Here we go..


Andy Carroll is as bad as picking Gabby to be honest. Jarvis has been playing really well for Wolves lately to be fair, good call up, not terrible as I think we have a few injuries I wasn't aware of.

I think Hart, Cole, Terry, Johnson, Lampard, Barry and Rooney will all be in the team. Who will partner Terry, who plays out wide and who plays up front with Rooney will be the question marks.

Great, and then let him take over here were he left. He knows our language very well

I hate the national teams break.

+1. Stupid little things, these. Necessary, but absolutely stupid.

Stupid things that will give us time to catch a break and the injured to recover

Yeah, that's why I said necessary. Necessary evil, one the the players need the most.

I thought necessary was because without them there would be not Euro or World Cup.

Well that too. Plus, the provide the opportunity for NT coaches to test out youth and team combinations. I can never say no to these breaks, as much as annoying they are sometimes. They are necessary for the football world to revolve on its axis. I just turn my attention to other things during these two (or so) weeks.

Yeah, like, real life and stuff...

Exactly.

Yeah, I feel the same, see the International break as a chance to do other things. Football is on constantly so it's actually quite decent to have a rest from it at times.

How about this...

Brazil Kit

They won't be wearing it, well probably apart from adverts, but it's pretty crazy in design.

That looks like the jersey of death.

So Brazil play Scotland on Sunday. No Pato. Scotland have never beaten Brazil.

Yeah, Pato apparently made a trip to London(?) for the match, but I read somewhere he was sent back. Fitness related issues I guess. Which is good, I hope to see him plan/score in the derby.

So what we up against? What's the Brazil team these days?

They aren't going anywhere in particular at the moment. In particular because of the injuries, I reckon they will field their 2nd-choice forward line for this match: No Pato and no Nilmar. No established playmaker in the attacking mid. Also Robinho is not in the new coach's (Mano) plans it seems.

The only set thing is the rock-solid defense, Lucio and Silva as CBs. I think you guys will do alright come Sunday.

Scandinavia derby tomorrow, Norway-Denmark. Easily the biggest match in years for us, with a win here we are firmly on track to the Euros.

Funny, Brazil always used to be about attack and rubbish defence, now it's the opposite!

In all honesty I'd expect Brazil to beat Scotland, with ease. This is a Scotland team that has struggled against Lithuania and Liechtenstein...

Bale pulls out, probably afraid to get shown up on the big stage, even against the worst RB of all time in Glen Johnson, if he can get an England cap, so can I.

Really disappointed about Bale dropping out, coward.

I really hope we make a mess of them, think it was only 1-0 at their place last time we played them in qualifying wasn't it? Destroy them!

If Fabiano wasn't injured would he be playing?

Why did he move to Sao Paolo?

And what's the Brazil squad for the match?

Yep, same as before. I don't care if they are British or not Scotland and Wales are far easier games than Switzerland, especially the latter. It's just the usual British hype trying to big it up as a massive game, one that both teams are fearing. If we don't get 3 points to Wales tomorrow then Capello really should be looked at. Especially after the 0-0 in the last game.

I think it makes the game more difficult because they are going to be very up for it. But even a very up for it Wales aren't better than Switzerland and we beat them somewhat comfortable really. Anything less than 3 points in all remaining games would be disappointing, especially after that Montenegro disgrace.

Na, don't think. Their new coach is keeping one eye on the next World Cup, and building a team combination for that, so really guys like him and other veterans are not in the frame. They may get an odd game or two every now and then, but most players touching 30 or over that age have practically lost their place.


For the very reason to most foreign players return home, to get a final shot at the NT. In the last part of their career that is. Brazil's striking trident for the immediate future most definitely is P and the two N's: Pato, Nilmar, Neymar. Old horses like R80, Robinho (who really has a problem finishing, most of my Brazilian friends are glad that he is not called up), even Kaka, have to make way for upcoming talent like Douglas Costa, Hernanes and Ganso.

Their new coach is quite un-secure at the moment, and needs results to cement his place between now and the Copa America. So it's a bit of a clusterfudge at the time being, until he sorts it all out. This friendly couldn't have come at a better time. I do follow the Brazilian Série A when I get time, and am a fan of their NT, so I do stay in the loop whenever I get a chance. But things are definitely at a standstill at the moment, and the injuries are not helping. It is undoubtedly a change of guards after the horror show at WC 2010.


I think with both Pato and Nilmar out, chaps like Kaka, Robinho not called up, you will see a new faces in attack. Like I said defense and central-mid pretty much picks up itself, with old (Lucio, Maicon and Elano) and new (Silva, Renato, Lucas) guys. We are most definitely witnessing the formation of a "core" group of players. All in all an okay side. One guy to keep an eye on is Leandro Damião, who is called up and will take the striking position:

Well done to Fabio for coming out and saying he basically screwed up the captaincy. I didn't think he had it in him to do that. Terry's record is around a 75% which is incredible.

Wales vs England
Games: 99
Wales wins: 14
England wins: 64
Draws: 22

100th meeting, should win and must win.



Interesting. And people say friendlies are pointless? Looks like he's took went worked from the Denmark game (Parker. Not playing Wilshire in a 2 so he can get forward. Bent and Young together) and integrated it into the usual lineup. Good stuff, Fabio.

1-0 after 6 minutes. We want 6

2-0 We want 8

2 assists for Ash, goal for Bent. Villa boys doing it for England lately!

So in control of this game, need a 3rd though ideally. Rooney, Lampard, Young, Wilshire and Cole been brilliant.

To be fair we'd have a harder time playing San Marino. As I said the other day just the British media bigging it up. Bar them at home this is our easiest game.

I really like both the system and personnel though, it's working well. A pacy finisher with 2 hard working wingers, 3 players good on the ball in the middle, 2 attacking full backs and no nonesense CBs - though Terrys done some good stuff with the ball too.

Terry is learning off Luiz!

Yeah, it's good. But really Wales are a awful side.

Downing so unlucky not to score

Easy win really, no shots on target for them I don't think.

EDIT: Keep Gary Neville on Sky Sports please, he's not said a word wrong all day in my opinion.

Norway 1-1 Denmark. Not a bad result after all.

GOOOOOOOLLLLLLL! Neymar!

Neymar 2-0.

So this weekend shows just how far Scotland and Wales are really behind in the international scene.

Charlie Adam not showing up at a high level, there's a surprise.

He looks good.... for Blackpool.

Don't really agree with this friendly but whatever. 20k Ghana fans at Wembley.

5 former or current Villans in the side again!

Great play from Downing and Milner, bad miss from Young. Though he is completely running the show, again.

What a save from Hart, incredible.

There are more Ghanaians than English there! Stupid, pointless friendly. Still anything to make us look completely what we are which as an average, incredibly overrated International side I'm all for.

Can't agree there, Ash, we've looked superb.

Awesome ball from Young, assist by Downing, great finish from Carroll for his 1st international goal.

Against Ghana in a friendly. I guess I haven't forgot last years WC or the terrible 0-0 against Montenegro like a majority of England fans have after our crushing 2-0 victory against the mighty, mighty Wales.

I mean I'm not expecting us to win anything but the performances in tournaments have been pitiful, at least since Euro 04.

That's a bit disrespectful to Ghana, they more than matched Uruguay in the WC and they finished 4th. Don't forget we're resting 8 players as well, while Ghana have about 8 first teamers playing.

The only thing that's annoying me is the blatent FA bias towards CL teams.

It wasn't meant like that, it was meant that we were performing in a friendly. I'm not talking about Ghana, I mean if we beat them tonight I can read how great they are as a team, how they should have won the 2012 WC if Suarez didn't happen and how we slaughtered them to my hearts content.

J.Hart has had to make a number of saves as well as a crazy piece of play that a FK got us out of jail with. We've hardly walked all over them.

Downing MotM!

3 straight England games where every England goal has been either scored or assisted (or both) by a Villa player!

- Completely what we deserve.

Outstanding goal, absoloutely brilliant. Take a bow, Gyan.

Well at least that takes us back down to earth again. Ghana deserved at least a draw, we didn't really turn up in the 2nd half and they created far more throughout. Gyan is some player.

What a game.

Didn't agree with it, but a very good performance from us and a really enjoyable game. Hopefully Ash, Bent and Downing come back with some confidence after this week!

Downing "they were lucky to equalise" Oh dear.

Ghana more than deserved it.

Why the hell does Desailly go on about Ghana anyway, why didn't he pick to play for them if he loved them so much

We did deserve to win in my opinion, should have been over at HT.

Desailly is a bit annoying. It's a joke when people act like they love their country now they're good, 10 years ago he didn't give a crap about Ghana.

Good to see Fabio happy and smiling after the game.

But J.Hart made a number of saves too. Ghana at the least deserved the draw. Still, it's only a friendly this matters as much to me as a pre-season game.

He's a clown. It would be like Podolski in a few years time celebrating because Poland were doing better and were actually quite a decent side even though he chose Germany. Complete hypocrite.