Then we may as well not bother playing football, we'd be an embarassment and a disgrace and will be laughed at by everyone. Also known as: Being Scotland.

The sport revolves around us.

Then we may as well not bother playing football, we'd be an embarassment and a disgrace and will be laughed at by everyone. Also known as: Being Scotland.

Good answer. However, I don't think there's too much of a chance of that happening now. Your new coach has England talking the next World Cup, for all that matters. Plus having 24 spots will probably ensure Scotland qualify too in the coming Euros.

Shouldn't you be unhappy about failing? I'm just saying...

And what's with the last part, I mean, if anything, Scotland need this more than England do...


Sweeet!

But come on brother I think the Scots are likable. Then again I'm not English so I don't have to deal with them...

yup, it's almost becoming routine! every single international break, we witness yoann gourcuff make our management and carlo look retarded. here is his latest masterpiece.

http://www.d1g.com/video/show/?id=2369193

HT Venezuela 0-3 Brazil.
Kaka's goal! Here!

Anyway they won away from home against Belgium. you can mark my words, Spain's flopping years are over. they are the favorites for the 2010 World Cup title!!

Oh really? You know, they just won the European Cup...

Not that they are not capable but it rarely happens for a team to win two tournaments successfully and I doubt it will happen with Spain this time.

Many say it's a one-off. but I say they have a great and young group that have finally found an understanding with each other (both football-wise and Madrid/Catalonia-wise!). til 2010, they can only get better. Casillas, Villa, Torres, Iniesta, Xavi, Silva, etc. all of them will be more experienced and most probably better players than they are right now.

Before the Euros everyone laughed off Spain's chances of winning it saying 'they haven't won anything for decades' and look what happened... I don't see a reason why they can't be one of the few sides that have won the Euros and the World Cup back to back.

Good with the youth, **** coach overall. That's Queiroz.
Just like in Madrid.

The worst Portuguese NT of the last half-decade.

I watched the second half, Portugal totally deserved to win but if Nani can't score from 2 meters off the line then what can Queiroz do? The team as a whole should have done better though.

Portugal NT need a strict coach. A Scolari, a Mourinho, a Capello, you know. That type of coach.

Otherwise things like today will continue to happen. The players think they're out for a friendly match... not giving 50% of what they can.

brazil vs. colombia was tame. brazil had most of the chances. pato came on for robinho after 60 minutes..and blew a golden chance off the nice feed from KaKAAA.

2nd half
http://www.d1g.com/video/show/?id=2378820

Err..it is Holland right? Are Norway expected to beat Holland?

28/10/2008 23:13
OFFICIAL: Maradona New Coach Of Argentina
Football legend Diego Armando Maradona has been appointed as the new coach of the Argentina national team.

Maradona had been in a four-way tussle with Carlos Bianchi, Miguel Angel Russo and Sergio Batista to take over from Alfio Basile, who resigned a fortnight ago after a World Cup qualifying defeat to Chile.

Earlier this evening there was speculation that Maradona may win the race and now it has been confirmed that El Pibe d'Oro has indeed been appointed as the new national team coach of Argentina.

Although many expected one of the three other candidates to be his assistant, the responsibility will be given to Carlos Bilardo, who coached Argentina when Maradona guided them to the 1986 World Cup.
"We just had a meeting, we are happy about what was said for the Argentine national team," stated Maradona.

Although AFA president Julio Grondona has yet to announce it to the press, reports suggest that the official presentation will take place on Thursday the 30th of October, when Maradona turns 48 years old.

"I can't open the present yet, we have to wait because we have to continue to talk," the 1986 World Cup winner affirmed in declarations to radio La Red.

Maradona also stated that he will be the only person in charge to select who plays for the national team: "I will choose the team, I will be the only one to do so. Of course I will be listening to Carlos (Bilardo) in everything, because you can't avoid listening to a man who knows so much," he added.

"I think the project will be exactly how Julio (Grondona) would like it, in what I want, and in what Carlos wants," added Maradona.

When asked who his coaching team will consist of, he said: "I still have to choose my right hand. I have to talk to Checho (Batista) and with Tata Brown. Afterwards we will decide with Carlos."

The former coach of Deportivo Mandiyu and Racing Club also stated that he will take the players who play in the local Argentine competition into consideration: "We have been talking about this, the directors know this very well. When the national team needs it, the directors have to put on the Argentina shirt. With that base we will do well."

Maradona admitted that he has to put a "winning mentality" into the heads of all Argentine players, those who ply their trade in the domestic Argentine competition, as well as those in Europe.

Grondona called Maradona on Tuesday, after "El Diez" arrived from Tiflis, Georgia, and soon he notified him that he would replace Alfio Basile as the new coach of Argentina. Maradona will sign a contract that will expire after the end of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, of course with an option for an extension, depending on his performance.

IMO appointing Maradona as Argentina's coach was a decision made by heart, not head. I doubt he can do anything.

Um. No Rio Ferdinand or Wayne Rooney? Are they hurt or something?

England squad to play in Germany

Goalkeepers: Carson (West Brom), Hart (Man City), James (Portsmouth)

Defenders: Bridge (Chelsea), Davies (Villa), Johnson (Portsmouth), Terry (Chelsea), Lescott (Everton), Mancienne (Chelsea), Richards (Man City), Upson (West Ham)

Midfielders: Barry (Villa), Carrick (Man United), Downing (M'boro), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Wright-Phillips (Man City), A Young (Villa)

Forwards: Agbonlahor (Villa), Bent (Spurs), Crouch (Portsmouth), Defoe (Portsmouth), Walcott (Arsenal)

No Owen again? Happy with 4 Villa players though, hopefully Gabby and Davies get to make their debuts.

Yeah, both injured at the moment - they didn't play for United today. So now they call be all rested so they can kill us next weekend.

Here are the German call-ups to make a comparison...

The Italian media is reporting that Gerrard has pulled out of the England squad with injury.

ya my buddy from chester says united always trash villa at home. actually i watched that fixture last year with him and some others at the pub and you lost 5-0 i believe

Here are the German call-ups to make a comparison...

Goalkeepers: Rene Adler(Bayer Leverkusen), Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

Defenders: Marvin Compper (1899 Hoffenheim), Arne Friedrich (Hertha BSC Berlin), Andreas Hinkel (Celtic Glasgow), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Marcel Schäfer (VfL Wolfsburg), Serdar Tasci (VfB Stuttgart), Heiko Westermann (FC Schalke 04)

Midfielders: Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Jermaine Jones (FC Schalke 04), Marko Marin (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (FC Bayern München), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburger SV), Tobias Weis (1899 Hoffenheim)

Forwards: Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Patrick Helmes (Bayer Leverkusen), Miroslav Klose (FC Bayern München), Lukas Podolski (FC Bayern München)

I've bolded the debutant's and the new faces...

Note - there's no Frings (poor form and bad relations with Jogi)

It seems as if we have to rely on our formidable strike force....simply score one more than England

A friendly word from Fab
Robbo Robson
17 Nov 08, 02:22 PM

So let's just recap on the revised England squad for Wednesday's game against Germany... withdrawn are:

Joe Hart (foot's knackered); Steven Gerrard (torn muscle thing); Wayne Rooney (bit of a sniffle); Rio Ferdinand (sprained his hand trying to write summat); Frank Lampard (dodgy rib - possibly Chinese barbecue, we're not sure).

But oh no! We've just heard of more troubles of our stout-hearted lads! Also out now are:
Theo Walcott (his dog's poorly); Joleon Lescott (certified hopeless); Gabby Agbonlahor (cheese allergy); Gareth Barry (needs to take a jumper back to M and S cos his Mum bought him the wrong size); Jermain Defoe (he's got a Pilates course Wednesday night); Ashley Young (eye test); David Bentley (brylcreem removal)....

All right, I'm overstating the case but clearly I'm exaggerating to make a point that professional footballers seem to treat international friendlies like the rest of us treat a visit to the in-laws.

I'll quite happily fake a migraine if it means I avoid a lot of interrogation about my beer consumption or the time it takes for me to tile a bleeding bathroom (15 months and counting, and by the way, the tiles make well-handy beer-mats in the meantime).

Every time this club or country debate comes up it gets me right heated. Here's how I'd solve it. Either you play for your country or I hit you with this club.

How refreshing it is, though, to have a manager who starts laying down the law to the teams. You get the impression that every time McClaren or Eriksson had players released for international games they had to send out 23 bouquets of flowers, along with 23 handwritten scented notelets with kind sentiments on them in order to say thank you to the clubs for their generosity in letting their little darlings out to play for the evening.

Capello sends them a stern e-mail and a couple of muscular paramedics cos he doesn't need to take that sort of crap. He's been there, knows the score and if Liverpool say Gerrard's got a poorly groin then Fabio's going to make damn sure that's the case. Probably by personally bending the Scouse snorkeller's leg over his head until he yelps.

It's about time. I don't think Capello would be sending out anyone who's not fully up to it for any game but it's the 'hands off, he's ours' nonsense that bugs me.

I know there'll be tons of big four fans out there who'll be doling out the old 'we pay the wages' argument. But if you lot had your way international football would be dead in the water.

I happen to believe that a thriving national team is good for the game as a whole. Players do get injured playing for their countries, that's true. And Newcastle have been compensated for Michael Owen, haven't they? But surely it's just a small price to pay for employing a top player.

Playing for their country is just part of the rest of their lives. If Owen got injured taking his kids ice-skating, would Newcastle sue the ice-rink? If Rio Ferdinand put his back out reaching up to a high shelf for a copy of the collected essays of Friedrich Nietzsche would Fergie be sending warning shots across the bows of Waterstones? (Granted the last example is about as hypothetical as it's possible to get without it being summat out of Terry Pratchett).

This club v country debate goes deeper than whether players fake toothaches to get out of a game every now and then, of course. Clubs are doing less and less to cultivate young local talent - unless you're Arsenal (and how ironic is that!)

Now again you might argue that you should only pick on the basis of talent and if you can go round the world hand-picking the best crop of baby-faced third world Maradonas then fair play to you. Me, I'd still argue that clubs represent their area first and their global fanbase second. And that that representation should be on the basis of at least some local lads.

You can't argue against the fact that if the academies bring through local talent it would benefit the national team and to be frank England is my joint favourite first team with the Boro and I really want it to do well.

The other accusation I get for spouting this is that I'm a xenophobic northern muppet. (Only one of these is true). You can be pro-England without being anti-the rest of the world, although granted when you see p***heads lobbing furniture around European town squares you wonder why you'd ever want to be pro-England ever again.

I've got nowt against foreigners at all, especially when they start laying down the law to the managers who spend international friendly week rolling up their precious cargoes in bubble-wrap and cotton wool until Saturday comes.

There is an argument for saying we should drop friendly internationals all together - and when Sven was playing every Englishman in the Premier League and handing out more caps than a family planning clinic, it was hard to think why anyone was bothering.

But I like them. It gives a chance for the manager to find out how some young lads tick, how hard they work and if they can hack it - especially when the opposition is Germany! If it's Germany, we want a win. Put the speed merchants up front, Agbonlahor, Walcott, Defoe, and watch the dodgy German back four wobble like a Geordie hen party!

In fact, dare I say it, let 'em play like the Boro at Goodison, only with a bit more nous.In the meantime, Fabio, check out every single sob-story these Premier League clubs chuck at you... good on you, pal.