Saturday, 16 August 2008 20:46 UK

Heskey wins England squad recall

BBC Sports News

 

Wigan striker Emile Heskey has been recalled to the England squad by coach Fabio Capello but Peter Crouch misses out for the Czech Republic friendly.

Heskey has scored five goals in 45 appearances for England and last played for the international team in September 2007 in the 3-0 win over Russia.

 

Crouch, who moved to Portsmouth from Liverpool for £11m in the summer, is a surprise omission for Wednesday's game.

 

And Aston Villa forward Ashley Young will also be disappointed to miss out.

 

Capello was at Upton Park on Saturday watching West Ham beat Wigan 2-1 thanks to two goals from striker Dean Ashton.

 

Ashton, who broke his leg two years ago after being handed an England call-up by former coach Steve McClaren, has been ruled out after coming off against Wigan with a calf problem.

 

As Capello reshuffled his striking pack he called on the rest of his players to weigh in with goals to take the pressure off his forwards. "You have to play in a different style - the other players they have to score more goals," said Capello. "You have to come in front of the goal with a lot of players.

 

"It's a problem everywhere - Italy so-so in attack, Germany so-so. Only Torres is a big striker in this moment in the world.

"Portugal, no. Also the French, you didn't see anything at Euro 2008. It's a big problem now because the teams defend very well."

 

Capello has named 23 players in total for the Wembley friendly, including both Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, who have been been struggling with thigh injury until this week.

 

However, with 13 players in action in Sunday's three Premier League games, there has to be a chance the Italian will suffer some withdrawals.

 

Goalkeeper Paul Robinson is another player to return to the international fold, with central defenders Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate also included.

 

As expected, David Beckham will make the trip from Los Angeles before flying on to Beijing to take part in the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games as London takes centre stage as the next host.

 

Beckham is one of four captains Capello has used in his four friendlies in charge but the final choice of the man who will lead England into their World Cup qualifiers is thought to be between John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.

 

The decision is due to be announced on Tuesday, with Ferdinand just favoured to edge it.

 

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England squad to face Czech Republic on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium:

 

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Paul Robinson (Blackburn Rovers), Joe Hart (Manchester City)

 

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham Hotspur)

 

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), David Bentley (Tottenham Hotspur), Frank Lampard (Chelsea),David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)

 

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe(Portsmouth), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Emile Heskey (Wigan Athletic)

 

Any Comments on the Squad selected?

Gotta say the strikers selection looks nervy... don't rate Defoe as an international striker. Suprised he didn't pick Bent.

I'm glad Heskey is in. He's very underrated and I think England need a striker like him the squad. As Crouch hasn't performed for Capello I'm glad he's got his chance. I like players like him, I rate Kevin Davies too, though I don't think I'd ever pick him for England!

I'm glad Heskey is in. He's very underrated and I think England need a striker like him the squad. As Crouch hasn't performed for Capello I'm glad he's got his chance. I like players like him, I rate Kevin Davies too, though I don't think I'd ever pick him for England!

 

Yeah I definitely think that Heskey is a welcome addition to the squad, but i'm still really concerned by our lack of fire power up front. We could have done with Ashton or Bent in the squad I reckon, was a shame Ashton got injured.

Sunday, 31 August 2008 20:04 UK

Sky Sports News

Bullard called into England squad

 

Fabio Capello has included Fulham's Jimmy Bullard in his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

 

England are set to begin the road to South Africa with a double-header against Andorra and Croatia on 6th and 10th September respectively.

 

Bullard has never previously been mentioned as an international midfield option but, with established stars such as Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Manchester United duo Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick sidelined, he has been handed a shock opportunity to prove what he is capable of.

 

There is no place in the 23-man party for Newcastle's Michael Owen despite his goal scoring exploits this term, while Portsmouth's Peter Crouch is another who misses out.

 

Wigan's Emile Heskey retains his place in the squad and West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green returns from the international wilderness.

 

England in full:

 

Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (Blackburn), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham)

 

Defenders: Joleon Lescott (Everton), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Matthew Upson (West Ham)

 

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Jimmy Bullard (Fulham), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), David Bentley (Tottenham), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)

 

Forwards: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth), Emile Heskey (Wigan).

 

Are there any surprises regarding the squad for these two matches?

 

 

The squad looks weak on paper. That might be a good thing though. Bullard is a complete shock...

 

Suprised he left out Owen too. I don't think Capello's keen on him, but his experience is vital for these games. But i'm at the point at the moment with England where I just don't know where I care anymore. Sure it'll be great if we qualify and do well, but I dont know whether I really care that much about England as a football team at the moment. Club >>> Country.

on international form - Owen > Rooney

 

Rooney's just been a big pile of :( since he had a Portuguese player deliberately stamp on his foot :kink: (twice)

on international form - Owen > Rooney

 

Rooney's just been a big pile of :( since he had a Portuguese player deliberately stamp on his foot :kink: (twice)

 

To be fair the whole team's been pretty shocking...

 

Anyone else want to see the Ferdinand/Terry partnership broken up too? I know they're the best defenders in our squad, but I don't think they work well as a partnership, much like Gerrard and Lampard.

I'd say yes, so people like Wheater can get a chance, I mean come on Andorra :lol: Although McClaren did take us in 0-0 against them.

 

Tbh, our best players are over the hill now, and are far more concerned with their clubs rather than country.

 

I can well see us struggling to qualify for the WC2010. We couldn't qualify in a group where the top 2 went through, lord knows how we'll get by Croatia again, and WIN a group. And as for a playoff I don't know how I would call it tbh. The players might just suddenly realise wha's at stake then.

I don't see what was so bad about drawing with the Czechs who are FIVE PLACES ABOVE US in the world rankings :rolleyes: We played badly, yes but we still drew. -_- I love it how people constantly boo them and slag them off and WONDER why they play with no confidence :rofl: I think Carragher really should be playing with Rio but that'll never happen and maybe it's about time that neither Gerrard or Lampard were in the team so maybe this could be where Bullard comes in or Joe Cole can move there. I still think Rooney and Owen are the best partnership though with Heskey/Crouch being Rooney's understudies and Defoe/Walcott being Owen's. I'm not keen on Beckham playing all the time now either, we rely on him too much and become predictable but maybe Bentley isn't ready yet but Wright-Phillips offers something different!

 

People should stop believing what the tabloids spout out every game and actually get behind the team.. then again I bet if we manage to get a couple of results people will suddenly become interested again and all the papers will be going on about us winning the World Cup again. :lol: I thought have though McClaren's horror years would have brought deluded people back down to earth but it doesn't seem to have :( I'll always care about the England team, if we get to the World Cup I bet you all will and the whole team will care :lol:

Two-goal hero Joe Cole spared England's blushes as Fabio Capello's side began their World Cup qualifying campaign with a stuttering victory over Andorra.

 

In Capello's first competitive match in charge, England dominated but were booed off at half-time after failing to break down Andorra's packed defence.

 

Cole came on at the break and made an instant impact, volleying home Frank Lampard's free-kick on 49 minutes.

 

Six minutes later, Cole prodded home his second from Wayne Rooney's pass.

 

It was a match reminiscent of England's last visit here, under Steve McClaren in March 2007, when they were also jeered off at the interval and had to wait until Steven Gerrard's 54th-minute goal to break the deadlock.

 

Again England's frustration grew as Andorra, ranked 186th in the world, continued to hold out and Capello will be relieved that the changes he made at the break paid dividends.

 

He undoubtedly chose to rest some players here with that match in mind but it will worry him that their replacements struggled against such unheralded opposition.

 

Initially, Capello's decision to hand a first start to Theo Walcott looked a good one, with the Arsenal forward involved in two good chances in the first three minutes.

 

Walcott used his pace to reach a ball on the bye-line then sent it across the face of goal and, after Rooney miscued, Jermain Defoe was beaten to the ball by Koldo.

 

Seconds later, Walcott ran into the area to meet a lofted pass from Rooney but had to rush his shot and clipped the ball narrowly over.

 

It was a promising start for England but, despite them staying in complete control, that was as good as it got for the visitors in front of goal in the first half.

 

Capello continued to try to use Walcott's speed on the right flank but he was increasingly crowded out as the match wore on.

 

And, with Stewart Downing's crossing completely ineffective on the opposite wing, England quickly ran out of ideas.

 

Too many times the ball was pumped aimlessly into the Andorra area where, with Defoe unable to offer a physical presence, it was easily cleared by defenders.

 

The travelling England fans showed their discontent as the players came off at the interval and, unsurprisingly, Capello made changes - replacing the hapless Downing with Joe Cole and sending Emile Heskey on in place of Defoe.

 

Cole immediately looked lively and soon made his presence felt, the Chelsea midfielder providing an emphatic finish when Joleon Lescott flicked Lampard's free-kick into his path.

 

The goal visibly lifted England and John Terry went close to making it 2-0 when he drove a shot into the side-netting from the edge of the area.

 

A second goal was not long coming, however, and inevitably it was Cole who got it - running on to Rooney's superbly weighted pass to prod the ball past the onrushing Koldo.

 

Glen Johnson thought he had added a third just after the hour mark but his powerful strike was ruled out because Cole had drifted into an offside position.

 

By now England were more than comfortable and Terry also came close to adding to their tally against a side that managed only one shot on target in the entire match.

 

But there are harder tests to come in Group Six, starting with the trip to Zagreb on Wednesday to face Croatia - the scourge of McClaren in his failed bid to reach Euro 2008.

 

Source: BBC Sport

 

I thought we were pretty dreadful today. To be fair to us however, Andorra played with 11 men in their own half for most of the game. Let's hope we perform better in Croatia.

To be fair a win is a win against a side who went gun ho for a 0-0 from the first whistle, with their time wasting & throwing themselves down to the floor for imaginery tackles.

 

Still if you think England did badly today..........

 

Albania 0-0 Sweden

Austria 3-1 France (Latest after 88 mins)

Cyprus 1-2 Italy

FYR Macedonia 1-0 Scotland

Romania 0-3 Lithuania

Serbia 2-0 Faroe Islands

Spain 0-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Latest after 85 mins)

 

 

As the cliche goes, there are no easy games in international football......

Whoever said splitting up terry/ferdinand is MENTAL if you'd leave out rio, world's best

Whoever said splitting up terry/ferdinand is MENTAL if you'd leave out rio, world's best

 

It was me. I agree Rio's probably a better player overall than Terry, but I think Terry's a better captain and role model than Ferdinand. Sometimes you have to take one for the team. Is a bit like Lampard/Gerrard - yeah they're great for their clubs, but awful for England. You've got to split up the stars sometimes, and Capello obviously isn't going to drop Terry because he's captain. And also most likely if he ever did split up the partnership, then the media would slate him if we got beat/drew. I'd much rather Capello start Ferdinand/Woodgate or Terry/Woodgate rather than Ferdinand/Terry.

To be fair a win is a win against a side who went gun ho for a 0-0 from the first whistle, with their time wasting & throwing themselves down to the floor for imaginery tackles.

 

Still if you think England did badly today..........

 

Albania 0-0 Sweden

Austria 3-1 France (Latest after 88 mins)

Cyprus 1-2 Italy

FYR Macedonia 1-0 Scotland

Romania 0-3 Lithuania

Serbia 2-0 Faroe Islands

Spain 0-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina (Latest after 85 mins)

As the cliche goes, there are no easy games in international football......

I'd hardly call the Scotland result a surprise, Macedonia are a good side and Scotland? Well, Gary Naysmith? Kris Commons? Jesus....

I'm not spending any money suscribing to the greedy Setanta so listened to about 2/3 of England on 5Live, it seemed frustrating but atleast we won. I don't know if Joe Cole should've started, from what they were saying about Capello he clearly wants wingers who'll stay on the wing as they kept saying he was moaning at Cole every 5 minutes for keep coming inside. If that's the case then Downing probably should play given he's the only left footer of the three contenders and the one who'll stay on the touchlines most.

 

It seemed like it was a typical Andorran performance too, lots of cheating and gamesmanship with a 9-1 formation.

It was me. I agree Rio's probably a better player overall than Terry, but I think Terry's a better captain and role model than Ferdinand. Sometimes you have to take one for the team. Is a bit like Lampard/Gerrard - yeah they're great for their clubs, but awful for England. You've got to split up the stars sometimes, and Capello obviously isn't going to drop Terry because he's captain. And also most likely if he ever did split up the partnership, then the media would slate him if we got beat/drew. I'd much rather Capello start Ferdinand/Woodgate or Terry/Woodgate rather than Ferdinand/Terry.

I'd have Carragher and Terry had Jamie not retired, I'd probably put Woodgate in instead. Ferdinand is another who never looks inspiring for England and compared to his Man Utd games seems to have gone back in time 6 years as a mistake often seems iminent. Obviously the Man Utd fan will tell me I'm 100% wrong though....

:lol: get behind a team who struggle to beat Andorra. That game could become crucial if goal difference was to play a part later on. Capello has hardly shown anything magical since taking over, hell even McClaren made a shinier start :lol:

 

The big proof of the pudding will be against Croatia.

Hmm.. i think we have to cut the players a little slack at least until we've seen them perform in Croatia on Wednesday. Think about it, you're playing ANDORRA and at the same time, preparing to face a side in 4 days time who beat you twice in the Euro 2008 qualifiers and cost you your place in the final.. mentality suggests youre going to want to save everything for that game and therefore they can br forgivven for not giving it their all against Andorra.... for now.

It seems I am alone on this one but why the hell is Heskey preferred over Owen or Crouch. Heskey is not an international goal scorer and never has been a big threat internationally regardless of his club form. I thought he was a donkey years ago and nothing he has done since has changed my opinion of him.