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ORIGINAL: Goodfella

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ORIGINAL: Ultimo Lee

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ORIGINAL: directorscut

Ferdinand has been past it for years. Good riddance. Let the young players come through.

Clearly haven't watched him this season then.

I have. He's been half a yard short of the required pace a lot of the time. He deals well with crosses and set-pieces but he's very exposed through the middle.

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ORIGINAL: Keyser Sozzled

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ORIGINAL: LB Jeffries

The press keep talking about Rio when actually this whole thing revolves around Phil Jones.

In the initial squad Jones was selected as the 4th choice centre-half and cover for right-back. Nothing more. Roy doesn't want Phil to have more than 2 roles within the squad as it's asking too much of the kid.

So when Barry gets injured Roy thinks, "Do I have a holding-midfielder to replace Barry? Carrick's ruled himself out essentially but I do have Phil Jones who can play there. If I move Phil up to cover the holding-midfield role I can bring in Jagielka from the stand-by list and he'll take Phil's job as the 4th centre-half. Leaving Phil to cover right-back and holding-midfield. Sorted."

Then when Cahill gets injured Roy thinks, "Do I have a centre-half to replace him. Actually I could just move Phil back to cover there, but he'd have to drop another of his roles if I did that. I need him to cover holding-midfield which means he would have to drop out of covering right-back. Do I have a right back? Richards turned his nose up at the stand-by list despite bitching about not being in the team for 3 years so he can do one. But, actually, Martin Kelly has been around the squad, played in Norway, I know him from my time at Liverpool, he knows a lot of the lads in the squad (Liverpool & England youths). Why not, I'll give the kid a go."

I doubt Hodgson even thought about calling up another centre-half from outside the squad after Cahill's injury nevermind Ferdinand. If there was any snub of Rio by Roy it was when the initial squad was announced not when Cahill got injured and that initial decision seems to have been heavily influenced by Fergie knifing Rio to suit Utd.

I see someone was reading Martin Samuels column today [:D]

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ORIGINAL: Flatulent_Bob
Its a point all the media seem to be missing and although a different flavour ( my post was more in reference to Jones under performing at right back) it seem obvious to me. How the media seem to be ignoring/missing the obvious is very strange indeed.

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ORIGINAL: superdan

Sol Campbell decides to give us his tuppenceworth: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/06/sol-campbell-rio-ferdinand-england

Apparently to him the reasons for not picking Rio 'didn't make sense'. Just like Alan Shearer, who I made the mistake of seeing on the Euro MotD last night. His penetrating insight consisted of 'You can't tell me Kelly is a better player than Rio' and 'I'd have picked him for his experience', which misses the facts that:
a) Kelly can play RB
b) Rio has a dodgy back and his own manager has cast firm doubts about his ability to play every group game
c) There's a fair bit of experience at the back between Terry and Cashley.

This whole thing reeks of the old guard entitlement that should have been banished under Capello but wasn't. Rio is being a complete bellend, and the ex-pro's whose opinions we're apparently supposed to pay attention to are just as bad.

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ORIGINAL: Flatulent_Bob

Fans wanted the old guard replacing, now they are up in arms because Rio isn't in there. [8|]

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After all the fracturing of the squad in the last tournament you would have thought harmony might be higher on the list of priorities.
How happy would Rio be sat on the bench?

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ORIGINAL: superdan

I've made my opinions on EBJT clear many times, and I certainly wouldn't have taken him either purely for the fact he is a revolting human being. I suppose the race issue with Terry could have been avoided (one way or the other) if it had actually been addressed in a timely fashion, rather than nakedly waiting until after the Euro's before finding him guilty (or not). Still, no-one ever accused the FA of sound judgement.

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ORIGINAL: Professor Moriarty

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ORIGINAL: superdan

I've made my opinions on EBJT clear many times, and I certainly wouldn't have taken him either purely for the fact he is a revolting human being. I suppose the race issue with Terry could have been avoided (one way or the other) if it had actually been addressed in a timely fashion, rather than nakedly waiting until after the Euro's before finding him guilty (or not). Still, no-one ever accused the FA of sound judgement.

The FA are powerless to act though, aren't they? I mean in terms of expediting the case as its a court case and Terry's lawyers convinced the judge that Chelsea players would be way too busy until after the Euros to be called as witnesses. [8|]

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ORIGINAL: superdan

Ah yes, you are of course correct. I wonder why this was handed to the CPS while the Suarez race row was dealt with by FA investigation?

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ORIGINAL: superdan

Sol Campbell decides to give us his tuppenceworth: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/06/sol-campbell-rio-ferdinand-england

Apparently to him the reasons for not picking Rio 'didn't make sense'. Just like Alan Shearer, who I made the mistake of seeing on the Euro MotD last night. His penetrating insight consisted of 'You can't tell me Kelly is a better player than Rio' and 'I'd have picked him for his experience', which misses the facts that:
a) Kelly can play RB
b) Rio has a dodgy back and his own manager has cast firm doubts about his ability to play every group game
c) There's a fair bit of experience at the back between Terry and Cashley.

This whole thing reeks of the old guard entitlement that should have been banished under Capello but wasn't. Rio is being a complete bellend, and the ex-pro's whose opinions we're apparently supposed to pay attention to are just as bad.

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ORIGINAL: Professor Moriarty

As a Grauniad reader, did you see their predictions? Most looking forward to - Seeing what new depths of ignorance BBC pundit Alan Shearer can plumb in his pre-match analysis of any teams located further east on the map of Europe than England. (Barry Glendenning)

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I'm slightly surprised that Rio's column got through the Guardian filter, there's a slight hint of tinfoil hat wearing in it, since he starts off asking "is there a cover-up?". And for fans of South Park he goes a bit Chewbacca defense on us all by continually stating it does not make sense.

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ORIGINAL: Sinatra

Terry IS innocent...! [:)]

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Fans wanted the old guard replacing, now they are up in arms because Rio isn't in there.

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ORIGINAL: Flatulent_Bob

Bent's 28 isn't he?

I think if they'd played most of the season Wilshere, Cleverly, and Rodwell would have been in.

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ORIGINAL: Flatulent_Bob

Bent's 28 isn't he?

I think if they'd played most of the season Wilshere, Cleverly, and Rodwell would have been in.

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ORIGINAL: Rinc

So Hodgson's given his reason for not selecting Rio:

"Rio Ferdinand for me is not a player that you call up as a substitute, or to cover for the players that you have," Hodgson said. "We turned to Martin Kelly because I knew he was going to be someone who would be very useful to us. He's very happy to be here knowing that his chances of playing a big part in the tournament are quite small. You don't turn to people like Rio Ferdinand for that."

[&:]
Hmmmm sounds like a load of poo to me. Fuck a player's stature, if I need them as a manager I'll take them. He could of just said it was a matter of positions but it's never that easy with Roy!

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ORIGINAL: Toby Monroe

One of the papers on Tuesday listed the pass completion stats for both France and England, and it didn't make for a good read.

I don't think a single Frenchman was under 75%, where as, from what I can remember, hardly any Englishman was over 75%. Gerrard was in the 60s, and there was one, possibly Young, who was in the 40s.

New manager same old problems. Unfortunately.