England v France

[Lee]

Jari's still playing????

Yep, and he'll be 40 in February

[Lee]

Didn't he win his 140th cap or something tonight?

Something like that - I'm sure he's Finland's most-capped player.

Seems like he's been around forever. Well, I guess he has

[Rudo]

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson distances himself from comments made on social-networking site Twitter earlier tonight by Liverpool's Head of Fitness and Conditioning (HFC) coach, Darren Burgess. Angry Burgess had claimed that Capello had backtracked on a verbal agreement that Steven Gerrard would only play 45 minutes in tonight's friendly against France.

Burgess had stated on Twitter: "Completely amateurish and now we pay for their incompetence". Burgess also called it, "absoloutely disgraceful".

The Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson, who was at Wembley to watch the game, was concerned when Steven Gerrard pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Hodgson said: "We have to accept these things happen. Fabio has a job to do, and a squad to use, and it's not for me to tell him how to use that squad and what players to pick". Hodgson added: "There was no absoloute agreement in place, and I refute those claims by Darren. Hopefully Steven will be back fully fit soon, but we have to accept he's an important player for Fabio; and an important player for England"

[Baracus]

So thats another potential division in the club just created there

[tiktu]

England 1 France 2

A bit like watching Liverpool. Only, sort of, started playing when they were out of it!!!

Watching San Marino against Finland was like watching Liverpool. San Marino had nine players defending and one up front waiting for long ball.

Funny thing was that Finland's manager, picked by Roy, was sacked before this game and we scored eight goals with temporary manager.

[Neil Young]

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson distances himself from comments made on social-networking site Twitter earlier tonight by Liverpool's Head of Fitness and Conditioning (HFC) coach, Darren Burgess. Angry Burgess had claimed that Capello had backtracked on a verbal agreement that Steven Gerrard would only play 45 minutes in tonight's friendly against France.

Burgess had stated on Twitter: "Completely amateurish and now we pay for their incompetence". Burgess also called it, "absoloutely disgraceful".

The Liverpool manager, Roy Hodgson, who was at Wembley to watch the game, was concerned when Steven Gerrard pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Hodgson said: "We have to accept these things happen. Fabio has a job to do, and a squad to use, and it's not for me to tell him how to use that squad and what players to pick". Hodgson added: "There was no absoloute agreement in place, and I refute those claims by Darren. Hopefully Steven will be back fully fit soon, but we have to accept he's an important player for Fabio; and an important player for England"

So now Hodgson is protecting his relationship with the FA by publicly disowning a member of his own staff.

Fantastic.

There are far better ways to say the same thing, without taking sides. He's incredibly amateurish.

[Shaggy]

Oh Neil, shall I call you a taxi?

[Neil Young]

[Vermilion]

So now Hodgson is protecting his relationship with the FA by publicly disowning a member of his own staff.

Fantastic.

There are far better ways to say the same thing, without taking sides. He's incredibly amateurish.

He's a nutter!

[Alex]

Well that was Awful last night.

England were like Stoke with a Gerrard in the team. Only reason I go to friendlies is because the tickets are cheap and the 5 of us that go only spend £5 on petrol. Wont be going again for a while if its this Shambles. From where we were it looked like Carol was working hard, but the only service he got was balls being lumped up to him. Then when he got it, he instantly looked for Gerrard. Capello is a knobhead. Nothing more to say

[Shaggy]

Capello is an amazing manager at club level but it really is incredible how badly he's doing with England. I wonder if his heart's really in it.

[dww]

Capello is an amazing manager at club level but it really is incredible how badly he's doing with England. I wonder if his heart's really in it.

I thought he handled the last qualifiers excellently. You have to wonder what he thought when he got to the world cup and all his players went into their shell and seemed to forget even rudimentary tactics.

I think he looks a bit disillusioned. It appears to me that there are very few players he really rates in the squad having worked with them.

[Fredo]

Capello is an amazing manager at club level but it really is incredible how badly he's doing with England. I wonder if his heart's really in it.

I think the structure surrounding him, the FA etc... is a complete shambles. The FA has hired the best coaches around the world, not limiting themselves to English managers and have done so for a number of years but the constant in all of this is that the English national team has always failed. Look in the hierarchy there, you'll see remnants of past glories, such as Trevor Brooking, Howard Wilkinson, Stuart Pearce etc ...

[dww]

I think the structure surrounding him, the FA etc... is a complete shambles. The FA has hired the best coaches around the world, not limiting themselves to English managers and have done so for a number of years but the constant in all of this is that the English national team has always failed. Look in the hierarchy there, you'll see remnants of past glories, such as Trevor Brooking, Howard Wilkinson, Stuart Pearce etc ...

I think that seems a bit unfair to Wilkinson and Brooking in particular. They have been working at youth levels against huge vested interested at the clubs and within the FA board. According to a lot of people we now have the best under 18 and 19 teams compared to others in the world we have had for a long time.

Look how long it took the system instigated by Wenger to start producing players at Arsenal - the best part of a decade even with the full backing of everyone at the club.

Not to say I know how good Brooking and Wilkinson are at their jobs merely that judging them by the performances of the full national team seems misguided to me.

[Fredo]

I think that seems a bit unfair to Wilkinson and Brooking in particular. They have been working at youth levels against huge vested interested at the clubs and within the FA board. According to a lot of people we now have the best under 18 and 19 teams compared to others in the world we have had for a long time.

Look how long it took the system instigated by Wenger to start producing players at Arsenal - the best part of a decade even with the full backing of everyone at the club.

Not to say I know how good Brooking and Wilkinson are at their jobs merely that judging them by the performances of the full national team seems misguided to me.

It was a bit misguided to include them in that list I agree, but my point was there seems to be the same people (structure) behind an ever changing manager but the team always failed, which to me indicates that something must be wrong somewhere else.

For a start, he Capello got battered for fielding a young team last night, when the main point of these friendlies is to blood youngsters/new players, the result being insignificant.