To make the England WC Squad.

[thesaint]

Player Specials Football Long-Term Betting - Online Betting at Blue Square

Now I haven't watched England for a few games, but Shaun Wright-Phillips at evens? Is that good value? I wouldn't put him in a starting line up but he always seemed to be in the squad or on the bench.

ODM's favourite Michael Owen is at 4/1. Noticed aswell that Paul Robinson has closed in a bit on the other keepers lately.

Post your thoughts!

[ONEDUNME]

As Slick has said, England are going to go into this tournement with a below par keeper, whoever they choose. Strange when you consider that they've often had an embarrasment of riches in that area. When David James is odds on to be in the squad you know you're in the shit.

Owen has absolutely no chance of going. Capello has never thought he was good enough (regardless of how good as he was in the past) and he's done absolutely nothing at United to suggest he's in the top half dozen English strikers. If it wasn't for his name, you'd watch him and be baffled as to why Ferguson would sign such an average player.


The only one in that list that I'd risk a bet on is Micah Richards. 5/2 is a big price and it would only take a few injuries for him to move up the pecking order. That and signs that he's improving his tactical nouse. If Mancini gets him playing as he can do and he finishes the season strongly, Capello is not going to ignore him.

Some of those odds look like they're based on past performance rather than this season's. Are Lescott and Wes Brown worthy of being 3/10 and 4/7? I don't think so.

I'm having some of the 5/2 on Micah.

[ONEDUNME]

Incidently, Lee Camp is 25/1 with Victor Chandler to make the squad. Apart from Given, he's the best keeper in the Championship at the moment by far and, as I've said before, Capello is no great respector of reputation over form.

Stranger things have happened.

[slick]

Just spotted Ashley Cole will be out for 3 months with a fractured ankle, What Price Nathan Baines making the squad as he's probbaly the best English Left Back after him playing in the Prem at the moment form wise.

[slick]

I keep calling him Nathan when its Leighton, anyhow seems he used to be in the betting but no more, I'd have a tenner on it right now if i could find it up anywhere.

[slick]

Well now Bridge has withdrawn himself from the England squad i should imagine Baines will be pretty much nailed on, what a pity i couldn't find any odds when i was looking for them.

[Bigkegman]

Beckham tore his achilllies tendon last night which means he will be ruled out. I kinda feel sorry for the bloke becasue he's not hid away from the fact he was desperate to play at the WC and came back to AC to try and make that happen.

David Beckham's dream of playing in a fourth World Cup looks over after he tore an Achilles tendon in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday.
Beckham was unchallenged when he suffered the injury and hobbled off in pain before being stretchered away.
The 34-year-old was hoping to be part of England's World Cup squad in June, but instead will fly to Finland on Monday for specialist surgery.
"A rupture of the Achilles tendon is suspected," said an AC Milan statement.
Beckham, who is in his second loan stint with Milan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, will now almost certainly not be fit for the World Cup in South Africa which starts on 11 June.

Consultant sports physician Dr Tom Crisp told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's remotely possible he may be running in three months. The chances of him being fit to play for England are non-existent."
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said the Englishman will be out for "probably five or six months".
"I saw him and he was suffering. In the dressing room, I took him in my arms and told him that if he wanted, he will be with us next year," said Galliani.
AC Milan coach Leonardo said: "Beckham's injury makes us feel terrible. He understood immediately that he had torn his Achilles tendon.
"He is an extraordinary guy and today's game proves it yet again. I cannot enjoy this evening considering this serious injury."
AC Milan team-mate Ignazio Abate said the England star was inconsolable.
"He's not doing well. He was in tears in the dressing room, he wasn't saying a lot. This has affected us all," said Abate.
Former Manchester United star Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, was bidding to become the first England player to feature in four successive World Cup finals. He shares the record of three with Bobby Moore and Peter Shilton.
England coach Fabio Capello spoke with Beckham on Sunday evening to offer his commiserations, according to the Press Association.

And with Tottenham's Aaron Lennon still suffering from a groin problem, Capello may now turn to both Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright-Phillips to cover the right side of midfield, with James Milner, Joe Cole, Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson also in the reckoning.
Former England defender Martin Keown told BBC Radio 5 live: "Capello's not stupid, he knew there was a role for Beckham within the squad and this is a massive blow.
"He's going to be out for six months, he needs to now look at rescuing his career and what's left of it.
"He'll be extremely upset, without doubt. I think tonight is a very sad day for the Beckham family."
Beckham's loan spells at AC Milan were a deliberate attempt to convince Capello of his worth in an England squad, but he was an unused substitute in the recent friendly win over Egypt and was quoted in several Sunday papers as saying he feared for his place.
"Am I banking on going to the World Cup? No, not at all," he is reported to have said.
"I am not guaranteed to go to South Africa. I have to work hard and hopefully win my place.
"There are a good few months left and plenty of games to play, but hopefully I can carry on playing well and get in the squad."
Sunday's injury is the latest in a string of heartbreaking World Cup moments for Beckham.
His sending off against Argentina in the quarter-finals was widely blamed for costing England their chance in France in 1998.
Four years later he was not fully fit after suffering a broken metatarsal in his foot in the build-up as England went out to 10-man Brazil in the quarter-finals in Japan and South Korea.
In 2006, Beckham went off injured just after half-time in the quarter-final against Portugal which England went on to lose on penalties.
Beckham tearfully announced he was resigning the captaincy afterwards.

[yorkieacer]

I was watching the Ac Milan game with my mate last night we both said as soon as he pulled up hes out of the world cup, shame its been confirmed hes the kind of person you would want on your bench to scare the opposition. I would of started him as well and let him torment them with his crosses and set pieces, he might not be able to run as quickly now but he can read the game better than any other player i know of. Shame really they could of started him every match and then brought on walcott/lennon when the defence was tired

[ONEDUNME]

There's no guarantee that Lennon will be back in time for the world cup. Fucking hell, we're gonna be struggling to put a team out if it gets much worse.

[yorkieacer]

Yep SWP aint a international player in my view, Walcott is to inconsistent and since that hatrick vs Croatia he hasnt done anything. If Lennon is out i would move Gerrard to the right have Cole/Downing on the left and Lampard and Barry in the middle. Wow what a midfield that will frighten the opposition

[HastGill1]

Dont know if its just me, but dont think ive ever been so pessimistic about our chances in a major tourn..who do we have in form? Rooney obviously but who else? Crouch is on the fringes of the Spurs team, Lennon is struggling to get fit, Lampard will be alright but will prob not ever hit the heights for the international team that he did in 2002 again..Gerrard is woefully out of form..Terry also..God only knows who we play in goal, Hart is looking good but unproven, one mistake and he'll be burnt at the stake by the media..SWP cant get in the city team..i've sung Adam Johnsons praises previously but again it would be a risk to take him, but i would be happy if we did..pace down the wings, think thats what we need, players with pace cause problems and i think thats the only route we can go..unless any of you lot have got any bright ideas!?

[yorkieacer]

Get some big bloody buggers to rough them up, And then kick lumps out of players feed rooney with balls to his head simples

[slick]

SWP's a waste of space, I said it last year, he's lost a yard of pace and continually keeps running into the back of defenders, its so frustrating its unbelievable. every now and again he gets a lucky bounce or bobble and manages to get by a defender but then you can guarantee his final ball will usually be shite.
He's also injury prone, after about 7 or 8 games his confidence starts to come back and just as you think he's getting back to his best , bump! another niggling injury, miss 2 or 3 games then back to square one, he's not international class and never has been no matter how good his dad thinks he is.

Adam Johnson looks a lot better prospect from what I've seen of him so far, this world cup is probably a bit early for him but he's the most natural two footed English winger i've seen in a long while, when he gets the ball he doesn't just run down the wing like an headless chicken like a lot of the current English wingers do, he pauses , looks around then decides what to do like continental players do, the last English winger to do that was probably Chris Waddle.

We could do with Joe Cole putting in a stint before the tournament starts so he gets selected, on his day he's probably the most inventive midfielder we have , If Rooneys going to shine he'll need somebody to link up with and Cole would be ideal, not quite an Iniesta but he closest player we have to him, if we just rely on wingers and the current midfield we'll be snuffed out like a damp squib.

[slick]

I know its been mentioned on the news over the last week or so but it looks like ODM's favourite defender Michael 'Les' Dawson is now in with a shout, He desreves it too imo as this yr he's been as good if not better than the rest of the English Centre backs but if he go's then surely King has to go too whose twice the player Dawson is albeit dodgey knees, he's shown this week he can play back to back in games that matter, If Terry's going to be a liability and continue his current form into the WC , there's no better replacement imo.

[Betfly]

Squad gets announced today.

But speculation here suggests Walcott not in it or bent..

BBC Sport - Football - Live text - World Cup squad news