Latest Articles
Five CL Final Questions For Chelsea...
15 comments
With Chelsea missing key players through suspension and possibly injury in the Champions League final, Matt Stanger asks five questions they need to consider...
The Champions League Final Friday Quiz - The Questions
Since there's an English team in the Champions League final, we thought it would be most appropriate to give you a quiz on those that have come before them...
All Articles
GOALKEEPER: ROSS TURNBULL (BORO)
There are very few English Premier League goalkeepers without a cap (Joe Hart, Rob Green and Ben Foster all have one) so this is not an easy position to fill. But with the exit of Mark Schwarzer comes a decision for Gareth Southgate between Turnbull (a former English youth international) and the frankly terrible Brad Jones. Although Turnbull was poor on loan at Cardiff last season, Boro fans tell me that was a blip. And if Turnbull plays for Boro - and around seven keepers are taken ill - then Fabio could also take a look.
RIGHT-BACK: NEDUM ONOUHA (MAN CITY)
If the rumours are true and City do sell Vedran Corluka then the man likely to fill in at right-back - particularly after the exit of Sun Jihai - will be England Under-21 stalwart Onouha. And if he's playing in Europe with Citeh, he will be battling it out with the likes of Glen Johnson and Luke Young for a place in future England squads. He might be happier at centre-back but - like Micah Richards - he'll probably serve his apprenticeship on the right.
CENTRE-HALF: DAVID WHEATER (BORO)
He apparently turned up for his first England training sessions carrying an autograph book but that starry-eyed wonder will dissipate as he becomes a fixture in future England squads. Made the bench for the match against Trinidad & Tobago but will surely go one further soon enough if he continues with the kind of form that meant Gareth Southgate shed few tears at the departure of Jonathan Woodgate in January.
CENTRE-HALF: CURTIS DAVIES (VILLA)
We know Fabio Capello rates him because he named him in his first ever provisional England squad. Although he did not make the final 23, Davies had obviously impressed Capello with both his form and his honesty following his famous "pub player" comments. Davies is now fit again and will be battling it out with Carlos Cuellar, Martin Laursen and Zat Knight (well, Cuellar and Laursen anyway) for a starting place in what should be a top-eight side.
LEFT-BACK: ANDREW TAYLOR (BORO)
There are certainly plenty of folk ahead of him in the pecking order (Ashley Cole, Wayne Bridge, Nicky Shorey, Joleon Lescott, Stephen Warnock) but as the English first-choice left-back of a Premier League side, you have to include Taylor in any list of possibles. He saw off Franck Queudrue and he may well see off a couple of his England rivals before the end of the season. It might be unlikely but it's by no means impossible.
RIGHT MIDFIELD: JERMAINE PENNANT (LIVERPOOL)
I had to check and check again that Pennant has not yet played for England while SWP has somehow clocked up 19 caps. It does seem rather odd. Pennant has of course had a litany of off-field problems but as an English regular starter at a Big Four club he may well be in a club of one in terms of still being uncapped. It will of course depend on just how much he plays for Liverpool this season, but if he keeps his nose clean then he could well - finally - get that call.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD: JIMMY BULLARD (FULHAM)
Of course we may well be dreaming but it would be bloody fantastic to see the curly-haired fishing refugee from the Seventies given an England call. Anyone who read our 'England At Euro 2008' feature will know exactly how this one ends...
CENTRAL MIDFIELD: NIGEL REO-COKER (ASTON VILLA)
It seems very odd now but Nigel Re-Coker made the original stand-by list for the 2006 World Cup without ever actually playing a game for England. Mind you, this was the same squad that included a certain Arsenal player who was yet to make a top-flight appearance, so it didn't seem that odd at the time. Reo-Coker had an impressive first season for Villa, doing the dirty work to allow Gareth Barry to get forward and grab the accolades. More of the same from the man previously nicknamed Nigel Mediocre should see him challenge the likes of Tom Huddlestone for those friendly call-ups at least.
LEFT MIDFIELD: MICHAEL JOHNSON (MAN CITY)
Yes, we know he's a central midfielder, but we're shoehorning, okay. The best we could come up with as a genuine left winger was Adam Johnson and we just couldn't convince ourselves of that one - it was enough of a stretch to include Andrew Taylor. So, there's a place for Michael Johnson on the grounds that as a modern-day Steven Gerrard, he can play just about anywhere. There are few 20-year-olds who are linked with Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton in one summer, and it's only a matter of time before Capello believes the hype.
STRIKER: GABY AGBONLAHOR (ASTON VILLA)
Left on the bench against both the US and T&T at the end of England's season, Agbonlahor will surely get his chance if he continues to be one of the Premier League's leading English scorers. After all, if David Nugent has an England cap, it seems nothing short of ridiculous that Agbonlahor is still an international virgin.
STRIKER: MATT DERBYSHIRE (BLACKBURN)
Opportunities were few last season for Derbyshire as he was very much the fourth-choice striker at Blackburn behind Roque Santa Cruz, Benni McCarthy and Jason Roberts, but new boss Paul Ince has already made it clear that Derbyshire will play a bigger part this season. And English strikers are so rare (we refer you back to Nugent) that England honours could soon follow.
Sarah Winterburn
Post Comment
