Terry and Rio are both finished. They're still better than the other CBs available to England though,

Yeah, I agree Rio is excellent at reading the game, this is something he'll never lose, the problem is that he's lost physical attributes, not mental ones.

comment by Dubbed The New Wenger (U9163)
posted 8 minutes ago
Terry and Rio are both finished. They're still better than the other CBs available to England though,

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Did I just give a thumb up to Dubbed? What ever next.

I don't believe either are finished and I certainly don't believe Rio is better than the others, although I do agree Terry is. I'd probably have Rio in the squad due to his experience and leadership qualities but I wouldn't call him the best English defender.

I don't believe either are finished

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they are at international level, but not for their clubs. They have both gone past their peak.

Which raises the sad state of affairs that England don't have their replacements.

Yeah, If I were Fergie, I wouldn't want Rio playing for England, it's only a matter of time before he gets his final long injury, which makes him call it a day.

I think Terry is just working his way back from injury and will soon be back to speed again.

Rio, Vidic and De Gea are the reason we went 600 odd mins without conceding a goal up till the City game

"Did I just give a thumb up to Dubbed? What ever next."

Yeah. Feel a little sick now.

VC would ride you to next week as long as you agreed with him.

"they are at international level, but not for their clubs."

this makes no sense at all

If you're good enough to play against Real Madrid in the CL and Man City in the league, you still have what it takes to play other national sides.

I think Terry is just working his way back from injury and will soon be back to speed again.

................

That did make me laugh TOOR.

TKT

I always think that players tend to play on for their clubs a lot longer than they do their countries.

I always try to get behind England, and I support them to almost the same extent that I support Arsenal during the World Cup and the Euros, but they do make it difficult. There's just too many dislikeable characters playing for England, and they're just so boring to watch.

comment by Vidicschin (U3584) posted 1 minute ago
I think Terry is just working his way back from injury and will soon be back to speed again.

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That did make me laugh TOOR.
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I didn't mean his speed as in an attribute.

England will always be boring to watch with Hodgson in charge, I mean he played two defensive wingers in the last game. If it wasn't for Rooney being on form, something he hasn't always been this season, England would have lost.

That's true. Honest grafters like James Milner don't exactly make for entertaining football. I'd rather see more unpredictable but more dangerous players such as Theo Walcott or Aaron Lennon playing out wide.

England's main strengths are its pace on the wings. Rooney showed a couple of seasons ago when he was played as the main striker that he can score many goals when two wingers are providing for him. With nobody even close to Rooney in terms of a striker, England should play with two wingers, two holding and one behind Rooney. For the best case scenario, I'd have Young left, Walcott/Lennon right, Wilshere and Gerrard in midfield, with Cleverley further forward. Go attack teams with pace, feck this crap about passing the ball two feet at a slow pace because Spain do it, they're Spain, England's England, Spain did nothing for decades, now after five years of being good, it's suddenly the way to go, the team to copy.

Playing for england was once the highest honour for any english footballer, nowadays the rewards are too high at club level for footballers and clubs alike so inevitably the national team loses out.

England have always been dull to watch.

I'd have Young left, Walcott/Lennon right, Wilshere and Gerrard in midfield, with Cleverley further forward.

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Not a fan of Cleverley, works hard and all that, but just doesn't offer enough quality going forward. If he was to play, I'd rather see him deeper in midfield, he doesn't have the technical ability for the No 10 role. Perhaps an Oxlade-Chamberlain type behind Rooney? He's not had a very good season at all, and would need to get into the Arsenal team first, but at least he does offer a bit of skill and unpredictability.