John Stones

I didn’t see the game as been glued to CNN, but if he can become a regular at City he will probably get a deserved chance with England.
 
I believe he had some shit going on in his life when his form went to pot and now it's sorted. I don't know what that was, I just heard someone on a podcast saying there were genuine reasons that his standards dipped and those reasons have gone.
 
As has been said he always looks to have a mistake in him. If he can cut out that inconsistency then why not. Always though he tries to look too casual and cool. He isn't Bobby Moore though.
 
td53 said:
I believe he had some shit going on in his life when his form went to pot and now it's sorted. I don't know what that was, I just heard someone on a podcast saying there were genuine reasons that his standards dipped and those reasons have gone.
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Hope so. Think the talent and ability has always been there. He was just prone to a lack of concentration leading to probably too many mistakes. Good luck to him.
 
tangysider said:
Well most are better than Dier so hopefully he is on his way out of England set up
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Well as you probably know, I like Spurs but have been very critical of Dier labelling him nowhere near good enough for Spurs or even England. But he's another one who imo has turned his game around. Mourinho has put his faith in him,stuck him in just the one position and he's become very solid and consistent. I've blown hot, thencold and back to hot with him.
 
He's very likeable off the pitch and speaks well whether it was on Colin Bell tonight, interviews or when I saw him meeting Glenn Hoddle for the first time at the world cup after a game on the pitch.
Maybe has a mistake in him but he's come through a bad patch and is now back in one of the top teams and in great form....and that's what it's all about.
Definitely worth another look with England.
 
20togo said:
Well as you probably know, I like Spurs but have been very critical of Dier labelling him nowhere near good enough for Spurs or even England. But he's another one who imo has turned his game around. Mourinho has put his faith in him,stuck him in just the one position and he's become very solid and consistent. I've blown hot, thencold and back to hot with him.
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Too many people have preconceptions about Dier but he's another one who's turned his form around.
 
I've been a big critic of him ever since he moved from Everton and made mistake after mistake for City.

I'm delighted to say he now appears back to his best and showing the form that persuaded City to spend £50m on him.

Great news for England too.
 
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Raging_Bull said:
I've been a big critic of his ever since he moved from Everton and made mistake after mistake for City.

I'm delighted to say he now appears back to his best and showing the form that persuaded City to spend £50m on him.

Great news for England too.
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let's hope Southgate sees it that way too.
 
Maybe. I think if you're an English centre half, you're available at the time and doing OK then you're pretty much guaranteed a squad place in the national team. There's no two stand-outs who play every match together and just do a solid job with how they're asked to play out from the back and defend anything in the air in the box. Probably why Southgate is trying to make the 3/5 work to give strength in numbers.

England are trying to develop a possession game where they think about their passes and wait patiently to move forward. But I think that's still a bit of a lottery when you're in a team with ten other English lads, certainly in a big pressure situation. Rather with a mix of more intelligent and technically better foreign players at the side and in front of you who instinctively know how to make it easier for themselves and each other.
 
poolfc said:
Maybe. I think if you're an English centre half, you're available at the time and doing OK then you're pretty much guaranteed a squad place in the national team. There's no two stand-outs who play every match together and just do a solid job with how they're asked to play out from the back and defend anything in the air in the box. Probably why Southgate is trying to make the 3/5 work to give strength in numbers.

England are trying to develop a possession game where they think about their passes and wait patiently to move forward. But I think that's still a bit of a lottery when you're in a team with ten other English lads, certainly in a big pressure situation. Rather with a mix of more intelligent and technically better foreign players at the side and in front of you who instinctively know how to make it easier for themselves and each other.
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Yeah very good post. This technical thing is a key problem. By that I mean the different technical requirements areas of the pitch. A player like Grealish is very techically gifted in midfield. He can play and pass in the tight crowded areas of the pitch and it's great to watch. On the other hand, I don't consider pace to be a great technical asset and too many of our forwards/wingers blessed with pace I think are lacking tecnically.
 
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He's always looked a classy player, but as others have said, always likely to make a mistake. If he can rid his game of that and find some consistency, he'd be a shoe in for England. I've always thought that when fit and in form, England's best two central defenders are John Stones and Joe Gomez. Shame they've both been blighted by either loss of form or injury as I'd like to see them as a pairing for England.
 
Stones, Coady & Mings/Gomes for me if a back 3.

Maguire has too many poor moments and not overly struck on Dier.
 
PR3BFC said:
Stones, Coady & Mings/Gomes for me if a back 3.

Maguire has too many poor moments and not overly struck on Dier.
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mmm.... Icertainly go with Maguire and pretty sure Southgate will too. Not a Gomes fan[yet] but think Mings and Coady are decent.
 
Agreed Southgate will go with Maguire but I’m not overly convinced by him.

I really like Coady and hope he can be involved in the euro’s, assuming they go ahead.

Edit - one player I wouldn’t take would be Kyle Walker, a liability on the pitch and his behaviour off it has been terrible.
 
20togo said:
Yeah very good post. This technical thing is a key problem. By that I mean the different technical requirements areas of the pitch. A player like Grealish is very techically gifted in midfield. He can play and ass in the tight crowded areas of the pitch and it's great to watch. On the other hand, I don't consider pace to be a great technical asset and too many of our forwards/wingers blessed with pace I think are lacking tecnically.
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Over the years we've had dozens of wide midfielders who had pace to burn but with no end product. Athleticism has been prized over technical ability. Hopefully that's now recognised as not being productive. Identikit players without a football brain between them.
 
Wizaard said:
Over the years we've had dozens of wide midfielders who had pace to burn but with no end product. Athleticism has been prized over technical ability. Hopefully that's now recognised as not being productive. Identikit players without a football brain between them.
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Yep agree but still think there's a few who's best and main asset is pace. Certainly not seen anything from Sancho that convinces me he's good enough. Even have my doubts about how hot and cold Rashford blows. And even the much improved Sterling sometimes frustrates the hell out of me.
 
20togo said:
Yep agree but still think there's a few who's best and main asset is pace. Certainly not seen anything from Sancho that convinces me he's good enough. Even have my doubts about how hot and cold Rashford blows. And even the much improved Sterling sometimes frustrates the hell out of me.
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Pace is only good if its allies to a modicum of technique with the pass and far too many have the first but not the latter. Yep, to your examples although I was at Elland Rd right in line when Rashford scored in the pre World Cup friendly, so I'll give him some slack 😂
 
Tonight's game sums up our forwards, both Sterling and Rashford are technically awful, all raw pace and that's it, if the defenders are quick as well they're as much use as a chocolate fireguard, Mason Greenwood is miles better than the pair of them and I'd pair him up top with Kane. Now Grealish has the pace AND the technical ability, he's a must every time for me playing behind the two strikers in a free role with two regular midfielders behind him. Henderson and Mount or Foden are the ones I'd favour. Wing backs wise I like Bukayo Saka who has cruised ahead of Chilwell on the left and Reece James gets the nod on the right ahead of Walker and TAA who was shocking on Monday night, but will come back to form for sure.

Defensively I'm all for a back three and always have been, Stones is back in on current form, Slabhead McGuire would also make the team alongside Coady seeing Gomez looks out for the foreseeable future and Coady is an excellent organiser and leader. Mings is piss poor and I wouldn't let him or Michael Keane near an England shirt, Mings only gets a look in as he's left footed and ideally you want your left sided CB left footed, but he's that bad I'd rather play McGuire there. Having said all that forget winning the Euros, France, Portugal and Spain are miles ahead of us, and Belgium and Germany would probably see us off too.
 
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Stones on his current team form gets into the England side he very composed on the ball and Gareth if we are to have a back three with him,Coady or Dier FFS get rid of one of the holding midfielders it isn't needed.
 
I really do hope that he is becoming the player that many England fans want him to become. We would certainly have three decent centre halves in him, Gomez and Maguire. Maybe we can really start believing we can win a major tournament soon.
 
Stones playing well should comfortably get into the current England side. Does Southgate trust him after the Nations Cup semi-final though? Two out of a fit, on-form trio of Stones, Maguire and Gomez should be enough for England. Dier could fill a CB/deep CM role if required. I don't think anyone else is international standard but Coady seems enthusiastic enough to be the fourth choice. Personally, I wouldn't have Mings or Keane anywhere near a tournament England squad.
 
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