By Far The Greatest Team

There was plenty of frustration from England fans after the U-21s were comfortably beaten by Norway in the UEFA Under-21 European Championship at the weekend. A lot of the anger was directed at Stuart Pearce, the manager, who often gives the impression of someone who doesn’t have a clue. In 2007, when Pearce first got [...]

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Some players just aren’t made for the English game, some of us aren’t as efficient as Germans at taking penalties, even fewer are capable of playing “tiki taka” football like the Spanish, but we all wish we grew up on a Brazilian beach and could dance through challenges. These are the stereotypes in football, I’m [...]

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Into his 17th year as a professional footballer, Rio Ferdinand still has the knack for a headline or two. The 34 year old centre-back has (unwittingly?) blown up the Twitterverse with a starring role in Riogate (the 2013 edition). Engulfing, for lack of a more descriptive adjective, 140 characters of opinion around the world, one [...]

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I’ve always quite admired Leon Osman. Never spectacular but always diligent, a real team player. And whenever I’ve heard him interviewed I always thought he seemed a decent bloke and reasonably articulate. When he has ever lost his place for a time at Everton, he has always just got his head down, never complained and [...]

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Danny Rose was sent off for reacting to what appears to be racial abuse in England U21′s 1-0 victory against Serbia U21s. “I think there one or two racist incidents from the crowd, they’ve been reported to Uefa I believe by ourselves, and it’s in their hands now,” said U21 boss Stuart Pearce. “I’m very [...]

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Stadium: The National Stadium, Warsaw Kick-off: 8pm Team: Hart; Johnson, Jagielka, Lescott, Cole; Gerrard, Carrick; Milner, Rooney, Cleverley; Defoe.

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Manchester United strikers Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck scored the opening four goals, before Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made it 5-0, to secure three points for England last night in their World Cup qualifier against San Marino.

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The good ship England football team is in ‘there be dragons territory‘. The old certainties of the Golden Generation are being shredded – Terry is gone, Ferdinand is in the wilderness, Lampard is increasingly a side-lined figure. Gerrard, in the twilight of his international career, is finally playing where he’d like to play. The sad [...]

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David Platt scored four, with Carlton Palmer and Les Ferdinand making it 6-0. England went on to beat Turkey, Poland, draw with Holland at home, lose to Norway and Holland away, before beating San Marino 7-1 away. They finished 3rd in the group behind Holland and Norway and didn’t go to the World Cup in [...]

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Former England captain, John Terry, has today announced his retirement from International football, blaming the FA for his decision. “I feel The FA have made my position with the national team untenable,” he said. “Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of as a boy and it has been a truly great honour. [...]

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Here we go again. Inevitably, Chelsea’s defeat to Atlético Madrid in the European Super Cup at the end of last month saw the above inquisition come to the forefront of people’s minds once more. So, I’ve decided that I may as well give tackling it a go myself. It’s rare that I consult the family [...]

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As the new England U21 campaign begins next month it will bring questions about what direction England are heading towards and whether there is even a plan at all. FA chairman David Bernstein said: “Continuity is vital as we continue to build our club ethos, and Stuart [Pearce] is an important member of the England [...]

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BFTGT: What would have to happen this season for you to class it as a successful one for your club? Aidran Roberts: In terms of England, it’s all about ensuring a healthy balance of young and old in the Senior setup. Beyond that, you simply hope that Roy moves away from some of the tactics [...]

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Coming off the back of a successful 3-1 win over the United Arab Emirates, one thing that stood out with regards to the Team GB squad was the true lack of a potent up-and-coming marquee striker for England that is still young enough to play at U21 level (or below!) for their country. Wayne Rooney [...]

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“I can’t believe that in England they don’t teach young players to be multi-functional. To them it’s just about knowing one position and playing that position. To them, a striker is a striker and that’s it. For me, he is somebody who has to move, who has to cross, and who has to do this [...]

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The day after England crashed out of Euro 2012, Daniel Taylor, chief football writer at The Guardian, wrote about England’s inability to keep possession and how this would cost them in the long term. It wasn’t the first time this problem was mentioned though, with an article making exactly the same point following England’s draw with France. [...]

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