Will they never learn???

[Cleo]

Soccer-Gerrard on right in McClaren’s first England team
MANCHESTER, England, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard will play on the right side of midfield in England’s friendly against Greece on Wednesday, new coach Steve McClaren said on Tuesday when naming his first team selection.
The move leaves Frank Lampard as the dominant attacking midfielder, with Owen Hargreaves in a holding role and Stewart Downing wide on the left.
West Ham United striker Dean Ashton, who was hoping to make his international debut, injured an ankle in training and has been taken to hospital for a scan. McClaren has named Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch as his strikers.
"It is an evolution, we are trying new things and we are just looking at one or two different things and the shape of the team is one thing," McClaren told a news conference.
England team to face Greece: Paul Robinson; Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry (captain), Ashley Cole; Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Stewart Downing, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch. REUTERS
1206 150806 GMT

[rubyred]

I don't think this is a major disaster. Gerrard played on the right wing for us last season and did well - look at how many goals he scored.

[Mumsafan]

I'm not sure what this thread is meant to be about. If it's an England thread it shouldn't be in here, if it's meant to be making a comment about Gerrard - well he played there all last season for us and we didn't have any problems

[Cleo]

I don't think this is a major disaster. Gerrard played on the right wing for us last season and did well - look at how many goals he scored.

Being Danish I don't really care but looking at Lampard on Sunday no sane man can claim that Gerrard doesn't deserve his chance of playing in front of Hargreaves...
And still no Carragher - well he'll just be fresher before the Haifa game!!

[Cleo]

I'm not sure what this thread is meant to be about. If it's an England thread it shouldn't be in here, if it's meant to be making a comment about Gerrard - well he played there all last season for us and we didn't have any problems

Mods - feel free to move it...

[Ryan]

McClaren hasn't the balls to drop Lampard.

[Rich]

The london press would lynch him if he did - but the truth is he isn't a patch on Gerrard and they both perform best playing in the same position. Therefore, drop Lampard and build the midfield around Gerrard.

[Le Chacal]

Gerrard should be the one behind the 2 strikers but thats still a better formation than Ericksson. With that team England would have beaten Portugal.

[Cleo]

McClaren hasn't the balls to drop Lampard.

You're probably right but what will it take?
At one point during Sunday's match I was actually surprised when I suddenly saw Lampard on the ball - I hadn't seen him for ages...
Add the WC performance - or the lack of the same - from him and it's an easy choice to make...
McClaren is quoted for saying that "It is an evolution, we are trying new things" - well then, get on with it...

[scubykuntz]

Soccer-Gerrard on right in McClaren’s first England team
MANCHESTER, England, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard will play on the right side of midfield in England’s friendly against Greece on Wednesday, new coach Steve McClaren said on Tuesday when naming his first team selection.
The move leaves Frank Lampard as the dominant attacking midfielder, with Owen Hargreaves in a holding role and Stewart Downing wide on the left.
West Ham United striker Dean Ashton, who was hoping to make his international debut, injured an ankle in training and has been taken to hospital for a scan. McClaren has named Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch as his strikers.
"It is an evolution, we are trying new things and we are just looking at one or two different things and the shape of the team is one thing," McClaren told a news conference.
England team to face Greece: Paul Robinson; Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry (captain), Ashley Cole; Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Stewart Downing, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch. REUTERS
1206 150806 GMT

The thing is, Lampard is limited in that he can only play in the middle, Gerrard suffers because he is good enough to play in a few positions.
I have to say though, I don't think McClaren is much of an improvement over the swede, I mean his tactical acumen didn't exactly come to the fore in the UFEA cuo final in he his last game for boro. He was clueless FFS.

Also, I read the following story in the people last sunday
>>WHY MAC HAD TO KNIFE BECKS!<< (http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/tm_objectid=17554746%26method=full%26siteid=93463% 26headline=why%2dmac%2dhad%2dto%2dknife%2dbecks%2d-name_page.html)
One source who was close to the squad in the World Cup said: "Steve could see in Germany that Beckham didn't seem to have anything left in the tank. He slowed England's game down and everything seemed to centre on him.
What I don't understand is if he was part of the management team, and he could see becks was useless, why didn't he do anything about it???

[Morse]

Soccer-Gerrard on right in McClaren’s first England team
MANCHESTER, England, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard will play on the right side of midfield in England’s friendly against Greece on Wednesday, new coach Steve McClaren said on Tuesday when naming his first team selection.
The move leaves Frank Lampard as the dominant attacking midfielder, with Owen Hargreaves in a holding role and Stewart Downing wide on the left.
West Ham United striker Dean Ashton, who was hoping to make his international debut, injured an ankle in training and has been taken to hospital for a scan. McClaren has named Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch as his strikers.
"It is an evolution, we are trying new things and we are just looking at one or two different things and the shape of the team is one thing," McClaren told a news conference.
England team to face Greece: Paul Robinson; Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry (captain), Ashley Cole; Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Stewart Downing, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch. REUTERS
1206 150806 GMT



I think that is fairly strong lineup.

[red g]

I think that is fairly strong lineup.

I am happy with that ....in an ideal world you drop Lamps,put gerrard there and play lennon on the right. ....but that would take big cahonas