[la gran siete]

or will he return to his previous imperious best? Alex Ferguson must have known something when he offloaded him to Newcastle. I always rated him as England's best "water carrier" and felt he lived too much in the shadow of Roy Keane. As he is only thirty he should be in his prime and yet there he is languishing at Birmingham At his best he would resolve England's defensive midfield quandery.

[DJT75]

Butt's a good player, Man Utd should never have sold him - he's perfect for what they're missing right now (albeit playing very well lately).

As a Liverpool fan, I always perferred England playing him along side Gerrard, it menat we got the best out of Gerrard & don't forget Butt was one of the players of the tournament during the World Cup only 3 years ago..

The problem he has at the moment is the lack of in-form players around him, no-one's playing well there & it makes him look worse. At the time I thought it was a good move for him (only cos Fergie wouldn't play him) but maybe now not...

[la gran siete]

he seems to be overlooked by Erikson and Souness has seen fit to offload him to Brum even though its on loan . Maybe the injuries he has had have taken their toll . Hope he gets back ot his best for England need him.


He would do well with Gerard ( or Lampard) Becks and J Cole in midfield I reckon

[DJT75]

I think his England days are over now we have the likes of Carrick, King, Parker who can all do that role...

As for the team selection. Lampard & Gerrard are probably the best 2 allround midfielders in world football so you must accommodate both before you start picking the rest of the team around them, not drop one for the sake of including Beckham or Cole, IMHO.

[la gran siete]

I dont think Lampard is an alround midfield player. He lacks pace his defence isnt that great so like Scholes before him his only good position is just behind the front two.Gerrard I would agree as he is very dynamic can play right ,centre and even do a job at FB. If he plays defensive midfield then he will have to discipline himself and not go on those surges upfront which would go very much against the grain. Becks for me is still best at RW given his general passing abilities.He is having a good season with RM as well and is by far the best at free kicks.
I think a fully fit Butt at the top of his game would be best at holding role, the others dont have enough experience IMO. King is a defender, Carrick doesnt tackle well enough and Parker has some way to go yet to convince.

[KevD]

Originally Posted by facundo

I dont think Lampard is an alround midfield player

He is the best ALL ROUND midfielder because he can do a bit of everything, yes he is best going foward but he is a great passer and dont undervalue his workrate in defence.

Originally Posted by facundo

Carrick doesnt tackle well enough

He doesn't really tackle FULL STOP, his ability to read the game and stay on his feet means he can win back possession without going into a tackle.

I would like to think Butt would rediscover some of the form he had a few years back as he has been a quality player Man U and England, although I do agree his international days are with Parker, Carrick, Jenas younger and generally producing better form.

[Steven]

The positives of Lampard and Gerrard cancel the negatives of both out

Mourinho obviously thought both could play together. True in the 4-1-1-2-1 formation with Gerrard instead of Essien...

Sven should try to accomodate both, with J.Cole, instead of Beckham, then the 3 around him. Apart from crossing, what? Don't need the leadership - Vice-captain Owen and 2 club captains about!

Nicky Butt - I reckon a combo loss of form that became sustained due to Birmingham's current plight. Unless he goes on a one-man mission to keep them up, his England days are over. 2002 world cup Pele said he was the best player of the tourament. Let that be a warning unto others

[Henry]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Sven should try to accomodate both, with J.Cole, instead of Beckham, then the 3 around him. Apart from crossing, what? Don't need the leadership - Vice-captain Owen and 2 club captains about!

Well said! Even if he played on the right as he is doing for Liverpool at the moment, that'd be a better option than Beckham and bring in Parker, King or Carrick.

[la gran siete]

one of parker or arrick coulkd be brought in as replacement . King is a central defender who was found wanting against Argentina in that midfield role.A fully fit Butt at ther top of his form would be ideal.Lampard and Gerard dont seem to dovetail to well as yet. Becks still the captain free kick specialist and best passer and inspiration. He stays!

[fantastic dan]

i think butt's best days are behind him. It's unfortunate that he has gone out before his time but there are so many younger plays on form at teh momment that i can't see him getting in teh England squad.

I agree with some of the comments above though that Beckham shouldn't be in the squad. He was brilliant a couple of years ago btu i just feel his mind is on other things at the momment. I'd like to see John Terry or Stevie Gerrard as captain both have the heart and attitude for the job.

[Steven]

Originally Posted by facundo

Becks still the captain free kick specialist and best passer and inspiration. He stays!

You obviously haven't seen Lampard's, Rooney's or Gerrard's club free kicks

As for inspiration, see my comment above

[la gran siete]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

You obviously haven't seen Lampard's, Rooney's or Gerrard's club free kicks

As for inspiration, see my comment above

Not in the same class IMO. They have other strengths. When the pressure is on there is no one better than Becks at free kicks.If Gerard can stifle his natural tendency to get forward he'd be my choice in the holding role otherwise he'd have to play instead of Lampard.