I think where he is losing the plot is in releasing this information before a game - why? Plays 4-5-1 against Wales, hmm interesting, never played that formation before so should really catch the Welsh out - well it would if he hadn't announced to the media 2 days before so the Welsh could counter those tactics! P.s. Beckham is poor yet Hargreaves is one of the best in Europe?! (chinny)
RE: Scot Parker??? Perhaps not the best example. He's played in a deeper role for Newcastle though and played well. I'd probably have Carrick in front of him. Having said all that I thought Beckham played well against Wales and could do a job there. He gets plenty of protection from Lamps and Gerrard and has time to pick his passes (like McFrail! )
Isnt Carrick just a limp lightweight though who has a nice pass. We need someone with a bit of physical presence who can then give the easy ball to someone else.
RE: Isnt Carrick just a limp lightweight though who has a nice pass. Against the weaker sides Beckham is ideal to play there. I though we dominated the midfield against the Welsh and rarely gave the ball away. If we played against someone useful though with a decent attacking midfielder (kaka, ballack etc) we need a bit of muscle. Carrick puts his foot in though.
Are you sure , whenever he has been on the box , he just looks like a slower version of Trevor Brooking.
RE: Are you sure , whenever he has been on the box , There aren't many English 'Roy Keanes' though are there. All the options Jenas, Parker, Carrick, Beckham are all technique based rather than midfield engines.
I'm not sure that he ever had the plot in the first place! Recent selections seem to indicate that he is trying to find a formation in which he can make a place for his successor as England Manager. What? You don't think that Lord Beckham will serve an apprenticeship as a club manager do you? No! he'll go straight into the top job! Infact, I suspect that he's probably doing it now.
aw bless Beckham is the most overrated footballer in the world right now. He is a liability. His pass to Wright Phillips came off, so it should have, he'd tried it 20 times. An example off the pitch? Of what? How to shag your PA. He can't tackle, plays where he feels like it, his free kicks are no longer a threat, can't head a ball to save his life and doesn't score enough for an attacking midfielder. And I said Hargreaves was the third best in Europe. Thats why he's at Bayern Munich and Phil Neville is at Everton and Butt's at Birmingham.
To be fair, Hargreaves has never had the chance to play in that position enough at international level for anybody to be able to say for sure how good or how bad he might be. I can only remember him ever coming on as a sub, for maybe 20 mins at most. He hasn't been given a start and had the opportunity to say, this is my position, hands off!