Hmmmmm very intriguing!
mgriffin2012 Indeed
Beckham To Manage England?
David Beckham's name has been thrown around as a surprise appointment to the English national football team after being seen leaving the Football Association headquarters yesterday. The 40 year old has no previous managerial experience but there is no word from the FA camp denying the claims.
Photographers saw him at 10am this morning leaving the FA in London, before hopping into his car and driving off, refusing to answer any questions. The ex-international is thought to be lining up an ambassadorial role in the Association but there are still rumours that he could take the helm of the English national team.
http://e1.365dm.com/14/04/16-9/20/worldcup2006-wiltwc-shepherd-ben-shephard-david-beckham-england_3133688.jpg
Beckham played over 100 times for England and captained the side and although he has little managerial experience, his experience in the game could be seen as an upside. However, for now, Frank Rijkaard remains the favourite and it is unlikely that Beckham will get the nod.
FA Honours Two Of The Greats
The Football Association has taken time from it's quest to find the next England manager and today celebrated the careers of two of the best English players of all time. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have both retired from international football following the 2014 World Cup, after both playing over 100 times for the Three Lions. At a gala dinner in London, the pair's careers were celebrated and were inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. Let's have a look at their careers for England.
Steven Gerrard
Gerrard made his international debut against Ukraine on 31 May 2000. That summer, he was called up for Euro 2000, making only one appearance as a substitute in a 1–0 win over Germany before England were eliminated in the group stage.Gerrard scored his first international goal in the famous 5–1 victory over Germany in a 2002 World Cup qualifier in September 2001, and while England qualified, Gerrard was forced to pull out of the squad due to his ongoing groin problems after pulling up in Liverpool's final match of the season against Ipswich.
Gerrard scored his second goal for the national team in the Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia on 16 October 2002 in a 2–2 draw, his third goal was the opener in a 2–1 win over Serbia and Montenegro on 3 June 2003. He was a regular starter in Euro 2004, scoring once to make it 3–0 in England's win over Switzerland in the second Group game of the tournament but England would be eliminated by the tournament hosts Portugal in the quarter-finals losing 6–5 on penalties in a match when Gerrard was substituted off in the 81st minute for Owen Hargreaves.
He participated in his first World Cup in 2006 and scored two goals, both in the group stage, against Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden, although his spot kick was one of three saved by goalkeeper Ricardo as England again bowed out to Portugal in the quarter-finals on penalties. He was England's top scorer in the tournament.
Gerrard was made vice-captain of the England team by coach Steve McClaren, and while he filled in for John Terry as captain, England suffered back-to-back losses to Russia and Croatia that ended their Euro 2008 qualifying hopes. After new coach Fabio Capello took over the team in early 2008, Gerrard was given a trial run as captain but Capello settled on Terry for the role. Gerrard was subsequently replaced as England vice-captain by Rio Ferdinand.
Gerrard helped England qualify for the 2010 World Cup, scoring two goals in England's 5–1 win over Croatia. John Terry was replaced by Rio Ferdinand as captain in 2010, following revelations about the former's private life, and Gerrard subsequently became vice-captain again. When the England team left for the 2010 World Cup, Gerrard was the most experienced player in the squad with 80 caps. During preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, however, Rio Ferdinand was injured, meaning that Gerrard was appointed by Capello as captain for the tournament. After the tournament Gerrard, part of a group of England players dubbed the "Golden Generation", confirmed that he would continue to be available for selection, despite suggestions from Capello that he would seek to re-build the team.
In August 2010, Gerrard scored twice in a friendly match against Hungary and helped England to a 2–1 win. Due to Ferdinand's continued absence through injury, Gerrard retained the captaincy for the opening match of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign against Bulgaria, which England won 4–0. He was later named permanent captain by new coach Roy Hodgson, in time for the tournament finals. This was the first time that he was named directly the captain of England and not in place of an injured or unavailable captain. He provided three assists and won two man of the match awards to help England finish top of their group in the qualifying round, and go through to the quarter-finals. Despite their exit on penalties to Italy, Gerrard was later the only England player to be named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament. On 14 November 2012, Gerrard won his 100th cap for England in a friendly match against Sweden.
For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Gerrard captained England to their first group stage elimination since 1958 and their first elimination after only two matches, after two straight 1–2 defeats against Italy and Uruguay. Gerrard had played a part in both goals conceded against Uruguay courtesy of his club-mate Luis Suárez. For England's final game against Costa Rica, Gerrard was replaced as captain by Frank Lampard and used as a substitute.
On 21 July 2014, Gerrard announced his retirement from international football. He represented England at 114 caps (the third most capped player ever, after Peter Shilton (125) and David Beckham (115)),scoring 21 times. Jordan Henderson described Gerrard as "probably the best player this country has ever seen – not only as a player, but also as a leader and a captain."
Frank Lampard
Lampard was capped by England at youth level before making his under-21 debut on 13 November 1997 in a match against Greece. He played for the under-21 side from November 1997 to June 2000, and scored nine goals in 19 appearances, a mark bettered only by Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers. He was capped once by England B, playing in a 2–1 home defeat to Chile on 10 February 1998.
Lampard earned his first cap for England on 10 October 1999 in a 2–1 friendly win over Belgium, and scored his first goal on 20 August 2003 in a 3–1 win over Croatia. Lampard became only the eighth English player to earn his 100th England cap, doing so in a World Cup qualifier against Ukraine, on 10 September 2013.
He was bypassed for Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, and had to wait until Euro 2004 to participate in his first international competition. England reached the quarter-finals with Lampard netting three goals in four matches. He scored against France and Croatia in the group stages, and in the quarter-final he equalised for England in the 112th minute against Portugal, bringing the scoreline to 2–2 but England lost on penalties. He was named in the team of the tournament by UEFA.
He became a regular in the squad following the retirement of Paul Scholes, and was voted England Player of the Year by fans in 2004 and 2005. He was England's top-scorer in their 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign with 5 goals. He scored two crucial goals in the qualifiers, the first against Austria in a 1–0 win, and the second, the winning goal against Poland.
In England's first game of the tournament against Paraguay, Lampard was named Man of the Match as England won 1–0. Though Lampard played every minute of England's 2006 World Cup matches, he went scoreless as England were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Portugal on penalties, and he was one of the three England players who missed their penalties, alongside Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
He scored in a 2–1 loss to Germany in a friendly at the new Wembley in 2007. He was booed by England supporters while coming on as a second-half substitute during England's Euro 2008 qualifying match against Estonia on 13 October 2007, and finished with one goal (in a 3–2 loss to Croatia on 21 November) as England failed to qualify for the tournament. He scored his first international goal in two years in a 4–0 win over Slovakia in March 2009, and also created another for Wayne Rooney. Lampard's goal was the 500th England goal scored at Wembley. On 9 September 2009, Lampard struck twice in England's 5–1 win against Croatia which secured their place at 2010 World Cup.
In the round-of-16 match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against rivals Germany, Lampard had a first-half shot at goal that bounced off the crossbar and from TV replays was clearly seen to cross the goal line. If counted, it would have tied the game 2–2. However, neither the referee nor the linesman saw it as a goal, and play was continued. In the second-half, Lampard hit the cross-bar again, with a 30-yard free-kick. The final score was a 4–1 win for Germany, eliminating England from the tournament.
As England exited the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Lampard had already achieved the record of having made 37 shots on goal without scoring in a World Cup tournament, more than any other player since 1966.
On 8 February 2011, it was announced that Lampard would captain the national team against Denmark in a friendly played the next day after both Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard were absent through injury. In the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Lampard netted two goals for England, both penalties. The first against Wales in a 2–0 win, and the latter vs Switzerland in a 2–2 draw, making Lampard England's most prolific penalty taker ever. In November 2011, Lampard captained England to a 1–0 friendly victory over current World Champions Spain, a game in which he scored the only goal. On 31 May 2012, he was ruled out of the Euro 2012 due to a thigh injury. He was subsequently replaced by Jordan Henderson.
On 14 August 2012, manager Roy Hodgson announced that Lampard would captain the Three Lions in their upcoming friendly against Italy the following day, which England won 2–1.
Lampard started England's first game in qualification and starred as England thrashed Moldova 5–0, with Lampard scoring his 24th and 25th England goals. His first goal was England's 100th ever penalty and his second was a header from a cross from Glen Johnson, after Steven Gerrard was substituted he captained the side.
Lampard scored his 26th international goal from the penalty spot against Ukraine equalling the amount of goals scored by Bryan Robson.
On 22 March, he surpassed David Platt as England's highest scoring midfielder when he scored his 28th international goal in a 0–8 win over San Marino.
On 12 May 2014, Lampard was named in the 23-man England squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and a week later he was named vice-captain. On 24 June, for the last game of the group stage, Lampard captained his England side to draw with Costa Rica 0–0.
On 26 August 2014, Lampard announced that he had retired from international football. He earned 106 caps, scoring 29 goals.
Gary Neville Appointed As Three Lions Boss
The Football Association have officially announced Gary Neville as the next manager of the English national football team.
Chairman Greg Dyke revealed to the media that the 39 year old, who was already within in the England set-up as coach, has been promoted to the head job on a year-to-year rolling contract.
Greg Dyke:
"Gary appealed to us with his combination of youthfulness, tactical knowledge and knowledge of the set-up already. This may be his first managerial job but his experience as a coach with us, as well as his work at Manchester United as a player and coach, gives us excellent trust in his capabilites."
Neville's appointment is thought to be results-oriented, with the FA having grown tired of the poor performances under Roy Hodgson. A positive result at the 2016 European Championships seems to be the goal for the rookie manager but the United legend seems up for the task.
Gary Neville:
"I've been around the England set-up for a couple of years now and I share the frustrations of the Average Joe as much as anyone. Now I'm in this position, I can begin to action plans that will help England out of the doldrums."
At 39, Neville will be the youngest English manager in history, and is almost half the age of his predecessor. Question marks over his experience look to be the biggest concern, but with a full two years until the European Championships in France, he will have plenty of time to get used to this high pressure job.
GNEV!! Love the appointment mate, will be fun to see if you can integrate his ideas into the England set up 
Well you can't do any worse than he did with Valencia IRL
Surely IRL he would not even be a shot at this position after his tremendous stint in Spain
Beany Hopefully he can do this in an effective manner!
ninja Hahaha definitely
Griffo Well luckily this is set before that calamity
ninja Hahaha definitely
Griffo Well luckily this is set before that calamity
The Neville Diaries - The First Press Conference
http://i2.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article6948146.ece/ALTERNATES/s1227b/Gary-Neville-Valencia-press-conference.jpgNot my first ever press conference, but my first ever as a manager, and so it was something to savour. I looked around the room. 40 journalists and 10 cameras with all their attention on me, already clamouring for questions. FA chairman Greg Dyke to my right, England captain Wayne Rooney to my left. Gary Neville, centre stage. I politely told the room that questions would be for later, and stood up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, assembled reporters, and such. Today will not be an average appointment press conference, I am afraid. The state of the English national team is a sorry one, and plans must be actioned immediately if we are any chance of recovering in time for the Euros in France, and the World Cup in Russia. And so I have already set into motion a system that I hope, no, I believe, will re-establish England on an international stage. I wish to announce that system now."
"Spain won three consecutive major tournaments in a row off the back of the remarkable success of Tika-Taka. It is synonymous with the Spanish national team now. Holland claimed fame with Total Football; Brazil has Samba Football; Italy has Catenaccio. We have all seen the success with these systems, these national systems. England does not share this with the best sides in the world."
"You have to ask yourself then, what system is quintessentially English? What style would suit us? Is there an answer? You may say long-ball football is the English way, and I agree, it is the most common system found in this fine country but only in the lower leagues. Long-ball football does not and cannot work effectively in the English Premier League, or at a continental standard, and we are aiming even higher, at an international standard. So our style of play needs to be something that would be effective in the Prem."
"We can conclude that apart from the ineffective long-ball system, we have no national style of play. This can stem from many causes, but I feel it is our pride that limits us. We are the home of football after all. 1966 was just enough to convince ourselves that England can win regardless of the system in place, but now, almost 50 years on, we sit here without a trophy since. And we need change. And I plan to action that change."
"With no nation wide system, I will create it. Working alongside some of the brightest tactical minds in this country, I have set into place a new style of play that will be standardised across the entire England set-up. From the under-15s all the way through to the senior squad, English representative footballers will learn this system, and in 10 years time, when the 15 years olds of today are at the peak of their game, we hope that they are so accustomed to it that it becomes synonymous with our game. We hope it will become England's style."
"Obviously this long-term thinking does not benefit all. 10 years is too long a wait for anyone, even me. This tactic is not revolutionary, and it will not take 10 years to perfect. It may take 10 years to become synonymous with England, but it will take only 10 weeks to learn. I expect instant success with this system in place, and winning the 2016 Euros in France is a very realistic goal, and in fact, is probably necessary. I am under no illusions that I am on a knife edge here. Greg has appointed me because I promised him results and change, and that is what I have to bring. And I believe that this system will bring both. Thankyou for your time."
Euro 2016 Qualifying Groups Announced
England's qualifying group for the upcoming European Championships has been announced, with the Three Lions being handed a relatively easy task in qualifying for the tournament. Switzerland look to be the only major threat in the group which contains 2 of Europe's minnows in San Marino and Estonia. Here's the full group.
Despite being favourites to top the group, England are not the highest ranked team with Switzerland sitting 11 places above them in 9th in the World Rankings. The top two are followed by Slovenia, Lithuania, Estonia and finally San Marino in what is one of the easier groups. England will play their first qualifying match in September, away against Slovenia, and conclude the campaign against Estonia in October 2015.
Nice easy group, should waltz through that! Hopefully we can see some new blood brought in
You are reading "[FM15] England - The Nation's Game".
