Captain Grannyshagger and the Kids: The New English National Team Thread

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

I'm watching the England-Norway match for some reason and am actually quite impressed.  Admittedly, its a friendly, Norway is shit, and they still haven't scored.  But this really could be an exciting squad by Euro 2016.  Its not the result but they way the team is playing, which is very un-England: technical, quick, and incisive.
 
The best players on the pitch have been Sterling, who just seems to pop up in dangerous positions doing dangerous things every two minutes , and Wilshere, who if he stays healthy could be the midfield engine that this team has needed for a long time.  If those two progress like they can over the next two years and they find somebody other than Jordan Henderson to play defensive midfield, this team could play with anybody.

 

[soxfan121]

Jack Rodwell staying healthy and finding the pitch at Sunderland would help immensely with the defensive mid thingy. 
 
Defensively, they'll always have problems. Gary Cahill, a couple geezers and some lads who're still wet behind the ears. But Ryan Shawcross can't get a call. 

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Jack Rodwell staying healthy and finding the pitch at Sunderland would help immensely with the defensive mid thingy. 
 
Defensively, they'll always have problems. Gary Cahill, a couple geezers and some lads who're still wet behind the ears. But Ryan Shawcross can't get a call. 

 
Good shout on Rodwell.  As far as the defense goes, I think Stones and Chambers will both be involved somewhere by 2016.  I've never been all that impressed with Phil Jones (other than his awesome facial expressions) but its seems inevitable that he'll be in the mix too.
 
Fwiw, England has been pretty crap in the second half.  Teach me to write glowing assessments at halftime...

 

[coremiller]

I think it was F365 who pointed out recently that Sterling has been surprisingly under-hyped by the English media.  He's still only 19 and is already maybe their best attacker and one of the best attacking players in the EPL.  How has he not been proclaimed England's savior yet by the tabloids, the way Wilshire/Rooney/Gerrard/Owen/Beckham/Gazza all have in the past?  Even someone like Ross Barkley seems to have gotten more hype.  Is it a racial thing?  Am I just wrong about this, and he has been hyped?

 

[eddiew112]

The best players on the pitch have been Sterling, who just seems to pop up in dangerous positions doing dangerous things every two minutes.

I get more and more impressed with Sterling every time I watch him, he has come so far in the last 12 months. He will be England's best player by 2016.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

I think it was F365 who pointed out recently that Sterling has been surprisingly under-hyped by the English media.  He's still only 19 and is already maybe their best attacker and one of the best attacking players in the EPL.  How has he not been proclaimed England's savior yet by the tabloids, the way Wilshire/Rooney/Gerrard/Owen/Beckham/Gazza all have in the past?  Even someone like Ross Barkley seems to have gotten more hype.  Is it a racial thing?  Am I just wrong about this, and he has been hyped?

 

I get more and more impressed with Sterling every time I watch him, he has come so far in the last 12 months. He will be England's best player by 2016.

 
I'm not attuned enough to the English media to gauge his level of hype but I think on current form he's England's best player and one of the best young attacking talents in the world, so he certainly deserves plenty.  My biggest concerns with him would involve knocks, how he responds to the wear and tear of a full season in multiple competitions (he's never played more than 2600 club competition minutes in a year), and whether he can keep his quickness as he gets older.  But the sky looks like the limit right now.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

There was a story out of Spain a month or so ago that had Real Madrid sniffing around Sterling .. Not for this year but 2015/16. That's pretty big hype in my books.

Here's an English link referencing this

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2725247/Liverpool-offer-Raheem-Sterling-significantly-improved-contract-ward-Real-Madrid.html

And another one ..

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-transfer-gossip-reds-7618225

 

[soxfan121]

 
 
I'm not attuned enough to the English media to gauge his level of hype but I think on current form he's England's best player and one of the best young attacking talents in the world, so he certainly deserves plenty.  My biggest concerns with him would involve knocks, how he responds to the wear and tear of a full season in multiple competitions (he's never played more than 2600 club competition minutes in a year), and whether he can keep his quickness as he gets older.  But the sky looks like the limit right now.

 
I largely agree and think it is also possible Sterling is being "underhyped" because Suarez And Sturridge (SAS!) was the marketing spin from the good folks at FSG last year Perhaps I shouldn't be snippy - maybe the best thing for Sterling is to not be the centerpiece of attention. He certainly won't be (unless his play keeps earning it for him) because MARIO is a magnet for that stuff. 
 
Someone could even make the case that Rodgers brought in Balotelli to deflect attention and pressure off of the two long-term pillars he wants to build around - Raheem and Daniel. No one does media-interest-lightning-rod quite like MARIO.

 

[Zomp]

Maybe the English media has learned their lesson?  In the 2004 Euro they hyped Rooney up to be the next Pele.  He's had an unbelievable career, no doubt, but I don't think he's progressed into what the media thought he'd be, the swashbuckling forward. 

 

[cjdmadcow]

I posted in the Liverpool thread during our pre-season tour to the US that Sterling would be gone in the summer of 2016. I'm convinced he'll be the next world superstar and either Real Madrid or Barcelona will come calling with a couple of trucks full of cash (Sterling, of course).
 
On to England...shit, shit shit...and that's just the "coach". Until 4-4-2 is consigned to the pages of history we have no chance of competing at any level, let alone the ends of tournaments. And you know what, the players would be fine with all sorts of strategies and formations if only they were being coached by someone with the skill and foresight to instruct them.
 
Desperate times.

 

[Joe D Reid]

This reminds me that FSG needs to make this year's marketing push "Sturridge and Balotelli", or STAB.

 

[soxfan121]

This reminds me that FSG needs to make this year's marketing push "Sturridge and Balotelli", or STAB.

 
:bravo:

 

[coremiller]

It's not the Daily Mail, but I guess the cat's out of the bag:
 
https://twitter.com/FourFourTwo/status/507837549784891392