Best England Team

This has probably been done before but we got to comparing the 1990 England team with 2006 on another thread.

Now I reckon most people would have the 66 and 70 England teams as the best (or maybe even pre-Munich), but I'm going to start in 1986 as that's the first WC I can really remember England's performance in...

1990 with ease!

1986, the 90 team were just slightly luckier imho

yeah... Gazza, Waddle, Linekar, etc.... by far.

Tweedledum wrote:1990 with ease!

See that's what people usually say. Here's what i posted before:
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No, I think people wear rose-tinted glasses about the 1990 side.

Gascoine only really broke through during the tournament, and was clearly a great player. Lineker of 1990 would clearly walk into the current side, as would Shilts.

Of the others, Psycho would have a shout at left-back. Waddle was poor in the 1990 tournament, even before the ridiculous penalty. Hoddle is quality but a luxury player and I'm not sure he'd cope with the pace of the modern game. Des Walker was a huge disappointment, Terry Butcher is on a par with John Terry imo.

I would say Rooney, Gerrard, Joe Cole, Gary Nev, Hargreaves, Cole, Ferdinand, and Terry would all be in the combined squad and all but JC and Terry would be guaranteed a first-team place.

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My side would probably be Shilton, G Neville, Ferdinand, John Terry, Cole, Gerrard, Gazza, Hargreaves, JC, Rooney, Lineker.

Shoot me down guys!!

Wow this thread's really kicked off the debate eh?

Roger_Hunt wrote:. Waddle was poor in the 1990 tournament, even before the ridiculous penalty.

How about his rising shot from the half way line that forced Illgner to tip the ball over at full stretch? Pissed over Pele's much celebrated lobbed effort against the Czechs with the keepr way of his line

Or in the same game his cross shot that cannoned off the woodwork anfd somehow stayed out?

Or how about against Rep Ireland when he ran from the half way line, skipped past three Irish defenders before being hauled down in the box?

Waddle was superb in 1990 bar a rather non descript performance against Cameroon

Roger_Hunt wrote:

Hoddle is quality but a luxury player and I'm not sure he'd cope with the pace of the modern game. Des Walker was a huge disappointment, Terry Butcher is on a par with John Terry imo.

Hoddle was nt even in the squad in 1990

Walker went to Sampdoria after keeping Klinsmann(stiker of the tournamnet) and Van Basten ( unfit but still a genius) quiet.

Dogma of a quiet past wrote:
How about his rising shot from the half way line that forced Illgner to tip the ball over at full stretch? Pissed over Pele's much celebrated lobbed effort against the Czechs with the keepr way of his line

Or in the same game his cross shot that cannoned off the woodwork anfd somehow stayed out?

Or how about against Rep Ireland when he ran from the half way line, skipped past three Irish defenders before being hauled down in the box?

Waddle was superb in 1990 bar a rather non descript performance against Cameroon .

So, no end product then. He also ran down lots of blind alleys and lost a lot of possession.

Dogma of a quiet past wrote:

Walker went to Sampdoria after keeping Klinsmann(stiker of the tournamnet) and Van Basten ( unfit but still a genius) quiet.

? He was OK, not great, and never achieved much of note afterwards.

You're quite right about Hoddle of course.

98 for me...Ince and scholes in the middle....Owen at his BEST....we looked solid...even becks was influential, at a time when his passing game suited Owen explosive pace...

Scholes was rubbish in that tournament though. Some great performances, Owen, Becks, Shearer, Sol.

Roger_Hunt wrote:Scholes was rubbish in that tournament though. Some great performances, Owen, Becks, Shearer, Sol.

Rubbish is harsh.

But I will never forgive him for the miss when clean through when England were 2 :1 up against the Argies

Do you remember the game, I think it was Paraguay, when Owen scored his debut goal? Scholes couldn't buy a goal. Owen just stood near him, waited for the latest mishit to go his way, and knocked it in.

Roger_Hunt wrote:Scholes was rubbish in that tournament though. Some great performances, Owen, Becks, Shearer, Sol.

Rubbish is a harsh way of describing schole's....he was effective, but not spectular....but for me, we had good fluidity in terms of the way we played and scholes had a part in that....

Zack_thfc wrote:
we had good fluidity in terms of the way we played and scholes had a part in that....

true

Roger_Hunt wrote:

So, no end product then. He also ran down lots of blind alleys and lost a lot of possession.

Hahaha a little harsh - the fact is had the two incidents in the Semi's against the eventual CHAMPIONS gone his way this wouldnt even be a debate.


Watch the game again and tell me you dont rate Chris Waddle

Dogma of a quiet past wrote:
? He was OK, not great, and never achieved much of note afterwards.

I was under the impression that you were talking about World Cup Performances alone.

Ferdinand and Campbell's performnaces in recent times can bothe be compared to Walker's but Des shades it for me as his World Cup culminated in him keeping Klinsmann quiet in teh Semis which was no mean feat