St ledger did well and Duff was great too
I like Folan but we missed Kevin Doyle's presence
Glen Whelan wasn't great hopefully Steve Reid be back in time
Steve Ireland needs to cop on and get back into a irish shirt
cause he's the best irish player around

England don't need Owen he didn't do it for Newcastle and has lost his pace.
You need to keep Rooney fit, if not England can kiss the World Cup goodbye

We Need This Squad

GK. David James ( Paul robinson 2006 )

DL. Ashley Cole
DC. John Terry
DC. Rio ferdinand
DR. Mikah richards ( Gary Neville 2006)

ML. Joe Cole
MC. Gerrard
MC. Lampard
MR. Beckham

ST. Owen
ST. Rooney



If all those players would have stayed fit in 2006 we would have won the world cup

Andy I love our optimism!!!!

Group 1
Denmark - Played 5 - Points : 13
Hungary - Played 6 - Points : 13
Portugal - Played 5 - Points : 6
Sweden - Played 4 - Points : 6
Albania - Played 7 - Points : 6
Malta - Played 7 - Points : 1

Group 2
Greece - Played 5 - Points : 13
Switzerland - Played - Points : 13
Latvia - Played - Points : 10
Isreal : - Played - Points : 9
Luxembourg - Played - Points : 4
Moldova - Played - Points : 1

Group 3
Slovakia - Played 6 - Points : 15
N Ireland - Played 7 - Points : 13
Poland - Played 6 - Points : 10
Czech Republic - Played 6 - Points : 8
Slovenia - Played 6 - Points : 8
San Marino - Played 7 - Points : 0

Group 4
Germany - Played 6 - Points : 16
Russia - Played 5 - Points : 12
Finland - Played 5 - Points : 10
Wales - Played 7 - Points : 9
Azerbaijan - Played 5 - Points : 1
Liechtenstein - Played 6 - Points : 1

Group 5
Spain - Played 6 - Points : 18
Bosnia & Her - Played 6 - Points 12
Turkey - Played 6 - Points : 8
Belgium - Played 6 - Points : 7
Estonia - Played 6 - Points : 5
Armenia - Played 6 - Points : 1

Group 6
England - Played 6 - Points : 18
Croatia - Played 5 - Points : 10
Belarus - Played 5 - Points : 9
Ukraine - Played 4 - Points : 7
Kazakhstan - Played 6 - Points : 3
Andorra - Played 6 - Points : 0

Group 7
Serbia - Played 5 - Points : 12
France - Played 5 - Points : 10
Lithuania - Played 6 - Points : 9
Austria - Played 5 - Points : 7
Romania - Played 5 - Points : 4
Faroe Islands - Played 4 - Points : 1

Group 8
Italy - Played 6 - Points : 14
Rep. Of Ireland - Played 7 - Points : 13
Bulgaria - Played 6 - Points : 8
Cyprus - Played 6 - Points : 5
Montenegro - Played 6 - Points : 4
Georgia - Played 7 - Points : 3

Group 9
Netherlands - Played 5 - Points : 15
Scotland - Played 5 - Points : 7
Iceland - Played 5 - Points : 4
Macedonia - Played 5 : Points 4
Norway - Played 4 - Points : 3



Bold = Teams that Havent Lost.

And if there was no such thing as penaltys then we would have won in 2004 as well

You need rooney and hope to god that you don't draw Spain cos they'll slaughter England:laugh:

England would beat spain 3-0 now

We could do pretty good against Spain i think

in qualifiers...

England Won 6.
Goals For : 20
Goals Against : 4

Spain Won 6.
Goals For : 13
Goals Against : 2

There Record is slightly better on Goals for Goals Against.

But we Score more.

Rep. Ireland should qualify, fingers crossed though!

Just pray iceman

I will even though Jebus ain't real IMO!!!!

WCQ6: FT Croatia 2-2 Ukraine

They said if they drew and we beat Andora on Wed then we would be almost through so imo thats better than a win either way

Book your tickets for south africa

GOAL: Albania 1-2 Portugal: Bruno Alves (90)

:shocked:

I just read on wiki though we will deffo be in play offs if we win and ulkraine lose to kasacian. So maybe we need 2 more wins to be sure but theres only 4 games left

2 More wins will do it

Capello said barry can go on holiday early now because he is suspended for wedensday

lol
Yeah I heard that on the highlights show will be a shame that

They have done it really, should try and qualify without losing try scare the opponents with how amazing they have done.

Play 4 up front against andorra and try to destroy them i think

The Republic of Ireland picked up a valuable World Cup qualifying point with a decent display in Sofia.

A win would have put the Irish top of Group Eight but they will be satisfied with the draw which keeps them five points ahead of third-placed Bulgaria.

Richard Dunne stole in unmarked to head the Republic into the lead in the 24th minute from Stephen Hunt's free-kick.

But a defensive blunder by Kevin Kilbane let Dimitar Telkiyski in for the equaliser five minutes later.

Giovanni Trapattoni's side were on the back foot for most of the second half, much in contrast to the encouraging way they had started the match.

Home keeper Dimitar Ivankov was forced to make early saves from a Hunt header and a Caleb Folan shot as the Irish carved early openings.

However, the visitors were given a warning when Dimitar Berbatov looped a header just over from a threatening position.

Ireland got the breakthrough in the 24th minute when Hunt won a free-kick wide on the left.

The Reading man swung in the set-piece and Dunne advanced unopposed to plant a firm header past Ivankov.

But the lead lasted a mere five minutes as a blunder by Kevin Kilbane handed the Bulgarians their equaliser.

Kilbane, whose own goal gave the Bulgarians a 1-1 draw in Dublin in March, made a mess of clearing a speculative ball forward and Telkiyski took advantage by shooting home.

The goal visibly lifted Bulgaria and they went close again eight minutes before the break when Valeri Bojinov sent in a snap shot from inside the box and Dunne headed clear in front of his own goal as Given looked on anxiously.

For the first time, Ireland were looking uneasy, and Dunne had to intervene once again with four minutes of the half remaining with Bojinov about to pull the trigger.

Bulgaria looked for the winner they so desperately needed to boost their qualification prospects.

But a disciplined Irish side did well to limit the number of chances falling the home side's way.

The Irish wall did its job to keep out substitute Blagoy Georgiev's 77th-minute free-kick in a tense finish, with Bulgaria dominating possession but meeting stern resistance all the way to the whistle.

Aiden McGeady flashed a shot side as the match entered four minutes of stoppage-time during which the Bulgarians pressed in vain for a last-ditch winner.

The Republic, who still have not lost a competitive game under Trapattoni, are now one point behind Group Eight leaders Italy but they have played a game more.

Bulgaria: Ivankov, Milanov, Stoyanov, Tomasic, Kishishev, Angelov, Stiliyan Petrov, Telkiyski, Berbatov, Martin Petrov, Bojinov.
Subs: Mihailov, Todorov, Dimitrov, Topuzakov, Domovchiyski, Makriev, Georgiev.

Republic of Ireland: Given, O'Shea, St. Ledger, Dunne, Kilbane, Duff, Whelan, Andrews, Hunt, Keane, Folan.
Subs: Henderson, McGeady, Miller, Kelly, Best, Keogh, Nolan.

England will return from the arduous 7,000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan a step closer to World Cup qualification - but only a brief encounter with embarrassment in Almaty.

Coach Fabio Capello maintained his flawless record on the road to South Africa with a sixth successive victory in Group Six after a journey to Europe's eastern extremity and a meeting with one of world game's genuine minnows.

The gulf in these contrasting football cultures was not immediately obvious as England, against opponents fuelled by fanatical Kazakh support, almost suffered the indignity of falling behind before eventually exerting their authority and claiming the expected victory.

England captain John Terry needed to produce a crucial block inside the first 20 seconds to halt Sergey Ostapenko before the striker then saw a header ruled out for offside with the scoresheet still blank.

A linesman's flag silenced wild celebrations inside Almaty's Central Stadium - and also signalled the height of England's troubles as they restored order and Kazakhstan, as is their habit, ran out of steam.

Gareth Barry crowned an eventful week following his £12m move from Aston Villa to Manchester City by heading in his first competitive goal for England from Steven Gerrard's cross five minutes before the interval.

And as Kazakhstan tried to recover from this setback, Emile Heskey delivered his first competitive England strike in seven years in first-half stoppage time to effectively confirm the victory.

Gerrard, England's outstanding player, again played a key role with an ambitious long-range shot that caught Kazakh keeper Alexandr Mokin out of position. He could only claw the ball to Heskey, who completed the formalities.

Wayne Rooney, a subdued figure for the most part here, demonstrated his class with a stunning overhead kick 18 minutes from time. And Frank Lampard's penalty gave the scoreline a convincing appearance with a 78th minute penalty after Heskey has been hauled down by Renat Abdulin.

England's eventual victory margin had a ring of comfort, but this hot night in Eurasia was not without its early moments of discomfort.

Capello declared his satisfaction as he chalked off another game and another victory in his campaign to take England to the World Cup - but he will have surely been concerned by the slipshod start that offered encouragement to Kazakhstan and their fiercely partisan support in the opening exchanges.

He insisted England could not offer up the rigours of a trip to a country that lies only 200 miles from the Chinese border as an excuse for any flaws - so Capello is unlikely to mark down a leaden-footed start to jetlag.

And while England may have flexed their muscles to take a two-lead at the interval, it was lavish reward for an opening 45 minutes lacking in order and composure.

The Central Stadium, which resounded to the insistent beat of drummers as Kazakhstan made the brightest of starts, offered up a dated but atmospheric setting for the longest journey England will face en route to what they hope will be successful qualification for South Africa 2010.

Kazakhstan are traditionally quick starters at home, so it was with some concern that England appeared to be caught by surprise as they flew out of the blocks.

They were a step ahead of the sluggish visitors as the early blows were traded, and only Terry's bravery prevented Ostapenko from giving Kazakhstan almost from the kick-off in a grim echo of England's San Marino moment in 1993 when David Gualtieri scored inside nine seconds.

England's early frustrations were underscored when Barry was booked for hauling back Zhambyl Kukeyev, a yellow card that rules him out of Wednesday's next qualifier against Andorra at Wembley.

And it was a linesman's intervention that spared England after 17 minutes when Ostapenko headed in Kukeyev's free-kick. It sent the Central Stadium wild with a mixture of ecstasy and disbelief before it became clear, to all Almaty's obvious despair, that the goal had been correctly ruled out for offside.

It proved to be the dangerous Ostapenko's last meaningful contribution as he collapsed after a challenge and was stretchered off.

England finally gave Kazakhstan something to think about as the half-hour approached, when Heskey's shot was touched on to the post and away to safety by Kazakh keep Mokin.

The relief in England's camp was as obvious as their delight when they took the lead after 40 minutes, Barry heading in Gerrard's cross at the far post after a short corner.

Predictably, the goal was a defining moment as Kazakhstan's reserves of energy visibly slipped away. England inflicted further punishment in the dying seconds of the half, courtesy of Heskey's simple finish after Mokin failed miserably to deal with Gerrard's speculative angled effort.

Kazakhstan's early impetus, which had given England problems, had disappeared by the time Rooney wrapped up the win with wonderful piece of improvisation, scoring with a bicycle kick after his first effort had been blocked by Mokin.

It was merely a case of damage limitation and maintaining respectability for Kazakhstan in the remaining minutes, although Lampard added England's fourth from the spot after Heskey was dragged back in the act of shooting by Abdulin.

The Kazakhstan supported had created a wonderful atmosphere with their unswerving support of their own team and an obvious appreciation and excitement at being in close proximity to England's Premier League superstars.

And it was almost as a means of reward that Capello added another to David Beckham's growing collection of cameo England caps with a 15-minute appearance as substitute.

Capello declared this as very much a case of job done for England at the end of a tough trek east - and while the result may have yielded nothing for Kazakhstan, this whole week has been a rewarding experience for this country and an important staging post in their development as a football nation.

Meanwhile, second-placed Croatia missed the chance to close the gap on England when they drew 2-2 at home to Ukraine in Zagreb.

Kazakhstan: Mokin, Kirov, Abdulin, Kislitcin, Karpovich, Nusrbayev, Skorykh, Ostapenko (Ibrayev 27), Kukeyev, Averchenko, Logvinenko.
Subs Not Used: Mukashev, Fomichev, Irismetov, Nurgaliev, Travin, Erbes.

Booked: Nusrbayev, Abdulin.

England: Green, Johnson (Beckham 75), Terry, Upson, Ashley Cole, Walcott (Wright-Phillips 45), Barry, Lampard, Rooney, Heskey (Defoe 81), Gerrard.
Subs Not Used: Robinson, Lescott, Bridge, Crouch.

Booked: Barry.

Goals: Barry 40, Heskey 45, Rooney 73, Lampard 78 pen.

Att: 23,281

Ref: Kristinn Jakobsson (Iceland).

When is the next England game, who against, and what channel?