England vs France

quote SvR2008

England 1 - 2 France

France are the home team.

For me, the result could depend on a few variables, mostly all from an English perspective.

- If Owen starts
- Who starts out of Beckham/Bentley
- Ferdinand's centre-back partner (hopefully Woodgate)
- If Benzena can efficiently step in for Henry, who I think pulled out with injury.
- Who France select to play, bearing in mind they are playing Mali tonight aswell. But they did pick a squad of 39 players.

Available for commentary on BBC radio 5 live or here from 8pm U.K time, thats when kick off is. I wouldn't bother listening to them now, unless you want to be bored shitless.

But Capello hasn't given Beckham the captaincy because he probably won't start, and if he did start he would only get the first half anyway, his fitness is probably shit after playing Mickey Mouse football. I heard a stat, I think Beckham has played something like 1000 minutes of football in the last 15 months, something like that anyway.

Also, we have to look to the future, not to the past, so someone new needs to be tried. If Beckham were given the armband it would be pointless, theres no way he will be at the world cup, and we need to pick a leader with that in mind.

quote Nidoking1990

When are these two teams playing?

Well tbh, England's been playing horribly lately. They couldn't even get into the EM with Russia in the group, but oh well. I don't think that this team will get very far in the next few years.

France however has got some nice rising stars. Ribery and Malouda just to name two.

England 0:3 France

Hate to ask, but do you follow football? Too many faults there to mention.

1) They are playing tonight, at 8pm U.K time, in the Stade de France, Paris, to be precise.

2) England been playing horrible? No, just over-hyped, and expectations are way too big. Failure to qualify doesn't make us shit.

3) We had to settle for second chioce manager in McLaren, missing out on Scolari.

4) Nothing wrong with Russia, as a footballing nation.

5) I think this team could go very far, now we appear to be under the right management, and the right people are being selected.

6) France have rising stars, not those two, their rising starts are the likes of Ben Arfa, Gourcuff, Diarra, Clichy.

7) Ribery is no rising star, he is playing in his pomp, in a relatively simple league, the Bundesliga.

8) Malouda is pretty shit tbh, ask Chelsea fans.

9)

quote Nidoking1990

England 0:3 France

France are the home team, ffs.

10) France 2-2 England.

quote Nidoking1990

Germany has the worst defenders!? Are you kidding me? Do you remember who scored the first goal in the WC? Yea it was Philip Lahm, one of the best defenders in Europe/the world (?). And Mertesacker is very good also buddy.

What, so Lahm scores a goal and is suddenly one of the best in the world? Best in the world based on what exactly? As if it is important, the reason he scored the first goal is because he played in the first game. Also, like I said, Lahm plays in the same team as Ribery, for God's sake. Your logic fails on so many levels, and you clearly don't realise it. I also said mostly crap, which is true, what full-backs will be really troubling Ribery, who plays on the right wing, I din't expect you to know that though. I want to stop this childish argument, your imprecise logic is making me look bad by constantly recorrecting you.

quote WiganAthDan

absolute joke that beckham has been picked, this country all over and it wasn't capello, it was the fa

As much as I respect Beckham, this is what I have been saying for a long time. How on earht can he contribute to the team in the long term? Might as well call up some Leeds players, they are playing at a much higher level than Beckham.

Capello supposedly picks on form and merit, however:

Crouch
Walcott
Beckham
Terry
Asley Cole

And still leaves out Defoe.

Bentley needs 90 minutes against class opposition to prove himself. Not 20 minutes when the game is dies down with a substitution every 2 minutes.

quote jonner1

But TBH Beckham doesnt have to be fully fit to do what he does best. He needs to get the ball and cross it. Take free kicks, corners etc. Not much running involved there

Anyone coming up against Evra will need some energy.

How can McLaren get all the blame for everything? We would have qualified if the players performed.

Look what having no Beckham did, it has given Lennon, Wright-Phillips and Bentley some vital experience for the future, and all impressed when in the side as well. Fact is, since Euro 2004, Beckham hasn't contributed nothing to England, in such an important position, so we need someone new to try and change things. Progress is the only way forward, as obvious as that sounds.

quote Routron

Spanish League title?

That is a team achievment though, besides, Beckham was hardly pivotal in that title win was he? He got dropped for about 3 months of it, and played the last 6, nothing too special in those games, average at best, is praised as a hero and he couldn't *bleep* off fast enough at the chance to end his career and play sub-standard football, which isn't good enough to grace our 5th tier off football over here. He effectively kissed his career goodbye by doing that, and is arrogant enough to expect regular football ahead of great competition by doing what exactly, in the last year, he has probably been our worst right winger, and there are about 6 or 7 people who could play on the right-wing for us. He comes bottom of that list, by doing absolutely shit all, but the F.A and the Beckham circus still pull up a tantrum for him to play, when his natural successor David Bentley should be playing, on current form, Capello's supposed policy, Beckham isn't good enough to clean Bentley's boots. If Beckham can get back to his best, I have no problems with him playing, I like him as a player, but I want to see derved players playing for England, people who merit a place in the squad.

quote Routron

Eh, I thought when Beckham dropped off from the team, Real Madrid had bad forms. That's why Capello decided to bring back Beckham to his team, no?

Beckham was dropped for having shit form, as he has done since 2006. Capello used him as a lifeline, in those final 8 odd games, he played average, was overhyped by British media, and suddenly becomes national hero again.

quote Dannyido

Changing subject, last England game, I won £80 on Jenas being the first goalscorer, and was ridiculed for doing so, but I will make another bold prediction tonight. I will stick with my faitful Coral and 40-1 Woodgate looks temting, so does Bentley at 14-1 and 8-1 Franck Ribery, I will stick £10 on all 3.

£80 for me. 2 bet's under Capello's England, 2 wins. So predictable lmao. I am a genius.

I also predicted Beckham's fitness would be shit and that this was a game for Bentley, I was correct in that too.

But Owen has scored 2 in 2, or 3 in 4, depending which way you look at it. I am still backing him to break the goalscoring record for England, and he will do so by the 2010 World Cup. I however, would ahve played Defoe. He would have gave Gallas such a hard time.

Lazy genius...Dimitar Berbatov just about sums that up.