I'd rather we played Carroll.

And if we don't, no way Suarez will be lone striker. Bellers or Kuyt will be up there with him.

Not up to me mate.

John Henry had a fall on his boat yesterday and got taken to hospital, but by all accounts he should be ok.

I'd rather we played Carroll.

And if we don't, no way Suarez will be lone striker. Bellers or Kuyt will be up there with him.

Fabio Capello will watch Steven Gerrard on Saturday with as much scepticism as hope if the Liverpool captain takes some part in the Merseyside derby. The England manager has to be convinced that the midfielder is in good enough condition and form to feature at all in next week's critical Euro 2012 qualifier with Montenegro in Podgorica.

Gerrard has misgivings of his own, having made only two brief appearances as a substitute since a groin operation in March. "I'm not really sure how much I'm going to play against Everton," he said, "so, in my opinion, it's probably still a bit too early. I don't make the decisions. Those are down to the England manager.

"I'm sure he'll have a discussion with [the Liverpool manager] Kenny [Dalglish] and between them they can decide what the right thing is for me. In my opinion there are other players out there who are match fit who are probably more suitable for that game but we'll have to wait and see. If I'm called up, I'll deal with it."

Gerrard could conceivably appear as a substitute in Montenegro but England seem disinclined to make any demands of a convalescent. Capello may be giving more thought to the right-back issue. With Glen Johnson injured and Chris Smalling affected more by flu than by his groin strain, England regard Micah Richards and Tottenham Hotspur's Kyle Walker as candidates for that position.

Capello will be at White Hart Lane on Sunday, where Walker can expect to be tested by Arsenal. Franco Baldini, the England general manager, will also be at the match so that he and Capello can finalise a squad that will be announced afterwards. The meeting with Montenegro merits particular attention since a point is needed against them to clinch automatic qualification for Euro 2012.

In general circumstances look helpful to Capello. Wayne Rooney appears to have overcome a hamstring problem and should confirm his readiness when Manchester United meet Norwich on Saturday, with Baldini present to check on his condition. The alternatives in attack are expanded, too, by the anticipated return of Darren Bent for Aston Villa after a groin strain.

Although Montenegro have mustered only five goals from six matches in Group G, where England have scored three times as many, visitors usually find these opponents resilient. It may therefore be vital that players such as Rooney and Bent are at their sharpest in Podgorica.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/sep/30/steven-gerrard-england-fabio-capello?newsfeed=true

aw.. Coates looks so lonely. But good to see him fitting in.

Still maintain that Carroll coming on with 20 minutes to go is the way to go. A fresh Carroll against tired toffees would end horribly for the toffees

Bit harsh on the big lad. Aside from that poor miss at the end, you have to admit he had a very good game.

I see what you mean about Hendo, and it's baffling, because he has a fantastic engine and covers the ground very well when he does get on his bike.

I wouldn't start him in the derby though - bring in Kuyt for Hendo on the right, but I'd keep the rest the same.

MAYBE Spearing in for Adam, because Adam defensively is about as useful as a beachball.

Lazy, that's Henderson's problem. Keeps letting his mark go wandering off, gives up when it's in his power to chase and tackle (cough, Modric, cough). Like Adam, he's poor defensively, but unlike Adam, he's very lazy and seems to want to cruise by on his Action Man hairdo. 91% pass completion is misleading when you consider that he only had 31 touches in total - the only players who walked onto that pitch with fewer touches than Henderson were Kuyt and Gerard. Jarvis ran fucking rings around Henderson. Not impressed.

Fuck it, he's been tested now, so he needs to sit on the bench for a few until he respects the shirt.

Anyway, speaking of respecting the fucking shirt, what the fuck was up with Carroll? Trying to use fancy feet in the box and fucking up. I can forgive the header, because bouncing the ball off your head isn't an exact science, but I can't forgive the numerous mistakes and looking like he's just dropped out of a mare's fanny. Reminds me of Crouch, only less eager to PUT THE FUCKING BALL IN THE BACK OF THE NET. 35m for the Andy Carroll comedy show. Where's the fucking Benny Hill music?

Surely we can't take the risk of Carroll in the merseyside derby? Yes his game against wolves was his best of the season (albiet still not even slightly happy with his performances yet) but with the kuyt/suarez partnership being our best at the moment, surely kuyt has to be restored to the starting line-up and we can put carroll on with 20 or so left.

A fit Gerrard (not sure if we will have this luxury so soon) has to start in place of Adam who tends to fade in and out of games at the moment

MAYBE Spearing in for Adam, because Adam defensively is about as useful as a beachball.

I really don't understand all this criticism of Henderson. He has fantastic movement, good crossing ability, and does all the simple things well.

He completed 91% of passes, every single one in the attacking third too.

He WAS a little bit quiet, but it's to be expected when on the left you have Enrique bombing forward and Downing, and on the other side it's just Kelly. Who was good, don't get me wrong, but he isn't a wingback.

When Johnson comes back and starts marauding down that wing, it will be more helpful for him.

That may be true, but when we attack down the wings a lot and he's only getting half a dozen douches a half, that's not that great. It doesn't help him that Kelly's playing pretty deep at the moment and trying to get his match fitness back.

I was quite happy with the performances of Gerrard and Kelly again.

My bigger concern from last night was Carroll's missed chances. Hitting the bar twice and that bungle in the last 30 seconds with the goal at his mercy was really disappointing.

Still, 3 points is 3 points and we need to keep the points ticking over.

I really don't understand all this criticism of Henderson. He has fantastic movement, good crossing ability, and does all the simple things well.