Opinions have been divided on here recently, so let's try something we can, ahem..., all agree on.  ;)

England side for the opening World Cup match (I'm assuming no Wilshere/Walcott).

If I was hastily summoned to fill the shoes of the tragically departed Roy Hodgson (4-2-3-1):

                              Hart

Johnson          Cahill          Jagielka           Baines

                   P.Jones      Gerrard

Oxlade-Chamberlain  Rooney          Lallana

                            Carroll


Don't laugh - I'm serious. (Actually I have a cunning plan...)

                         Hart

Johnson  Cahill  Jagieka  Baines

                        
                       Gerrard

Sterling                             Milner
                       Rooney  

                       Lambert

Hart
Johnson
Cahill
Jagielka
Baines
Gerrard
Henderson
Sterling
Rooney
Lallana
Sturridge

It'll be 0-0 or 1-1 and Rooney will get sent off for a foul on Pirlo.

                             Macca  

Hatton      boyce             Pearson      Thomas


    Nielson        Thanoj         Kerr     Rodman


                Tonka               Cook.


This team Perhaps won't get quite as far in the competition,but think of the money we would save in Brazilian hotel bills etc.

Quoted from Grimal

                             Macca  

Hatton      boyce             Pearson      Thomas


    Nielson        Thanoj         Kerr     Rodman


                Tonka               Cook.


This team Perhaps won't get quite as far in the competition,but think of the money :-/ we would save in hotel bills etc.

England team

Quoted from Abdul19

Hart
Johnson
Cahill
Jagielka
Baines
Gerrard
Henderson
Sterling
Rooney
Lallana
Sturridge

This would be my team.

Quoted from Abdul19

Hart
Johnson
Cahill
Jagielka
Baines
Gerrard
Henderson
Sterling
Rooney
Lallana
Sturridge

It'll be 0-0 or 1-1 and Rooney will get sent off for a foul on Pirlo.

I think thats a good pick Abdul but from set pieces we would have to rely on the cb's.

Quoted from Meza

                         Hart

Johnson  Cahill  Jagieka  Baines

                        
                       Gerrard

Sterling                             Milner
                       Rooney  

                       Lambert

The legendary 'Only ten players' formation used so effectively by the Bolivians in the 1920's.

I like the look of Abdul's team as well.

Quoted from Grimal

                             Macca  

Hatton      boyce             Pearson      Thomas


    Nielson        Thanoj         Kerr     Rodman


                Tonka               Cook.


This team Perhaps won't get quite as far in the competition,but think of the money we would save in hotel bills etc.

I can't be bothered with the World Cup, but I'd stay up all night to watch that team, if they were in it.  (Hopefully, Lenny would be on the bench, at least).

Quoted from ackomariner

England team

Yes !  thats my selection.  ;)  won't be in Brazil quite so long as others choices.

Quoted from Grimal

Yes !  thats my selection.  ;)  won't be in Brazil quite so long as others choices.

Erm, Hannah for Tonks though Grimal.....it's Enger-lund after all.

Quoted from Grimal

Yes !  thats my selection.  ;)  won't be in Brazil quite so long as others choices.

I suspect there might not be that much in it!

Quoted from Grimal

                             Macca  

Hatton      boyce             Pearson      Thomas


    Nielson        Thanoj         Kerr     Rodman


                Hannah      Cook.


This team Perhaps won't get quite as far in the competition,but think of the money we would save in Brazilian hotel bills etc.

Won't we need permission from Albania to play Thanoj?

Great team, though.

Quoted from marinette

I can't be bothered with the World Cup, but I'd stay up all night to watch that team, if they were in it.  (Hopefully, Lenny would be on the bench, at least).

Yes !  Lenny, fyfield, southwell and Disley If he hasn't retired . Don't forget,with Hodgson being replaced as England Manager by Paul Hurst,who will also play himself as a sub..
.I've got to go now they are here with my medication.(crazy).

Quoted from RoboCod

Erm, Hannah for Tonks though Grimal.....it's Enger-lund after all.

Perhaps Tonks Great,Great,Great,Great grandmothers cousin's dog was English .That surely would qualify for him to play for England.

Quoted from 137

Won't we need permission from Albania to play Thanoj?

Great team, though.

No !   his mum will give us permission. Or we could sneak him in to Brazil and just call him Andy instead of Andi..

Play mainly a youth team like Germany in 2010, not going to make it out of the group anyway so the youth might as well get some experience and play without fear. (A bit of experience for the young lads to learn from as well)                      

                      Hart

Walker    Stones      Cahill    Shaw/Baines

                       Gerrard

             Barkley       Henderson

Sturridge                                     Lallana

                       Rooney

Or perhaps Sterling wide right and Sturridge up top?

I think Hodgson will pick a good mixture of youth and experience. I'd love to see something like this.

                         Hart

Johnson      Cahill     Jagielka    Baines
                        
                Gerrard   Barkley

Ox                   Rooney           Sterling

                      Sturridge

Quoted from Abdul19

Hart
Johnson
Cahill
Jagielka
Baines
Gerrard
Henderson
Sterling
Rooney
Lallana
Sturridge

It'll be 0-0 or 1-1 and Rooney will get sent off for a foul on Pirlo.

Its a bit narrow, leave yourself wide open down the flanks with that formation.

Quoted from Abdul19

Hart
Johnson
Cahill
Jagielka
Baines
Gerrard
Henderson
Sterling
Rooney
Lallana
Sturridge

It'll be 0-0 or 1-1 and Rooney will get sent off for a foul on Pirlo.

I'd go for this playing the same diamond formation Liverpool do.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

The legendary 'Only ten players' formation used so effectively by the Bolivians in the 1920's.

Haha dam you.... you got me.  I did think after I did it that looks a strange formation.

I couldn't care less but I hope Andy Carroll comes nowhere near the squad... sums up everything that has handicapped England for years.
Hoof ball, flick ons to no-one, and run around like headless chickens but Carroll will get praised for his whole-hearted effort
The brave move will be NOT to pick Milner and choose Sterling but Hodgson will play it safe
The brave move in play off leg one will be to play Rodman but Hurst will play Colbeck
We will draw with Italy, lose to Uruguay, beat Costa Rica 1-0 and miss out on goal difference in a glorious exit... we will then bang on about the humidity, too much football, foreigners... conveniently forgetting that if we held on to the ball better we would not be knackered after 60 minutes

I hope he picks Lallana but feel he will play it safe and pick Milner

Brazil or Argentina will win it

Quoted from pontoonlew

I think Hodgson will pick a good mixture of youth and experience. I'd love to see something like this.

                         Hart

Johnson      Cahill     Jagielka    Baines
                        
                Gerrard   Barkley

Ox                   Rooney           Sterling

                      Sturridge

I would go with this. But rotate in Henderson for Barkley and defo have lallana as impact sub.
Could Gerard cope with all the group games in that humidity? Another player who he can play his role I am struggling with though.

Have Carroll on the bench for when we need to mix it

Maybe instead of Baines have shaw/Flanagan.

Also like to take stones for backup.

Quoted from Grimal

Yes !  thats my selection.  ;)  won't be in Brazil quite so long as others choices.

Not with foreigners in it though I hope  :P

                   Hart

Johnson  Cahill Jagielka  Baines

                Gerrard  Carrick

The Ox            Barkley       Lallana

                       Sturridge

Obviously Hodgson won't leave Rooney out, but I'd pick it on form/merit and leave him out. Rooney's likely inclusion will no doubt end up forcing Sturridge to play wide, which will be criminal when he's been by far the too English centre-forward this season.

Would love to see Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley and Lallana interchanging positions in attack. All comfortable on the ball and can beat a man 1v1.

I'd take Sterling in the squad but despite Henderson's improvement this season at PL level I still don't think he's good enough for international level (especially a world cup). Good energy and closing down isn't enough. In fact it's funny how people actually take the urine out of Milner for being a hard-working player but Henderson now gets praised. But the underrated Milner is actually very good technically on the ball unlike Henderson. Henderson's red card against City showed he isn't ready for me. His touch was shocking, too far ahead of him giving it to Nasri and then lunged in.

I too would hate to see Carroll picked. I really hope Lallana and Lambert are on that plane though. Welbeck and Kyle Walker can be on the plane too, but one that's landing as far away from Brazil as possible.

Will Townsend be fit for the world cup??

Couple of points.

I'd pick Carroll because no team plays with that type of centre-forward any more - defenders won't like it.
Also, he's good at defending set pieces for a forward (he's a forward rather than a striker IMO).
I don't think Sturridge (whom I rate) will look as good without Suarez beside him, and he's the type of
striker international defenders can out-muscle. Would use him as an impact sub.

Agree Milner is underrated. As for Henderson - well if he's improved it was because he was began from
a very low starting point. I've seen nothing that makes me think he's international class.

Gotta start with banks in goal  ;D

Quoted from pontoonlew

I too would hate to see Carroll picked. I really hope Lallana and Lambert are on that plane though. Welbeck and Kyle Walker can be on the plane too, but one that's landing as far away from Brazil as possible.

This one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ286Fpq7Fs

Quoted from 137

Couple of points.

I'd pick Carroll because no team plays with that type of centre-forward any more - defenders won't like it.
Also, he's good at defending set pieces for a forward (he's a forward rather than a striker IMO).
I don't think Sturridge (whom I rate) will look as good without Suarez beside him, and he's the type of
striker international defenders can out-muscle. Would use him as an impact sub.

Agree Milner is underrated. As for Henderson - well if he's improved it was because he was began from
a very low starting point. I've seen nothing that makes me think he's international class.

Sturridge did well though when he was the focal point when Suarez was suspended at the start of the season, and when Suarez was injured.

Quoted from Tom13

Sturridge did well though when he was the focal point when Suarez was suspended at the start of the season, and when Suarez was injured.

Fair point - and it's true he scored the goals. I recall him getting an early decisive goal in a couple of those matches
and then being largely anonymous for the remainder of the game. That's watching highlights though, so may not be
entirely fair.

I certainly see him as England's most instinctive finisher, currently. Agree that Welbeck should spend this summer
somewhere other than Brazil, moosey.

Quoted from 137

Fair point - and it's true he scored the goals. I recall him getting an early decisive goal in a couple of those matches
and then being largely anonymous for the remainder of the game. That's watching highlights though, so may not be
entirely fair.

I certainly see him as England's most instinctive finisher, currently. Agree that Welbeck should spend this summer
somewhere other than Brazil, moosey.

You're right, and perhaps he could do with a partner up front but I would say that could probably be said about many attacking players (particularly with English ones!)

Quoted from 137

Fair point - and it's true he scored the goals. I recall him getting an early decisive goal in a couple of those matches
and then being largely anonymous for the remainder of the game. That's watching highlights though, so may not be
entirely fair.

I certainly see him as England's most instinctive finisher, currently. Agree that Welbeck should spend this summer
somewhere other than Brazil, moosey.

You're right, and perhaps he could do with a partner up front but I would say that could probably be said about many attacking players (particularly with English ones!)

This thread, and watching Rooney's form, inspired me to write this today:

Why Rooney Shouldn't Start for England in Brazil

[url]http://tommybryan84.wordpress.com/2014/04/20/why-rooney-shouldnt-start-for-england-in-brazil/[/url]

A bit long for a post on the fishy

people still watch International Football? ;D

Yeah, it inevitably inspires a 'I hate the England national team and don't care but I'm watching the game' match thread.

I wonder how many of the people that hate England and international football end up watching any of the World Cup though?

I'm excited by England's attacking/midfield options. It's a shame we have the weakest pool of centre-backs to choose from that we've had for over 20 years, but I think there's a more reasons to be hopeful with the emerging group of intelligent, creative, composed and confident players.

I'd guess at about 97%!

England are like Town for me. Desperately want them to do well but know they probably won't, so i watch with more hope than expectation.