Which Younger Players Should Replace Englands Golden Generation?

Jack Wilshere Arsenal 2010/2011 Arsenal V Celtic (3-2) 01/08/10 The Emirates Cup 2010 Photo Robin Parker Fotosports International Photo via Newscom

I dont think Lampard is done anymore than I think that about Terry or Gerrard, but EPL Talk blogger Jesse Chula raised an interesting point about how long England can stick with the Golden Generation and realistically expect success. The same question might just as easily be asked about their club teams and the teams of other aging stars. Believe me, it is painful for me to use the term aging when referring to players who have fewer than half my years, but when do you start not only discussing the question, but doing something about it?

Sure, older players can still have tremendous impact. See Scholes and Giggs. However, Sir Alex Ferguson is not going to run them into the ground or try to pack the team on their backs. Indeed, he seems to know exactly how to mix and match veterans with younger players to achieve maximum results. Can you say Chicharito?

When do you make the leap of faith and stop capping a player simply because he has been capped before? On a club, when do you start subbing out or not starting your high mileage star? Do you wait for obvious collapse?

Last year, before his injury, I thought Aaron Ramsey should have been on the field a lot more for Arsenal, but Arsene didnt ask me. Go figure.

With all that in mind, I wonder who you readers see as being the future of English football in terms of young players, for country or club (club players may obviously be from anywhere). Im looking for new blood or little used. Who needs to see more time on the pitch? Is there someone hiding out in the Championship? Give me some names. Ill go first.

  • England: H! art and Stockdale (risky, huh?).
  • Arsenal: Wilshere, as long as he stays out of trouble.
  • Man. Utd.: Uh, Sir Alex Ferguson is already on it.



International Soccer Clubs & Leagues News | Video | Commentary

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mr. Hodgson Or: How We Learned To Stop Worrying And Blame The Manager

Image
The manager has risen from club secretary to official face of the club since the creation of football teams worldwide. He has moved from the man that kept the record books to man that is larger than the football team he manages. Commentators and pundits refer to Fergusons United or Wengers beautiful, passing football. He even has books written about him. The Manager by Barney Ronay, an excellent book that discusses the rise of the manager into the modern game, unearths some of the origins of the managers image and attempts todiscuss what kind of person the manager really is. While the book wasnt ever intended to be an academic study of the merits of various tactical thoughts of managers, it does address some of the often listed character traits ofsuccessfulmanagers. When all these traits are put together, to many the manager appears to be a father figure, a scary headmaster, a politician youd like to have a beer with, or somecombination. Yet despite all this popularity, he is little mo...
Keep reading

England World Cup camps need to lose doomsday siege mentality

Image
One day last week, near the junction of Maude Street and Rivonia Road, in the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, a line of smiling young men in shirts and shorts strolled along the pavement towards their hotel. Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie, Dirk Kuyt, Mark Van Bommel and the rest of the Dutch squad waited at the lights until there was a break in the traffic and then ambled across the road. These were some of the best known players in the world, superstars of the game, walking along city streets on their way back from training and looking as though they did not have a care. There was no security with them. None to speak of, anyway. There were no photographers running in front of them and taking their picture. There were no girlfriends tottering along beside them. None of them wore headphones. They did not insulate themselves. They seemed at one with their surroundings. It was only a snapshot of the way the Dutch are living their lives at this World Cup but ...
Keep reading

How an American Influence Is Rubbing Off On Manchester City

Image
Manchester Citys match day experience is becoming more and more American with each new season. While Maine Road was what you could expect a typical British experience of what it was like to see an English football match in the 80s, the City of Manchester Stadium experience seems as American as apple pie. In previous seasons, City have tried to focus on improving the match-day experience. Theyve added buskers, i.e. public performers, around the ground to add to the atmosphere. And recently theyve adopted American entertainment methods such as turning down the house lights before kick-off and trying to get everyone excited for the big match. Theyve also been a pioneer in English football in their usage of American social media sites such as Facebook, Foursquare, Flickr and others to create a bond with supporters. And now for their first home match in the league for the 2010-11 season, against Liverpool tonight, theyre set to unveil two new features. Both of them have a uniquely American...
Keep reading