Jon Knights: England Manager

[jonffm]

After the disaster that was Steve McLarens England reign, the home of football looked away from home for the answer to solving the great puzzle of Englands failures and bring England the greatest prize of them all - The World Cup. The answer they found, was legendary manager Fabio Capello.

Fabio set about changing the mentality that seemed to blight a talented nations ambitions of reaching the peak of international football once more. Slowly, but surely, the nation responded, and the team began to put pride back into wearing the famous red jersey.

England qualified for the World Cup in emphatic style, dropping points only inn a hotly contested away fixture with Sweden. The national prepared itself for the World Cup, and hope began to creep back into English hearts. The group stages saw Capellos England breeze past Uraguay, Costa Rica and hosts South Africa. Things seemed to finally be coming together for England.

But it wasn't to be.

The Second Round saw England face-off against ex-manager Sven Goren-Erikksons Mexico. England took an early lead via a masterfull Wayne Rooney run tore the Mexicans apart in the 14th minute. England constantly threatened to put the game to bed but the Mexicans held firm and were rewardly shortly after half-time after a messy defensive show allowed Nery Castillo to slam home from close range following a corner. England had been here before, and hearts becan to sink....and the ever-predictable goal followed in the 74th minute, after Rio Ferdinands way-ward clearance allowed Nery Castillo the space for his second, and he was more than happy to take it.

England were out. The Fabio years looked to have come to a premature end. The nations hearts once-more broken.

An emotional news conference followed, as Fabio appologised to the nation for his shortcomings, and stepped down as England manager. Under-21's manager Stuart Pearce took temporary charge, while being considered for the post and he guided them to wins in their opening two Euro 2012 qualifiers. The search began again, for the man to take England to the top....

Enter..

Jon Knights: England Manager

England appointed Q.P.R boss Jon Knights as the new England manager, in a sensational snub to long-serving U21 manager Stuart Pearce.

The former Q.P.R boss arrived with a wave of skeptisism, but that was nothing new to the young manager who had guided a team tipped for a relegation battle to the Premiership, then not only maintained the status, but within 2 seasons guided the team to their first major honour in decades, and in doing so returned Q.P.R to European football. The F.A saw him as the ideal man to take England into a new era.

Name: Jonathan Douglas Knights
Age: 32
Height: 6"2
Weight: 12 Stone
Past Honours: Q.P.R - Championship Winners 2007-2008, League Cup Winners 2009-2010

*MEGA FIRST-PERSON WRITING CHANGE!!!!*

First things first. An assistant. The role of assistant manager has always been crucial, and I need one with experience at the highest levels along with a stong attachment to the national team....and to be honest, I had a name i9n my head before I accepted the role.


http://www.midfielddynamo.com/images/players/beardsley_100x108.png Assistant Manager: Peter Beardsley

Peter has had experience at every level. England player, England coach, and he's been at some of the nations most high-profile clubs. He was the perfect candidate. Peter accepted the offer, and the real task began...


...and within 12 hours, my first set-back. I got a call on my mobile telling me that my defensive rock John Terry had broken his foot during Chelsea's game against Spurs and would be out for two months.

And so it begins...


NEXT TIME: THE CAPTAIN, THE SQUAD, AND THE FIRST GAME.

((Yup, another FM thread. WOOT.))

[Nuclear Spoon]

\o/

Ashley Young.

Do it.

[White Tiger]

I actually thought we got a new manager and was like ''whoa wtf'' then I read the small print. :eng101:

[jonffm]

The Captain, The Squad, The Game.

October 10th 2010

My first major public decision loomed, and I had a massive chioce to make. Who should I pick to lead my squad through my tenure? There is no doubting that I have excellent candidates...Villa Captain Gareth Barry...United Captain Rio Ferdinand...Chelsea and Fabio's former England Captain John Terry...

But I had to make a decision based on who will be a controlling figure around my formations. That man could only be...Liverpool's Steven Gerrard. He's had shown his leadership qualities at the most crucial times for his club, and i'm taking a gamble that being the official England captain will finally break the chains off the lad.

Terry had been a great Captain, but I wanted to team to move on and start aresh. Wow...I sound like every England manager before me...that CANNOT be good..



Next, the squad. The first games where only a week away so I had to make my choices known within a week of being in the job - talk about in at the deep end. Terrys injured, so he's off my list, and I have the skeleton of the team that went to the World Cup and the odd team-sheet Fabio had left pinned around the office...

But I wanted top amend some of the mistakes I thought Fabio made...so i've dropped a few players thar I didn't think performed such as Wayne Bridge, and i've called up a few younger players like Foster and Sinclair who has been in excellent form for Villa.

So, my squad...

Squad to face N.Ireland(H) and Sweden(A)

Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Ben Foster, Paul Robinson.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Ashley Cole, Curtis Davies, Rio Ferdinand, Ledley King, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Steven Taylor.

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, David Bentley, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young.

Forwards: Dean Ashton, Jermain Defoe, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Scott Sinclair, Theo Walcott.

I faxed it off to the F.A, and called it a day.

October 16th 2010

Here I was. I woke up that morning abit knackered, couldn't really sleep the previous night. I had been invited to the United v Spurs game a few days before but I didn't attend because I wanted to keep out of the public before my first game.

I'd prepared myself and the team the best I can given the short time-frame I was given. The strange thing is, with the hardest game in the group only 4 days away, i'd not even thought about it. Everything was on this first game. I knew I would be judged on this, so I knew failure was not an option. I couldn't repeat the humiliation of the last time we played N.Ireland. I simply couldn't.

Team vs. N.Ireland

GK- B.Foster
DL - A.Cole
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- S.Taylor
DR. M.Richards
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. G.Barry
AMR - S.Wright-Phillips
AML - J. Cole
ST. W.Rooney


http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/8494/eng1ux2.png

Well I can't complain. The lads did what I asked of them and played some fine passing, Ireland never really troubled us at all. Stevie showed his leadership and scored a belting goal, and Taylor got his first too.

The downside is that Micah banged his knee pretty badly and he'll miss the Sweden game, but he'll be back for the next round of matches hopefully.

But a fine start, roll on Sweden...



Next time: Off to Sweden, the first real hurdle.

[Nuclear Spoon]

Needs more Huddlestone.

[MargateMan]

I can see the Daily Mirror headline's all ready...

'Hapless Knights only manages 3-0 win over Northern Island'
What Should have been an easy win for England turned out to be a tight and unconvincing 3-0 win for the three lions. The crowd continuingly booing their own team and calling for Knight's head, surely the FA can't give him much longer in charge with results like these...

;) Just making things seem realistic for you... God knows you'll never win over the British press!

[Bacon Machine]

I hope Stuart Pearce is still some part of your England set-up.

If he isn't I'll be very dissapointed.

[jonffm]

He is, I even offered him the Assistant job but he turned it down :\ Seems like he wants tocontinue on with the kids for now.

And yeah, I could see those same headlines too. Boo :(

[AngryPaul]

FM role play thread.

FUCK YEAH.

[jonffm]

October 18th 2010

With Micah out, I had to find a replacement right-back. The choice wasn't too difficult, as i'd mulled over the lad for my main squad but ended up going with something else, so I promptly faxed off a request to Arsenal to allow Gavin Hoyte to join the squad. He was with us that afternoon for the flight out to Stockholm. The mood was high on the trip over, especially Taylor who was overjoyed with his first England goal. Sinclair looked a little nervous, his inexperience at International level is quite telling. Perhaps i'll need to consider playing him in more than 5 minute cameos to get his confidence up.

Apon arrival, we were herded into a waiting coach and made the hour-long journey to the Råsunda Stadium. The lads and I were soon ready and eager to have a quick training session. The stadium wasn't the largest i've ever seen, can't fit more than a 40,000 capacity, but the pitch had been impecably maintained through the harsh weather. We were to train here today, and I worked with the ground staff to tailor a schedule for the next two days training, we needed to be as familiar with the pitch as we could possibly be.

Back in the Hotel after training, I zapped the TV onto the U19's game against Latvia. The kids won 3-1, and I was quite impressed with young Liverpool striker Ecclestone. The only downer from the game was that Arsenal's Lansbury looked to have twisted his ankle, i've been keeping an eye on him for a while now. Hopefully he'll bounce back pretty quickly though. Before I got some rest, I browsed the back pages of papers. The reactions seemed mixed to our 3-0 win over Ireland, with some pretty unjust critique...but I guess that's just part of being England boss.

October 20th 2010

Here we go then. This game had always been earmarked as the decisive game of the group. If we could win here tonight, then with the three wins and excellent goal difference already under our belts, we'd be looking golden for the rest of the qualification process.

I'd mulled over the team for the last week, taking in what i'd seen against N.Ireland and the strengths I knew each player possesed. I decided to keep with my 4-5-1 formation, with Wright-Phillips and Young playing in advanced attacking roles. Young was perfect for whippuing balls into the box, and Wright-Phillips injected the attack with some vital pace, but i'm going to get the lads to play with a slightly slower tempo and pick out their passes more. We can't afford to let Sweden have too much of the ball in their own back yard. But no use thinking about it now, it's time.

Team vs. Sweden

GK- B.Foster
DL - A.Cole
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- S.Taylor
DR. G.Hoyte
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. G.Barry
AMR - S.Wright-Phillips
AML - A.Young
ST. W.Rooney
S1. D.Ashton
S2. T.Walcott
S3. L.King
S4. J.Cole
S5. J.Lescott
S6. F.Lampard
S7. P.Robinson

HALF TIME

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6168/swedenlt6.jpg

What a mixed half. We started really well, and were in total controll of the game. Frankly, we could have been 2-0 up by the 15th minute...but then Ashley got reckless and miss-timed a dangerous two footer and got himself sent off...I took Barry off and put Lescott on in his place, with Stevie petrolling the midfielder with just Hargreaves. from there, we were always going to be on the back foot, but we managed to draw the game into a midfield battle. We had to get lucky though, and in the 40th they had a goal disallowed for offside...the replays didn't look brilliant, and we might have beeen let off...but it seemed to wake the lads up abit and we had a great spell toward the end of the half which culminated in Hoyte scoring a fantastic header from near the edge of the box, with the keeper stranded in no-mans-land. Stevie will have to drop back in the second half, and i've tried as best I can to encourage the lads to continue playing short, simple passes and give them no space. This could well be the defining 45 minutes of the qualification process...

FULL TIME

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4783/sweden2ko9.jpg

I have the lads a well-earnt pat of the back, what a fantastic half! Sweden threatened right away, and a dodgy clearance from Foster let Ibrahimivic in on goal, but he promptly made amends with a fantastic save...and from the resulting play, Rooney increased the lead with a great shot from the edge of the area. We knew we couldn't get carried away, and I got the lads to slow the game down and make it really hard for Sweden to find anything. They had a few prods, but Foster had a blinder in goal today and didn't look phased, even when palming the ball onto the crossbar! Rooney put the game beyond doubt late on with a simular strike to his first, and the Swedes got a possibly deserved goal in the dying seconds, but all-in-all, a fantastic result for us. 3-1 away from home to a real top team, we showed character to cope with being one man down for most the game, and another fine debut, this time from Hoyte.

The atmosphere as we made our way back to England was fantastic, the lads deserved all they got here. But the game's over now, and we have to look forward...and as soon as I turned my mobile on at Heathrow, I was greeted with an invite from Everton chairman Bill Kenwright to see his team take on Villa. It would be a great chance to see a good few English players in action, so it would probably be a good idea.

October 23rd 2010

I went to see Everton play Villa to mull over some of my players. On arrival, I was greeted by the predictable hordes of press. Following the Sweden game, Ashley Cole had taken alot of beatings from the tabloids, with many sprouting 'reader polls' showing a vast majority wanting him to be dropped. Although I was disappointed with his Ashley had lost his head in the game, I wasn't going to throw him out to the sharks. I informed the waiting press that Ashley was still very much in my plans for Euro 2012...but i'll be speaking to him soon and informing him that I need players that are able to keep cool on the pitch.

The game ended 1-1, with reasonable performances from most the players I came to see. Barry did well, and really bossed the midfield, and it was interesting to see Pennant come on and make an impact, rescuing a late draw for Villa. Maybe if he keeps performing, he'll give me something to think about before the Latvia game next month.

NEXT TIME: SELECTION, SELECTION, SELECTION - THE FINAL GROUP GAME OF 2010, HOME TO LATVIA, AND A FRIENDLY AGAINST BELGIUM.

((P.S - I won't STOP anyone that would want to post a tabloid-esque article here and there. Indeed I wouldn't stop you. Ney, I would encourage ye.))

[Roxit]

http://i27.tinypic.com/w854xc.png
Alison Angel says: "I'm dissapointed my nation Sweden lost,
but at least I got the chance to work on my tan."

[jonffm]

October 28th 2010

Rooneys been injured, and he'll be out for two months. It's disappointing, but if i'm perfectly honest, we should be able to cope against Latvia.

The media witch-hunt out on Ashley seems to be ongoing, but that's probably because Ashley decided he felt the need to put his point across. I picked up the morning paper to be greeted with this...

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/1790/colejx3.png

It turns out the player he injured, Birmingham's Sebastian Larsson, broke his leg in the challenge, and I knew that the press was going to turn to me for answers. I knew I couldn't condone such a reckless tackle, but I wasn't about to let Ashley get more slaughtering in the press. I faxed this statement to Mark Johnson, a contact within Sky Sports with whom I had agreed exclusive rights.

"I feel that Ashleys treatment from the press has been unjustified and harsh. Although the tackle was reckless and badly timed, he did not intend to cause harm to Larsson. Ashley remains firmly in my plans for Euro 2012 and I expect to select him for the national side oncemore after he has served his three match suspention."

Hopefully the issue will begin to subside soon enough.

November 12th 2010

I was sent a copy of the new Euro 2012 logo today.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6900/euro2012sg6.png

It seemed enough, but I could only hope that the mascotts would be better than 2008, they were truely awfull!

Next on the agenda was my team selection. I called up Luke Freeman from the U21's, with mainly the friendly against Belgium in mind. The rest is pretty much a cope of my last team list.

Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Ben Foster, Paul Robinson.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Ryan Bertrand, Curtis Davies, Rio Ferdinand, Gavin Hoyte, Ledley King, Joleon Lescott, Steven Taylor.

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, David Bentley, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young.

Forwards: Dean Ashton, Jermain Defoe, Luke Freeman, Michael Owen, Scott Sinclair, Theo Walcott.

With Latvia home on the 17th, and Belgium a week later on the 24th, i'd need the lads with me in a few days to begin training.

November 17th 2010

The final group game of 2010, and one of the softer ones too. They had only managed a point thus far, from a late goal home to Wales, so I wasn't expecting them to come at us. I imagined they'd sit back, and try to weather the storm while hitting us on counters.

I decided i'd leave Hoyte in after a fantastic debut, and went for Lescott at left-back with Theo up front to cover the absent Rooney and Cole. With Foster looking so consistant, I couldn't even think about giving Robinson or Carson a go.

Team vs. Latvia

GK- B.Foster
DL - J.Lescott
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- S.Taylor
DR. G.Hoyte
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. G.Barry
AMR - S.Wright-Phillips
AML - J.Cole
ST. T.Walcott
S1. D.Ashton
S2. S.Sinclair
S3. L.King
S4. A.Young
S5. L.Baines
S6. F.Lampard
S7. S.Carson

HALF TIME

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6409/latviaoz5.jpg


First half went great! Theo was a constant menace and their defense just can't seem to deal with him. Barry also put it in from the spot after a blantant handball, the lad was lucky to escape the red for that and i'll be questioning the ref about it later. I've told the team to hold onto the ball and close the game out without taking too many risks, not fussed about putting 6 or 7 past these guys, just want to finish the job.

FULL TIME

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/4364/latvia2hd0.jpg

That was a nice surprise! No sooner had the game restarted, had the Latvia defense crumbled like the Berlin wall! They hesitated with a clearance and gave it straight to Stevie, on his right foot, perfectly weighted, from the edge of the box...you just can't do that...they even managed to top the blantancy of the first penalty, with some criminal shirt pulling giving Barry his second and our last goal of the evening. I have Sinclair 25 minutes, but he seemed to struggle as the lads had already taken their foot off the pedal.

Well, another win, and 2010's qualification games end with us looking rosey in the group...

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/4918/group1ca6.jpg


November 24th 2010

The younger lads arrived this morning with quite the spring in their step, as they knew I planned to try out some new personel in the friendly with Belgium today, as well as give older players a chance to impress me again.

I did, however, get handed a fax yesterday stating that clubs had been in contact and thusly I could only use Lampard and Walcott for 45 minutes. No worrys, though, as I wasn't planning to feature them heavily anyway.

Team vs. Belgium

GK- S.Carson
DL - L.Baines
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- S.Taylor
DR. G.Hoyte
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - F.Lampard
MC. M.Carrick
AMR - D.Bently
AML - J.Cole
ST. D.Ashton
S1. L.Freeman
S2. S.Sinclair
S3. L.King
S4. A.Young
S5. J.Lescott
S6. S.Gerrard
S7. B.Foster
S8. S.Wright-Phillips
S9. R.Bertrand

FULL TIME

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3853/belgiumal6.jpg

All in all I was satisfied with what I saw. The younger players did well, and Ashton is showing what a great player he is to have in the backup, and could have snagged another goal or two. I can't complain though, although the lads didn't match their ambition from previous games, I didn't expect them to in such a game. I was pleased to keep the 100% record, though.


I pinned a new list to the noteboard, too, with the fixtures from 2011. Here's to hoping it's as good as 2010!


http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9536/fixturespe1.jpg

NEXT TIME: ROLL ON 2011! 2 MONTHS TO MULL OVER SELECTIONS, THEN BACK TO THE BOIL WITH A FRIENDLY FOLLOWED BY TWO CRUCIAL AWAY FIXTURES.

[ynnekkenny]

24/08/11 - A chance to avenge those demons of September 7th 2005? i don't think so lol

[AngryPaul]

ENGLAND STROLLING TO EUROS - BUT HAVE WE SEEN IT ALL BEFORE?
Jake Johnson, Associated Press [AP]

Jon Knights has made a great start to the England job. no doubt about that. However, before we all go head-over-heels for our new saviour, lets stop and think about this for a second.

England are on course to qualify with no real difficulty for the European Championships. They are playing as a team and are playing well. The last time that happened was Euro 2004. This was the peak of Sven's reign and of England's quarter-final curse.

As England fall back to the style of Ericcson, can we start vecoming optimistic about our chances at a major tournament, or should we just be happy of a return to the adequate after the dissapointments of Mclaren and Capello?

Granted Knights gives younger players a chance, a step from Sven's David Beckham, Michael Owen and Frank Lampard dominated rule, but do we dare to dream?

So far Knights has shown a mix of Sven with his stability in selecting the core of his team and the charisma of Mclaren with his dead-pan conference responses. Hopefully the new young players will lift the team to greater heights, we just need a manager to be brave enough to pick them.

[jonffm]

*December 11th 2010

With no fixtures for quite some time, it seems as if it would be the best time to assess what I have. I, like everyone in the country, know the obvious candidates and what they can bring to the table...but I need to know as much as I can about the younger players that could be my ace-in-the-hole for the Euro's in 2012. Apon canvassing opinions, I seem to have come up with a good list of potentially great players.

Henri Lansbury

Date of birth: 12-10-1990 (20)
Height: 184 cm
Playing position: Midfielder

Probably the most exciting prospect I have in terms of youth midfielders. Henri has been in the U21 setup for a while because he is struggling to make an impact on Arsenals first-team. There is no doubting his talent though, and the two leage games he has been given at Arsenal both yielded Man of the Match performances. Could be a part of my squad for 2012, and I will hope to use him for the friendly against Japan.

David Amoo

Date of birth: 23-04-1991 (19)
Heigh: 181 cm
Position: Striker

David is a young striker i've had a keen eye on for years now. I brought him to Q.P.R during my reign, because I could tell the lad is destined for great things. As of now, he is enjoying a successfull loan spell at Colchester, playing alot of solid performances. I'll be keeping an eye on him, but it could be a while too soon before a call-up.

Theo Walcott

Date of birth: 1989-03-16 (age 21)
Height: 1.75 cm
Playing position: Winger, Striker

Theo really could be something really special. I've given him a couple of run-outs, and it's paid dividends. He seems to slot perfectly into the advanced winger position I usually employ, and definatly doesn't look to be affraid of the spotlight. He has everything i'm looking for in young talent to drive us forward, and the media have already cottened on to how i've been playing him in pivotal roles. Could well be a deciding factor in our Euro success.


I have my eye on alot of the other youngsters, and I have scouts as well as my coaching staff reporting back to me with weekly progress reports on them. I need everything I can get before deciding on my central squad to focus on for the Euros.


On another tangent, I watched Man United host Arsenal in the league yesterday. The game was a real cracker, and though it ended 1-1, both defenses were really up against it for the entire game. I was impressed with how well Rio handled it, though.

*December 18th 2010

I was sent a letter from FIFA today. I never like opening mail from them, as its rarely good news...but quite nicely, this time it was simply to submit my nominations for World Player of the Year. As my 3 nominations, I selected...

1st: Karim Benzema
2nd: Carlos Teves
3rd: Anderson

I'll find out in the new year who gets the award. Personally, I think Benzema is an easy favourite, he's been emense...it'll be interesting dealing with him if we meet France at the Euro's.

*December 31st 2010

And so draws to a close my first year in the England job. It's started as well as it could for me, I really couldn't have asked for much more. We look set to qualify without an problems for Euro 2012, the youngsters are coming through well, I have good depth running through the team...but I haven't hit my first major obsticle yet, and I have a feeling that 2011 will be a much harder year.

For the next month before the Japan squad is decided, i'm going to take some time out. I'll be watching the players i'm interested in closely, and attending games, but for now I feel it's important to step out of the spotlight while the players are in the crucial middle months of the season.

*Feburary 2nd 2011

Well first things first, Gerrard won't be playing. I went to see Liverpool take on Spurs, and he went over in a heap just after half time. I went to check in with the clubs medical staff, and was told that it looks like he's torn something in his knee and will be out for at least a month. Let's hope that's all he'll be out for..

Over the last month, i've been keeping a clsoe watch on the fringe players i've wanted to see in action. I've slowly chosen my squad in that time. I've mixed in some newer faces with the established crowd, because although I want to try out new things, I also need to get a sense of unity through the squad again.

Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Ben Foster, Paul Robinson.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Curtis Davies, Rio Ferdinand, Gavin Hoyte#, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Steven Taylor, John Terry.

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, David Bentley, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Henri Lansbury, Aaron Lennon, Nigel Reo-Coker, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young.

Forwards: Dean Ashton, Wayne Rooney, Scott Sinclair, Theo Walcott.

Now I just look forward to getting the lads in training in a few days and to go over a few points ahead of the game.

*Feburary 9th 2011

Back to the day job. The lads have trained well, and Terry looks overjoyed to be getting the armband back following Gerrards injury. I want to see the lads play neat football, because this is the kind of opposition that will test that. I will look to give the younger players as much as a go as possible, but I can't risk an upset at Wembley.

Team vs. Japan

GK- S.Carson
DL - J.Lescott
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- J.Terry
DR. M.Richards
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - F.Lampard
MC. G.Barry
AMR - A.Lennon
AML - S.Sinclair
ST. W.Rooney
S1. H.Lansbury
S2. T.Walcott
S3. G.Hoyte
S4. A.Young
S5. M.Carrick
S6. F.Lampard
S7. B.Foster
S8. S.Taylor
S9. N.Reo-Coker

FULL TIME

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/1241/japan4yo4.jpg

Another pretty comprehensive win. Rooney was fantastic as always, never stops running, never stops looking for space..but the supply with important too, so it was nice to see Micah overlap and create a great scoring chance for Rooney to put away.

I was most pleased with my defense. Japan were restricted to long hit-and-hope shots for near enough the entirity of the game....and Jpan aren't a BAD side...granted they're not world beaters, but they still have some good talent in their squad.

Was also nice to be able to give the kids a go....I gave Lansbury and Reo-Coker both 20 minutes, and they both passed the ball well and did their jobs as I expected them to, so I can only be pleased with them.

But now we have to get back to the seious business....qualifying for Euro 2012....because this group isn't over untill we've hosted Sweden and come away unscathed.

NEXT TIME: BACK TO QUALIFICATION, THE TEAM IS ON THE ROAD WITH CRUCIAL AWAY GAMES BEFORE THE CRUNCH TIE WITH SWEDEN!

[AngryPaul]

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/8613/engmirrorzp8.png

[jonffm]

*March 24th 2011

I'd spent the last month continuing my observations of the younger players at my disposal and attending matches to see how my stars were performaing at club level.

The finest thing to come from it, had to be the form of Giles Barnes of Spurs. His pace and movement is just the kind of thing I use, but it seems I have pacey wingers by the bagfull.

But based on form, I decided top give him his first senior call-up, and I am planning to put him on the bench. My squad for the Bulgaria game after that, remains quite unchanged from recent games.


Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Ben Foster, Paul Robinson.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Curtis Davies, Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Steven Taylor, John Terry.

Midfielders: Giles Barnes, Gareth Barry, David Bentley, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves+, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, Nigel Reo-Coker, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young.

Forwards: Dean Ashton, Wayne Rooney, Scott Sinclair, Theo Walcott.

Owen Hargreaves, though, seems to be struggling with fitness following a knee injury. The medical staff assure me he'll be fit on time, but if you ask me, it's going to be a race.

*March 30th 2011

We'd arrived in Sofia after a short flight. The bad news was that Ashton managed to fracture his wrist in training, so I had no choice but to replace him. I had Michael Owen take his place, and i'd love to be able to use him as I am a big fan of the old veteran. The good news I managed to get today is that Hargreaves is 100% and that provides a big boost to the team. I'd planned something different this time around. As Theo had been playing so well, I decided it was only right to keep him up front, and frankly his pace could easily catch out an aging Bulgarian defense. Rooney will play on the left, and i'll be hoping he can capitalise on his abilities to run straight through defenders and get some space in the box himself.


Team vs Bulgaria

GK- B.Foster
DL - L.Baines
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- J.Terry
DR. M.Richards
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. G.Barry
AMR - S.Wright-Phillips
AML - W.Rooney
ST. T.Walcott
S1. C.Davies
S2. G.Barnes
S3. M.Owen
S4. S.Taylor
S5. J.Cole
S6. F.Lampard
S7. S.Carson

HALF TIME

http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/7379/bulglo6.jpg

Again, the lads are maiking my teamtalks a breeze. I was pkleased with most things I saw, we passed the ball well, got men into the box, and were rarely threatened. JT took two great headers and he's delighted to have scored twice. I told the lads I wanted to see more of the same, and didn't expect them to get cosey, and sent them back out.

FULL TIME

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/2145/bulg2vo1.jpg

I was pleased with the second half overall. Rooney scored another absolutly cracking long range goal, which can only be pleasing to watch, but we also got careless towards the end and let in two goals that could easily have been prevented. I let the defense know in no uncertain terms that if we get sloppy against teams like Sweden, we WILL be punished more than we have tonight. But overall, I could only be happy, especially since Owen got himself on the scoresheet too.


We're scoring bags of goals so far, and the lads seem to have a swagger and confidence about them that isn't often seen from an England side. If we can continue this momentum through the group stages, then it'll play perfectly into our preporations for the Euro's.

It's time to take a backseat again though. With the next game against Moldova not for 3 months, I can assess away from the game, attending the odd match. I think it's best to let the players focus on their clubs at this stage of the season, but it'll be interesting to see who rises to the challenge when their clubs need them in the coming months.

*May 28th 2011

Back to the day job! After what seems like a long time, I had the request for my squad selection for the games against Moldova and Wales on my desk. I'd been attending as many games as I could, and I was fortunate enough to watch Arsenals game against Chelsea in which Wengers side clinched another Premiership title. Lansbury played part of the game, and in recent weeks he had been weaving in and out of the team, so it's good to see a player with such potential for us playing at the highest level...but I hadn't seen anything yet! I attended Arsenals Champions League final encounter with Juventus expecting to not really see the lad..but after an 11th minute injury ruled Fabregas out of the game, he came on and helped the team to a 1-0 victory! It's great to have a player so young in my squad that already has a Champions League winners medal, and I think he deserves another call-up for my squad for the Moldova and Wales games.

Goalkeepers: Scott Carson+, Ben Foster, Paul Robinson.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Curtis Davies, Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Steven Taylor, John Terry.

Midfielders: Giles Barnes, Gareth Barry, David Bentley, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Henri Lansbury, Aaron Lennon, Nigel Reo-Coker, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Forwards: Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Scott Sinclair, Theo Walcott.

June 4th 2011

We touched down in Chisinau to be greeted by alot of local support. It's always a nice occasion to be greeted by a foreign nation that is genuinly excited by the prospect of playing your team. After how well the team responded in the last game, and due to this being a simular situation, I had gone for a largely unchanged side, with only Lansbury replacing Lampard on the bench.

Team vs Moldova

GK- B.Foster
DL - L.Baines
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- J.Terry
DR. M.Richards
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. G.Barry
AMR - S.Wright-Phillips
AML - W.Rooney
ST. T.Walcott
S1. C.Davies
S2. G.Barnes
S3. M.Owen
S4. S.Taylor
S5. J.Cole
S6. H.Lansbury
S7. S.Carson

HALF TIME

http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/8773/moldbk2.jpg

I couldn't hide that I was disappointed at half time. The Moldovan defense had been, granted, very solid, but we'd been far too impatient and tried to force the play too much. I told the lads that they needed to slow the tempo down, find their passes and get more space, not to try hit-and-hope balls over the top because it just wasn't working. I sent them back out, but in the back of my mind, I knew that if things hadn't changed by the 60th, i'd have to make some subs and try to shift the game.

FULL TIME

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/2646/mold2zx1.jpg

My main feeling was one of relief, because before Rio headed in that corner, I was preparing to make changes...but we did the job well in the second half so I can have few complaints. The scoreline flattered us, because we were made to work alot harded than what that score makes out. We showed the character I weanted though in overcoming a resilliant defense, and i'm happy with the team going into the Wales match in a few days.

*June 8th 2011

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7268/britnv4.png

We've spent the morning training on the Millenium Stadiums pitch, which alot of the players are used to from all the cup finals played here over the last decade. The place feels like more of an extention of England than an away game, and the volume of fans show that, after all, it's only a quick trip across a bridge to get here, certainly not a long haul for the traveling supporters we have! Although Moldova caused us some problems, I decided to stick mostly with the same team, but using Rooney up front, giving Cole a chance, and giving Lansbury his first start. I think the lad deserves it, and i've been impressed with what i've seen. I need to see how he'll cope if i'm to consider him for the Euro squad. Carrick will take Barrys place on the bench, as he is suspended for one match.


Team vs Wales

GK- B.Foster
DL - L.Baines
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- J.Terry
DR. M.Richards
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. H.Lansbury
AMR - T.Walcott
AML - J.Cole
ST. W.Rooney
S1. C.Davies
S2. G.Barnes
S3. M.Owen
S4. S.Taylor
S5. S.Wright-Phillips
S6. M.Carrick
S7. S.Carson

HALF TIME

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6113/walesgs6.jpg

The game had gone the way I had expected it to. Wales were proving to be tough opposition, and they were always going to be up for this game. On the whole, I was actually pleased, as we were quite unlucky not to be a goal or two up against a team that were defending very well. I had put my faith in Rooney before the game, and I decided that I would have him and Theo rotate more in the second half, as shaking markers was becomming a problem. Hopefully that would find the gaps for us..

FULL TIME

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/5062/wales2hc7.jpg

Well that was a relief! We really deserved to win the game, but the goal just didn't look like it was going to come. We pushed, and Wales never really looked like getting one over us, and eventually we were rewarded after a wayward defensive header landed nicely for Carrick to half-volly it in from just outside the box. The crowd went loopy, and even I couldn't stop myself giving a good fist-pump or two! I was really happy that the lads had come through this test with a win, but I was a little disappointed we hadn't taken the chances before and I let the team know it.

That result left us 8 points clear of Sweden, who have a game in hand on us. Victory against them would make finishing top an almost certainty.

NEXT TIME: BATTLE OF BRITAIN CONTINUES, AWAY TO NORTHERN IRELAND AND A CHANCE TO EXORCISE THE GHOSTS OF 2005, THEN THE FINAL SHOWDOWN WITH SWEDEN!


***

((ps - I like contributions or even just simple posts telling me how amazing my Daily Mirror mock-ups are...means, if nothing else...I can post. Doesn't let me double-post ;) ))


***

[Nuclear Spoon]

I am enthralled. Continue.

[AngryPaul]

ENGLISH KNIGHTS CHARGE ON EURO 2012
Jake Johnson from caughtoffside.com

It seems only last year that we were screaming for the heart of Steve McClaren and his ridiculous umbrella. It seems only last week that Capello got careless against Mexico. It seems only 10 minutes ago the press were writing off Knights and his tactics. How times change.

England stand on the brink of Euro 2012 at a canter. They have faced some difficult away games that previous England sides would make difficult for themselves. Could the teams of Keegan, Sven, McClaren or Capello gone to Bulgaria and bagged 5? I think not.

Finally we have an England side that is not just exciting, but playing well and looking like a team who can go on and win something. This must be what its like to be German.

Knights leadership and bravery in calling-up previous fringe and untested youngsters players like Walcott and Lansbury is to be appluaded. It is this that England needed. I personally beleive that this has forced the 'old guard' to up their game. Knights has ripped out that sense of invincibility from the line-up. Previous regimes could pick their teams with their eyes closed and everyone would be the same as last time. In this regime, your replacement is just a few first-team games away: The England shirt is there to be earned. It is not a right

This mantra has been needed since the turn of the century, yet this manager is the only one with enough balls to enforce it. Long may he reign.

[jonffm]

June 11th 2011

It's time to take a backseat in the England chair. I've jetted out behind Pearce and the U21's squad to Ireland to watch them perform in the U21's Euro Championships. Since i'm seriously considering some of these players, and avoiding defeat in the next two qualifiers will almost guarentee first place in the group, there could be some surprise call-ups should there be a 'meaningless' game or two.

The first game was played today, with England drawing 0-0 with Portugal, a result Pearce will be happy with i'm sure. The next few days see's us play the Czech's and Croatia.

June 14th 2011

I watched the game between England and Czech Republic today and I was mildly impressed with what I saw on display. It ended 2-2, just! Sturridge scored in stoppage time to force a draw, and to be honest the lads will have to play better in the final game, but with the group as it is, Pearce is looking at a win or bust situation in the final group game. I'll be staying away from the dugout, as to avoid any nerves amoung the younger players, I'm confident Pearce can drive the lads on, but we'll have to wait and see.

June 18th 2011

Unfortunatly it seems that our trip is cut short. We went down 2-1 to Croatia today, which made us end up bottom of the group. The lads were clearly disappointed, but in reality,l they know they just didn't play well enough. Too scrappy, too wastefull, and overall a little immature. It's a real shame because it's a good group of lads, and they could have gone far, but it just wasn't to be.

With that, it's back to HQ, but I would be casting my eye over youngsters oncemore as another youth tournement begins. England were soon to be taking part in the U20's World Cup! However, before that, it was time to name a full-time manager for the position. Pearce had filled in usually, but I knew this summer would require a new name on the list. I had only one man in mind.

Under 20's Manager: Paul Ince.

http://img.skysports.com/07/11/218x298/Paul_Ince_Dons_ponders_593848.jpg


Paul had enjoyed a great start at his new club Leeds, and I felt it was important for a good younger English manager like him to gain international experience. He accepted to take the role on part-time, and I was delighted with that. His squad selection came pretty soon, and he even had the luxuary of a few of the U21's to choose from.


July 10th 2011

Things had quietened down, and Pearce sported a rather dejected look on his return to Soho Square earlier this week. I gave him a few words of condolance and support, but he's the type of character to take it quite hard when his team loses.

But on a brighter note, the U20's were flying! They qualified today top of their group, winning all three games against France, Iran and Angola. Ivory Coast, and most probably France awaited in the Second Round and Quarter Final.


July 17th 2011

The summer of youth internationals draws to a close. After beating Ivory Coast 2-1 in the Second Round, the U20's where unlucky to go down to France in the Quarters. They were leading 1-0 before the break, but shortly after the restart, a red card to Lyskov saw the lads take a back foot. Still, it took two goals in the last 15 minutes, one with only 45 seconds on the clock, to down them. The kids can be proud of how they played, though.

But with that, i'm going to take a backseat and watch as the new season begins before the Ireland game in August.

August 18th 2011

The season had started without any injuries, which made life very easy on me. The most exciting thing to happen in terms of England players though, was Lansbury's transfer to Juventus - the team he'd recently helped Arsenal to overcome in the Champions League final!

But on with the squad for the N. Ireland game. No real changes again, but I decided to recall Ashley Cole after his suspensions.


Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Ben Foster, Paul Robinson.

Defenders: Ashley Cole, Curtis Davies, Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Steven Taylor, John Terry.

Midfielders: Giles Barnes, Gareth Barry, David Bentley, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Frank Lampard, Henri Lansbury, Aaron Lennon, Nigel Reo-Coker, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Forwards: Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Scott Sinclair, Theo Walcott.


August 24th 2011

We made the short trip to the ground from the hotel. The lads looked a little nervous - some of them had been here before in that infamous 2005 loss to N. Ireland, and i'm sure the crowd will be reminding them of it too. I'd already had the team picked out, and i'd let it known on the coach so everyone knew what I expected of them. It's just a question of desire now, and I need the lads to be hungry tonight and take a big step towards fdinishing the job in this group.

Gerrard led the lads out to a standing ovation - it's Stevies 100th cap, so the occasion is big enough for him.

Team vs N. Ireland

GK- B.Foster
DL - A.Cole
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- J.Terry
DR. M.Richards
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. H.Lansbury
AMR - T.Walcott
AML - J.Cole
ST. W.Rooney
S1. C.Davies
S2. A.Lennon
S3. M.Owen
S4. S.Taylor
S5. S.Wright-Phillips
S6. F.Lampard
S7. S.Carson

HALF TIME

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4779/niva2.jpg

A good half from the lads. N.I got more possession than I would have liked, but we held firm in defense and made it so it didn't get them anywhere before hitting them with fast, hard breaks. The goal was abit scrappy, but we'll take it! I asked the lads for more of the same, but with a little more urgency going forward, and not to get careless.

FULL TIME

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4022/ni2nl7.jpg

Pretty much what I hoped for! Stevie was unlucky not to mark his 100th game with a goal, but it's instead gone down as an own-goal - which is a little harsh even though it did take a pretty big deflection. I brought him off on the 80th to a standing ovation, which was deserved after the recent string of results. Lamps got himself a late goal too, which will do his morale alot of good. Overall, another great away result to kill off the group. Sweden were held to a draw in their game, so we now qualify top of the group reguardless of the next results.


NEXT TIME: THE PREPERATIONS FOR THE EURO'S BEGIN! A CHANCE TO BREAK IN THE YOUNGSTERS...SWEDEN, LATVIA AND MOLDOVA REMAIN.

[AngryPaul]

Mon the Euros!

[jonffm]

*September 4th 2011

I've had to alter my squad selection a little. With Lescott and Robinson injured, I needed new personel, so i've decided to draft in Kieron Lee from United who can play at left or right back, and Danny Blake from Boro who has been great for the U21's. Other than that, the team remains simular to whats worked thus far.

Goalkeepers: Danny Blake, Scott Carson, Ben Foster.

Defenders: Ashley Cole, Curtis Davies, Rio Ferdinand, Kieran Lee, Micah Richards, Steven Taylor, John Terry.

Midfielders: Giles Barnes, Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves, Jermaine Jenas, Frank Lampard, Henri Lansbury, Aaron Lennon, Nigel Reo-Coker, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Forwards: Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Scott Sinclair, Theo Walcott.

*September 10th 2011

Well...the stage is set. The tabloids are buzzing, and fulling expecting us to stop Sweden tonight and book our place at the World Cup. The lads look a little more nervous than usuall, they can sense how close they are to qualification. AVoiding defeat tonight all but assures us automatic passage, but i've let the lads know in no uncertain terms that we are NOT here to play for a draw. This is Wembley, three lions is roaring around the stadium, and we have no reason to fear anyone. Tonight is when the hard work wil pay off, and the story will truely begin.

...Hopefully.

Team vs Sweden

GK- B.Foster
DL - A.Cole
DC - R.Fedinand
DC- J.Terry
DR. M.Richards
DMC - O.Hargreaves
MC - S.Gerrard
MC. H.Lansbury
AMR - T.Walcott
AML - J.Cole
ST. W.Rooney
S1. G.Barnes
S2. K.Lee
S3. M.Owen
S4. S.Taylor
S5. S.Wright-Phillips
S6. G.Barry
S7. S.Carson

HALF TIME

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2558/swedenhaw8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2558/swedenhaw8.094637b935.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=139&i=swedenhaw8.jpg)

I couldn't have asked much more from the lads this half. They fell behind quite early, but they didn't panic at all and I knew we'd get our chances. Roo got us right back into it with his best England goal to date, a scorching 30 yard shot that curled sweetly into the top corner...the keeper barely even understood what happened! We carried on with the pressure, and Roo put us in front soon after with a trademark header. I told Henri to go take a shower, he was struggling so I was replacing him with Barry. The half has gone well, and we know we're 45 minutes from qualification.


FULL TIME

http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/7696/swedenfmy3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/7696/swedenfmy3.24e14b61be.jpg (http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=240&i=swedenfmy3.jpg)

Utterly fantastic! We're there! That was a stunning game of football, and i'm delighted we came out on top! The half didn't start brilliantly with Sweden putting us under early pressure and Cole injuring his knee. We were a little stunned when Sweden got level, some sloppy marking gave Elmander far too much room...and their second? A total fluked cross-come-shot that looped over Foster, really not much he could do about it...but Stevie being the captain he is picked a goal straight out of his Liverpool files with a stunning 25 yard strike that you couldn't help but feel reminded of that famous goal in 2005....with that, Sweden moved more offensivly, leaving their midfield far too short. I countered by getting Owen on for Ashley, leaving 3 at the back and focusing on keeping the ball in their half....it paid off with dividends! Owens trademark runs found him in space within a minute of coming on, and he was fed clear through! The entire stadium held their breath, but Micheal made it look easy, as he rounded the keeper before slotting in and sending the fans into dilerium!

We've qualified, and now we can shift our focus. The next games I can use to test some youngsters that have been aching for a call-up.

Hopefully the tabloid pressure will ease now that we've shown such quality in winning 10 games on the trot.

WE'RE THERE IN POLAND & UKRAINE, 2012!

NEXT TIME: TWO TESTER GAMES AWAIT TO FINISH OFF THE GROUP. THE YOUNGSTERS GET THEIR CHANCE TO IMPRESS!

[AngryPaul]

lol

Testing youngsters when already having Henri Lansbury, Kieran Lee and Danny Blake in the squad.


ENGLAND MAKE TOUGH WORK OF EASY PROGRESS
Last night England finally made their mark on European football. They qualified with their tenth win in a row, topping the group at a canter. However, as always with England, even when we're cruising it, we don't make it easy. Some defensive mistakes, reminiscant of the dreadful 2007 era of Stevie Mac, let Sweden in on several occasion, leading to the Lions having to fight back from 3-2 down.

But the fact they did fight back, not to draw, to win, shows how much this team has changed in Jonny K. They play with steel, determination and above all, pride. Something England have lacked since the late 90's.

England have trotted to Poland & Ukraine and they will qualify as one of the favourites as they showed the world we've recovered from our Euro 96 hangover, finally performing to a level we know we can.

Knights will, as he has publically stated, test some youngsters in the remaining games, and so he should. Even if we disagreed, this manager deserves our faith. However, I believe the youngsters should get a run out, but we should stick with the core of our qualfiying squad for the Euros.

Apart from that, our White Knight can do no wrong!