England’s Horrible Squad For Opening Euro 2016 Qualifier Announced – Fabian Delph, Jack Colback And Danny Rose All Called Up

Chris Wright

28th, August 2014

24 Comments

By Chris Wright

Soccer - Wayne Rooney Filer

Captain of the ‘B’ team

With Wayne Rooney officially installed as England’s new skipper, Roy Hodgson has announced his squad for the upcoming friendly against Norway at Wembley on 3rd September and the opening Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland five days later.

It’s horrible.

The squad in full (via BBC Sport)…

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Man City)

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Everton)

Midfielders: Jack Colback (Newcastle), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Milner (Man City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. The first of England’s post-Gerrard/Lampard squads has well and truly exposed the appalling shallowness of the “talent” pool at Hodgson’s disposal.

Where to start? We happen to rate Jack Colback but there’s no way he should be considered an international-standard midfielder in this day and age. Fabian Delph? Ridiculous.

As for Danny Rose: If he’s the answer then it must have been one hell of an incredibly stupid question.

And would Calum Chambers have been included if he’d have put in his two decent-ish shifts so far this season for Southampton rather than Arsenal? We think not.

OH GOD. We didn’t even notice Andros Townsend’s name secreted in there. Will this suffering never end?

We need to lie down for a while.

Posted in Euro 2016, International football, Newsnow, Opinion

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24 Comments

  1. Lady B says:

    At least you lot qualified for the last World Cup, unlike South Africa… I also foresee an AFCON fail coming up too. Ho-hum

  2. Holland 1945 says:

    Roy likes to pick the media favourites of the month, so that explains Chambers. Clearly he’s gifted but there are players at less popular clubs who play to that level for 5 years and still don’t get recognised.

    Rose is only because of Shaw’s injury. Not worth crying about.

    Delph and Colback are decent, but indeed there is a huge hole in midfield. Though it’s not like Gerrard will be missed, after his woeful world cup. In fact without his wasteful, needless Hollywood passes, England might be able to actually connect midfield and attack.

    It’s pretty much the best squad he could have picked with all the current injuries. It does highlight how poor the standard of young, English footballer is (especially in midfield/attack) but then this is hardly anything new, is it? Even the good ones get overhyped, believe their own hype and then never fulfill their potential. Until young, English players stop thinking they’re Ronaldo before they’ve even grown hair under their arms, things are unlikely to change.

  3. Pete says:

    Fabian Delph has been quality all of last season in a very poor team.

    Should have gone to world cup instead of fat frank and 1 in 10 games gerrard

  4. dav says:

    Why shouldn’t delph get a call up?? lets have some reasoning behind it instead of just ridiculous! Knock those brain cells together and let read some insightful reasoning instead of yuk!! What a rubbish article

    • Chris says:

      @dav: If you want 1,000 words of wibble then go and read Henry Winter.

      The most I will give Delph is that he’s a solid young grafter with an above average touch, but he’s hardly setting anything alight is he?

      He’s the modern day Carlton Palmer. Shouldn’t be anywhere near an England team.

  5. dav says:

    Whoever wrote this shite….yukyukyuk

  6. Lol. says:

    Who would you call up ahead of Delph?

    • Chris says:

      @Lol.: All epic bantz aside, Cleverley and Carrick are at least experienced at international level.

      Hell, we’d even go with Jonjo Shelvey or Jack Rodwell before the lot of ’em.

  7. Tommo says:

    I don’t think this is a bad team in fact it is much better than the shite that went to the World Cup bait of bitterness from the writer of this article he must prefer the primadonna crap from the summer shame games.

  8. jjo says:

    You suggest Cleverley and Carrick or Rodwell?!!! This article is one of the worst football articles I have ever read.

    Cleverley and Carrick are utter rubbish – have you not watched Man Utd the last 2 years? Lampard and Gerard are totally past it and should’ve been replaced before the world cup. Did you not watch Gerard’s performances or lack of them in the world cup?

    Delph was Villa’s player of the year last year, Colback was very good for Sunderland and has started really well at Newcastle.

    The squad is not horrible at all. Your article is horrible.

  9. Chris says:

    @jjo: This squad – or the midfield at least – *is* horrible though, isn’t it?

    Completely devalued, no star power and full of mediocre makeweights.

  10. Bestie says:

    With all the talented defenders and midfielders England have, this is the best ol’ Roy could come up with? Why not Hummels, Blind, Kroos, Mascherano……….oh, wait a minute

  11. James H-W says:

    Fabian Delph is quality, and a player that should have probably gone to the world cup. He’s is young and only gonna get better with more international experience. Colback not so much …..

    Utd should sign Delph. exactly what they need

  12. Chris b says:

    This is a shite website but at least the author has bothered to respond . As for England they are shite with or without gerrard and fatty

  13. Simon says:

    What exactly is the point of this article, other than to have a moan? You’ve said Delph and Colback shouldn’t be anywhere near the squad, and yet you pick out Cleverley as having “international experience”… Yes, he has international experience of being utterly useless! He’s been tried, and he’s failed. Time to try out other players who, when surrounded by players of better quality than they’re used to at club level, might just prove to be pretty decent. How are the likes of Colback, Delph, Chambers etc… supposed to get the international experience you say is lacking without being allowed to play in international matches??

  14. Gamblino says:

    Couldn’t agree with this article more. That is a depressing England squad and it does expose the shite-pool Roy has to choose from. Makes you realise how spoiled we have been with the failed golden generation of the last 15 years. True waste of talent on the hands of the FA and now just an army of blandness coming of age to look forward to..

  15. adhikapp says:

    The lack of love for Huddlestone and Clyne is surprising. Surely Clyne is better than Chambers? I have no problem with Delph but Colback I do. This team is probably on parr with Wales nowadays I guess. Shocking team.

  16. Quint says:

    This article is a load of shite. Every single one of the lads in this team would do a damn better job of football (and writing) than the lazy journalists behind this article could ever hope to. Don’t slate them before they’ve even played- and if you have ever watched Delph play, the writer would be well aware he is talking out of somewhere dark and rancid.

  17. savage says:

    this squad gave me goosebumps

  18. PetrovskyKSC says:

    I wonder if you guys could come to terms with an english team going on a ten match winning streak. I imagine thousands of english heads exploding in such a situation. You fuckin have to stay positive, dammit.

  19. Nemo says:

    I dont really see anything major wrong with this squad, Delph for me is one of the best midfielders in the EPL , would love to see him move to a “bigger” team. Cleverley needs to prove himself again and with Carrick not yet available , but Colback aint that impressive…

  20. Bob says:

    Delph fair enough. We’ve been crying out for a manager who plays form players and not big names. Now we have it it’s sad to see WAATP conforming to your standard media squad selection bashing technique.

    Chambers is absolute quality and integrating him into the England team asap is the best thing to do, in whatever position just get him in, future captain.

    Carrick is also one of the best players on the ball we have. He should be in there. He does the right thing, all the time. He’s the holding role we are missing. Even if he may miss a coupe of tackles now and again he gives England the possession we so often give away.

    Clyne deserves a chance. Even if it’s on the left instead of Rose.

    All in all, we need to play form players and players with future potential now. The big names never ever cut it. They are just absolute s**t every time… and why we have to have a nailed on captain for 4 years or so I’ll never know

  21. the berg says:

    2 months ago you pricks wants a new and young england team and now you are still whinging.

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