England -v- Slovenia, Wed 3pm RTE & BBC HD

redout

England -V- Slovenia

Match 37 - Group C
Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Wednesday 23 June, 2010
3pm RTE & BBC HD

redout

Fabio Capello has just confirmed that Upson will partner Terry in central defence on wednesday afternoon.

Lukker-

redout wrote: »

Fabio Capello has just confirmed that Upson will partner Terry in central defence on wednesday afternoon.

Confirming you're CB partnership well before can only be a good thing but I still think he's made the wrong decision in picking Upson.

Adamcp898

redout wrote: »

Fabio Capello has just confirmed that Upson will partner Terry in central defence on wednesday afternoon.

Still going to lack pace then so. I know Dawson's so speed freak but he'd complement Terry a whole lot better than Upson, not to mention he's better than him anyway imo. But Fabio doesn't like the inexperienced it seems

steelcityblues

Michael Dawson must be thinkin he chose the wrong summer holiday.

If Slovenia score first, England are gone, because too many of these players don't have the fight to comeback!

mike65

Won't try to call this game until the formation/Gerrard position is known

SV

Slovenia have this. 1-0 I reckon.
14/1 odds at PP, I'll take that


More than likely it'll be a higher goal count(though I still reckon Slovenia will win), England are probably(well should be) desperate to win but it's hard to know if they're gonna be capable of it this time around.

Krusader

mike65 wrote: »

Won't try to call this game until the formation/Gerrard position is known

I would play gerrard up top with rooney, bring joe cole on the left wing

rossie1977

mike65 wrote: »

Won't try to call this game until the formation/Gerrard's attitude towards the game and that of his team-mates is known

fyp

RATM

England will crush Slovenia 3-0

LordSutch

Possibly, but only with the help of Joe Cole.

Boskowski

RATM wrote: »

England will crush Slovenia 3-0

Love the steely language when the only word with 'cr' that comes into my mind with regards to England is more like 'crumble'.

DB10

I rate Joe Cole, and it seems he may be even heading to my club after the WC, but I really think people are going overboard on him.

Going to be a bit of a shock for many if he doesn't produce the goods. He is a good player but he hasn't proven much in the last year or so.

mike65

Boskowski, you are full of attitude! :pac:

aidan24326

RATM wrote: »

England will crush Slovenia 3-0

Really? Well the way England played the other night they wouldn't crush Sligo Rovers 3-0, let alone Slovenia. If they win at all it's more likely to be a nervy 1-0 I'd say.

DB10 wrote: »

I rate Joe Cole, and it seems he may be even heading to my club after the WC, but I really think people are going overboard on him.

Going to be a bit of a shock for many if he doesn't produce the goods. He is a good player but he hasn't proven much in the last year or so.

You're right in saying that Joe Cole might not necessarily be the magic solution, but it surely makes more sense to play him on the left than putting Gerrard out there in a position he's clearly not comfortable with. Capello has to try something different now, he has no choice.

Looking at the group as it stands England almost certainly need to win this game. A draw is unlikely to be enough. This is really a last chance for some of these England players to stand up and be counted.

Boskowski

mike65 wrote: »

Boskowski, you are full of attitude! :pac:

I know <sigh> Can't help it. England. Football. :rolleyes:

Mr Alan

Gerrard looked very good on the left for England in qualification, nothing wrong wit Capello playing him there. Steven deciding he's not arsed that night is the reason it didn't work

FatherTed

I think it will end up 0-0 and 1-1 in the other game with Slovenia winning the group and England losing out the US on goals scored.

England are a lost cause. People are thinking that the urgency of the situation they're in will suddenly get the players more motivated to play better. But this is the World Cup. If they're not motivated enough before now then they'll never be.

On the other hand, maybe they'll get their heads out of their arses and score 7 like Portugal but somehow I doubt it.

_Bella_

I think it will be a closely fought match with England coming out on top with 1-0

namloc1980

Gonna go for a 1-1 draw with the US beating Algeria 2-0. US and Slovenia to go through

steelcityblues

Anyone else think the two teams who progress from this group don't stand much a chance for the second round?

Unless we really see a rejuvenated England on Wednesday night!

df1985

Boskowski wrote: »

Love the steely language when the only word with 'cr' that comes into my mind with regards to England is more like 'crumble'.

id go with crap!

redout

WoW

Capello reaction to Terrys comments on ITV

He said he was disappointed and it was "a big mistake" Terry making the comments.

He said that it should have been done in private.

Not respectful to the other players by speaking about others.

Dont be at yourself

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/fifaworldcup/news/capellolaysdownthelawtoterry/

Video there. Not sure if it can be viewed from outside the UK (god bless VPNs).

Kev_ps3

England will win, of that im positive. The players will give 100% because if they dont win they will be shamed back in England for a long time.

McGrath5

This will be another terrible England performance in my view. I think they will grind out the win they need, but I don't expect them to go far in the WC.

Just realised its a afternoon kick off, I'll be in work then

LeeroyJones

I'd be confident that England will see this one out. I'd go as far as saying they'll put a few past the Slovenians and we'll switch over to Sky Sports where everything thats happened so far will be forgiven, and all of a sudden England are the 'world beaters' we 'knew' before the tournement.

has anyone seen Mike Bassett England Manager, there are some parallels I think-I'm just waiting for Capello to pull off one of the best pre-match interviews ever!

Drumpot

redout wrote: »

WoW

Capello reaction to Terrys comments on ITV

He said he was disappointed and it was "a big mistake" Terry making the comments.

He said that it should have been done in private.

Not respectful to the other players by speaking about others.

I would imagine he would drop Terry if he didnt have so many CB issues and he would be right . . Was Terry representing other players views or was he just being full of himself ? Ahh , I dont know. To be honest I think he is a hateful footballer for many reasons, but dont think he is the sharpest tool in the shed. Perhaps he didnt have the stones to confront Capello himself ? (as saying it in the media doesnt come across as somebody capable of meeting a prob head on). .

That aside, I have never been a big fan of Lampard, but he showed more leadership qualities today with a fantastic media charm offencive. . Whether anybody enjoyed it or not, the hungry, dumbass, english media were always going to lap it up and for that I would give him huge credit for taking some responsibility (where the Feck is Gerrard?).

Best thing for England is that Capello is clearly the boss . . McLaren, Hoddle or Keegan would of had Joe Cole first in the team sheet if a player as "big" as Terry publically demanded it . . I thought Cole should start on Weds, but will Capello leave him out just to send a message to Terry ? Tough call . .

Whatever about how poorly England have played some of the other big guns havent exactly hit the ground running either (who bet on spain struggling to qualify or New Zealand drawing with Italy?). .

Whatever happens on Weds it is fascinating . . If England go out, to be honest it will be a bit of a dampner as I like to see them get at least to the quarters (then I reserve my judgement depending on how cocky they get!) . . Apart from that, any other teams that qualify from that group will just be cannon fodder for the Germanys, Brazils and Argentina's who generally get their acts together for the knockouts and come into their own!

Mister men

Like i said before the tournament started and was laughed out of the thread this is the weakest England squad for many a year and they will do well to progress past the quarters. Given what i've seen in the last couple of matches they are worse than i thought at first. Will be lucky now just to finish second and get crushed by the Germans in the second round.

Drumpot

Mister men wrote: »

Like i said before the tournament started and was laughed out of the thread this is the weakest England squad for many a year and they will do well to progress past the quarters. Given what i've seen in the last couple of matches they are worse than i thought at first. Will be lucky now just to finish second and get crushed by the Germans in the second round.

An english team scraping out of their group with expectations at rock bottom v A German team high and spritely is and intrigueing thought. .

I would argue that if England had strolled the group, the hype would of been intoxicating not just to neutrals but to the players . . If anything, going into the German game with your own fans thinking you dont have a chance will be a much needed boost for the English team who could play without the kind of pressure that usually grips their over excited media/nation.

Reminds me of when england went to Germany and won 5-1. After losing at home to the Germans, nobody gave them a hope and they ripped the Germans to shreds in a game they could enjoy and play with nothing to lose . .

Also, there are plenty of examples (Italy 82, Argentina 90, Italy 94, France 98, France 06) of teams starting poorly and still going far in the tournaments . .

_Bella_

Amore balanced take on Terrys comments:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/philmcnulty/2010/06/england_bid_to_restore_calm.html

Mister men

Drumpot wrote: »

An english team scraping out of their group with expectations at rock bottom v A German team high and spritely is and intrigueing thought. .

I would argue that if England had strolled the group, the hype would of been intoxicating not just to neutrals but to the players . . If anything, going into the German game with your own fans thinking you dont have a chance will be a much needed boost for the English team who could play without the kind of pressure that usually grips their over excited media/nation.

Reminds me of when england went to Germany and won 5-1. After losing at home to the Germans, nobody gave them a hope and they ripped the Germans to shreds in a game they could enjoy and play with nothing to lose . .

Also, there are plenty of examples (Italy 82, Argentina 90, Italy 94, France 98, France 06) of teams starting poorly and still going far in the tournaments . .

Point well made but i just don't think this England squad has what it takes (ability wise) to go far. There one big hope was Rooney but it's obvious that he's carrying an injury and that's not going to clear up anytime soon.

_Bella_

Apparently Capello is also confused who is captain:

Every time we have a meeting I ask the captain, 'Problems? you want to say something?' Never. I read that John Terry said this. I don't understand why he don't speak with me every time."

pickarooney

Drumpot wrote: »

Also, there are plenty of examples (Italy 82, Argentina 90, Italy 94, France 98, France 06) of teams starting poorly and still going far in the tournaments . .

In 1998 France won all three group games with scores of 3-0, 4-0 and 2-1

SlickRic

just to say, i thought Lampard handled this morning's conference excellently; just saw it.

you just knew he was being as truthful, and as straight as possible.

one thing i did enjoy, and i'm paraphrasing....

'if you guys in the media want honest answers to questions, then you really should report it honestly'.

spot on.

Lukker-

SlickRic wrote: »

just to say, i thought Lampard handled this morning's conference excellently; just saw it.

you just knew he was being as truthful, and as straight as possible.

one thing i did enjoy, and i'm paraphrasing....

'if you guys in the media want honest answers to questions, then you really should report it honestly'.

spot on.

Yeah, bang-on. Capello isn't upset with Terry for saying that he wants to discuss tactics with him but for his pimping of Cole. For this I can't see Capello starting Cole because it would be like an admission but he will most likely feature. In fairness what Terry said about Cole was largely true and what most England fans would agree with but he was out of line to say it in an interview.

Paul Tergat

SlickRic wrote: »

just to say, i thought Lampard handled this morning's conference excellently; just saw it.

you just knew he was being as truthful, and as straight as possible.

one thing i did enjoy, and i'm paraphrasing....

'if you guys in the media want honest answers to questions, then you really should report it honestly'.

spot on.

Lot of respect for Frank. Conducts himself very well.

Mr Alan

yep, hard not to respect Frank.

Drumpot

pickarooney wrote: »

In 1998 France won all three group games with scores of 3-0, 4-0 and 2-1

Lazy journalism on my part . . I took the word of Viera or some frencg pundit who used them recently . . Anyways, you know my point as other teams have started worse and done ok . .

Everybody knows that no matter what the limits of this English team is, on paper it is well capable of beating USA, Algeria and Slovenia, but there is something wrong in the camp and their heads just dont seem to be at the races . .

Pressure ? Maybe . . Spain dont appear to be coping with high expectations and I would of thought that Italy could play New Zealand 99 times and win all of them (even with their B team).

In truth, the most remarkable thing about this world cup has been how poor the quality of football has been in general . .

p_larkin99

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Lot of respect for Frank. Conducts himself very well.

Very true.

SlickRic

also, i'm watching this full Capello interview now.

he's spot on too.

Terry, suprisingly :rolleyes:, is looking like the muppet in all of this; as well as Joe Cole (who will obviously have been whinging in JT's ear, thinking he's still at Chelsea and JT is basically running things), as well as whatever other little prima donnas have been b*tching behind the boss's back.

as has been said before; nobody had a problem before with Capello.

and once again, I love the English media trying to compare it to France, to Capello's face. hilarious. dying to sabotage stuff they are.

Townsend talking here as if Terry's some sort of martyr for the cause. fool.

Mr.Nice Guy

Yeah Terry is stirring it up. Is Ferdinand out of the equation completely? Have the team been communicating with him?

I just wonder how significant losing Rio was in all this and whether his presence might have helped avoid this mess. I would imagine he would be a Capello ally whereas it comes across like Terry is still pissed off about losing the captaincy and is sticking the knife in.

ctrl-alt-delete

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Yeah Terry is stirring it up. Is Ferdinand out of the equation completely? Have the team been communicating with him?

I just wonder how significant losing Rio was in all this and whether his presence might have helped avoid this mess. I would imagine he would be a Capello ally whereas it comes across like Terry is still pissed off about losing the captaincy and is sticking the knife in.

Rio has gone home has he? The last i heard i thought he was heading home after the first game, i thought it strange at the time, considering Beckham is there - i thought it would still be benificial to have Ferdinand there.

From the interview i got the impression Terry would be dropped if it not for King and Ferdinand being injured and carragher being suspended, as much as i'd love him to go with Upson & Dawson i don't think he would do it just to spite Terry.

It is clear Terry is still miffed at losing the armband, he was still talking yesterday like he was the captain. He may still command that position in peoples minds, but the best thing he could do would be to shut up and concentrate on his own game.

SlickRic

Terry is self-serving in all of this, or maybe more accurately just thinks he knows better and a has an over-inflated opinion of himself.

Mr Alan

didn't Terry supposedly request a clause allowing him to be next manager of Chelsea in his latest contract? over inflated ego doesn't quite do it justice, all footballers have that, Terry seems closer to a messiah complex.

aidan24326

ctrl-alt-delete wrote: »

Rio has gone home has he? The last i heard i thought he was heading home after the first game

Yeah he went home after the USA game. United may have insisted that he come home and get treated for his injury?

From the interview i got the impression Terry would be dropped if it not for King and Ferdinand being injured and carragher being suspended, as much as i'd love him to go with Upson & Dawson i don't think he would do it just to spite Terry.

Terry can count himself lucky that England are so short of options at centre-half right now, as Capello might well have dropped him otherwise. I doubt Capello would risk starting Dawson and Upson together. Highly unlikely.

SlickRic wrote: »

Terry is self-serving in all of this, or maybe more accurately just thinks he knows better and a has an over-inflated opinion of himself.

Most of these England players have massively over-inflated opinions of themselves. Take Gerrard's condescending comments towards Algeria the other night after the game: "Playing us was their world cup final". Well I hope you enjoyed it Stevie because it's the only world cup final you'll ever play in.

DB10

It's all caving in at the seams for England. Too many arrogant players in one place, and not enough ability to back up their **** talk.

Boskowski

SlickRic wrote: »

also, i'm watching this full Capello interview now.

he's spot on too.

Terry, suprisingly :rolleyes:, is looking like the muppet in all of this; as well as Joe Cole (who will obviously have been whinging in JT's ear, thinking he's still at Chelsea and JT is basically running things), as well as whatever other little prima donnas have been b*tching behind the boss's back.

as has been said before; nobody had a problem before with Capello.

and once again, I love the English media trying to compare it to France, to Capello's face. hilarious. dying to sabotage stuff they are.

Townsend talking here as if Terry's some sort of martyr for the cause. fool.

Can't say it often enough...

Fratton Fred

Algeria played the biggest game of their lives on Friday. The Saturday before, the US players played the biggest game of theirs.

Wednesday the England players will have their biggest game. i am confident they will rise to it.

pickarooney

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Algeria played the biggest game of their lives on Friday. The Saturday before, the US players played the biggest game of theirs.

The US have played a World Cup quarter final before, with many of these players involved. I hardly think a simple group game measures up to that.

dartbhoy

After the criticism from their fans and press after last Friday night's farce you'd think England should come out tomorrow with all guns blazing and beat Slovenia 2 or 3-0. But with the talks of player problems with Capello and John Terry questioning Capello's management skills i think England are there for the taking and Slovenia will never have a better chance of qualifying for the 2nd round.