[Red Devil]

First friendly I have watched for al ong long while, and probably be a long long while before I bother again.

Very bad first half, passing awful and went in 1-0 up thanks to a tap in from Jenas after some very rare wing play from Joe cole.

Second half marginally better with plenty of opportunity but only a goal from SWP after the Swiss equalised.

The announcer gave man of the match to the worst player of loads on the field Gerrard, he must have paid his mates to phone in. Man of the match according to the pitch side fans and the commentators was Rooney who was given a standing ovation when subbed late on.

If you missed this game, be glad!!!

 

[yeganehs]

ha you english fans are never satisfied.... england didn't play great but there were some positives.... take the positives and go from there.... but there were also a lot of things that can be improved

- how comes lescott and hargreaves didnt start????

-DARREN BENTLEY tried to do way too much and he is no where near the player Beckham is...

- GET rid of peter crouch, he is so goofy... time to move on

- Sean wright-phillips provided really good energy off the bench...

- gerrard played hard but will continue to improve on the national level unless frank lampard comes back and brings everybody back down

- BRING BECKHAM BACK!!!!!!!!! he would have been a huge upgrade on the wing and especially the set pieces...

- How mad is michael owen?

 

[-zuco-]

ha you english fans are never satisfied.... england didn't play great but there were some positives.... take the positives and go from there.... but there were also a lot of things that can be improved

- how comes lescott and hargreaves didnt start???? Cos Lescott is shite and hargreaves would probably break his leg if he started with his luck
-DARREN BENTLEY tried to do way too much and he is no where near the player Beckham is... What's Beckham's first name? Yeah that's also Bentley's first name

- GET rid of peter crouch, he is so goofy... time to move on He scores goals

- Sean wright-phillips provided really good energy off the bench... Correct

- gerrard played hard but will continue to improve on the national level unless frank lampard comes back and brings everybody back down He was crap tonight

- BRING BECKHAM BACK!!!!!!!!! he would have been a huge upgrade on the wing and especially the set pieces... Bentley's passing was as good as Beckham's and he is fitter than Beckham.
- How mad is michael owen? Who knows?

.....

 

[decorativeed]

"Cos Lescott is shite"??

He's better than Cashley Cole and Wayne "Ker" Bridge, what people see in those two I'll never know (and my obvious United bias isn't playing any part in that). Lescott may not have done so well previously for England (who did?), but he's a very good left back with great attacking play and bags of pace. I wouldn't mind him playing on the left side of defence for United if Evra were to go.

Agree about Gerrard, he did literaly nothing in the first half and only just started to pull his finger out in the last.

Rooney was most fans man of the match as you say - great performance, shame he couldn't bag a goal. Also a shame he'll be out on Sunday.

shame on the few morons who ruined the minute's silence - hope they got what they deserved afterward.

 

[alto10]

"Cos Lescott is shite"??
Rooney was most fans man of the match as you say - great performance, shame he couldn't bag a goal. Also a shame he'll be out on Sunday.

shame on the few morons who ruined the minute's silence - hope they got what they deserved afterward.

Heard Rooney was good Motty thought he should have been MoM didnt see game only few highlights looked like he could have scored in first half.

Hoped people wouldnt boo did the BBC highlight them? hope so ban them from watching footy ever again,

 

[decorativeed]

The BBC didn't highlight the people disrupting the silence, no. It was only cause I had the TV on loud that I heard a very distant disturbance - it may very well have only been literally one or two indiviuals (and what may have been others telling them to shut it). The commentators mentioned that there had been some small disturbance, but that was it. Over all, it was very well respected by the crowd - the vast majority of whom probably weren't United fans.

 

[-zuco-]

"Cos Lescott is shite"??

He's better than Cashley Cole and Wayne "Ker" Bridge, what people see in those two I'll never know (and my obvious United bias isn't playing any part in that). Lescott may not have done so well previously for England (who did?), but he's a very good left back with great attacking play and bags of pace. I wouldn't mind him playing on the left side of defence for United if Evra were to go.

Lescott is a centre half! He sometimes plays left back but it isn't his natural position. Every time Ashley Cole plays against us, Ronaldo spends 90 minutes in Ashley's pocket, that's how good he is!

 

[scott 4 evra]

Every1 will disagree but here it goes. I'm fearing Rooney's form now for the 1st time. His injuries and playing in different positions hasn't help. He gives 100% and would do anything for the team but his quality is lacking. Which sounds a bit like Alan Smith. Obviously he's miles better than Smith but when I here that Rooney should hav got mom I was shocked. He didn't do much in front of goal. I think Fergie really should hav got a striker to play a long side him. It may seem alrite now but it may bite us in the arse at the end of the season. We can't keep relying on Ronaldo. Rooney should stand up be counted and score a bagful from now till the end of the season.

 

[decorativeed]

"Lescott is a centre half! He sometimes plays left back but it isn't his natural position. Every time Ashley Cole plays against us, Ronaldo spends 90 minutes in Ashley's pocket, that's how good he is!"

I know he plays centre half for Everton (my Mrs is a Toffee and I unfortunately see more Everton games than United games nowadays), but he can play left back just as well if not better - he only really moved into the centre when they bought Baines (who also did well against Ronaldo on the left side of defence).

Lescott played in both positions for England and did well on the left. When he moved into the centre, the woeful Bridge at left-back gave the worst performance I've ever seen from an international player. I just don't see him forming a decent partnership with Rio at the center as he likes to get forward too much. Same with Richards (who can play wide or centrally too - as does Brown etc, etc...).

Every1 will disagree but here it goes. I'm fearing Rooney's form now for the 1st time. His injuries and playing in different positions hasn't help. He gives 100% and would do anything for the team but his quality is lacking. Which sounds a bit like Alan Smith. Obviously he's miles better than Smith but when I here that Rooney should hav got mom I was shocked. He didn't do much in front of goal. I think Fergie really should hav got a striker to play a long side him. It may seem alrite now but it may bite us in the arse at the end of the season. We can't keep relying on Ronaldo. Rooney should stand up be counted and score a bagful from now till the end of the season.

Who else deserved it? Anonynous (Gerrard) certainly didn't - he made no impact at all - Rooney never stopped trying - he was the only reason to keep tuned into the match. OK Joe Cole (unusually) did quite well (as well as anyone else tonight) and Bentley was quite good - one of the few confident performances, but Wazza was easily the best player on the pitch (which to be fair isn't a great compliment with that unispiring team tonight).

 

[-zuco-]

"Lescott is a centre half! He sometimes plays left back but it isn't his natural position. Every time Ashley Cole plays against us, Ronaldo spends 90 minutes in Ashley's pocket, that's how good he is!"

I know he plays centre half for Everton (my Mrs is a Toffee and I unfortunately see more Everton games than United games nowadays), but he can play left back just as well if not better - he only really moved into the centre when they bought Baines (who also did well against Ronaldo on the left side of defence).

Sure about that?

Joleon Lescott (born 16 August 1982 in Birmingham, West Midlands) is an English footballer currently playing for English club Everton. He often plays as a left back, however his natural position is centre back.

Wiki

 

[decorativeed]

Could say pretty much the same thing (swapping left for right) about Brown (where did he play today again?...). I don't think it makes any difference what a player's "natural" position is providing they can do a good job in another. Where has Phil Neville play for England? What's his natural position? Wikipedia doesn't win agruments!

 

[-zuco-]

Could say pretty much the same thing (swapping left for right) about Brown (where did he play today again?...). I don't think it makes any difference what a player's "natural" position is providing they can do a good job in another. Where has Phil Neville play for England? What's his natural position? Wikipedia doesn't win agruments!

You're right it doesn't, but it makes a point. Why play somebody in an unnatural position when you have two NATURAL left backs who will do the job twice as good??? Can you really see lescott running up and down the wing and getting inolved in attacks more than Cole or Bridge? I honestly can't and many would agree

 

[decorativeed]

Bridge and Cole don't even play regular football at the moment as they're both competing for the same position at Chelsea (although I can't understand what anyone sees in the average-at-best Bridge).

I think Lescott has played well consistently since last season, week in, week out for Everton and should be given a chance, at which point I'm sure he'll do better than being "half as good" as either of the Chelsea pair.

"Can you really see lescott running up and down the wing and getting inolved in attacks more than Cole or Bridge?" I do - as he does for Everton every week - 5 goals scored/2 assists/10 clean sheets (in the league) compared to 0/1/9 for Cole and 0/0/3 for Bridge. This is all while playing for a side that's not half as good as Chelsea either. Your ascertation that he's "shite" seems to be rather groundless - try actually watching him play for his club side before writing him off. Give the lad a chance I say - certainly ahead of Bridge and Shorey.

 

[-zuco-]

Bridge and Cole don't even play regular football at the moment as they're both competing for the same position at Chelsea (although I can't understand what anyone sees in the average-at-best Bridge). Cole is the regular starter but he's been injured. Scholes has been injured all season, is he crap too?
I think Lescott has played well consistently since last season, week in, week out for Everton and should be given a chance, at which point I'm sure he'll do better than being "half as good" as either of the Chelsea pair.

"Can you really see lescott running up and down the wing and getting inolved in attacks more than Cole or Bridge?" I do - as he does for Everton every week - 5 goals scored/2 assists/10 clean sheets (in the league) compared to 0/1/9 for Cole and 0/0/3 for Bridge. This is all while playing for a side that's not half as good as Chelsea either. Your ascertation that he's "shite" seems to be rather groundless - try actually watching him play for his club side before writing him off. Give the lad a chance I say - certainly ahead of Bridge and Shorey.

He had his chance and look where it got us!!

Lol, his goals have come from corners where the centre half goes up anyway (key words "CENTRE" and "HALF"), it's not like he's marauding up the wing and running past players. Everton's own site says he played "much of the season out of position at left-back rather than his preferred position in the centre of defence."

 

[decorativeed]

"he played "much of the season out of position" As has Wes Brown - so what, we're traeading old ground here.

As for blaming Lescott for the fact that every player was awful against Croatia, that's more than a little harsh. Did he shout "boo" at Scott Carson at the wrong moment? The worst player on the pitch that night was your mate Wayne Bridge.

Next time Everton are on TV, try watching him play a full match, or just resist turning MOTD off immediately after the United highlights...

 

[-zuco-]

"he played "much of the season out of position" As has Wes Brown - so what, we're traeading old ground here.

As for blaming Lescott for the fact that every player was awful against Croatia, that's more than a little harsh. Did he shout "boo" at Scott Carson at the wrong moment? The worst player on the pitch that night was your mate Wayne Bridge.

Next time Everton are on TV, try watching him play a full match, or just resist turning MOTD off immediately after the United highlights...

I watch a lot of football mate, even lower league stuff, I'm a United fan but I'm also a football fan so please don't patronize me like that.

The defence against Croatia was woeful at times. I gave Lescott the benefit of the doubt after his awful performance against Russia where he played out of position, but restored to his natural position against Croatia he was just as bad, if not worse.

I never blamed lescott for the collective failure of the team, I just said he played bad, don't put words in my mouth. Worst player on the pitch was Carson. Why do you say Bridge is my mate? More patroninizing yawn yawn blah blah etc.

Ashley Cole is twice the played Bridge is when both are fit.

Cole>>>Bridge>>>Lescott

As for Wes brown, he wouldn't be my first choice right back for England, but he's good cover, which is about as much as Lescott can ever hope to be.

My last post on this subject before I'm talked down to again. Go on, have the last word, you know you want to

 

[akash_reds]

it was that bad!!!!!! wow...i expected more from england....capello will take time to cope with the english way of playing and try to adapt....or english players will have to adapt with capello's style of play.......either way i think england can improve and i think england will...

 

[reddwarf]

We were shocking in the first 40 mins. I was moaning about our inability to keep the ball, our struggles with a new formation and the lack of chances - same old England!

It was a great pass by Gerrard to J Cole for the opener but J Cole's skill on the ball is easily the best in the England team and his play to set up Jenas for a tap-in was fantastic.

We played much better in the 2nd half and I thought Switzerland scored against the run of play.

The winner was due to a good substitution by Capello, a brilliant flick from Rooney and a typical driving run from Gerrard.

Gerrard was involved in both goals so I suppose that's why he got MOTM but I thought J Cole, Rooney and Bentley all had a better game than him.

The worst thing, for me, was Wes Brown's performance - he was terrible. He totally failed to take his chance to impress the new boss and I'd be surprised if he starts against France.

 

[Jazz 16]

Every1 will disagree but here it goes. I'm fearing Rooney's form now for the 1st time. His injuries and playing in different positions hasn't help. He gives 100% and would do anything for the team but his quality is lacking. Which sounds a bit like Alan Smith. Obviously he's miles better than Smith but when I here that Rooney should hav got mom I was shocked. He didn't do much in front of goal. I think Fergie really should hav got a striker to play a long side him. It may seem alrite now but it may bite us in the arse at the end of the season. We can't keep relying on Ronaldo. Rooney should stand up be counted and score a bagful from now till the end of the season.

I agree with you. I have been saying this for a while now.
Rooney's last 3/4 games for us have been very poor. His touch, finishing and passing have been way off. As you said he does give 100% and he tracks back ferociously. For this alone he deserves to be in the team. he gets his few goals and assists as well but I would be a bit concerned as you said.


As for the Lescott debate that Zuco and Dec were having......
Lescott is a quality player who can score goals.
I agree with points that you both made.....
you WONT see him legging it past players up the wing,
but it doesnt matter if his natural position is centre back or not.
He can do a job anywhere in the back four.

The thing Lescott gives you (more than Cole/Bridge) is his height and strength and his great abilities at defending and attacking set pieces.
You will never see Cole or Bridge scoring more goals than him.
He does have great value in that sense.
i guess it depends who he is up against. If its Ronaldo then play a pacey lad like Cole (who has Ronnie in his pocket EVERY time) but if its against a run of the mill winger then Lescott is more than capable.

I like the idea of a team playing 4 centre halves across the back.
It can work in some cases.
Pompey do this well to some effect when they have the likes of Distin, Campbell, Hreiderson and Primus available.

 

[carlyluvsunited]

I was impressed with the way the England fans gave Capello a full 28 minutes
into his new reign as manager before they began the booing, lmao ...