Minhosa

FWIW we're the bookies favourites - very marginally like, but still. more a financial position than a judgement one i guess. i wonder if german domestic bookies have us as favourites (if there are german domestic bookies) ? You're right. Oddset (the only german bookmaker) has Germany as favourites to win this. What are the odds out of interest David? Win Germany: 2,25 Win England: 2,60 Draw: 2,70 Poor odds as usuall - that's why not many are betting at oddset and are instead betting (like me) at some online bookie. Thanks Mate.

FWIW we're the bookies favourites - very marginally like, but still. more a financial position than a judgement one i guess. i wonder if german domestic bookies have us as favourites (if there are german domestic bookies) ? You're right. Oddset (the only german bookmaker) has Germany as favourites to win this. What are the odds out of interest David?

Italy bound to equalise here.

What, in training? Probably give it a go, yeah. We need someone to be able to give a bit of cover so some people decide to run forward with the f**king ball. The commitment and urgency going forward has been horrific! No fluidity, no sharpness of passing, no planning 3 or 4 passes ahead. We've been really gash, and yesterday was pretty poor as well when you consider the space and time we had and how sh*t they were. As it stands we'll get ripped apart from Germany because we have f**k all going forward! I'd stick him in there definitely. Then tell the others to get on with their jobs and score a f**king goal. EDIT: Just relaised the 'tomorrow' part. No idea why I said 'tomorrow' like. You know what I mean I did mate, and was just being a sarcastic twat. On the Carrick thing, I'd not be chancing him but agree that we need changes for the Germany game. Tis when Fabio need to earn his money.

What, in training? Probably give it a go, yeah.

It'll just be nice to play a team that doesn't come for the draw/park the bus.

FML.

What do you guys think of throwing Crouch in from the start for this one? They are defensively suspect, won't be expecting the big man top play and it may pull in their marauding full backs (well, Lahm) for cover if they're concerned about his presence when out of possession.

Very solid today.

QFT. Looking for problems iyam.

I don't believe we'd knowlingly spend £1m on a back up. I do believe we'd sell our best player for a tiny profit. worried.com.

Shite.

Brave.

Of that 1996 team I would replace the following when compared with this WC squad;- Seaman G. Neville Adams Southgate (Rio Ferdinand) Pearce (Ashley Cole) Anderton (Lampard) Gascoigne Ince McManaman (Gerrard) Shearer Sheringham (Rooney) Appreciate they aren't exactly like for like in terms of positions but I think those in brackets are the better option/player albeit they wouldn't fit into the 1996 formation.

Media are loving it man, from the moment they got Terry sacked they found their way in, they found a way to disrupt and Capello's authority became compromised, and before that it was a fortress, no sleaze, high morale, winning football they had nothing to spin. Agree with all of that. The irony being the fucking media were going apeshit because of Capellos clauses and the rumours they spread about him being linked with all sorts of jobs which turned into them demanding his contract was sorted before the WC and NOW they're the first bastards to complain about the £10m it'll cost to sack him. You couldn't make it up.

What exactly is Terry accused of here?

All well and good until you consider who you would replace him with. The answer. Nobody is better than him AND currently fit.

I noticed that as well. I know if you're right footed, it's easier to pass the ball to the left, but on two or three occasions, Johnson was in loads of space in the second half, and they moved it the other way. As with the USA game, we looked more dangerous on the right, so I couldn't understand that. Again, maybe it's unrelaxed minds at work. Glad it wasn't just me. I can't fathom it because from my front room it looked absolutely clear as day that Johnson was not only the best ball but the easiest too. Weird.

Agree with this with the caveat that we've still not had the pair of them in the correct system nor consistently enough.

They had Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and David Beckham. Players who could do the basics, complete footballers who can do everything and have what's required to maintain possession. Lampard, Gerrard and Barry cannot. Scholes is the only English player I can remember who could match the best continental players at the sort of things we've highlighted as weaknesses in the current squad. we do have some decent players in this regard - the likes of Ashley Cole, Ferdinand, Rooney to some extent even if his touch was atrocious tonight, but too many let us down on a consistent basis during general play and get by on physicality, aggression and end product. Er, aren't you forgetting someone? Sir Nicholas of Butt?

Or Wayne, Nobby Stiles would do a better job than that and he's in hospital with half his face fucked.

For what? To beat f***ing Algeria and Slovenia? Rubbish. Both those teams are better on the ball than us. Nonsense, tbh. Have you seen any of these players play for their clubs? The players in the England team lack the technical and tactical diversity to fit into a system together. Their deficiencies in terms of trapping the ball, maintaining possession and controlling the ball are cancelled out when playing for their clubs as they are surrounded by players who have the skillsets do this. When you try to mould all of them into a team they look useless because they can't do any of the simple basics that should be learned from a youngster. Lampard, Gerrard, Barry can't do the basics? Howay man. Lampard and Gerrard can't. been saying that for years. there's a reason their club managers surround them with the likes of Alonso, Mascherano, Lucas, Hamann, Sissoko, McAllister, Essien, Makelele, Tiago, Mikel, Ballack etc etc. Let Steve and Frank take care of running forward, taking shots and spraying long range, risky passes. leave the real midfield work of postional discipline, negotiating congested areas of the pitch with good first touch and intelligent short passing and tracking back for tackles and interceptions to others. i don't really think this issue was the major problem tonight though, as we had barry in there, poor as he was, and gerrard was shunted out wide. we had our fair share of possession and pushed algeria back most the time, especially in the 2nd half, but the cohesion to work up fluid attacks just wasn't there, not in the slightest. Absolute nonsense. Completely disregarding the stats which had Lamapard and Gerrard respectively as the top 2 creative players in the league in 08-09 and Lampard once again leading the way last season. Players need to be used corrently, you only need to look at Messi for Argentina to see that. Exactly, both of those players performed well because they had the set-up and players around them in order to get the very best out of them. Neither Gerrard or Lampard are complete enough midfielders, and the set up needs to be right to get the best out of them. England however don't have the players to put behind them in order to get the best out of them - hence why they're both shoehorned repeatedly into the same line-up and it repeatedly fails to work. Yet Rafa bust his balls trying to sign Barry specifically for that role?

Another thing that did become apparent tonight was players not playing in the obvious man in space. There was countless times Johnson was on only for Gerrard or Barry to overcomplicate things or go through the middle. A further thing was midfielders tripping over each other and getting in each others way, especially with Gerrard who ran into Lampard and Rooney in nothing positions.

C'Mon then Wayne, wheres your red mist now you great big scouse fanny? *And then pray to fuck his cramp kicks back in as I sprint like a bastard out of Africa.

For what? To beat f***ing Algeria and Slovenia? Rubbish. Both those teams are better on the ball than us. Nonsense, tbh. Have you seen any of these players play for their clubs? The players in the England team lack the technical and tactical diversity to fit into a system together. Their deficiencies in terms of trapping the ball, maintaining possession and controlling the ball are cancelled out when playing for their clubs as they are surrounded by players who have the skillsets do this. When you try to mould all of them into a team they look useless because they can't do any of the simple basics that should be learned from a youngster. Lampard, Gerrard, Barry can't do the basics? Howay man. They're all desperately limited technically and rely on other players at club level to give them the platform to use their strengths. Their ability to do the basics in trapping the ball, passing economically, retaining the football, playing triangles etc is non-existant. That's why in an international situation where the necessity to treasure the ball and break teams down is impossible. Often we overpower teams but even Mexico and Japan were able to maintain possession and do the basics better than we were, it's absolutely f***ing embarrasing. Do you think then, based upon that, that a Gerrard, Lampard or Rooney wouldn't get in many of the other 32 teams? Spain apart they'd walk into pretty much every other team imho. Rooney yes. Lampard and Gerrard wouldn't get into Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Netherlands at all. And even if they were to there would have to be compensations made to include them in the same line-up. Disagree with that put can see the broad point your making. No doubt in my mind all 3 would get into the vast majority of sides in the competition.