gaffr’s notes

With the first games in the World Cup finals only days away, there is plenty of speculation in the air as to which players from the national squads will be picked for the first starting XIs.  There have been a fair few injuries to key players, too, which has complicated matters at this very early stage of the tournement. All the more interesting, then, to tap into the ideas are being tried out by people using the online gaffr team selectors.  

We've added a couple of ways of finding out more about what people using the gaffr starting XI selectors are thinking. Embedded in the footer of the gaffr homepage, you'll find recently shared teams are listed under the heading "Recently shared teams". Simply click in on these links to take a look at the team selection. And as always with gaffr, you're free to tinker with the players on the pitch, or change the formation, and re-share!

If you're very keen to keep up to date with team selection taking place on the gaffr selectors, you can subscribe to a feed. Just use the link at the foot of the page:

and you'll be able to keep an eye on the latest team selection ideas! 

With the news that Rio Ferdinand is out of the England squad due to injury, and has been replaced in South Africa by Michael Dawson (http://bit.ly/9lJwZq) - we have made a similar change to the available players in the England gaffr team selector.

Why not try out an alternative starting XI against USA now! : england.gaffr.com

After a wait that went down to the wire (http://australia.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2010/the-squad-is-announced-finally.html) we've finally been able to update our Socceroos squad to the final 23 going to South Africa:

Goalkeepers:
Brad Jones
Mark Schwarzer
Adam Federici

Defenders:
Scott Chipperfield
Luke Wilkshire
Craig Moore
Mark Milligan
David Carney
Lucas Neill
Michael Beachamp

Midfielders:
Brett Emerton
Marco Bresciano
Carl Valeri
Vincenzo Grella
Brett Holman
Jason Culina
Dario Vidosic
Tim Cahill
Mile Jedinak

Strikers:
Joshua Kennedy
Harry Kewell
Richard Garcia
Nikita Rukavytsya

The Australia selector is available at australia.gaffr.com

After a day spent waiting with the whole impatient nation for the final squad of 23 players to be announced by Fabio Capello, we've now refined the squad in our England starting XI selector.  If you've already used the team selector to try out and share your player selections, don't worry - those now cut from the squad will still be present in your teams (so you're able to imagine what might have been...) but are no longer available for selection.  Those that are on the way to South Africa:

Goalkeepers:
Joe Hart
David James
Robert Green

Defenders:
Jamie Carragher
Ashley Cole
Rio Ferdinand
Glen Johnson
Ledley King
John Terry
Matthew Upson
Stephen Warnock

Midfielders:
Gareth Barry
Michael Carrick
Joe Cole
Steven Gerrard
Frank Lampard
Aaron Lennon
James Milner
Shaun Wright-Phillips

Strikers:
Peter Crouch
Jermain Defoe
Emile Heskey
Wayne Rooney

These players are available in the team selector for you to begin choosing and tinkering and building your starting XI for the first England game of the Finals against USA on 12th June:
england.gaffr.com

It was also deadline day for all the other squads.  We've trimmed our South Africa, USA and Holland squad lists- at the time of writing we are still awaiting news from Australia.

South Africa: southafrica.gaffr.com

Goalkeepers:
Itumeleng Khune
Moeneeb Josephs
Shuaib Walters

Defenders:
Siboniso Gaxa
Anele Ngcongca
Aaron Mokoena
Matthew Booth
Bongani Khumalo
Siyabonga Sangweni
Tsepo Masilela
Lucas Thwala

Midfielders:
Teko Modise
Lance Davids
Reneilwe Letsholonyane
MacBeth Sibaya
Thanduyise Khuboni
Kagiso Dikgacoi
Steven Pienaar
Siphiwe Tshabalala

Strikers:
Surprise Moriri
Bernard Parker
Katlego Mphela
Siyabonga Nomvethe

USA: usa.gaffr.com

Goalkeepers:
Brad Guzan
Marcus Hahnemann
Tim Howard

Defenders:
Carlos Bocanegra
Jonathan Bornstein
Steve Cherundolo
Jay DeMerit
Clarence Goodson
Oguchi Onyewu
Jonathan Spector

Midfielders:
DaMarcus Beasley
Michael Bradley
Ricardo Clark
Clint Dempsey
Landon Donovan
Maurice Edu
Benny Feilhaber
Stuart Holden
Jose Torres

Strikers:
Jozy Altidore
Edson Buddle
Robbie Findley
Herculez Gomez

Holland: netherlands.gaffr.com

Goalkeepers:
Sander Boschker
Maarten Stekelenburg
Michel Vorm

Defenders:
Khalid Boulahrouz
Edson Braafheid
John Heitinga
Joris Mathijsen
Andre Ooijer
Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Gregory van der Wiel

Midfielders:
Ibrahim Afellay
Nigel de Jong
Demy de Zeeuw
Stijn Schaars
Wesley Sneijder
Mark van Bommel
Rafael van der Vaart

Strikers:
Ryan Babel
Eljero Elia
Klaas Jan Huntelaar
Dirk Kuyt
Arjen Robben
Robin van Persie

We thought we would expand our ambitions a little, select a few other national teams taking part in the World Cup Finals, and add their squads to our team sharing selector.  We've chosen the USA, South Africa, Netherlands and Australia.  

usa.gaffr.com/team
southafrica.gaffr.com/team
netherlands.gaffr.com/team
australia.gaffr.com/team

 If you're a fan of any (or all) of these teams, please try out the gaffr selectors to share your team ideas with your friends and fellow supporters!  We wish each of the teams the very best of luck in the upcoming Finals.

Today we have released an early version of our gaffr selector for the England World Cup squad.  This is an easy way to assemble graphics to embed in forums or social networks - a very easy way of sharing ideas and opinions about the England team's options in the upcoming World Cup.  There are bound to be plenty of differences of opinion as the Finals approach - the gaffr selector could come in useful!

Here's a screenshot of what to expect:

england.gaffr.com

You'll notice that we're using the preliminary England squad that Capello announced today:

Goalkeepers
Joe Hart
David James
Robert Green

Defenders
Leighton Baines
Jamie Carragher
Ashley Cole
Michael Dawson
Rio Ferdinand
Glen Johnson
Ledley King
John Terry
Matthew Upson
Stephen Warnock

Midfielders
Gareth Barry
Michael Carrick
Joe Cole
Steven Gerrard
Tom Huddlestone
Adam Johnson
Frank Lampard
Aaron Lennon
James Milner
Scott Parker
Theo Walcott
Shaun Wright-Phillips

Forwards
Darren Bent
Peter Crouch
Jermain Defoe
Emile Heskey
Wayne Rooney