World Cup 1966 England Winning Team

The FIFA  World Cup kicks off with 31 teams in ‘Rio de Janeiro’ Brazil in a month’s time – 4 years after England’s last dismal showing on the World stage in South Africa (in the last 16 we got knocked out and blitzed 4-1 by the Germans – Spain beat Netherlands in the Final). What can we hope for this time, better? World Cup ‘Winners’ as now claimed by Roy Hodgson our Manager of two years? Dream on lads. [Hodgson after admittedly only a few months responsibility, led us to a disappointing European Cup Quarter Final defeat against Italy two years ago]

Hodgson, an ex minor footballer himself, is an experienced World Cup & major competition loser – he managed minor teams like Switzerland (World Cup 1994) & Finland who got nowhere really, but all credit to him for trying. He managed astonishingly 16 teams (some notable like say Inter-Milan) in eight countries – so multi-lingual, in case that helps our chances! He is also a failed premiership manager of course , who got booted out of major club Liverpool after only a year (in the UK, he has also has short spells at Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham & West Brom). His extensive management record though apparently got him the England job, bypassing a winner manager, and the players & fan choice, Harry Redknapp who didn’t even get an interview by the FA! [The Football Association has history though doesn’t it? I make no apology for repeating what was posted  before ‘When it comes to selecting a manager for the England team the FA have been determined to always appoint some no-hoper, often at a massive cost, even when there was a winner candidate ready and waiting in the wings, and with massive public and popular support and clamor behind them- there was for example Brian Clough (overlooked twice – 1977 & 1990)’].

Anyway Hodgson has now announced his 23 man boys for Brazil – oh yes boys as he has gone for young players including youngsters Ross Barkley, Raheem Sterling, and Luke Shaw (squad average age 24 years). Well if youth, inexperience and talent is the key to success, we are well on the way (six players have been before though). As well as some other potential great players unselected, there were some international ‘well proven’ players who have been omitted, like Michael Carrick (midfielder), Jermaine Defoe (forward), and Ashley Cole (defender) – Cole a player with over a hundred England caps, who on given the bad news refused to join the reserve Stand-by list (unlike the others), which perhaps only demonstrates how his being an excellent footballer is not matched by his character or behaviour?

So how poor is our team at World level? Well, our current FIFA ranking is 11. Why so bad when we were the home of football (and have been as high as 3)? Back to the FA isn’t it? To repeat a previous post again.

‘The influx of foreign players is now so great that an English player can hardly get a kick of a football at the top level. Talent is something that has to be developed and the knock-on effect of English payers not getting the right experience is that our National team is forever useless – we will never ever again win the World Cup (so get a DVD of the 1966 Final if you want to see us win). We cannot any longer hope to compare with the other major footballing countries in such major competitions– Brazil have won the World Cup 5 times, Italy 4 times, Germany 3 times, Argentina twice, Uruguay also twice, and France & Spain just once like us (and we had home advantage when we won)’.

Oh yes, we men, and some women of course, will all be glued to the TV from 12 June onwards, and definitively on July 13^th for the Final. We will support our team and scream at the tele our instructions to players & manager alike (as well as abusing the ref) to the bitter end (when we get booted out). We will equally have our secret team who we will support after our team has flown back – hopefully without disgrace. The blame unmistakably falls at the feet of the FA and as usual the manager will go – with pockets full..

[So don’t bother or risk putting a bet on England for Brazil unless you are a gambling addict surely?].

England’s 23-man World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers: Hart, Foster, Forster

Defenders: Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Jones, Smalling, Baines, Shaw

Midfielders: Gerrard, Lampard, Wilshere, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Milner, Sterling, Lallana, Barkley

Forwards: Rooney, Welbeck, Sturridge, Lambert

Stand-by list: Ruddy, Flanagan, Stones, Carrick, Cleverley, Carroll, Defoe