The Manchester United affect on the England squad

 

It would be fair to say that England’s hopes of achieving any success, relative or otherwise at next year’s World Cup will be heavily reliant on Manchester United players.

With this in mind I wonder whether David Moyes will adopt a

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Did the golden generation fulfill their potential?

One annoyingly loveable question surrounding English international campaigns in the Noughties was when were the country’s alleged world-class players going to add up to the sum of their parts? The question must be asked – was too much expected of them or was the problem ineffective management? A look at the individual club records of each would suggest the latter to be true, but can there ever be a decisive answer, as David Beckham, Golden Balls himself, announces his retirement?

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Keeping hold of your stars - the problem for football league clubs

It is always difficult for smaller clubs to keep hold of their most talented players, especially in today's world where money seems to be the deciding factor in most football related matters. Whilst it can be hoped that a larger, and more financially powerful, club will pay a fair price to sign an up and coming star, what can the selling club do if they don't wish to lose such an individual, and is it often in the player's interest to make the move? 

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Spirited to Sophisticated

English players have been criticised in recent history for lacking in creativity. As a football nation, being ‘Spirited’ seems to be our greatest achievement.

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Will Hodgson consider Beckham recall? (video)

37 year old David Beckham finds himself in Paris St Germain's first eleven this evening against Barcelona in the Champions League Quarter Finals, his starting berth coming within 24 hours of the midfielder admitting that he hasn't ruled out an England recall.

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The minnows of the world.

England put eight goals past San Marino during last week’s World Cup qualification match in Group H. To say that the result was a foregone conclusion is an understatement; we needed to know how many Roy Hodgson's men would score, not whether they would be victorious. Ranked in joint 207th place, alongside Bhutan and Turks & Caicos Islands, San Marino are right at the very bottom of FIFA's list and look like staying there for some time. Should teams such as this continue to participate in qualification group stages and what, if any, benefit are they gaining from doing so?

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Finland building for Euro 2016 (video)

The Finnish national team achieved one of the greatest results in their history on Friday night, earning a 1-1 draw with World and European champions Spain in Gijon.

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How to solve England's problem at the back

England manager Roy Hodgson has a problem on his hands. He has a paucity of options to play at centre of his back four.

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Why wouldn't Ferdinand answer England call?

Sir Alex Ferguson has this week been very vocal that Rio Ferdinand may not answer the international olive branch offered by Roy Hodgson this week.

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English goalkeeping on a high

Over the past two years, Manchester City keeper Joe Hart has earned a reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. 

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Don't forget about The Ox

Last season Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain burst into our collective footballing consciousness as he turned in a number of eye catching performanes for Arsenal, the best coming against AC Milan in the Champions League.

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Jacking it up - Wilshere's MOM performance

The plaudits were flowing last night, and rightly so, as Jack Wilshere marked his full return to international duty with a man of the match performance in England's victory over Brazil.

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Is Ricky Lambert capable of the international stage?

The rise of Rickie Lambert from the lower Leagues to a respected relic in the Premier League jewellery set has been one any footballer would aspire to achieving.

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The Problem with England's International Selection

“Why on earth is he playing??”. Those words sound familiar? Shouted loudly and frequently at the television during an England match, in the faint hope that the current English manager hears you (and can understand English) and sees the glaringly obvious?

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Will a West Ham return provide a fresh start for Joe Cole? (Video)

After almost a decade away, Joe Cole has made his return to West Ham.  But where exactly does he fit into Sam Allardyce’s plans?

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