[Archived] Does Capello Not Like Rovers For One Reason Or Another?

[Mr. E]

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Manchester City).

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas (both Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa).

Strikers: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe (both Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

First of all...it is arguable whether Robert Green is better than Robinson, but the inclusion of Hart and Foster ahead of him are beyond absurd.

Second - Steven Warnock? Didn't pick him even once while he was at Rovers, but as soon as he puts on the shirt of "a bigger team" he makes it in the squad? How does that happen?

Third: Huddlestone and Carrick ahead of Dunn? Must be a joke. Dunn has 5 goals and has much poorer players around him, Huddlestone has only 1 and I don't think Carrick has scored any, albeit at much richer teams.

Not to mention that when David Bentley was one of the very best midfielders in the country with us, Capello barely picked him either, and gave him little playing time.

Very strange.

[ABBEY]

cahil?????? wtf

[Parsonblue]

I can't say that I'm surprised that Robinson has not been included in the England squad. He was never going to be first choice - and I suspect that the England management are looking at younger options as the backups. He makes some excellent saves but he also beaten by shots which really ought to be saved. The one on Saturday being a good example.

I doubt Dunny is going to break into the international setup at this stage in his career. Injuries have robbed him of a yard of pace and while he is decent in the Rovers team, it's doubtful that he would break into a top four side, let alone an international team.

[American]

Especially considering his defensive limitations, Dunn won't be picked.

[Amo]

No one likes us, we don't care!

[47er]

No one likes us, we don't care!

A good example is Sherwood who only won an England cap after he left us for Spurs at the end of his career.

[Tom]

Didn't Warnock get in the squad whilst at Rovers and Bentley got most of his international minutes whilst at the club?

Hart and Foster over robbo is bad though Foster in particular is poor

[Baz]

The answer is simple Mr E - no - and neither has any England manager since Venables & possibly Keegan.

Some of those selections are baffling - Huddlestone, Cahill, Wes Brown, Joe Hart, Jermaine Jenas ???

[Gav]

We don't have any current English players good enough to make the squad, simple as that.

[tony gale's mic]

Joe Hart and Ben Foster are young English keepers with potential. Robbo is not young and is just about good enough for Rovers but definitely not for England.

[modes98]

Robbo is not young and is just about good enough for Rovers but definitely not for England.

He has just turned 30, hardly old for a keeper. Most keepers come into there best form at this age. Would you honestly rather have Foster in goal for us?

I think I would take Hart but he has problems with crosses. Green is average and James seems to have lost the will to play on saturdays evidence.

As for Dunn, there was no chance he was getting in. Even if he had scored a hat trick on saturday, there are talented young players which have to given a shot. We don't want him picking up an injury anyway.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

I hate threads like this. The FA hate us, Capello hates us etc. lets just have a look at this without the blue and white glasses on.

Robinson - If he wasnt playing for Rovers, would you have him in the squad? He's a good keeper but he has had his chance, none of us can argue about that. If it comes to playing young up and coming keepers over those who have had their chance and not taken it, then i think its understandable for the likes of Green/Hart to be included.

Dunn - He is an attacking MF/secondary striker. Who is he up against?? Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, Joe Cole, Ashley Young. Is Dunn better than any of these...? No. Id personally take any of those over Dunn. He is a very good player for us and deserves all the praise he's been getting but sorry for ruining this but he wont get into the squad, not because the FA hates us but because it is the one position in the England side which is brimming with world class talent.

Carrick is a defensive midfielder so that comparison isnt really applicable. Huddlestone is again not in the squad to fill the role that Dunn would fill.

Warnock - Is playing arguably better at Villa then he did for us. Plus he got into the England team whilst he was here.

[thenodrog]

We don't have any current English players good enough to make the squad, simple as that.

correct gav. For the first time in my life England are poor in the goalkeeping dept. Despite this paucity of talent Robinson is not England standard and thats that. Dunny is a million miles off displacing the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, Cole or Rooney. Warnock is in cos Bridge had a mare for City yesterday and now has the chance to show how limited he really is. imo We sold Warnock too cheaply and this may now come home to haunt us.

Basically we have no players likely to attract the attention of the England manager and after ercent experiences I for one am glad about that!

[Mr. E]

I hate threads like this. The FA hate us, Capello hates us etc. lets just have a look at this without the blue and white glasses on.

Robinson - If he wasnt playing for Rovers, would you have him in the squad? He's a good keeper but he has had his chance, none of us can argue about that. If it comes to playing young up and coming keepers over those who have had their chance and not taken it, then i think its understandable for the likes of Green/Hart to be included.

Dunn - He is an attacking MF/secondary striker. Who is he up against?? Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, Joe Cole, Ashley Young. Is Dunn better than any of these...? No. Id personally take any of those over Dunn. He is a very good player for us and deserves all the praise he's been getting but sorry for ruining this but he wont get into the squad, not because the FA hates us but because it is the one position in the England side which is brimming with world class talent.

Carrick is a defensive midfielder so that comparison isnt really applicable. Huddlestone is again not in the squad to fill the role that Dunn would fill.

Warnock - Is playing arguably better at Villa then he did for us. Plus he got into the England team whilst he was here.

I wasn't talking about them making the starting 11, but the squad. Robinson may not be top quality, but my question is are there 3 GKs better? You can include Green, but Foster is a reserve keeper and Hart isn't having a great season on-loan at Brum. Both are young and inexperienced, but you gain experience at club level and then prove you are good enough for your country - not the other way around.

And Dunn may not be able to displace Gerrard and Lampard, but that doesn't mean he's not good enough to at least be back-up. Ashley Young and Joe Cole are best used on the wings, so they don't fit this role, Rooney is a striker, and you can't count on Gerrard/Lampard always being fit. England need a back-up attacking central midfielder who can score goals, and I don't see anyone better than Dunny for that role.

Was Warnock picked while Capello has been in charge? I think it was only during McLaren's short rein, but I'm not sure.

In any case, yes this is probably better for us as we reduce the risk of fatigue and injuries - but IMO Capello is ignoring some good talent in place of some questionable choices.

Same can be asked why on Earth he has (until now) been picking Emile Heskey over Darren Bent.

[Miker]

All of the players in that squad are currently in form except the United ones ie. Carrick, Brown and Foster. I have no idea why they've been chosen. Jenas and Huddlestone have been doing pretty well, but to be fair Dunn would be a better choice.

Robinson has done well for us, but I'm concerned by his inability to deal with long shots. We've conceded too many goals from far out and you have to ask questions about the goalkeeper's positioning for these. Hart has been very good for Birmingham even though they have been conceding quite a few goals, so he definitely deserves a place.

[Hasta]

A good example is Sherwood who only won an England cap after he left us for Spurs at the end of his career.

Whilst that is statistically true he did play in the abandoned game for England at Lansdown Road in 1995 for which no-one got a cap.

However the point is that you have more chance of playing for your country playing for a bigger club than Rovers and Warnock proves that. He was player of the year last year so was hardly in bad form.

Dunn doesn't have the all round game for England now. He would be a good late attacking option coming off the bench because he is the only player that can skip past a tackle though skill and trickery rather than pace However managers tend not to look at people who can turn a game in a flash but contribute very little. Look at Matt Le Tissier who single kept poor Southampton sides up for years but could never get a game for England (only 8 caps).

[Mafioso]

Robinson should have been chosen ahead of Hart and Foster for sure. Whether he can displace Green is a matter which form in the league will decide.

He did have a rubbish month, but apart from a couple of goals which could have been saved, it was down to defensive errors. He's stopped quite a few one-on-ones against Chelsea, Utd and even Arsenal. He punches the ball less and has started collecting corners and crosses again. He is playing with more confidence.

Foster has now been dropped to the bench at United, which seems to have erased the memory of his howlers, inconsistencies and lack of confidence on the field. Hart, should be 3rd keeper.

This might be a wake up call for Robinson which could be positive for us as he might want to improve. The form he is in at the moment earned him a recall. A further motivated and improved Robbo, witha back line of Chim, Samba, Nelsen, Givet, will only benefit us.

As for Dunn, I love the player and he has been brilliant, possibly his best football since the championship and promotion seasons, but as many have pointed out their are far too many options ahead of him and I would have to agree.

Warnock will always be 3rd best behind Cole and Bridge.

[Manc Rover]

I think Warnock should be 2nd choice behind Cole. Bridge has been dreadful this season and has never been that good anyway. Amazing he's always got in squads, expecially when he was 2nd fiddle at Chelsea for years. Warnock played under Capello v Trinidad (I think) about 18 months ago on that bobbly pitch when it was impossible to play football.

Dunn - no chance! Yes he's playing great but not fit enough for England and probably nowhere near on Capello's radar.

[waggy]

Goalkeepers: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Manchester City).

Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas (both Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa).

Strikers: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe (both Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

First of all...it is arguable whether Robert Green is better than Robinson, but the inclusion of Hart and Foster ahead of him are beyond absurd.

brazilians shoot from anywere robbo is a brilliant shot stopper,but anything outside the box is in at the moment

[JAL]

We don't have any current English players good enough to make the squad, simple as that.

I dont think Mr.E watches Rovers away games.

[Gav]

brazilians shoot from anywere robbo is a brilliant shot stopper,but anything outside the box is in at the moment

Spot on Waggy, and they don't have to be Brazilian either, anyone shoots from outside the box has a good chance of scoring against a very average keeper in Robinson. We’ve been blessed for many a year in the goalkeeping department, but Robinson is the worst I can recall of the Jack Walker era.

[Sparky Marky]

To criticise a bit more, I'm not too sure about his shot-stopping ability. He seems agile and quick on the reflexes but he always seems to make the goal look massive - surely that's always going to put him at a disadvantage before the shot's even been struck.

He's a top shot stopper, close in....but anywhere from outside the box and he's buggered...Robbo doesn't deserve to be england's goalie

[ABBEY]

I doubt any of Capello's decisions are to do with age. It's England - you play the players who are the best for the job or are in the best form.

like cahill? the most overated defender in england.

[Jackson]

I doubt any of Capello's decisions are to do with age. It's England - you play the players who are the best for the job or are in the best form.

I just wonder about Robbo sometimes... does anyone reckon our leakage of goals is due to a lack of defensive organisation on Robbo's part? He doesn't strike me as the most vocal or leader-like of goalkeepers.

To be completely honest, following the ethos of late to "play for your shirt", I only think it's fair to give Brown a crack of the whip for a few games.

[ABBEY]

who was the last rover in the england squad? i thought it was robbo.