roversfan99

I think Trent will start if the squad numbers are anything to go by. The group should be comfortable, especially now the stupid format means that most 3rd place teams go through. Our group doesnt look too difficult. Denmark and Serbia look to have quite aging teams, and the likes of Mitrovic and Milinkovic-Savic are good players but are playing in Saudi Arabia so wont be as sharp.

There isnt, but equally you put the big teams in front of a defence full of half fit players and theyll be licking their lips.

We have no director of football nor seemingly any scouting department. Throw in the usual Venkys delays and I suspect we will be waiting a while.

It isnt, he was really poor, especially after injury when to be fair he might have been rusty. He maybe got lucky that his big errors (3 examples, a stupid backpass at Leicester that Vardy surprisingly missed and 2 attempts v Sheffield Wednesday to protect the ball out of play where the attacker managed to pinch it, once they hit a chance over poorly and the other he got into a mess and fouled) weren't punished as clinically as Hyam. But even before his injury, he was crap.

That individual performance was as bad as probably has been since since Duffy scoring 2 own goals and getting sent off. But as a whole season, both had very poor seasons especially compared to their previous season. Like I said, might be a few factors why the following is as it is, Hyam had that one particular shocker, he was apparently a dick a couple of times, he was the one in the weird selected fand meeting who mentioned the booing and of course the fact that he is captain. But I definitely feel that Carter has got away with his share of criticism because of the dislike people have developed for Hyam. People still talk about Premier League teams potentially being interested in Carter and dont really mention how he was a liability last year. I dont see Premier League teams wanting him especially as its not like hes an emerging 20 year old to be potentially loaned out. Both need to improve massively as they were the season before. I think Pickering is best as left back in a 4 but if we play a back 3 he is certainly no wing back. And if he plays at centre back it has to be in a 3. So they approved it but said hide it amidst an unrelated article as although we are happy for people to see it we dont want them to see it.

If Elliott Jackson genuinely had information from the club and authority to share of a decent budget. It wouldnt be a random line thrown in at the end of a seperate article. It would be at least a main story, and more likely an opportunity for a good PR story in the press. Immense is a bit far, and that is not enough. McFadzean is a pensioner who needs 2 alongside him, so that means that beside Hyam and Carter, we only have a kid from Crewe.

I think Carter got a bit of an easy ride in that Hyam was criticised a lot for a poor, injury hit season and Carter wasnt really. Maybe because he isnt the captain, is younger and obviously Hyam has been a dick once or twice and had one particular stand out shocker. Carter made loads of mistakes last season and was arguably just as poor. Obviously both can do it at this level, and talk of selling either is stupid considering how thin the squad is, but big improvement needed from both.

Guehi is a good defender, not at the very top level though, but good, when fully fit. He cant possibly be anywhere near fully match fit, neither can Stones and neither certainly can Shaw. That might well be a decent defence if they were, but they arent. And you cant afford to use tournament matches to bring a player up to speed, never mind 3/4 of the defence, and I suspect that along with a poor manager may cost us.

Im not doubting that Southgate is a huge worry but I think people look at our world class attacking players and focus too much on that, you are always up against it in terms of winning a tournament with our defence. France and Portugal might not have the same level of world class attackers (they do have some great players themselves mind) but they have more rounded teams. Possibly Germany too. Holland have the best defence but the opposite problem, average attackers. Chilwell? He is indeed very injury prone and not very good when fit.

We have 2 senior fit centre backs. Unless someone tempts us with decent money which they wont, we need him and one or two more. Im not his biggest fan but hes not as bad as you seem keen to suggest. Had a good season and a poor and injury interrupted second season.

2 small cameos and 1 start after months off injured. He might be fit ie injury free. He cant be anywhere near match fit and totally sharp. Chilwell is shit and again, was injured.

And we will be packed full of attacking quality but with as poor/unfit a defence as ours is, we will always be vulnerable v top teams.

Why are you asking people what theyve heard about the budget. Only 2 days ago you were insistent that we do have a decent budget as theres no way the LT would suggest it without club approval.

He was sold late in January when many teams wouldnt have been in a position to bid. Its a different market in the summer, teams dont tend to have the same budget in January especially now with FFP. More teams bidding and after a further half a season of experience, and without the desperation to sell, we could receive much more. Regarding Scott, hes a different type of player.

Hyam made a massive mistake v Southampton which nearly cost us a point. I would stop listening to whoever told you that as its blatantly not true.

Chilwell is rubbish and Hall is a kid who has barely ever played so even mentioning him is premature. However good Shaw is, Euro 2024 Shaw wont be anywhere near those levels.

Im not sure we should considering the defensive issues. Southgate is not a good manager but I think our defensive problems are the biggest concern.

Yesterdays game was shocking although obviously you cant read too much into friendlies. But the issues we have are more prevalent against teams of a reasonable calibre, not 2 teams that couldnt even qualify in the extended current format of the Euros. The defence is a bomb scare. Trippier at left back is a liability, he is starting to look his age after an injury and some poor form in the last few months even in his natural position. Its all well and good saying Shaw is good when fit, he wont be fit throughout the Euros, hes been out for 4 months so he wont be able to get up to speed. Any half decent right winger will have a field day. Stones is seen as a given in terms of his quality but again hes barely played in months and isnt fit enough, plus picked up a knock last night. Next to him we have Guehi, again, not played in months. You cant carry 3 quarters of a defence carrying fitness issues. No one is any wiser as to who will play next to Rice. Looking at the squad numbers, that may be Trent who is a very good player but is a right back. Wharton has been given number 25 which might be meaningless but I dont think he will play much if at all, and as much as he possibly is our best hope, he has only played less than 20 Premier League games. Im not convinced by Mainoo who leaves big spaces as does the very limited Gallagher.

Stones off injured...

He scored a penalty in a friendly, hardly Miroslav Klose!

Not sure getting in the Iceland side necessarily means you are a good player.

There are still a number of players who are not in good form, but mainly ones that still had to be picked of course like Stones and Trippier, plus Guehi and Shaw. Then players like Toney who are lucky.

O'Hara is one of the worst and least intelligent pundits around. Must be a rare lapse to make a reasonable point.

Its literally a sentence at the bottom of a seperate article with a local journalist saying that we would expect some funds to be available. No specifics, nothing suggesting significant funds. Now thats a club endorsed guarantee.

Sadly true. He is arguably at least as good as anyone we have beside Rice in there, it would be a huge shame to see Gallagher ahead of him. Mainoo I would somewhat understand, Trent again as a bit of a curveball although that would be a risk.