I think he was a starter in the double year of 96. Scholes wasnât really a midfielder then and ince had gone.
Butt was Englandâs standout performer at the 2002 WC.
2 Likes
Butt and Hargraeves are two very underrated players. Good footballers and positionally very solid.
1 Like
England would have been a lot better off starting butt instead of trying to accommodate Gerrard/Lampard
He was just unlucky at club level that Keane did a similar job but at an elite level
2 Likes
He was an enforcer too tbf, doled a heavy good tackle out if required
Butt moved to Newcastle and subsequently Birmingham around 2004 though so he was more or less finished at the top level by the time Gerrard and Lampard were thrown together as a partnership. I suppose Gerrard being injured for the 2002 World Cup afforded Butt his opportunity. Iâm not even sure if Lampard was in the squad at that stage, he really blossomed upon Romans arrival at Chelsea.
1 Like
Lampard didnât make the World Cup squad in 02â.
1 Like
The English Golden Generation was the greatest myth of all time.
From what I can gather the following were part of it:
Rio
Terry
Cole
Neville
Scholes
Gerrard
Lampard
Beckham
Rooney
Owen
10 players max and Iâd say they never all went to a tournament together.
Where exactly did the âGolden Generationâ moniker come from? As a group, what did they win?
They definitely all started together a few teams in finals Iâd say. Iâd say none of their current team would make that team bar right full maybe.
Shur theyâd always have Heskey/Crouch/Joe Cole/Hargreaves in there too.
Really lacking a goalkeeper there. Plus the issue with who to play LM. Joe Cole ended up assuming that role from Scholes after Euro 2004.
England havenât had a top keeper in generations. David James was good but not top top class. Pickford, Hart etc. all similar. Would David Seaman have been world class? I remember him making a great save in the 2003 FA Cup semi-final against Sheff Utd and his howler against Ronny at World Cup 2002.
Yeah they all played together in 2006. Rooney was just after breaking his metatarsal I think. Ended up sent off then against the Portuguese in the quarter-final.
Edit: I forgot about Scholes when factoring in the 2006 team. He retired from international football before he was even 30.
9 of the 10 went to Euro 2004 and WC 2006. Rio was suspended for Euro 2004, Scholes retired before WC 2006.
2 Likes
Thatâs a serious group of footballers imo. Scholes never delivering as a deep lying playmaker for England (or maybe not getting the chance to) along with having no natural wingers made them an imbalanced kind of team. They also lacked a top keeper.
Some elite players there though. All played big parts for their English clubs in strong, strong Champions League campaigns.
They just needed a Xabi alonso type to knit defence and midfield and a high level winger other than Joe Cole, who wasnât really a winger.
They were unlucky against Portugal a couple of times, Sol Campbell had a late winner ruled out at I think Euro 2004 that shouldâve stood. also the Rooney injury at the same tournament. Then the hired McClaren and missed the next tournament with Chelsea and United in the Champions League final the same year.
A bit like what they are doing with Southgate now.
united fans now at the stage of singing the praises of average players of the glory years. Jaysus lads, this is delicious.
Scholes spat it out I always thought. Didnât want to adapt to play with Gerard and Lampard.
Del Piero and Totti were both battling for the one spot a lot of the time and got their World Cup winners medals. Bar Argentina and Italy, that wasnât a strong tournament and Scholes wouldâve been an asset off the bench at the least.
1 Like
He played a lot of games for newcastle in the premier league mate for 6 years and was brought to euro 2004
Just goes to show the club does matter when managers pick England squads.
The resident racist will be along shortly calling us Paddy footix for this
Scholes was dealing with an autostic kid and alochol issues at home i think around the time and didnât like being away
1 Like
Never knew that, understandable stance from him so.