The Final England Squad

[joey_big_nose]

Possibly....but what about parker, or anyone else that is there already can do Barry's job....He's Shyte....what a load of jibber jabber over a very average player.

I don't agree at all. I would say Barry has been arguably our best midfielder for the last two years. Far more consistent than Gerrard or Lampard.

My team for SA:-

-----------------Rooney

J Cole---------Gerrard-------Lennon

---------Barry---------Lampard

A Cole---Terry------Ferdinand----Johnson

------------------James

Squad:- Green, Hart, King, Carragher, Warnock, Huddlestone, Milner, Walcott, A Johnson, Crouch, Defoe, Bent

I'm a bit ###### off that Parker did not get a look in in the run ups. Personally I think he is a better player than Huddlestone or Carrick.

[Hasta]

Baines out...Warnock in...remarkable.

Unless you watched the Mexico game.

[robbo_rovers]

Pretty much confirmed, left out:

Baines

Walcott

Bent

Johnson

Dawson

Parker

Huddlestone

[67splitscreen]

All these leaks, typical the FA is a shambles.

Johnson, Dawson, Parker, Baines, Bent, Huddlestone Walcott.

[Majiball]

I'm a bit ###### off that Parker did not get a look in in the run ups. Personally I think he is a better player than Huddlestone or Carrick.

I cannot believe they are not taking a sitter, Carrick will get the run around when England come up against the likes of Kaka, Gourcuff et al. Parker for me was a shoe in because he plays that role gets stuck in and can play a bit. Lets pray to go that Barry is really fit enough to cope with playing in every game as Carrick or King will get minced against quality.

[modes98]

I just don't get leaving Adam Johnson out and keeping SWP/Lennon/Downing. Non of them offer what he does and yet Capello didn't give him a chance second half against Japan. Walcott was awful in that game as well, looked waaaay out of his depth and lacked ideas or desire.

[robbo_rovers]

I just don't get leaving Adam Johnson out and keeping SWP/Lennon/Downing. Non of them offer what he does and yet Capello didn't give him a chance second half against Japan. Walcott was awful in that game as well, looked waaaay out of his depth and lacked ideas or desire.

Downing wasn't even in the provisional squad dude!

[67splitscreen]

I just don't get leaving Adam Johnson out and keeping SWP/Lennon/Downing. Non of them offer what he does and yet Capello didn't give him a chance second half against Japan. Walcott was awful in that game as well, looked waaaay out of his depth and lacked ideas or desire.

Was that your fantasy team, Downing????

[Bobby G]

Capello has more so chosen people based on players playing themselves out of the WC rather than playing themselves in. Not good news if you're English.

Yes, Baines froze, but who is to say Warnock wont?

Walcott disappointed but who is to say SWP will do better having not done anything for the last two games.

[mark1875]

unconfirmed reports circulating that king is out and dawson is in

[nicko]

Unless you watched the Mexico game.

Fair enough, but why not play Warnock against Japan and see how he coped?

Capello has gone way down in my estimation in the past few weeks.

So far people have ruled themselves out in warm-up games...and only Joe Cole ruled himself in.

No idea what his best team is or best formation....never mind best squad.

[Balwer]

As a (somewhat) impartial Australian who has watched all the friendlies I'm a bit surprised by the 23, if true. The 30 was no real surprise, but from there it seemed that players played their way out of the team like Bobby G suggests.

Personally I'd have kept Dawson ahead of Upson, Baines instead of Warnock, Parker instead of Cole/Carrick and Adam Johnson ahead of Wright-Phillips.

Of course I think Robinson > too Green but on that matter I am very biased.

With no Downing or Adam Johnson who actually plays left wing? Gerrard isn't at all suited to it. Also think not taking Bent limits your strike options to just Rooney.

[BuckyRover]

Typical journalist, already sharpening the knives. Let's see where we stand after the 3 group games. He can choose his squad until 12pm tonight, which is what he is paid to do. He doesn't have to announce it early.

[67splitscreen]

No need for an announcement when Twitter has it all. Save his wages.

[BuckyRover]

He wants to tell the players individually. People who have already been told have, obviously, not been gagged, hence information was always likely to appear. I wouldn't describe it as a "shambles".

FFS

[67splitscreen]

Comparing it with all the other nations final selections, IMO it is.

The players should have been brought together told personally, not by phone, then an immediate release of the squad. IMO.

[mark1875]

brazil didnt bother naming a 30 man squad from what i have heard. he just named his 23 from the off

[joey_big_nose]

With no Downing or Adam Johnson who actually plays left wing? Gerrard isn't at all suited to it. Also think not taking Bent limits your strike options to just Rooney.

I think the plan looks like J Cole and Gerrard, maybe SWP as an outside bet. I am very surprised Johnson isn't going - he looked genuinely different.

[tcj_jones]

I was really worried that Joe Cole was going to be dropped. Without him we don't have a single player in the squad capable of playing left win to a high standard at this level. Gerrard is wasted out there, Johnson isn't ready, Walcott IMO is nowhere near good enough, SWP has had a few indifferent seasons, while Milner and Lennon are far better suited to right.

It makes Capello's decision not to take Young even more baffling.

I guess the midfield and attack will look like this against the lesser opponents:

Lennon / Lampard / Barry (sitting) / Gerrard

Crouch / Rooney

and against the better teams:

Lennon / Lampard / Barry (sitting) / Cole

Gerrard

Rooney

Were we to line up in eitehr of these formations in South Africa, I'd be pretty happy, though I still don't like the idea of sticking Gerrard out on the left.

[speeeeeeedie]

When the squad finally comes out are the players given numbers? That is generally an indication of what the starting 11 is.

[67splitscreen]

4pm official announcement.

[Laurence]

From the BBC website:

ENGLAND'S 2010 WORLD CUP SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.

Defenders: Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Forwards: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney

[DE.]

How does Heskey keep getting into the England squad

Bent & Parker should be included, imo. Not sure about Upson & SWP being in the squad.

[Laurence]

Good to see Stevie Warnock in there, but Heskey, Upson and SWP are very lucky boys.

[Rathbone Market]

I agree Upson is lucky to be there and am pleased Capello has cut Walcott who seems to have nothing but pace.

Somewhat dismayed that Parker didn't make the cut. Whilst not a first 11 player he has had a brilliant season

and is on top form, something that I thought Capello said was most important when selecting players...

...and as for Heskey...