David Beckham has been recalled to the England squad for the friendly with France in Paris on 26 March.

 

The LA Galaxy midfielder, 32, who has 99 caps, is in a provisional 30-man squad named by coach Fabio Capello.

 

Provisional squad:

Goalkeepers: James (Portsmouth), Carson (Aston Villa), Kirkland (Wigan)

Defenders: Bridge (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea), Johnson (Portsmouth), Terry (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Lescott (Everton), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Wheater (Middlesbrough), Woodgate (Tottenham), Upson (West Ham)

Midfielders: Barry (Aston Villa), Young (Aston Villa), Bentley (Blackburn), J Cole (Chelsea), Lampard (Chelsea), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Jenas (Tottenham)

Forwards: Walcott (Arsenal), Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Crouch (Liverpool), Rooney (Man Utd), Owen (Newcastle), Defoe (Portsmouth).

 

:funky:

Edited March 26, 200817 yr by JamesP

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Kirkland (Wigan Athletic)

 

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton), John Terry (Chelsea), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur)

 

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (AstonVilla), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)

 

Forwards: Michael Owen (Newcastle United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

 

Robinson is SO lucky! Hart's in the U21 squad right? I'm sure that if he wasn't in the U21 squad Robinson would have had no chance of getting into the England squad again. He's well and truly past it now...

no Defoe? oh dear :(

Rio Ferdinand's captaining the side... - I have the feeling that with all the remaining friendlies we've got before the qualifiers begin he's going to select a different captain for each game.

I hope Ferdinand takes this chance.

:cheer: For Rio :D

 

Great choice imo, let's hope he makes the most of it and keeps the role ^_^

:cheer: For Rio :D

 

Great choice imo, let's hope he makes the most of it and keeps the role ^_^

 

After all he showed great responsiblity when he forgot about a random drugs test, conveniently 36 hours after being spotted in a nightclub taking recreational drugs..... :rolleyes:

Plus he did such a great job organising the Manchester United players Christmas Do last year, didn't he. :rofl:

And don't get me started on his attempt at being a poor man's Jeremy Beadle where David Beckham very nearly got ran over...

 

Having him as captain is a bit like having Pete Doherty & Amy Winehouse fronting a Just Say No to Drugs campaign IMHO.

 

The sad fact is if you look at the England squad, I honestly can't see a suitable captain....... David Beckham (too old); David James (goalkeeper, never the best position for this role), John Terry (too hyper in your face for the role), Steven Gerrard (too quiet).... Frank Lampard (has an annoying face & attitude that if I was a ref I would want to wave a card in his face) with perhaps the exception of Gareth Barry (but he is realistically a bit part player)

 

I'm honestly starting to think Capello should do what Peter Taylor did in 2000 and give it to the star player with a bit of a suspect reputation..... Wayne Rooney... it might be the making of him, like it was for Golden Balls who will pick up his 100th cap tomorrow.

JT isn't exactly an angelic captain either ^_^

 

I would have given it to Beckham for his 100th cap (if he starts of course, or if not hand it over).

 

I like the idea of Rooney eventually being captain but I think it's a bit too soon. Give it to Owen in the meantime :heehee:

I'd have given the captains armband to Joe Cole - not your obvious choice but I think it'd suit him.

 

As TIP said I don't think England have any natural captains at the moment...

Well as a Manchester United supporter I think Rio fully deserves to be captain! He's probably been in the best form he's ever been right now both for club AND country, Capello has said to himsef that 'the past is the past' and I really hope he can grasp this opportunity personally as he'd make a great captain but right now I'd still say Stevie G should be the captain. Also I don't think any England fan can go through today without listening to THIS song :lol: :

 

 

Duran Duran - Rio

 

"His name is Rio and he's captain of England, his name is Rio, Rio, Rio Ferdinand" :cheer:

And don't get me started on his attempt at being a poor man's Jeremy Beadle where David Beckham very nearly got ran over...

 

IIRC, this was on ITV the day England played Paraguay. I'd love to have seen the ratings it would have gotten if the South Americans had won.

From the past 18 months worth of performances Rio thoroughly deserves a go at the captaincy. I've never been a fan of him and have always thought JT and JC should've been out centre back partnership but at the moment I'd have no one else. Rio may have been a complete fool, but that was a long while ago now. Since the World Cup, his game, temperment and himself generally have improved a hell of a lot, whereas I'd say pretty much the opposite for Terry and Gerrard.

The team in full: James, Brown, Ferdinand, Terry, A Cole, Hargreaves, Barry, Beckham, Gerrard, J Cole, Rooney.

 

So no Frank Lampard and no David Bentley.

 

The formation will be 4-2-3-1 the experts reckon.

 

It makes sense to use that system considering Chelsea, Utd and Liverpool play a variation of it and four of the six attacking players come from those three teams.

Changed the topic title - come on England! :smoke:

Not a very convincing first half.

 

We're leaving France too much space and they look very dangerous on the counter attack especially. There's too much wasted posession and no-one's making any runs when we've got posession in France's half. Rooney looks very isolated as the front man too and he comes in too deep to try and get the ball - Owen or Walcott would be such better suited to this formation and the way England are going about it.

H-T

 

France 1-0 England

 

England playing well and deserve to be level, but for crying out loud Capello bring on Peter Crouch for those crosses into the box. Rooney looks like a little boy lost, all frustrated and alone as the front striker, we need a holding striker to get on the end of these decent quality crosses being sent in to the French box in vain.

 

Beckham watch: On this evidence playing in America has not harmed his ability of playing at this high level. But has he got the engine to keep this going for the full 90 minutes?

 

Wes Brown is proving yet again that he is not good enough to play at this level. Whilst for once the two Cole's have had a poor half. Whilst we are left vulnerable to the French counter attack.

Oh dear?

 

This is like the bad old days of Sven-Goran Eriksson. England make four changes at half-time. Joleon Lescott, Peter Crouch, Stewart Downing and Michael Owen come on. John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney come off.

 

As Mike Bassett would say "back to 4-4- f-fin 2!"

 

 

Was evidently clear we lacked something, granted France weren't much better but when they had posession they looked a lot more likely that they were going to do something with it. Did we even have a shot on target in the game? Owen and Crouch seemed to come in too deep at times to get posession. It was never going to be the most exciting game in the world, but I found it a very frustrating game to watch as an England fan.

no shots aimed between the sticks.

 

Beckham could have been called a right back for half his time on the pitch, far too deep. Rooney is not a lone striker period. Wes brown :lol: Joe Cole just lollydollying around with the ball and losing it. Ashley Cole can't cross to save his life :kink:

 

And you just can't make 4 changes, changing formation at half time, it just never works.

 

Not even like the most intelligent superhuman android could get England a win at the moment. The players seriously need to look at themselves.