Naming an initial 30 man squad was always going to lead to disappointment for some players but most of the 7 players who were left would have had an inkling.

The omission of Theo Walcott is of interest, especially when you consider his shock inclusion in the 2006 World Cup squad.

Back then, English manager Sven Goran Eriksson believed that taking Walcott to the tournament would bring benefit to England for years to come but thats clearly not the case.

Fabio Capello is not a manager to worry beyond the current tournament. The approval of Gareth Barry’s fitness, if not for the initial game, indicates that Capello has his eye on the later part of the tournament but clearly he feels the inclusion of Barry is worth the wait.

Should Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon have been included in the squad? On their day, there are no doubts that the players have the ability to terrorise defenders and turn games but more so than Theo Walcott or Adam Johnson?

You only have to think how Walcott came off the bench to bring Arsenal back into the game in their Emirates game against Barcelona. Add that to the hat-trick he grabbed in Croatia which signalled the true starting point of Capello’s reign and you can say that Walcott had a great shout of getting onto the plane.

The same with Johnson, who fitted in well to life in the top flight at Eastlands but clearly Capello felt there was more to be gained other players being taken along.

Only four strikers means that Darren Bent has been omitted from the squad, despite comfortably outscoring Defoe, Crouch and Emile Heskey.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).

Defenders: Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

Dropped from the 30 man squad:
Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Leighton Baines (Everton), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Scott Parker (West Ham), Darren Bent (Sunderland), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Tom Huddleston (Tottenham)

Do you feel strongly that Fabio has got it right or wrong?

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The English squad should be focussing on the task ahead for the World Cup but it is inevitable that club issues will be in some players minds.

The past season has been a terrible year for Liverpool and Stevie Gerrard has suffered more than most. Being a Liverpudlian, he knows how the Liverpool fans feel and the stress of a poor season will be weighing on his mind.

There is growing talk that the midfielders relations with boss Rafa Benitez has become strained and a parting of the ways may be looming.

There will be no shortage of clubs interested in Gerrard but you have to wonder where he will be likely to end up? Chelsea were strongly rumoured to be interested in the player a few years back but Gerrard decided to stay at Anfield in the hope of Liverpool regaining the league title.

Whether Chelsea are still interested in the player or Gerrard fancies a move to London remains to be seen.

If there is a top class player on the market, you know that Manchester City will be interested and they could certainly afford the fee Liverpool would want but would Gerrard want to go to City?

A move to Manchester, with the rivalries between Liverpool and Manchester may not make this switch too appealing to the player so you could probably rule that out.

Therefore, a move abroad could be of interest to Gerrard but with Barcelona talking about bringing Cesc Fabregas back to the Camp Nou, you can’t think the Catalan club would have an interest.

Real Madrid may be looking for a new boss again and if the rumours about Jose Mourinho are true, his knowledge and admiration for the player may see a bid coming from the Spanish capital.

Do you think Gerrard will be saying adios to Anfield this summer?

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Before kick-off, all the talk was of Manchester United needing a win to go top of the league but the fans opinion was not fully focused on the on-field action. The recent board room moves by the Glazers has certainly not bonded the fans to the owners and the ‘Glazers Out’ campaign is starting to build a bit of momentum.

United have dominated many of their opponents this season but have sometimes struggled to get the goals their play has deserved. With Wayne Rooney opening the scoring on 8 minutes, the Old Trafford crowd sat back and expected a deluge of goals.

No more came in the first half and for a long period of the second, none followed either.

United were always pushing and prodding but Boaz Myhill was maintaining his strong run of form. 1-0 is never a comfortable score line and Alex Ferguson would have been looking nervously at his watch as the game entered the last ten minutes.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Rooney secured all the points in the 82nd minute with a drive and the main man completed his hat-trick with a header from a Nani cross.

This should have been enough for everyone but Rooney still found time for another and his fourth goal of the game sent the United fans home happy with the performance, if not the financial status of the club.

The English Premier League now has the fantastic situation where two points separate the top three sides. United are on 50 points and Arsenal and Chelsea are on 48 points. What is also of interest is the fact that the three teams have a goal difference of 34.

Who is your tip for the top?

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The English Premier League could have their third leaders in the space of a few days if Manchester United can defeat Hull at Old Trafford.

It is FA Cup day in England but with these two teams dumped out in the last round, it will be three points at stake. If United can grab all three points, they will be looking down at the rest of the league, not bad for the club currently sitting in third.

This indicates the tightness at the top, which currently sees Arsenal and Chelsea on 48 points, with United one behind on 47. If United do win, they will be two points clear but will have played one more game than Arsenal and two more than Chelsea.

Therefore, Chelsea will have the chance to climb back to the top if they win their matches in hand but many managers will say they would rather have the points on the board than the games in hand.

The return of Rio Ferdinand is likely to give a boost to United but Vidic is likely to be sidelined. Dimitar Berbatov is still causing concern for Alex Ferguson but he should be recovered from a dead leg to take his place in the side, if selected.

Phil Brown will not be short of confidence heading to Old Trafford, he never is but he will realise it is a big task for his players today. Amir Zaki is unlikely to have the match fitness required and is not expected to make his Hull debut. That said, although it is a big day for United, if Hull could grab a win, it would move them out of the relegation zone.

It is tight at the top but equally so at the bottom. Hull are currently 18th on 19 points but a win could see them up to 14th!

Will United be moving top tonight?

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The fact that Sol Campbell is back in the English Premier League makes you wonder how much money he was being offered at Notts County. Sadly, one of the founding lights of the English game have become a bit of a joke figure these days and Sol only managed to make one appearance for them before it all went wrong.

Campbell made his first step back towards the top flight by playing for Arsenal reserves at West Ham United. The player was signed up on a ‘Reserve League Registration’ deal but he has been training with Arsenal in recent months.

The last time Campbell featured in an Arsenal shirt was the Uefa Champions League final and Campbell marked the occasions by opening the scoring for 10 man Arsenal.

Arsenal were clinging on to this lead until the latter stages of the game when a Henrik Larsson inspired Barcelona came from behind to win 2-1. Although the final ended in tears for Arsenal, their defence on the route to the final broke records for keeping consecutive clean sheets in the Uefa Champions League.

Campbell moved on that summer to Portsmouth and surprised many, possibly including himself, by adding further silverware whilst at Pompey. Campbell was captain when Portsmouth defeated Cardiff City 1-0 in May 2008.

Sky Sports News were reporting that the player may be in line for a contract next season if he performs well between now and the end of the season but it remains to be seen how much game time Campbell will get at Arsenal.

Gallas and Vermaelen have performed admirably this season and barring injury or suspension, this duo are likely to remain in position.

Is this a good move for Arsenal and Sol?

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The best goalkeeper in the English Premier League at the moment is Shay Given, the Manchester City goalie. After that, there is a bit of debate with either Mark Schwarzer of Fulham or Joe Hart being a very good shout for the next best stopper.

Hart is still contracted to City but is currently on loan at Birmingham City. The blues from Birmingham have been on a fantastic run of late and like most teams, a strong reason for success is a mean defence.

No one is saying that keeping a clean sheet is entirely the work of a goalkeeper but Hart is doing his best for his team. Anyone who watched the game versus Chelsea will understand how the young keeper is able to influence his team.

With this in mind, should Fabio Capello be giving Joe Hart a run out in the England squad in the friendlies before the 2010 World Cup?

Who else is in the running to be the English number one at the World Cup?

David James: Still the front runner but injuries are starting to add up for the aging stopper
Robert Green: Displaying a poor run of form and the relegation battle is unlikely to place him in a positive mood.
Ben Foster: Now rated third in line for the Manchester United goalkeeper spot and unless he goes out on loan, will find first team appearances very limited at Old Trafford.
Paul Robinson: Coming into form and could be a strong shout to force his way back into the squad
Chris Kirkland: Too injury prone and not one to inspire confidence in his back line. Kirkland, without being cruel, does not come across as a top player.

Joe Hart seems to be in better form than all of the other English rivals for the World Cup gloves, so Mr Capello should give Hart some serious consideration.

Of course, when it comes to looking to players for the World Cup, the following would be a bonus as well:

Would you have Joe Hart in your World Cup squad?

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Make sure you enjoy yourselves on the day though, have a good one.

WeKnowFA.

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