Mclaren's blind spot

[Howard_lfc]

I've said before that I think SM has made some excellent decisions since being installed as England manager. However, for the life of me I can't see what he sees in Stuart Downing. This lad is nothing more than Premiership level - and is certainly not International material. OK, so he's left footed - but if that's the only reason he's getting picked then something is wrong. If Downing was right footed - he wouldn't get anywhere near the England team.
I've seen him play for England on a few occasions now (on the tv) and he looks like a little boy lost. He crosses the occasional decent ball but IMO lacks the confidence, agression and determination to succeed at International level.

I know McLaren has known him for a while after having him at Boro - but from the outside it looks like 'jobs for the boys' with Downing. Once fit again - I hope McLaren quickly reinstalls Joe Cole (h: ) to the left midfield slot and leaves Downing at home with the rest of the Smog Monsters.

H

[PTP]

I agree, all the raving about Downing is way over the top. He is a solid left mid, nothing special.I think it's the fact he's the only english left sided midfielder around. Against the lower teams he's ok but against a class right back he wouldn't get a look in.

Even though he can cross a ball I thought his delivery was very poor last night

[Reece]

Downing can't use his right foot to save his life. Once Joe Cole is back I have no doubt he will be back in the team.
In the mean time i'd be tempted to put Lennon out there....

[Rich]

Downing can't use his right foot to save his life. Once Joe Cole is back I have no doubt he will be back in the team.
In the mean time i'd be tempted to put Lennon out there....

Surely Gerrard should be considered for that position.....

oops, I forgot the Sven had gone.

[paulcooper4]

downing is complete and utter ****e. He gets crosses in, yeah, but im not sure ive ever seen a dangerous one. they either hit the first man, or more often they are floated in so the big yeti of a centre half has time to plant his feet and comfortably head the ball, and the opposing strikers jaw up the pitch. he really is crap

[animal magic]

Can someone please explain to me why Jermain Defoe gets anywhere near the England squad, let alone the starting eleven? Against Macedonia, I am certain that he was out of his depth. Not only was he out of his depth it looked like he had no idea what as going on. There was even a time he was dribbling on the counter-attack and he just ran the ball into a defender who took it off him!

It wasn't just Defoe though; Lampard, Downing and Phil Neville all looked woefully inadequate. Lampard should be dropped for Carrick or Lennon for a couple of games at least. He was just really rank last night, misplacing passes and then trying to make up for them by trying a Hollywood pass and misplacing them too!

Stewart Drowning (see what I did there?) wasn't much better, either. And the least said about Phil Neville the better.

Downing and Lampard you can forgive; Lampard, despite his critics HAS done the business for England before, and Downing is starting out. Phil Neville should learn to pass to a player within ten yards of himself, and stop fouling needlessly, and he would do for away games in places like Macedonia.

But Defoe should never play for England again. The kid cannot get a game for Spurs, cannot score for toffee (I don't count Andorra either!), and cannot do the business for England. He just can't. He's out of his depth. He's not good enough.

Quite how people can bleat on that "he's the most natural finisher we have" when he's only scored in two matches out of 19, and two against Andorra - and Crouch is 'unconvincing' when he's just banged in his 11th in ten games is beyond me. We don't know if Crouch can score against world-class international teams yet, as he hasn't played against one. We do know he can score in the World Cup. We do know he's put goals past Chelsea and scored in the Champions League this season.