Again, we could do worse than Nugent. I believe that people are probably more excited about him because he's a bit of "the unknown". I know a few Preston fans who see him every week who think it's hilarious that he's in the England squad. People generally get excited about young, quick strikers. I don't think he's better than Andy Johnson at the moment, so why not keep Johnson in the team and give him a bit more time with Rooney?

Also, if Nugent starts and bags 6 goals - it's against Andorra. What has he proven? So, in effect, he can't actually win, because the quality of the opposition is so poor.

thats will apply to Johnson as well then, because he has not proven himself on the international scene yet

We could do a lot worse than Davies (cue tnr dragging back a post from 2 years ago where he suggested it first). Charisteas worked wonders for Greece in 04. I'd stick with AJ though - he's a good player. He has pace, movement and can finish. Our problem, IMO, is that when we try these new strikers they don't get a run of games unless they immediately score. Look at what has happened to James Beattie.

When Dean Ashton comes back I expect him to start getting into squads with regularity, provided he can recapture his good form after a long injury.

why not give Nugent a chance?, tonights game would be ideal for him to make his debut

My first choice England team, when everyone is fit, would be:

Robinson

Neville Terry Ferdinand Cole

Lennon Hargreaves Gerrard Cole

Rooney Owen

At the moment though, because of injuries to the likes of Joe Cole and Owen, England have 3 main problems.

- They do not have a striker available who is intelligent and sharp enough to play with Rooney.

- They don't have anyone good enough to play wide-left.

- They are imbalanced in central midfield.

So, the first thing I'd do is change the formation. We don't have the players available to play 4-4-2 at the moment so I'd switch to 4-3-3. I'd go for:

Robinson

Richards Terry Ferdinand Cole

Gerrard Hargreaves Lampard

Rooney Lennon

Davies

First of all, we need a target man for the forwards to play off. The only one's I can think of who are currently fit are Davies and Crouch. Ashton would be an option when he's fit as well. Rooney and Lennon would then be able to play a free role behind the target man and do what they are best at - run at defenders.

Hargreaves could play the holding role in midfield allowing both Lampard and Gerrard to break forward and do what they are best at. Both full backs would provide the width (my first choice at right-back would still be Neville but Richards will do as a replacement).

It's basically the same way that Chelsea play. Unfortunately though, England's players aren't as good as Chelsea's!

Davies for england no way

if i was the manager for tonight with this squad of players i would pick this team, shame SM won't though

Foster

Richards Rio Terry Carragher

Lennon Gerrard Hargreaves Barry

Rooney Nugent

gareth Barry for me as well, Downing is an very average player and is only in that squad because of SM

Er, no? Born Blackburn

he's a bolton lad and still lives in Bolton now

Well said that man!

We had two players score at the new Wembley on Saturday. Two lads who play for Blackburn Rovers! Anybody else's fans would be delighted. If Derbs and Bentley played for Spurs we'd be saying something along the lines of "Why don't have anyone coming through?", "How lucky are they to have two young English players playing for them?".

But what do some people say? "He'll never be world class." If you're not happy now you never will be.

i am more then happy with matty and bentley scoring for the under 21's on saturday, but i think people are getting carried away, claiming matty is going to be the new michael Owen, i think he is miles away of becoming the same player as he was.

i hope i am proved wrong though

i want makes me angry is that Jenas and Dyer are ahead of Bentley in the squad

Derbyshire will never be world class and that wasn't a world class ball and I would agree that if the defender had done his job properly he would have cut it out (it looks as though he gets a touch on it). That is taking nothing away from Derbs, he's done well for us this season and it is great to see him being rewarded, but he's not the next Michael Owen, think of everything that Owen had done by Derbyshire's age. If Derbyshire has the ability to be world class then so do 90% of premiership strikers.

i agree, Matty has done well for us this season, but he is not a world class striker and he will never will be. If Roberts was fit for most of this season i doubt Matty would have started so many matches.

Off the top of my head I think they were £34 but they may have been even less they certainly weren't £36. Rumour has it they will be £40 next year as well. Supply and demand I suppose but can't see many Rovers going at those prices.

crazy money £40 to go and watch a football match, it's getting silly now, no wonder fans are staying away

when mccarthy said him and roberts were the next yorke and cole,i laughed benny is that himself.he has the goalscoring touch of cole,and the skill of yorke.

what odds he is not at ewood at the beginning of the season,i think the board might take a 10 million pound bid for him,i'm sure sparky would.

i don't think sparky would wan't to loose Bennie at any price. He has been fantastic for us in his 1st season in the PL, and if we did loose him, we would find it very hard to replace him.

Dunno but it's worrying.

after the Bolton game Nelson was limping quite badly, when he came over to thank the fans. So i was quite suprised he even got in 45 minutes yesterday

fingers cross he will be back for the Hammers

APPARENTLEY our beny offside macarthy has been swinging the lead at brockhall,saying he is unfit all week and then the day before the match declaring himself fit sparky's called his bluff,and thanks for a great season,but 10million and toddle off to chelski

hope we don't sell him, he's a class player and i think him Matty up front next season will be a great partnership.

I think he needed the rest he got and from now on to the end of the season i think we will get the best out of him

Anyone know if money grabber lucas is going to be fit for the game at Ewood?

Because the same excuse has been used so many times now, it can't be true. England has long had a reasonable selection of players and many different managers have tried to turn them into winners, always without success. And I don't count Euro 96 as a high point, since England got to play every game at Wembley and still couldn't make the final. That's a big fat failure in any other nation's book.

England brings in a charismatic ex-player for the Klinsmann / Rijkaard effect -- they get the Keegan effect instead.

They bring in an expert manager with a huge list of honours, hoping for a Hiddink -- they wind up with Eriksson.

Fact is, most supporters in England, or at least the ones working in the media, propagate the idea that England has every attribute required to win major football tournaments. The reality is that they have only done so once, with the key role being played by home advantage, and have never really threatened to repeat the feat.

If England had a top class manager who could get the best out of the players, you would see how good of squad England really have.

After saying that if we could take bloody penalties god knows what we could have won

England has some players who THINK they are world class. Step forward Mssrs Lampard, Ferdinand and Cashley Cole.

i wish Rovers had these players on their book

A lot of nations would love to call on these players, it's just a shame we can't get the best out of them playing for England

History suggests you are completely wrong on that one.

what's that got to do with history, if we had the right manager and the correct system in place i think we might of won a major trophy by now.

We have some world class players, it's just about getting the players in a suitable system, which will help bring the best out of them

Surley Maclaren should get a lot of stick, I mean you have just lost 1-0 to Spain, how poor can you get?! When will the general English public understand that the England team just aint as good as you think?

There is one reason why England never seem to win anything, one reason, YOU AINT GOOD ENOUGH! Getting a new manager in won't help one bit..

that is utter rubbish.

with the players England can select, i think England could be one of the best nations around, it's just about getting the right man and getting the players to play in a system that works for them

Even with Pedersen on form with his free kicks it would make sense to have a right and left footed free kick taker.

a certain David Bentley is not a bad set piece taker as well

He's a player who ain't improving the team at all in my opinion. I thought it was embarrassing when we signed him and I was sure he wouldn't get much playing time. Now it seems Hughes thinks he is good enough to hold down a regual place in our starting XI, and that really is sad.

I just hope Samba can show some quality and Nelsen to stay fit, because I do not want to see Henchoz playing 20-30 games a season for us!

Henchoz has done nothing wrong, i am glad we have signed him on for a further season

Another year of Henchoz I feel sick...

why do you feel sick, i think he's a good player to have as a back up for us

Sorry to rock the boat but imo David Bentley is nowhere near England material yet. Let him develop further and then if he gets a chance with Maclaren gone he will be better equipped to take it.....

........ alternatively if we are planning to sell him soon then a cap or two would see his value soar.

he deserves to be in the side above Dyer and Wright Phillips, i think Bentley is turning out to be a class player and is getting better and better by each game and would be a usefull back up in the squad

Can't see it really. He would cost 15 odd million and United are certainly looking well covered in the midfield department.

Next season they are going to have Hargreaves, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo, Evre and Park to contend with. Liverpool are, in my mind, the main threat as they actually might need a player like Bentley depite their profusion of midfield options.

Ronaldo might go in the summer

Hargreaves might now stay at Bayern because they are changing their manager

Evre will play at left back instead of midfield

so i think if this happens they might well be intrested in Bentley in the summer

Great to see that Bentley was given MoM, he definitely deserved it. Nugent and Milner also were very good, and the only other one that was fairly good was Reo-Coker. The defence was crap!

We are very soon going to get the media and his agent trying to unsettle Bentley so be warned! :ph34r:

i know i think sadly Bentley is Manchester United bound in the summer, thats what all the mancs who i work with keep saying anyway

Bentley should be playing for the full squad tonight, he has been on top form of late and is proving to be a top class player.

He should be ahead of Dyer and Wright Phillips for me