the opportunity to be stand by players, obviously dissapointed not to be included but both have only got themselves to blame if this is true in my opinion.

Can't blame established players for not wanting to be on stand by, they've got to keep fit alone and postpone holidays etc until early July if they are on the stand by list.

Really the point I'm making is that England could arguably put out a better side than they currently are.

Who needs a jaw to play football?

Ent wrote:Can't blame established players for not wanting to be on stand by, they've got to keep fit alone and postpone holidays etc until early July if they are on the stand by list.

If they cant be bothered to postpone a holiday till the tournament starts, (cant replace anyone once tournament has started i believe) then they really shouldn't be called up when someone drops up.

It obviously cant mean that much to them

Nay Bother wrote:

Ent wrote:Can't blame established players for not wanting to be on stand by, they've got to keep fit alone and postpone holidays etc until early July if they are on the stand by list.

If they cant be bothered to postpone a holiday till the tournament starts, (cant replace anyone once tournament has started i believe) then they really shouldn't be called up when someone drops up.

It obviously cant mean that much to them

I don't think it is a case of can't be bothered, its a case of having already represented their country before do they take a full rest post season or not in the hope someone in the squad gets injured so they can go and not play.

Both would go and put everything in if they were likely to be in or on the cusp of the first 11, they'd have accepted the stand by if they were young and uncapped.

Again to reiterate the point, there are currently fit English professional footballers who could improve the starting 11 not in the squad - wasn't debating some aren't for good reasons.

Thomond wrote:Liverpool are a midtable team, it's frankly a joke how many players from that club are going. Rio (I'm guessing he doesn't want to cause some tension in the squad with JT), Richards and Smalling should be ahead of him.

Also according to an Irish radio station the French have sold 22 tickets for the match!

To be fair, Smalling is carrying an injury which ruled him out.

EnglishReign wrote:Who needs a jaw to play football?

It's that type of attitude that helped Sagna play on with a broken leg.

azania wrote:If I were Jonjo Shelvey I would cancel any holiday plans in the hope Roy calls him up for another injured player. Rio must be peeved. Why 6 Liverpool players? Is he asking for forgiveness or something?

It's not good for Liverpool though, as it just means that their players are running the risk of getting injured rather than having a rest.

Crimey wrote:

azania wrote:If I were Jonjo Shelvey I would cancel any holiday plans in the hope Roy calls him up for another injured player. Rio must be peeved. Why 6 Liverpool players? Is he asking for forgiveness or something?

It's not good for Liverpool though, as it just means that their players are running the risk of getting injured rather than having a rest.

Its ok Crimey, I seriously doubt Shelvey and Spearing will be called up, your in safe hands there

martyr_94 wrote:

Crimey wrote:

azania wrote:If I were Jonjo Shelvey I would cancel any holiday plans in the hope Roy calls him up for another injured player. Rio must be peeved. Why 6 Liverpool players? Is he asking for forgiveness or something?

It's not good for Liverpool though, as it just means that their players are running the risk of getting injured rather than having a rest.

Its ok Crimey, I seriously doubt Shelvey and Spearing will be called up, your in safe hands there

If Jordan Hendersons in, they have a shot!

To be fair, Shelvey would be a better option than Henderson I think.

May as well complete it and get Grant Holt also.

azania wrote:May as well complete it and get Grant Holt also.

olly the tractor boy wrote:

azania wrote:May as well complete it and get Grant Holt also.

I believe he meant Villa :P

Graeme Swann's Cat wrote:

olly the tractor boy wrote:

azania wrote:May as well complete it and get Grant Holt also.

I believe he meant Villa :P

Deliberate lies

Anyway lets not turn this into a Holt thread

I've killed it

Right Cahill out thanks to a needless shove. Pity for him but fortunately we do have good cover for that position and I expect the Jag to start alongside Mr.Terry. Anyway, Kelly is the replacement but don't we have to replace injured players with those from the standby list? Unless I've got it wrong in which case Richards should have replaced him.

Kelly was on the standby list for the standbys essentially because he had been training with the squad and played for a bit for the Belgium game hence his call up.

Mertens has apologised but I've seen those type of challenges before and for me, if a player shoves the defender into an on coming goal keeper it should be a red card, its such a dangerous challenge as neither player knows what's coming until they smash into each other.

I like Jags, I've always rated him and has been a bit unlucky not to have earned more caps than he already has.

I think there is an element of Roy Hodgson knowing about Martin Kelly from his Liverpool days.

The truth is Micah Richards should be on that plane, and not only that, he should be starting.

Chris Smalling should of also been on that plane if it wasn't for a small injury he had. He should get a shot at Team GB though.

All in all- Lampard, Barry, Cahill, Adam Johnson, Smalling, Richards, Ferdinand, Wilshere, Scholes and Bent are players who should of been in the England squad if it wasn't for selection/ injuries or retirements.

This is a weak England squad now, only Joe Hart, Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney would have a realistic chance of getting into the top nations.

Id rather have seen Lennon over walcott.

Richards should have been selected as starting RB...

Its such a shame that our Steven Taylor got injured...he was having a barnstomring season...and would have been a good one for the team now.

Its gonna be a short tournament for England....

So whos gonna be the England manager after this tournament...i think i might apply. Pick the obvious players...and if i dont perform...i still get a pay out that will sort me out for life

Dries Mertens should be up on a charge for what he did in fairness. and banned for a number of international games.,

this isnt rugby, yet even in that sport players have to deal with the law if they are deemed to do something dangerous.

it was a friendly and even if his cheat had worked and he was given the goal- how is that worth injurying other players for!!

I'm not sure how similar UEFA laws are to FA laws, but I know that in Premier League games if the referee has seen it and reported it there can be no retrospective action unless it was a red card offence. The referee did see it as he yellow carded Mertens so presumably nothing can be done about it.

To be fair, people do those kinds of pushes all the time without resulting in a serious injury.

It was a friendly, guy did a silly thing- as many others do, but how can that sort of thing not be a red card. forget the injury- it was cheating and dangerous, terry got carded of for something similar in the cl semi- which in fairness to him probally wasnt as bad.

I like the point someone made earlier- if we dont stop these stupid challenges then club teams are gonna be even more annoying when it comes to realeaseing players for international games(esp friendlies)

Its a booking, naughty but those pushes are commonplace.

commonplace?

really?

id say they are not

mystiroakey wrote:It was a friendly, guy did a silly thing- as many others do, but how can that sort of thing not be a red card. forget the injury- it was cheating and dangerous, terry got carded of for something similar in the cl semi- which in fairness to him probally wasnt as bad.

Terry got done for violent conduct, he was trying to slow a better opponent down for the rest of the game by illegal means.

Cahill was unlucky, simple as that - people collide all the time in football matches and it was just a little shove really, I doubt the intent was to injure him in a friendly.

so you think a knee in the leg is worse than a shove in the back directing someone into his own golie- i am sorry you are not applying any consitancy. I will never change my view on that.

both are violent- it just the later is much more dangerous