The Lions Team

**Colbert Report** · 18/02/2009, 11:59 AM

Shay Given woud be the only player with any kind of chance of making the squad, never mind the starting team.

Darren Fletcher at left back? Are you serious?

**Den Perry** · 18/02/2009, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

"Lions"? "Donkeys" more like...

I really can't believe that any rational football fan would start with Dunne, Caldwell, Fletcher, Downing, McGeady and Maloney etc.

If I were picking such a team, it would be Giggs (definitely), Given (maybe) and whatever combination of nine Englishmen Fabio Capello advised me to pick. Keane might make the bench.

And if I were picking a team for 2013 (i.e. the next Lions tour), it would likely be two or three from the current (exceptional) crop of Welsh U-21's, hopefully Jonny Evans, possibly John Fleck and seven or eight Englishmen.

P.S. If Stephen Ireland ever sorts his head out, and continues to develop as a player, he'd be in contention for 2013 as well, I should think.

I agree with your points re Moloney, Fletcher, Caldwell and Mcgeady. However, Given as a maybe? Come off it. None of the other keepers alligned to the five national teams come close to him.

In addition, Robbie Keane would at least make the bench. There is no Scottish,or Northern Irish striker ahead of him...and the only English strikers better are Rooney and Owen...though Defoe wouldn't be far behind. As for Bellamy, he'd make my squad

**rambler14** · 18/02/2009, 1:10 PM

---------Given

----Dunne Ferdinand Terry

Fletcher Carrick Lampard McGeady

---------Gerrard
----------------Rooney

**EalingGreen** · 18/02/2009, 1:35 PM

On an historical note, something similar to a "Lions" side was picked in 1973 to commemorate the accession of the UK, ROI and Denmark ("The Three") into the Common Market ("The Six").

The manager of "The Three" (Sir Alf Ramsey) will doubtless have been under pressure to make sure his selection was truly representative of all five international teams he could select from, yet he was always very much his own man (including hating the Scots!)

I'd guess Jennings, Giles and Lorimer fully justified their selection, but I'm surprised at (Scot) Colin Stein getting a look in, despite his goal. Don't know enough about Jensen (and Sub. Olson) to comment. No Taffs, mind.

As for Helmut Schon's "Six", with the exception of the Belgian keeper (Piot), the Frenchman Beretta, and the Luxembourger Pilot (did he actually play?), that was a hell of a team.

The predominance of Dutch and Germans at the expense of French and Italians shows where the power lay in Europe in the mid 70's (unless the best Italians weren't available/interested).

03/01/1973, London (England), Wembley, 36500

NEW ECM 2 (Henning Jensen 47', Colin Stein 69')
OLD ECM 0

New ECM: Pat Jennings [Northern Ireland], Peter Storey [England], Emlyn Hughes [England], Colin Bell [England] (John Steen Olsen [Denmark] 74'),
Norman Hunter [England], Bobby Moore [England], Peter Lorimer [Scotland], Johnny Giles [Ireland], Colin Stein [Scotland], Bobby Charlton [England], Henning Jensen [Denmark] (Alan Ball [England] 60').
Old ECM: Christian Piot [Belgium] (Dino Zoff [Italy] 46'), Marius Trésor [France] (Wim Suurbier [Netherlands] 46'), Franz Beckenbauer [West Germany] (Ruud Krol [Netherlands] 46'), Horst Blankenburg [West Germany], Berti Vogts [West Germany], Wim van Hanegem [Netherlands] (Herbert Wimmer [West Germany] 46'), Günter Netzer [West Germany] [c], Johan Neeskens [Netherlands], Jürgen Grabowski [West Germany], Gerd Müller [West Germany], Georges Bereta [France].
Referee: Norman Burtenshaw (England).
Coaches: New ECM: Sir Alf Ramsey (England).
Old ECM: Helmut Schön (West Germany).
Note: It is also reported that Louis Pilot [Luxembourg] played instead of Herbert Wimmer [West Germany].
http://www.cantab.net/users/nfm24/football/1973oth.html

**Leejo** · 18/02/2009, 1:38 PM

Originally Posted by rambler14

---------Given

----Dunne Ferdinand Terry

Fletcher Carrick Lampard McGeady

---------Gerrard
----------------Rooney

Ehhhhhhhhhhh

**lionelhutz** · 18/02/2009, 2:56 PM

Given

Finnan Carragher Ferdinand Cole

Walcott Scholes Gerrard Giggs

Rooney Doyle

Think a Doyle Rooney partnership would work much better than Keane Rooney - see Heskey Rooney. I think Doyle is a better all round player than Heskey

**DeLorean** · 18/02/2009, 3:11 PM

---------------------Given-------------------------

Hutton-------Terry------------Dunne----------Bridge

-------------------Hargreaves----------------------

-----Gerrard-------------------------McGeady------

------------Bellamy-----------Rooney---------------

----------------------Keane------------------------

Possibly the most attacking formation known to man. Especially with those full backs. Poor Hargreaves is gonna have to get through an amount of work covering for those fellas ahead of him when he gets back from Colorado!!!

**Hibernian** · 18/02/2009, 9:34 PM

Given (no question)
Finnan, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole
Ireland, Gerrard, Carrick, Barry
Rooney, Agbonlahor

Subs
James
Bridge
Carragher
Scholes
Giggs
Keane
Doyle

have not really seen s,ireland in last 5/6 games but before that was impressed.

Given is dead cert imo fantastic goalkeeper

**Not Brazil** · 18/02/2009, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by DeNiro

Would this team have any particular national anthem?

A would propose a UK version of "A Nation Once Again"

**co. down green** · 18/02/2009, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Not Brazil

A would propose a UK version of "A Nation Once Again"

Sorry, that's an Irish song.

I would presume the 06 supporters would campaign for 'Rule Britannia' to be the anthem as its a favoured song of England and the supporters of the IFA team.

**Cymro** · 18/02/2009, 11:29 PM

Chris Iwelumo is Scottish, not Welsh. And he's crap. Also to make this authentic we should only pick players who actually play internationals, so no Almunia or Carragher or Giggs, etc.

My team:

Given

Bale
Ferdinand
Terry
G Johnson

A Young
Gerrard
D Fletcher
Beckham

Bellamy
Heskey

On current form, all those guys are well worth their place, despite some of them not having great reputations per se. OK, so Bale's having a bad season, but the alternative's Ashley Cole and there's no way I'm giving that greedy ******* a place

**Razors left peg** · 18/02/2009, 11:46 PM

It is tough to pick:

Given

Hutton Dunne Ferdinand Ashley Cole

Gerrard Barry Carrick Duff

Rooney Doyle

Subs:
Keane
Terry
Owen
Steven Reid
McGeady
Joe Cole
Evans

**FahyForever** · 19/02/2009, 12:37 AM

Originally Posted by Deckydee

Hi,

I was discussing the upcoming Lions tour with a couple of my friends recently when the topic of a Lions football team arose. Who would you pick? This is mine:

Given (Irl)

Ashley Cole (Eng) Richard Dunne (Irl) Gary Caldwell (Sco) Darren Fletcher (Sco)

Stewart Downing (Eng) Steven Gerrard (Eng) Aiden McGeady (Irl)

Shaun Maloney (Sco)

Wayne Rooney (Eng) Robbie Keane (Irl)

Bench

Wayne Hennessey (Wal)
David James (Eng)
Frank Lampard (Eng)
Damien Duff (Eir)
Liam Doyle (Eir)
Chris Iwelumo (Wal)
James McFadden (Sco)
Craig Bellamy (Wal)
David Healy (NI)

Ok, I have pushed Fletcher back to accommodate an already out of place McGeady. But I could not decide on my team without them. Anyone know better options?

I can only hope that this guy was taking the mick, it´s the only way to explain that selection apart from certified insanity. However, it´s followed closely by the (many) people who think Dunne would make the starting eleven, the few who consider Aiden Mc Geady a better player than Ryan Giggs, and the guys who wouldn´t pick Ashley Cole because they don´t like him. Good craic though, and a genuine insight into how much some people on this forum actually know about football!!!

Here´s mine anyway, so it can be criticised...

Given

Brown, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole

Gerrard, Barry, Lampard, Giggs

Rooney, Heskey

I opted for eleven players rather than ten Rambler14

**GreenStar** · 19/02/2009, 12:47 AM

pathetic thread!

**Rovers fan** · 19/02/2009, 2:39 AM

Originally Posted by rambler14

---------Given

----Dunne Ferdinand Terry

Fletcher Carrick Lampard McGeady

---------Gerrard
----------------Rooney

Who got sent off?

**Razors left peg** · 19/02/2009, 7:23 AM

Originally Posted by Hoops_R_Us

pathetic thread!

Lighten up a small bit

**gola11** · 19/02/2009, 7:43 AM

Only considering current internationals:

1 Given G
2 Brown RB
3 A. Cole LB
4 Terry CB
5 FerdinandCB
6 Carrick CM
7 Gerrard RM
8 Lampard CM
9 Doyle CF
10 Rooney CF
11 J. Cole LM

12 James
13 O'Shea
14 Barry
15 McGeady
16 Keane
17 Heskey

**RogerMilla** · 19/02/2009, 7:51 AM

Originally Posted by EalingGreen

Old ECM: Christian Piot [Belgium] (Dino Zoff [Italy] 46'), Marius Trésor [France] (Wim Suurbier [Netherlands] 46'), Franz Beckenbauer [West Germany] (Ruud Krol [Netherlands] 46'), Horst Blankenburg [West Germany], Berti Vogts [West Germany], Wim van Hanegem [Netherlands] (Herbert Wimmer [West Germany] 46'), Günter Netzer [West Germany] [c], Johan Neeskens [Netherlands], Jürgen Grabowski [West Germany], Gerd Müller [West Germany], Georges Bereta [France].

http://www.cantab.net/users/nfm24/football/1973oth.html

What a feckin team !! utter quality