Jimmy Bullard's England Take on Andorra

nicksarebi

When I found out that Fulham's floppy-haired midfielder was handed an England call-up I was tempted to tattoo the word "Capello" on my arse. Bullard remains a throw-back to the 70s-era footballer who cared about short-shorts and long hair, not Baby Bentley's. With the last England performance being filed under the term "lethargic" most proper England fans are saluting Bullard's call-up as exactly what the Three Lions need to be competitive and move forward.

It's long been known that merely playing England's "best 11" simply isn't enough as it always involves a Lampard/Gerrard tandem in midfield and frankly we all know that just isn't going to work. Bullard's selection is a very "Un-McLaren-like" selection by Capello and it definitely gives me hope for the future. If Jimmy's debut goes well, I think we'll start to see England finally giving the right players a chance to play- based on their performance and what they bring to the team, as opposed to the size of their wage-packet.

I am thoroughly unimpressed with Jermaine Defoe every time he plays for England (or Pompey for that matter) and I am hoping that Crouch will partner Rooney up front. Michael Owen's omission was telling and his England future may be in jeopardy if he doesn't start banging the goals in at St. James Park.

Whenever you're playing Andorra, it's usually a case of "how many?" England will likely field an under-strength side on Saturday and I'm convinced that this is the type of game we need before Croatia next Wednesday. England must create some confidence before going into our clash with Slaven Bilic's men. I see big things for Jimmy Bullard, especially if he starts (and I have a feeling that Fabio is just that cheeky).

Verdict:

Jimmy Bullard to score: 5.5 @ Betfair

England to win 4-0: 9-2 @ Paddy Power