England vs Estonia

[sweet waffle]

By the looks of it Alan Smith will be starting again!! Did McClaren see something on Friday that the rest of us missed? Alan Smith was rubbish. I predict a draw and a sh*tty game.

[web]http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2095446,00.html[/web]

[g3.7]

I heard dyer was a possibility at rightback... which, I actually think would be good. it's estonia, and dyer overlapping beckham would help.

also, crouch should start. he's better than all available strikers bar owen.

[Alan]

I can see Lampard scoring, with a 2-0 England win.

And Gerrard to get man of the match.

[sweet waffle]

And Gerrard to get man of the match.

Of course.

[Elliott]

According to all the press, it looks as though it will be the following team:

....................Robinson.....................

Brown.........King.........JT.............Bridge

Becks.......Lamps........Gerrard........Cole

................Owen.......Pete Crouch.........

[Gem]

Well Crouch better flippin' start - he's the most inform England striker [when playing for England] at the moment. Smith is useless - favoured role or not.

[Nibs]

According to all the press, it looks as though it will be the following team:

....................Robinson.....................

Brown.........King.........JT.............Bridge

Becks.......Lamps........Gerrard........Cole

................Owen.......Pete Crouch.........

Great to see 4 Chelsea boys starting, although as I've said elsewhere, I don't think Lamps should be.

[loz]

Wes Brown at right back.... against Estonia... good God

[Gem]

Surely Carjacker is RB?

EDIT: Ah, just read he's one yellow away from a suspension (surprise surprise, gobby sh*t) so probably keeping him for the following game.

[loz]

either Brown or Carragher would be bad selections -this is Estonia and is a must win game. Dyer or Beckham should be playing as a wing back with Bridge doing the same on the left flank

[g3.7]

expect wes brown to make at least 3 goals.

one of them maybe even for england.

[abramovich]

Joey just scored.

http://www.d1g.com/video/show/?id=1068694

[loz]

Cheers for that Abe - I heard the goal on Radio 5 and you would have thought by the lack of credit he was given that all Joe had to do was tap it over the line. Good bit of control and skill by him.

[abramovich]

Apparently Bridge is having a good game.

Happy for the lad, he's been waiting a long time for the chance.

[Tim W]

If you get a chance to watch it from the camera behind Robinson's goal keep an eye on StevieeeeeG -

[Tim W]

I take it you guys don't have in on TV in the UK, Frank was close with a good header, Becks is working hard, apart from the goal Joe is falling over a bit too much, Owen is not sharp enough yet, Crouch is Crouch and Robinson is eating a lorry full of pies

[Gem]

Goal King Cole!

great bit of control, spin and shot.

[Alan]

Lampard's been having a decent game I think, nothing spectacular but still solid.

And a great goal from Joe

[abramovich]

http://3.upload.dailymotion.com/Footbal ... eo/3678705

[loz]

Good to see Stevie Me paying attention to the game at all times and expressing his delight when someone other than him scores

[Gem]

What a ball by Beckham. Crouch 2-0

[loz]

We have a 12 foot striker and one of the best, if not the best, crossers and passers of the ball in the business and it has taken this long for mcLaren to realise the mistake he made in his first day in the job. I just hope he has learnt from it (better still that the FA realise what an idiot he is and get rid of him - sadly unlikely though)

[loz]

Now Owen gets a goal (courtesy of beckham again) - how long have I waited to see him score for ENgland again? (I can hear G4 getting out his calendar to work out the answer) Boy oh boy have we missed having an orthodox striker (It is Estonia mind you)

[MannyJello]

jeez, do you get the feeling that Becks is starting to regret having signed up for duty with the LA Galaxy? i mean, 6 months ago he seemed washed up, dropped from international duty, relegated to Madrid's bench, winding down his career. might as well have grabbed the golden parachute that MLS has been offering him for 5 years now. but then in the span of about 2 months, he's become in form for his club and practically the best player for his country. not that he's not making gobs of money in LA, but there aren't any John Terry's or Peter Crouch's with the Galaxy to be on the receiving end of his crosses. only Landon Donovan's, Cobi Jones', and Nate Jaqua's.

and while writing this Beckham just tallied yet another assist, this one to Michael Owen. it goes without saying there aren't any Michael Owen's on LA's roster.

[loz]

I'm not convinced it will be such a bad move for Beckham and it may work out well for his international career. OK the standard in America is nothing like the standard in La Liga or the Premiership but at the same time it is less intense and I imagine he will play a lot less games (correct me if I'm wrong). Beckham is getting to an age where he needs to play rasonably regularly to stay fit and sharp but would not benefit from playing a massive part for a team fighting on multiple fronts.

He is not a player whose ability is on the increase and therefore will be stunted by playing in a lesser league - he is a player who has already peaked but is professional enough to keep himself in good shape and focused on the job in hand. Furthermore there is no denying his desire to play for his country and I think that will be enough to ensure he keeps himself in good enough nick to play to a high enough standard in an England shirt.