Osman gets first England call-up

To the other lads in the Everton squad; you can achieve everything you want at Everton, just keep your head down, work hard and stay loyal.

Ossie - legend.

Recognition for Ossie and for Everton.

It's about time, truly well deserved. Good luck lads!

But where are all the toffeewebbers who think he is not good enough for our club and needs to be dropped? Very silent

Next stop - Hibbo's goal

Well Done Ozzie, you deserve it!!!

Let's hope David Moyes holds out for 20 million plus!!!

;-)

Can you imagine what it must have felt like to finally get that phone call after all these years.

I'm absolutely delighted for him.

Should he get on the pitch in Sweden though wait for the inevitable southern Press bias about him not being good enough to play at international level. Baines still gets it now from the London media mafia.

I don't rate england and don't think I've watched a televised live game right through since the euros of Gazza et al, but I'm genuinely chuffed for Ossie.

Gerrard has not got the technical ability Osman has,a very good player but as I say.
Pace is not the be all and end all,i have seen plenty of great players who had no pace.

Ossie thoroughly deserves this, made up for him, a proper professional!

Any news on Hibbo getting his call up papers too?

As good as Osman is, him and Neville have sometimes being overrun in midfield due to their size and lack of pace (although to be fair to them, it hasnt happened that often this season)

If Osman can hopefully play in a midfield 3 where he has more freedom to express himself and less tracking back. He obviously has technical ability, has great feet and a decent creative brain. I'm Welsh, not an England fan by any stretch, but I hope Osman does really well for them against Sweden.

Forgot to add, I'm made up for him!

His level of performance has been pretty good for a couple of years. I am sure the mob will be thinking how much we can sell him for? Any amount would be an insult for the Upholland Xavi.

spot on mate.Gerrard for his whole carreer has based his game on pace and power.A dynamic player who at his peak was a handful.
He has not got,nor has he ever had, the ability to make a game go at his pace,to slow a game down then quicken it up when he chooses to.Paul Scholes is a good example of that type of game.

I've never rated him, but I'm happy for him (at the same time glad I don't support England).

James Martin, i'm sorry but as much as I can't stand Steven Gerrard he is and certainly has been a good player (hard to admit)

I'd rather he didn't though.

I admire your optimism on how good Osman is, but he was never as good as Gerrard in his prime (like Joe, it is hard to admit)

I also agree that it is a bit ridiculous to compare him to Xavi and Iniesta.

But he has been in very good form for us this season, is a consistent player and thoroughly deserves this call up. But then again, I also think that to be a consistent top 4 side, Osman shouldnt be a real first teamer for us, but a very effective squad player. Just like how I see Neville and Hibbert (although Osman is still the better player)

your wrong there,Pirlo has played the same type of game for his whole career.
He was never a player who relied on paceor power.

Contrary to virtually every poster here, I think he's been pretty dire (as always) this season. The eulogies for this player simply baffle me. He does one or two good things per game but it/they are heavily outweighed by the sideways or backwards passes when we're going forward, the weak shooting, the giving away of unnecessary and vital free kicks, giving the ball away in compromising positions (a real speciality of the little maestro) and the facility with which he is pushed off the ball. The fact that Hodgson rates him is another dubious point!

I know everyone does/will disagree, but I do stand (shield in hand) by what I say.

all goo recognition for his efforts and also nice to have another international in the everton squad (hopefully).

all goo recognition for his efforts and also nice to have another international in the everton squad (hopefully).

Along with Mirallas, he has the best feet in the squad ... the space he made to create Fellaini's chance which was deflected onto the post vs Fulham was superb.

Made up for the lad, best news I've heard all week!

Its reward for a consistent start to the season and one in the eye for those who don't know a talented footballer when they see one, which he clearly is.

A combination of playing well in a progressive, eye catching Everton team and England being light on mid options id say.

Again,well done Leon.

We had 4 at euro 88, Watson swapping for lineker. Snodin and Heath never played for England fully. I reckon 4 is our best, with brace well playing around that time but not at those comps. 4 at 1970 as well, perhaps more played in the home internationals?

Best of luck. And don't get hurt.

Bring it on Ossie - long overdue! Let's hear it for a meritocracy rather than WHO you know / play for!! Vive la revolution!

Geesh - before you know it we'll have someone with brains in power, rather than a public schoolboy!

I hope he gets on and shows his stuff. Then we'll sell him and bring in one of the 200 Spanish youngsters James is talking about. I kid, I kid...

Jelavic
Fellaini
Pienaar Mirallas
Osman
Gibson
Baines Jagielka Heitinga Coleman
Howard

That looks pretty good to me... Champions League team?

Well deserved, even if I can't see it being more than a one-off.

But If James Milner and Gareth Barry can be regulars, why not give Ossie a chance to prove himself.

He's never given less than his all, he has a great pair of feet and an eye for goal, so good luck to him on landing a spot in the squad. Many more Blues in the side and I might have to start supporting them again.

Now watch him get crocked for six months in the first half.

PS And well done to all the regular Ossie bashers for staying off this thread and (for once) keeping their hackneyed old opinions to themselves.

Bracewell was just getting into the England squad before injury ruined him so that just leaves Harvey and Kendall and Harvey was capped but didn't get many.

I hope he does well for England (though I generally don't like our players playing for England), but he is the weakest player (in the XI - including Phil Neville!) we have, week-in, week-out.

People have such different eyes...

This ignores the fact that Kendall wasn't capped of course!! Harvey received one, was it against Cyprus or something?

What I would mention is that in the 60s, up until the World Cup in 70, England were playing 4-3-3, and there was a certain fella called Alan Ball knocking about, plus another fella called Bobby Charlton, possibly the best English player ever.

And if Jim isn't making the initial point I mentioned, then I've no idea what hes on about!!

As for Ossie, yes England are light on midfield options. But Ossie has gotten better throughout his career, developed and maximised the talent he had. This has been rewarded with a call-up.

No-one is saying he is going to go in and start dominating international midfields and play for England till he is 34. He will prob get a few call-ups max.

This call-up reminds me of Dennis Wise or Kevin Richardson getting in the squad. Both very, very good club players who got better and better as they got older but were, in truth probably never, long term, international players.

As the comments following your pointed out, most of the players you list were capped and none of them missed out to Leon Osman, did they? So what point exactly are you trying to make?

After the laughable "journeyman" reference earlier in the thread, I can only conclude you're attempting to provoke your fellow ToffeeWebbers.

Surely a more relevant list would include Matt Jarvis, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Tom Huddlestone, James Milner Ashley Young, David Bentley, Kieran Richardson, Stewart Downing, Jermaine Jenas, Lee Bowyer, David Dunn, Danny Murphy, Seth Johnson and Steve Guppy - all of whom have started for England since Ossie's Blues debut and many of whom have held down a place despite continuing to disappoint?

Sheedy, Reid, Bracewell, Stevens, Ball, Harvey, Kendall...

These are midfield players who deserve international recognition.

Henderson, Shelvy, Milner, Downing, Kelly, Sterling in front of any of them? Get real !!!

Moyes also has been pushing for this in the media so that shows the gravitas he has as well with the FA and Hodgson.

Now don't fuck it up this weekend Ossie.

The upside for us might be that it gives him a jolt of confidence which gets translated into our games.

The downside is that he might get injured. One year I am convinced we actually lost a trophy as a result of an injury to Big Nev when he was plaing for Wales on a cabbage field of a pitch.

Just hope they give him some decent game time amongst the star players, rather than a 10 minute cameo when the game is already petering out. His performance may just settle a lot of arguments.

Always thought that I watched Trevor Steven gliding across the turf in midfield ahead of Gary Stevens at right back. D'OH!?