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Grant Holt for England???

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I’ve always joked to friends and colleagues (working in London, they are all Hammers, Milllwall, Spurs fans) that Grant Holt will play for England… Now, under Fabio I never actually believed this would happen, BUT with Stuart Pearce and possibly Harry Redknapp in the England hot seat, two managers that appreciate the work of an ‘old fashioned’ centre forward, does Grant actually stand a chance of playing for the national team in a similar way Kevin Davies did last year.

 

Holty has proven over the past 3 seasons that he is a natural goal scorer and currently sits 2nd alongside Darren Bent with only Rooney ahead of him as England’s top goal scorer this season.

 

So I ask the question, should and could Grant Holt get his chance to play for England??

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I don''t think he will get a call up sadly, he won''t be ahead of Bent/Rooney/Crouch/Defoe.

Sadly I think he''s too old now, which is a massive shame as I''m sure he''d win over England fans within seconds..

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He may be too old for a prolonged England career but he''s in his prime for this summers euro''s. The England team should be picked on the basis of from players. Grant Holt has been red hot at times this season. I have no doubt he could produce in the Euro''s this year. Rooney and co would love having Holt around.

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Look don''t get me wrong, I believe Holt wouldn''t look remotely out of place in the England side.  Trouble is, European football wouldn''t tolerate his physical attributes.  There''s been one or two games Crouch has played. And he''s been penalised just for jumping higher higher than a defender.I''d love Holt to pull on an England shirt just for 45 mins, but I doubt Euro refs would love him.

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Two seasons ago I would have laughed my head off at this suggestion - laughed I tell you, with a loud guffaw!   But now I would say WHY NOT?   He certainly would bring in something that is lacking from the England squad and I''m not talking just about goals.   If some of his attitude could rub off and help put some prima donna feet back on the turf then maybe the side would start playing a bit.

 

As an aside, once his playing days are over I wonder if he will be iunterested in a football management career?   If so what kind of a manager do people think he has the potential to be?

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Not going to happen as he does not play for a London or North West club.

 

I''m not the biggest fan of international football, but forgive me for being a BIT selfish, when I say I''d rather GH did not play fror England. You just know that he''d get injured, or similar, and we''d be without him for weeks.

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Holt should be given a chance to play for England.    Given some of the mediocrity that we have seen from England it would be refreshing to see a truly top player in the team.    Someone who is motivated by sport and not money.  

 

He would be fantastic at international level because he gets in where defenders don''t like it - and no - I don''t think his physical style will be a problem - when he goes in to score a goal his focus is always on the ball.    In outfield play he can link up well and in recent weeks he has given away less silly free kicks (apart from saturday''s pen!!). 

 

Given his chance I think he would do great.   He is a goalscorer.   He should be selected for the squad.

 

 

 

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I''ve always said no as I didn''t really think international football would suit his style but I''m starting to change my mind. Look at it this way. If England are a goal down against some technically excellent side and getting none of the ball (as often happens) do you want to bring on someone like Defoe, who as decent as he is has never really done much at international level, or Holty. I''m not saying he''d definitely score against a side loke Spain or Germany but at least it''s something different. Plus you just know he''s not going to bottle his penalty in the shoot out [:D].

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I''d love it if some of our fans would recognise some of Holty''s "technical ability" along side his strength and goalscoring. It stands out to me week in week out. Speed of thought, first touch, unselfish assists. How about those inch perfect crosses we see to Morison? Better than Hoolahan or Surman. He''s got it all in his locker alongside will to win, never say die and leadership. And they were all on show yesterday. He was first to react to Wards brilliant cross when others had written it off. He got free to get in the box and his finish was clinical. His pass to put Morison through was inch perfect. And his ball to Hoolahan showed amazing composure for a player on a hat-trick.

 

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I''d love to see Stuart Pearce pick an experimental team for the Holland friendly, gets boring with the same old faces, Barry,Milner, Bent, Downing, Rooney etc.

I''d rather see guys given a chance on merit rather than reputation. For me I think Holt and Pilkington should be given a chance, with other players like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Daniel Sturridge, Scott Parker, Scott Sinclair etc.

Players who have done well this season and who deserve the chance to prove themselves rather than the same boring old faces that, let''s face it have far from proved themselves at international level.

Downing? Milner? Lennon? Bent? Are these players really far superior to those named above and deserve their England spot more than them?

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It''s good to see that there are only 10 players who''ve scored more goals than Grant Holt in the Premiership so far this season (four of those have only scored one more goal). Morison and Pilkington have also managed significant goal hauls too. I always thought Grant Holt would be a great addition to our team and I wouldn''t mind seeing him in an England shirt - despite the extra risk of injuries. What a rise that would be from his humble beginnings!

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[quote user="lincoln canary"]He may be too old for a prolonged England career but he''s in his prime for this summers euro''s. The England team should be picked on the basis of from players. Grant Holt has been red hot at times this season. I have no doubt he could produce in the Euro''s this year. Rooney and co would love having Holt around.[/quote]Spot on thinking LC, he clearly offers more at the moment than virtually any other striker available, and what he does offer is an option that England just don''t really have.It doesn''t matter if he''s not good enough for the next WC, but taking a good form player like Holt to the Euro''s makes perfect sense.Much more sense in fact that half the dead wood we''re likely to be taking...

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[quote user="nutty nigel"]

I''d love it if some of our fans would recognise some of Holty''s "technical ability" along side his strength and goalscoring. It stands out to me week in week out. Speed of thought, first touch, unselfish assists. How about those inch perfect crosses we see to Morison? Better than Hoolahan or Surman. He''s got it all in his locker alongside will to win, never say die and leadership. And they were all on show yesterday. He was first to react to Wards brilliant cross when others had written it off. He got free to get in the box and his finish was clinical. His pass to put Morison through was inch perfect. And his ball to Hoolahan showed amazing composure for a player on a hat-trick.

 

[/quote]

Precisely, Mishkin! Even our own fans seem to buy into this ''old fashioned bruising centre forward'' nonsense. I still don''t know how he scored that second goal against Reading last season.

I''ve said before, Pound Shop Dean Ashton. Almost as good as the expensive item (& probably better in terms of leadership) at a fraction of the price.

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Pickles ~ [quote]Not going to happen as he does not play for a London or North West club. [/quote]

That and the fact the England squad is seldom picked on merit.

ps - lose the quotations in your username so''s people can quote your posts properly, fatso.

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I think England need to look to the future, if Holt was under 23. I would have him in there. But unfortunately that''s not the case.

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I doubt he was good enough when he was under 23. Francis Jeffers is the same age and was all the rage back then in the Under 21''s. It''s how good players are now that should determine who plays for the senior side.

 

 

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Holt is a technically gifted player in my book.

 

Rooney is the best we have but Crouch has slipped way down the scale while Defoe and especially Bent are excellent finishers but nothing else; if they don''t get the supply they touch the ball less than half a dozen times and contribute little.

 

Holt would be a fantastic character to have in the squad too. Jamie Redknapp has stated he is a big Holt admirer; perhaps his Dad is too.

 

Holty has controlled his aggression well this season, his discipline is good, if Kevin Davies gets a game then why not give Grant Holt a chance versus the Dutch.

 

Grant Holt for England - it really is a serious proposition.

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[quote user="RUDOLPH HUCKER"]

Holt is a technically gifted player in my book.

 

Rooney is the best we have but Crouch has slipped way down the scale while Defoe and especially Bent are excellent finishers but nothing else; if they don''t get the supply they touch the ball less than half a dozen times and contribute little.

 

Holt would be a fantastic character to have in the squad too. Jamie Redknapp has stated he is a big Holt admirer; perhaps his Dad is too.

 

Holty has controlled his aggression well this season, his discipline is good, if Kevin Davies gets a game then why not give Grant Holt a chance versus the Dutch.

 

Grant Holt for England - it really is a serious proposition.

[/quote]

My thoughts too, as well as the 11 league goals he has to date and the loads of assists too, H e is more than capable, he showed those fans at Swansea how to juggle a ball alonge the side line and do a spin round two or 3 of them, I remember Caroline when he got his first chance in an England shirt, And the olny thing that sticks out in my mind was He spent more time adjusting his bloody pony tail, £35mil and can''t have an haircut

  

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[quote user="nutty nigel"]

I''d love it if some of our fans would recognise some of Holty''s "technical ability" along side his strength and goalscoring. It stands out to me week in week out.

[/quote]

 

Agreed. It''s not just our fans though. He routinely gets described as a battering ram or, more politely, as an old fashioned English centre forward in the media. He''s a lot more than that I think. I was harsh on him earlier in the season because I didn''t think he was showing enough of that technical side of his game and was just reverting to type. He''s so much better than that as has been proved over the last two or three months.

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[quote user="Shyster"]
ps - lose the quotations in your username so''s people can quote your posts properly, fatso.
[/quote]

 

Dear Mr Shyster,

 

What quotations would those be ?

 

 Yours,

 

                    The Fat One.

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Eric,I think he''s referring to the apostrophe after Pickles, as it wouldn''t let me quote you with it in the other day.Not exactly a hardship to simply remove it from the quote however...

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[quote user="Indy_Bones"]Eric,

I think he''s referring to the apostrophe after Pickles, as it wouldn''t let me quote you with it in the other day.

Not exactly a hardship to simply remove it from the quote however...
[/quote]

 

In the interest of good customer relations, I''ll remove the apostrophe then, chaps.

 

It''s not grammatically correct, but pie sales are holding up in the recession, so I can afford to be magnanimous.

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just how good will holt become. last season he was better than the season before after a slow start. the same happening this season, he is now playing much better than at anytime in his career so why not an england call up. i imagine rooney would have a field day in partnership with GH. mouthwatering thought.

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[quote user="star_manic"]just how good will holt become. last season he was better than the season before after a slow start. the same happening this season, he is now playing much better than at anytime in his career so why not an england call up. i imagine rooney would have a field day in partnership with GH. mouthwatering thought.[/quote]

 

It would be my argument that Holt would be a suitable replacement for Rooney - should Rooney be unavailable.  If you look at it, they both are excellent at link up play.  Both are good at distribution and crossing.  Both have excellent technical ability. Both score goals.  Both play with passion and belief  (actually Holt is in front on that score).   

 

Yes, Holt could do the job - he just needs a manager that believes in him like he has at Norwich.

 

 

 

 

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I don''t know about you guys, but if by some slim chance Holty was (deservedly IMO) picked for an England friendly, it would seriously reignite my interest in the national team!It would be a refreshing change to see a real footballer playing for England, than the usual bunch of overpaid prima donnas who are more interested in their next pay cheque than the honour of representing their country.

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