BarryLFC

Announcing the World Cup squad involved a lot more rigmarole than I'd expected. Initially I had to personally call about 30 players either to inform them they were in or, and this was the difficult part, that they were on standby or out altogether. I'd have obviously preferred to do this in person, but I simply couldn't travel to each end of the country and beyond in the time available.

There were few shocks in store, though one player, Everton's Richard Wright, did earn his first call up since I took the job, on account of his fine form the past season in the Premiership. He was pencilled in as third choice behind incumbant Paul Robinson and the talented Chris Kirkland.

Defensively the biggest surprise was that I hadn't found space for Sol Campbell. The big Arsenal man is a popular figure, but with Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Matthew Upson included and the option of switching wither Jamie Carragher or Gary Neville over, there simply was no place for him. Wayne Bridge and Ashley Cole were the chosen left backs.

Ledley King was the only defensive midfielder selected, though I would like to think Beckham or Gerrard could deputise in an emergency. Jermaine Jenas, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Stewart Downing, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard provided attacking options and a comfortable balance between right and left sided players.

Five strikers made the cut for Germany, one fewer than most pundits had predicted. Wayne Rooney, Shola Ameobi, James Beattie, Jermain Defoe and Michael Owen made the party, but the likes of Alan Smith and Chris Sutton were not included. In fact it was only at the last minute that I opted for Beattie over Sol Campbell, and that purely down to his nineteen Premiership goals this year.

It was a squad I felt warranted our billing as joint sixth favourites with the Dutch. Brazil were the consensus favourites to successfully defend their crown, rivals Argentina and Europe's best side Italy being the primary threats. France can never be discounted and playing at home Germany will be a real danger, but other than those sides nobody has a better opportunity than England. Perhaps this will be the year that failure is consigned to the dustbin of history. Don't bet on it though.

BarryLFC

iwanttoread, thanks. I only took over at Reading late in the season so most of the players were there already. I brought in Job and Ricketts on loan and bought Bopp, that was all. Th club paid Gillingham £1.2m for Jason Brown early in the current season, picked up Doriva on a free from Boro and got Marcus Stewart on a free from Sunderland. I'd have to check any others that interested you.

I usually find the best way to get frees is to do a search in January for players who are coming out of contract and try to set up Bosman deals, rather than waiting for them to be released.

retired_kevmaurice

Thanks for the help and good luck in the world cup my best is the final losing to 2 injury time goals to france (anelka price was 30 mil dont know how) and hope u are playing sunderland next season in the premiership!

BarryLFC

Remarkably there were no withdrawals and no nagging injuries as we prepared to open our campaign against Iceland in Düsseldorf. Robinson, Neville, Cole, Upson, Ferdinand, King, Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney and Owen started together for the first time and the nation held its breath. Well, mostly. A few idiots got drunk and tried to fight some locals in the streets, but the less said about them the better.

It took only four minutes and fourteen seconds for Michael Owen to put England ahead. An Icelandic attack broke down and Wayne Rooney took possession at halfway. One sweet fifty yard pass later Owen was waltzing past Arason in the Iceland goal to put us in fron. Twelve minutes and twelve seconds in a shot from the edge of the box by Gerrard made it two and Owen wrapped up the win with a predatory strike in the twenty eighth minute.

With the game won I threw Wright-Phillips and Beattie on for Lampard and the impressive Rooney, with express instructions to play it cool and nobody to get hurt or booked. The Premiership's highest English goalscorer did somehow contrive to pass up a pair of golden chances, but we were in complete control and I took the opportunity to give Stewart Downing a taste of the action in place of the outstanding Gerrard for fifteen minutes or so.

A late yellow for Neville was the only disappointment of a thrilling afternoon for English football. With Côte d'Ivoire beating Costa Rica it meant progress would be sealed after just two games if we won and Iceland didn't. The chance for a 'rest' game was most appealing, particularly given the demands on the players over a long domestic and continental season of competitive football.

BarryLFC

With the Ivory Coast keeping up their end of the bargain with a 3-1 win over Iceland an unchanged England looked to put Costa Rica away in Munich and seal progress to the last 16. It was a game set up for an England win and England were set to deliver.

Wayne Rooney got in on the goals early on with a fourth minute opener before Frank Lampard's long range howitzer effectively ended the match as a contest after just twenty minutes. Shots pinged in at Martinez in the Costa Rica goal for the remainder of the half, but no further goals resulted.

Keen to keep up the good spirits in the camp I introduced Shola Ameobi and Joe Cole at the break for their first taste of World Cup action. Ledley King and David Beckham were booked before the over-eager referee dismissed Costa Rican defender Gilberto Martinez with twenty minutes to play.

Keen to preserve our players' availability I brought on Wright-Phillips for Beckham, but not before Matthew Upson nodded home a third goal. Lampard and Ameobi were also booked by the fussy official, but the game was won and qualification secured. A draw in the final game would see my boys top the group as expected.

BarryLFC

With Italy failing to register a win and failing to qualify from their group the list of potential winners was reduced by one. With Jenas and Rooney hurt and Beckham, Lampard, Neville, King and Ameobi a yellow away from a ban my squad was reduced by seven as I opted not to even risk naming any of them on the bench for emergencies.

Jamie Caragher took on responsibility for the right back role, Gerrard shifted to the holding role with Wright-Phillips, Cole and Downing filling the midfield. Jermain Defoe got the nod over Beattie to start alongside Michael Owen. Only five substitutes were named, two of them goalkeepers.

The sequence of early goals continued, but in this insance it was our opponents who netted when Didier Drogba squeezed home a shot from a tight angle in the eighth minute. We took control from then on until the break, but with Joe Cole playing very badly we offered no goal threat. Wayne Bridge replaced his Chelsea teammate at the interval, but though we didn't look like losing a second we continued to create little.

Beattie for Defoe could have saved the game had the Everton man not been carried off three minutes after coming on. As a result John Terry would play the last ten minutes up front and it was his tenacity that set up Michael Owen to net in the 88th minute. A neat pass from Downing led to Owen's second two minutes into injury time and the game was somehow won.

The second round pairings would see us meet Uruguay and the path to the final was laid out. The winners would face Spain or Chile, with Argentina likely waiting in the semis. This is why we love the game.

BarryLFC

Spain dealt with Chile comfortably enough on the Monday, so on Tuesday in Stuttgart my strongest XI squared off against a Uruguay side fancied by some as a dark horse.

For half an hour or more it was the South American side who controlled the play, creating a number of shooting chances, but failing to beat Robinson, or even hit the target on most occasions. I sent on Wright-Phillips for Lampard at the break in an attempt to kick-start my team.

Disaster struck after just ninety seconds of the second half though as Michael Owen went down clutching his leg after a heavy challenge from Montero. Our biggest goal threat had to be replaced and it was Shola Ameobi who stepped into the firing line.

We got our break in the 54th minute as Carini completely missed a Gerrard cross allowing David Beckham to slide in at the back post and open the scoring. Barely two minutes later though we passed up a glorious chance as Ameobi, from four yards out with the keeper nowhere, cannoned a shot off the bar.

Uruguay weren't ready to give up, but we knuckled down, dug in and fought for everything. Rooney hit the bar from a far more forgivable position and we finally sealed our progress when Jermain Defoe scored an injury time penalty.

Spain awaited us, with the winners of Argentina v USA to follow. The other major plus was the lack of any further yellow cards for our men on the brink of a suspension.

BarryLFC

It took penalties, seven of them, four scored, for Argentina to finally see off the United States in their quarter final, but as Spain and England lined up in Dortmund all thoughts were on the match in prospect.

A broken wrist had put paid to Michael Owen's tournament and it was Jermain Defoe who started in the Quarter Final. Only two minutes in Spain scored a sickening opener as Raul Tamudo was allowed to walk into the box and beat Robinson at his near post. Defoe though was to prove a hero, at least momentarily, as he levelled shortly before the interval, only for a Capdevila free kick special to send Spain in ahead.

I brought on Wright-Phillips and Ameobi for Lampard and a clearly tiring Rooney midway through the second half, but there was to be no revival. Spain controlled the remaining time and our run was over. Attention now turned to the upcoming European Championships and a qualifying group featuring Belgium, Serbia & Montenegro, Wales, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Who won? Does it matter? If you must know France beat Spain on penalties for third place and the final saw ten-man Argentina wrest the title from rivals Brazil 3-0 on penalties after a goalless encounter despite having Coloccini sent off in the 40th minute. Happy?

retired_tonytranbg79

Good stuff HD :thup:

BarryLFC

I left Reading by mutual consent on the first of September 2006, just days before the post-World Cup England kickabouts got underway with a game against Palestine at Wembley. I had sufficiently boosted the Reading squad and proven I was a capable club coach, and so now my focus and attention was turne squarely to helping England to success at Euro 2008.

Six goals in each half, from Defoe (4), Beckham, Owen, Lampard and half time subs Joe Cole (2) and James Beattie (3) made it a rough ride for the Palestinians, who had Abu Baker Balkhair sent off after just 33 minutes. John Terry's injury time penalty miss spared us a thirteen goal curse. The only controversy was my decision to demote Rio Ferdinand, Shola Ameobi, Wayne Rooney and Shaun Wright-Phillips off the bench. Their clubs insisted they play only 45 minutes. They likely would have, but such demands lead me to say, "up yours". None featured.

Next up was our first Euro Qualifier, at the Millennium Stadium against a Welsh squad ageing in key positions and struggling to find young players talented enough to pick up the strain.

Rio Ferdinand returned to an essentially full strength side, with Robinson in goals, Gary Neville, Matthew Upson and Ashley Cole completing the back four, Ledley King, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in midfield and a strike pairing of Owen and Defoe, the four goal star keeping his place ahead of the huffy Rooney.

The early opportunities were coming England's way as the Welsh defence struggled and the only surprise was that it took twenty minutes for us to break through, Defoe slotting home from inside the box. A nice finish from Michael Owen within five minutes essentially ended the match as a contest and focus turned to how old and slow Ryan Giggs looked on Wales' left wing.

Jermain Defoe added another just before half time, but passed up a glorious chance to complete his hattrick early in the second period when caught from behind as he ran in on goal and tackled by Fletcher. There was to be no further scoring, but the final whistle brought the curtain down on one of the most accomplished performances of my tenure, not a man playing worse than brilliant and a few quite superbly. With Armenia and Serbia & Montenegro picking up wins over Azerbaijan and Belgium respectively by the odd goal in three in each case it looked very much as if we could go on to dominate the group. We certainly hoped so.