Originally Posted by BBKing

So does Gary Lineker's. Unfortunately, neither of them is in a fit condition to pull on an England shirt - you can't build a team around crocks or the elderly.

Bring on the youth, get the decent players who've grown up, er, playing with those nasty foreigners at Arsenal (Bentley, Muamba, Walcott) or Villa (Agbonlahor, Young) etc. in. Out with the Nevilles, James, Campbell, Beckham and anyone else who'll be 31 or over come 2010 (which includes Ferdinand, so that'll be sayonara to the Bash Street Kid as well, he can take his urine sample bottle and eff off).

Worryingly, there's Gerrard, Terry and Ashley Cole who'll be 30 then, and they'll have to be the backbone of the side. Rooney, assuming the sod has learnt to stay out of the ref's face by then, had better be in there. Crouch will just about be in his prime and has the knack, his goal tonight was excellently taken. Worth his weight in cheese straws (about five stone, by the look of the lanky streak).

So that leaves about six good young team players to find, a right back, centre back (Richards/Lescott perhaps), centre midfield (Barry please, plus a bit of backup), winger who can cross it (not bloody Downing for heaven's sake, and Wright-Phillips is yet to convince me completely) and a nippy striker (Agbonlahor or Walcott will do nicely).

Oh, and the small matter of a goalkeeper - someone will be praying Foster comes good, I reckon.

My team, then:

Mystery Keeper; A Cole, Terry, Richards, A Right-Back; A Winger; Barry, Gerrard; A. Nother-Winger; Rooney; Crouch

Bench: ?, Lescott, Bentley, Walcott, Agbonlahor

Manager - someone who doesn't ditch 4-4-2 in a vital game and play people out of position.