Fabio Capello’s first England squad selection is out, and it’s everything I’d hoped it would be. Here’s my position-by-position analysis:
Goalkeepers:
Scott Carson – Aston Villa
David James – Portsmouth
Chris Kirkland – Wigan
It was a foregone conclusion that Paul Robinson would be dropped from the England lineup, given his recent form, but it’s still amazing how quickly he’s [...]

Beckham all the way…
The Guardian: “Look, Fabio: he really, really wants his 100th cap. And here’s a video of him holding an African baby with HIV. How can you not play him against Switzerland?”
Fabio Capello (in Italian): “But his match fitness…”
The Guardian: “Look at the baby? He must be some sort of saint, because he [...]

Scott Carson should be Fabio Capello’s number one. Hands down, no question. And he should be in goal against Switzerland next month. Here’s Carson talking to the Times about his howler against Croatia – but before you blame him for it, ask yourself: who in their right mind would play a 22-year-old goalkeeper in his [...]

Several newspapers are reporting today that England manager Fabio Capello will not name David Beckham in his squad for England’s upcoming friendly match against Switzerland. Since Beckham hasn’t played regular competitive football since he moved to America (did you spot the obligatory snobbish European MLS joke?) Capello apparently feels that Beckham won’t be match-fit for [...]

Best manager in the world!

Awesome.

The Good:
Rooney finally scored again
Welcome back Joe Cole
Micah Richards looked the business
Ashley Cole starting to look more like a footballer again
We looked surprisingly organised
A draw in Amsterdam is not too shabby
The Bad:
Poor Andy Johnson forced to play wide again
Darren Bent didn’t see any action again
Gerrard, Lampard and Carrick all looked very average… again

Steve Mac has named a humungous 28 man England squad for the friendly against Holland. He know you can only play 11 at a time, right?
The only eye-popper is the inclusion of 18 year old centreback/right back Micah Richards. Kieran Richardson misses out, which is fair enough – he’s rubbish, but a [...]

Hopefully Steve Mac will wield his axe, chop a few big names down to size, and add some fresh blood when he names his England squad tomorrow for the friendly against Holland on November 15th.
Aaron Lennon is back from injury and looking impressive for Spurs, so I’m expecting the dribbletastic right winger to get a [...]

Steve McClaren has hinted that Theo Walcott could get another go in the senior team in one of the two friendly games before Euro 2008 qualifying resumes.