Tyrone Mings

[Rory]

How many bad games has Mings had for England? If that's the main qualification, he should be in.

To be fair, CD, I'm 32, asthmatic, overweight with a knee so dodgy I cannot run, and I haven't played a game of football for 15 years. But I've had no bad games for England...

The only drawback being I've already declared for Ireland, because they guaranteed me a starting spot in the first XI.

[RamboandBruno]

I think that Southgate has a bad case of imposter sundrome, and his way to stick it to the critics is by not picking players people want him to eg Grealish at the Euros and continuing to play people people say he shouldn't eg Maguire.

I don't really get the Maguire anger. England have got about a dozen semi-decent centre-backs, none of whom would get in the squad of France or Brazil. Picking Maguire isn't choosing him over '90s McGrath or Maldini, it's flipping a coin on him or Conor Coady or Eric Dier for the team, and him or Mings or Guehi for the squad.

And sometimes, the thing that clinches it is "playing really well for you in the past". On his Villa form, Eriksson should have dropped Vassell a long time before he did. But Vassell fitted better in the England system than the Villa one, so he kept getting picked.

If some really promising centre-backs had been brought in a year ago with the plan of making a ten year partnership (I dunno, Tomori and Guehi perhaps) then fine, that should probably have happened.

But it didn't, so we've decided that the guy who was really good in the latter stages of the last two international tournaments is worth sticking with for a bit. It's fine. It's making do with a weak spot in your team in the absence of an obviously better option.

I think a lot of it stems from, the idea (which i agree with) that Maguire has only ever really had one really good season, for Leicester, that got him his move to man yoo. And that the generally very limited centre back that is seen week in week out, isn’t just someone out of form, its actually just Harry Maguire playing his game. He did ok in the 2018 world cup but England didn’t really play anyone until Croatia, leaving aside the 1-0 hammering by Belgium in the group stages. Likewise in the Euro’s he was ok against limited opposition for the most part. He has been utterly dreadful in most England games since then.

So i think a lot of the anti Maguire stuff is based on an unfairness that there are better players out there. Leaving my biased towards Mings aside, Southgate would of been better off doing what you allude to in building a young centre back partnership up over the last two years. I think its shocking Tomori didn’t get in the squad and Coady seems to be there because he’s a good bloke.

But thats Southgate for you, he’s had a good run in the last two tournaments, had some good players, but been lucky with the draw as well. He absolutely made a mess of the Euro final by leaving Grealish on the bench so long, for me he couldn’t stand the idea of Grealish having that furore around him over his favourites like Mount. He might be lucky again this time with the draw, especially if Senegal minus Mane get through to be the second round opponents. but i think him
Belligerently sticking to Maguire, out of form Mount and Sterling, possibly knowing him, giving Kalvin bloody Phillips game time, will be his un-doing this time. I actually think the group wont be easy to get out of.

[Pete3206]

I agree with that last sentence above and I think England are going to have a shock on Monday. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Iran got a draw or even do the unthinkable. Also, the dolts on Talksport make me laugh, patronising the Wales team as if they're going to be some plucky pushovers. If England need anything from the final group game, they're destined for an early flight home. I don't see anything from Southgate to suggest that he's learned anything from the Nations League debacle.

[Clampy]

Without coming across all Eastie, Big Ty is in Barbados.

[SteveN]

I shall be having a £5 bet on England failing to get out of the group. 

[Bad English]

Woah! Has he gone to see his girlfriend?

[Chap]

Woah! Has he gone to see his girlfriend?

Now you’re showing your age!!🤣🤣

[Bad English]

I was 9 when that came out.

[GordonCowansisthegreatest]

I was 9 when that came out.

I wish that I was

[N'ZMAV]

Southgate picks his favourites.

[Toronto Villa]

I don’t have an issue so much when a manager selects players who haven’t let him down and he trusts. Where the issue exists is when he will also claim he will pick players on form. Which immediately suggests that said player should be playing well for his club. So for Maguire, he shouldn’t be in the squad based on the second. And in the case of Jack, there wasn’t an English player more on form when playing for us, but he couldn’t get selected for the longest time. Now at Man City whatever his form he gets selected. Critics of Southgate have issues with his honesty and his lack of transparency before you get to his football management ability.

[Chap]

I was 9 when that came out.

I was 10. Start of exciting times for the Villa.

[dcdavecollett]

Yes, Southgate comes across as a shifty, double-dealing shite, as we well know from his history with Grealish.

As my mate said to me about Maguire, he had one v. good season at Leicester where his job was to stick his head on (c. S Bruce) and clear dangerous balls.

Idiots in charge at the Theatre of Debt paid £80m no less and then seemed surprised when he couldn't pass the ball like Sid Cowans or bring it out like Beckenbauer.

Still, like Sancho, he cost so much and he plays for ManYoo so that's enough for Gareth.

[Louzie0]

Tyrone is trending on Twitter as the reason Ronaldo has retired from MancU !

[Drummond]

Just a thought but seeing Mings going with McGinn to lay flowers, and being on the front of the Cubs' Christmas cards with McGinn and Lehmann, makes me wonder if the club realise the mistake in removing the captaincy.

He's always up front in supporter relations, and vocal on the pitch too. I suspect though, that Emery is deciding on his best 11 first and will then focus on the captaincy. Martinez may not be the shoe-in I thought after his World Cup antics.