leffe186

Yeah honestly wanted Scotland to give them a game but now I’d be happy for them to let in 10

With Germany pressing so well Scotland desperately need an outlet up front and wide and just don’t have the players. Kinda want this to be a total annihilation

Yup. So bloody easy.

This is looking ominous.

One of those where you can totally see why he didn’t save it, but he really should have saved it,

Happy to still be on the bus tbh.

I’m rushing home from Central London. Pubs around Euston seemed fairly up for it

“American businessman Friedkin, who has a reported net worth of £4.8bn, wants Serie A side Roma and Premier League club Everton to sit at the top of a multi-club model.” *sigh*

I mean, you either support a team or you don’t. There are a million political and social reasons to not support England. For all the flaws we’re guessing are in that study, we all knew that Liverpool and Newcastle would be near the top and Chelsea and West Ham would be near the bottom. I’m just interested in the argument that simultaneously where you’re born and grow up doesn’t make you support your country, but a specific football team is in your blood. Everyone’s different, but the entire reason I support both my country and team is in my blood.

Were your parents from Newcastle? Spurs is in my blood through my Dad and my childhood. England is also in my blood through my Dad and my childhood. I have some of that patriotism and national pride just as I have some of that Norf London pride. If you don’t then fair enough. A lot of England fans are cunts but every club’s fan base has cunts too - doesn’t mean we stop supporting them.

He’s good but injuries, basically. Versatile left-sided defender.

It was always England. Presumably because I moved to London when I was young and because of my Dad. Also I suspect partly because of Botham and 1981. For some reason (maybe class ) I was always a bit more ambiguous about the rugby.

True. Largely because you were shat out by your Ma on that patch of Earth by the Tyne (I presume). My Ma shat me out in Sydney, but I grew up in north London with a Spurs-mad Dad so it’s in my blood, and family, and community. So’s England, albeit a bit more diluted (literally in my case with an Australian mum). One of the things I love about football is that it brings a community together. The irony of course is that it also splits it up - particularly in, say, North London. One of the things I love about international football is that it brings those tribes together. My best memories of England matches involve celebrating with and hugging fans of other teams. If you don’t experience that then fair enough. I think you’re missing out, but that’s life’s rich tapestry.

I think he legit twisted his knee himself. My favourite guy is the one who walks past and smirks at the camera

The Birmingham City fan said he’d rather see England win Euro 2024 than Brum win the Premier League, with all the implications of that (your team has been completely revitalized, promoted then taken the Premier League by storm and presumably beaten Villa to the title)? If that means I’m in a bubble, then it’s a bubble of sanity.

Yeah he was with us from 12-16. Comes from Barnet, not far away.

Yeah I don’t buy that at all. Two out of every five Spurs fans would rather England win Euro 2024 than us win the fucking league? Fuck off Definitely one where I would be investigating the methodology.

I have no idea what is going on at Chelsea . Somebody said something about them selling a hotel?

Some podcast mentioned something like this was the first time we’d lost the friendly before a major championship since 1968. I’m going to take that as a good omen.

Not having that. I fucking love the Liquidator and it pisses me off no end that Chelsea have nabbed it.

Was gonna say, think he’s generally well thought of.

Only me that thinks losing that is a good omen? That was very meh. I find it hard to get too worked up about these friendlies. A decent lesson about how to (and not to) break down the low block I guess. Ramsdale hasn’t played enough football and does not inspire confidence. Stones and Guehi seemed fine but I wish one of them was a bit more commanding. Walker was Walker - good defender, great pace but he’s just not a natural attacking FB when he actually has the ball. That comes more naturally to Trippier but obviously he’s out of position on the left and was being actively targeted by fucking Iceland, which is telling. I posted somewhere else about how dangerous Kane will be when he drops in and has both Gordon and Saka to hit. I think those two on the wing give us far better balance and the sort of width on both sides you need against the low block. We never really had that tonight, although there were flashes with Saka and TAA on the right late on. Palmer made a handful of terrific runs into the space Kane left which was encouraging, but he completely vanished for their goal and defending in general, and again took far too long with the opportunities he had. Gordon wasted a couple of opportunities too but is clearly the sort of player we need on that wing. I know the low block is a pain in the arse, but it’s a given that the ways to break it down are (a) use width and (b) pass forward quickly, particularly when you have managed to draw them out. There was too little of both. Some lovely passes from Kane to Gordon (looked dangerous) and Walker ultimately came to naught. I think if it’s Saka getting those passes on the right it’s just a matter of time before we score. Last quarter we suddenly have two skilful attackers on the right and we should probably have come up with an equaliser at least. I can’t make my mind up about Mainoo. He did OK - not great, not bad. Should probably have pushed on a bit more at times, but then you’ve got the same old problem of Mainoo, Foden, Palmer and Lane all sort of operating in the same space…and the space that all those Icelandic players are operating in too. Toney covered a lot of ground but our central midfield fell apart for a while in the second half. We couldn’t get hold of and keep the ball, which was a bit pathetic against Iceland. Ho hum. Play Saka instead of Palmer, Bellingham instead of Mainoo and just pray that we’re gonna score one more than them, I guess.

I think it was a significant issue at the beginning of the move for their goal.

By having a bad defence.

Urgh.