Michael Owen

[Silver Fox]

It should be

Rooney
Heskey
Defoe
Ladders
Owen

It will be

Rooney
Heskey
Defoe
Ladders

Because as clever a coach as Capello is he seems to be dead set on only taking 4 strikers, so when Rooney does his metatarsal against the US the media will have a ready made excuse

[Seal]

Walcot will be in the squad as a winger not a centre forward so what he has to do with anything I dont know

Owen or Heskey is a daft question really as they would be in the squad for different reasons and a different job. A better question would be Heskey or Cole

My 5 would be

Rooney
Heskey
Defoe
Crouch
Owen

I think we might only go with 4 forwards though, but I do think 5 is the better way to go

I agree, I think he'll only take 4 specific strikers.

If Walcott is fit, I believe Capello will definitely take him, as he covers two positions - right wing and up front. This is hugely valuable in tournaments, and will allow Cappello to take an extra midfielder / defender as he deems necessary.

Therefore:-

Rooney
Heskey
Defoe / Owen
Crouch / Cole
-----------
Walcott

I can only see Owen going instead of Defoe. I think Capello wants to take a back up big man, in case Heskey gets injured. He is a huge ffan of having variety in attack, therefore one of Crouch or Cole will definitely go (if fit).

[TBM]

&Crouch ffs, just no. He hasn't scored any international goals against any quality opposition.

18 goals in 35 games is a bloody good record though....

[swansea jack]

&Crouch ffs, just no. He hasn't scored any international goals against any quality opposition.

18 goals in 35 games is a bloody good record though....

There's one goal against top quality opposition in a competitive match - Croatia.

The rest are in friendlies or against inferior teams:

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 1 March 2006 Liverpool, England Uruguay 1-1 2-1 Friendly match
2 30 May 2006 Manchester, England Hungary 3-1 3-1 Friendly match
3 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 3-0 6-0 Friendly match
4 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 5-0 6-0 Friendly match
5 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 6-0 6-0 Friendly match
6 15 June 2006 Nuremberg, Germany Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 2-0 2006 FIFA World Cup
7 16 August 2006 Manchester, England Greece 3-0 4-0 Friendly match
8 16 August 2006 Manchester, England Greece 4-0 4-0 Friendly match
9 2 September 2006 Manchester, England Andorra 1-0 5-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
10 2 September 2006 Manchester, England Andorra 5-0 5-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
11 6 September 2006 Skopje, Macedonia Macedonia 1-0 1-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual
12 6 June 2007 Tallinn, Estonia Estonia 2-0 3-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
13 16 November 2007 Vienna, Austria Austria 1-0 1-0 Friendly match
14 21 November 2007 Wembley, England Croatia 2-2 2-3 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
15 1 April 2009 Wembley, England Ukraine 1-0 2-1 World Cup 2010 Qual.
16 10 June 2009 Wembley, England Andorra 6-0 6-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.
17 14 October 2009 Wembley, England Belarus 1-0 3-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.
18 14 October 2009 Wembley, England Belarus 3-0 3-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.

[1871 Royal]

If Owen is constantly playing for utd and scoring then I would take him because I think he has more experience at that level than someone like Defoe (Although I would probably take Defoe as well). Owen's 3rd goal against Wolfsburg was classic Owen and it shows that he still has some of his obvious world classs talent left in him.

The strikers that I would take to SA would be:

Rooney
Defoe
Crouch
Owen

As a side not I would aslo take Theo Walcott but I class him as more of a winger than a striker although I could see him playing up top.

[cmonurz]

&Crouch ffs, just no. He hasn't scored any international goals against any quality opposition.

18 goals in 35 games is a bloody good record though....

There's one goal against top quality opposition in a competitive match - Croatia.

The rest are in friendlies or against inferior teams:

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 1 March 2006 Liverpool, England Uruguay 1-1 2-1 Friendly match
2 30 May 2006 Manchester, England Hungary 3-1 3-1 Friendly match
3 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 3-0 6-0 Friendly match
4 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 5-0 6-0 Friendly match
5 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 6-0 6-0 Friendly match
6 15 June 2006 Nuremberg, Germany Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 2-0 2006 FIFA World Cup
7 16 August 2006 Manchester, England Greece 3-0 4-0 Friendly match
8 16 August 2006 Manchester, England Greece 4-0 4-0 Friendly match
9 2 September 2006 Manchester, England Andorra 1-0 5-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
10 2 September 2006 Manchester, England Andorra 5-0 5-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
11 6 September 2006 Skopje, Macedonia Macedonia 1-0 1-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual
12 6 June 2007 Tallinn, Estonia Estonia 2-0 3-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
13 16 November 2007 Vienna, Austria Austria 1-0 1-0 Friendly match
14 21 November 2007 Wembley, England Croatia 2-2 2-3 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
15 1 April 2009 Wembley, England Ukraine 1-0 2-1 World Cup 2010 Qual.
16 10 June 2009 Wembley, England Andorra 6-0 6-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.
17 14 October 2009 Wembley, England Belarus 1-0 3-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.
18 14 October 2009 Wembley, England Belarus 3-0 3-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.

All you have done is highlight that 50% of his goals have come in competitve games. As the man himself said, to score against the big sides, you have to play against the big sides, and the vast majority of England's games are against inferior opposition, on paper at least.

[TBM]

&Crouch ffs, just no. He hasn't scored any international goals against any quality opposition.

18 goals in 35 games is a bloody good record though....

There's one goal against top quality opposition in a competitive match - Croatia.

The rest are in friendlies or against inferior teams:

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 1 March 2006 Liverpool, England Uruguay 1-1 2-1 Friendly match
2 30 May 2006 Manchester, England Hungary 3-1 3-1 Friendly match
3 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 3-0 6-0 Friendly match
4 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 5-0 6-0 Friendly match
5 3 June 2006 Manchester, England Jamaica 6-0 6-0 Friendly match
6 15 June 2006 Nuremberg, Germany Trinidad and Tobago 1-0 2-0 2006 FIFA World Cup
7 16 August 2006 Manchester, England Greece 3-0 4-0 Friendly match
8 16 August 2006 Manchester, England Greece 4-0 4-0 Friendly match
9 2 September 2006 Manchester, England Andorra 1-0 5-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
10 2 September 2006 Manchester, England Andorra 5-0 5-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
11 6 September 2006 Skopje, Macedonia Macedonia 1-0 1-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual
12 6 June 2007 Tallinn, Estonia Estonia 2-0 3-0 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
13 16 November 2007 Vienna, Austria Austria 1-0 1-0 Friendly match
14 21 November 2007 Wembley, England Croatia 2-2 2-3 UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
15 1 April 2009 Wembley, England Ukraine 1-0 2-1 World Cup 2010 Qual.
16 10 June 2009 Wembley, England Andorra 6-0 6-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.
17 14 October 2009 Wembley, England Belarus 1-0 3-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.
18 14 October 2009 Wembley, England Belarus 3-0 3-0 World Cup 2010 Qual.

...and how many goals has Heskey scored for England?

Look at our WC group, its perfect for the likes of Crouch to score against, should we be struggling to get goals

[6ft Kerplunk]

I'm looking forward to seeing the hysteria if Owen manages two good games in a row. I hope he does manage to find some long term form and plays himself into the World Cup squad but he's not played consistently well for a long time. Capello quite rightly can't take the chance on him at the moment based on how many international goals he scored years ago. That will only change if he plays on a regular basis for Man United and ends up with 15-20 goals for the season.

[TBM]

I'm looking forward to seeing the hysteria if Owen manages two good games in a row. I hope he does manage to find some long term form and plays himself into the World Cup squad but he's not played consistently well for a long time. Capello quite rightly can't take the chance on him at the moment based on how many international goals he scored years ago. That will only change if he plays on a regular basis for Man United and ends up with 15-20 goals for the season.

True but then again Heskey (and possibly Crouch) aren't playing regularly for their side either!

[1871 Royal]

Owen has much better strikers stopping him getting in the side for Utd than Heskey and Crouch.

[pace=forster]

What about Darius Vassell?

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Owen will be injured again long before the world cup.

1st time in about 3 years he's showed any form and suddenly he should be going to the world cup.

He will not go.

[North Eaat royal]

What about Darius Vassell?

not playing at the right level, i here michael ricketts could do a job tho?

[1871 Royal]

Owen will be injured again long before the world cup.

1st time in about 3 years he's showed any form and suddenly he should be going to the world cup.

1) How can you say that? You just don't know

2) He is showing better form now because he is playing for a much better team that WILL create chances for him. Plus training with some of the worlds best young players won't do him any harm.

[Focher]

If Capello is so insistant on having a big strong black man in the squad, look no further than Carlton Cole, far better than Heskey and actually knows where the goal is

Owen? If he gets a season under his belt injury free take him, if he gets injured between now and the world cup, don't bother.

[Ian Royal]

Owen is the best of all of the names on here, and if he's fit and has consistently got matches throughout the season and scored a few goals, he has to be a certainty to go. Just his experience, like Beckham's will be invaluable. He doesn't have to start. But what a player to have to back up the starters in case of injury.

Rooney is over-rated. Defoe has never been that good and I doubt his purple patch will last to the World Cup and then carry on into it. Heskey is a useful player but not much of a goal threat. Crouch is useless against anyone capable of defending to a reasonable standard.

Agbonlahor is Ok, but a bit of a risk. None of the others are even really worth a mention.

[Focher]

Rooney is over-rated.

Defoe has never been that good

[Ian Royal]

Rooney is over-rated.

Defoe has never been that good

Rooney is very good, but massively overrated still. Defoe has always promised a lot and never really delivered properly.

[Seal]

Rooney is over-rated.

Defoe has never been that good

Rooney is very good, but massively overrated still. Defoe has always promised a lot and never really delivered properly.

And there goes your credibility. Rooney massively overated? Clearly you know nothing about football if you cannot appreciate his awareness, movement, first touch, finishing ability and sheer will to win.

Please do let me know the English footballers in your lifetime with more natural ability than Wayne Rooney. Gazza maybe, but after that I would be delighted to hear your candidates.....

[Focher]

you normally talk a bit of sense Ian, but im afraid there you have spoken none, Rooney is by far the best all round forward we have had for many many years, and Defoe is the the best finisher in the country apart from Owen on top of his game, which he has not been since leaving Real Madrid.