Kid Icarus

Isak one on one, Gordon one on one and Gordon a free header from 3 yards out is the definition of looking like scoring IYAM.

howeh man

Genuinely don't think it's any more complicated than analysing why our players can't finish at the moment. 0 goals from a combined xG of ~4 in the last 2 matches is bizarre when you know the quality our players have.

Another performance that'll be massively influenced by the result, the difference this time is that Everton felt like a special case in shocking end product, today makes it look like a worrying pattern. The finishing was woeful and as you would expect against good teams happy to sit on a lead from a runaway goal, we paid the price. That game should never have been allowed to go that way, we created 3 or 4 huge chances and made a dog's dinner of all of them. This can't be allowed to become a pattern. Pope: 6 Livramento: 4.5 Schär: 6 Burn: 7 Hall: 6.5 Bruno: 6.5 Joelinton: 6 Tonali: 6 Gordon: 5.5 Isak: 5 Murphy: 5

Some devoted method acting going on there

That must be a slipped disc, absolutely kills

Shocked Isak didn't take it around the keeper when he was already on the deck

Can't really blame Howe when Spurs aside all of Barnes' output has been exclusively as a sub.

Spurs 3-1 West Ham Fulham 1-2 Villa Ipswich 1-1 Everton Man United 1-2 Brentford Newcastle 3-1 Brighton Southampton 1-1 Leicester Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal Wolves 0-2 Man City Liverpool 3-2 Chelsea Forest 1-0 Palace

Thought exactly the same. Charles? Is that you? Chucky? Charlie if that's you, I still don't forgive you for not letting me buy Perfect Dark just as you were closing.

Nah, that's class. Couldn't keep the pretence up for even a minute

Man goes bowling with his family shocker.

I just don't see why there's a distinction there. I've seen people say that there is, but not why. Not only are England players paid and bonused both directly and indirectly for playing for England, but it's also very easy to argue that managing England is an honour not done for financial reasons. I get what you mean about across the board with other countries. Maybe there could be a ranking or seeding system set up whereby countries who are deemed to be establishing their infrastructure get dispensation to hire coaching staff from outside.

The pang of excitement I got from seeing a photo of Charlie's Games man Spent more of less every weekend there from 13 to 15 and almost made it my goal to be as girlfriend-less as possible. Halcyon days though.

I don't know how you thread that needle of one being one thing and the other being another. It's good that you can see the point being made and wouldn't be opposed to it though. I'm not sure it would need to be across the board for everyone either, you would expect that there will be absolutionists who want it to apply to everyone, but personally I think in addition to the players it would only need to apply to the manager. That way the really important/influential roles are covered.

Where players are born is irrelevant to the point. As you know, players don't choose to play for countries solely based on where they were born. I get that you want to make it clear that you're not a bigot, but if we could both take that as a given about each other and talk like adults we'll probably get to a mutual understanding much quicker. Do you agree with the existing clearly defined criteria on who can and can't represent their country on the pitch? Is it not reasonable to think that same criteria should also apply to arguably the most important role, ie the manager?

So to summarise (and putting your hypotheticals to one side for a moment), because there are rules about players you care, but because there are no rules about the coaching staff you don't?

The key thing being missed in all of this with the whole "duuuh it's xenophobia" craic is that it isn't even necessarily an issue of nationality, it's about how it reflects on the value of our institutions, football culture and the quality of our coaching infrastructure and pipeline. Anyone who's growing up in that in England is English, but really it's irrelevant and frankly the only embarrassing thing there is that I feel it needs to be said as a qualifier. To give a few examples to make the point clearer: Lennox Lewis moved from the UK to Canada at 12 and had his boxing education outside of the UK. His success has nothing to do with anything he learned here. Likewise for different reasons Owen Hargreaves, Greg Rusedski, Kevin Pietersen, to a large extent professionally, Graham Potter. Conversely, when footballers who've grown up in England choose to play for Ireland no one has any difficulty in seeing how that upbringing in England's football infrastructure has played a part in benefitting them and Ireland. It's a shocking indictment of our system that we can't produce (or haven’t the confidence to choose) a manager to replace Southgate, someone who was apparently shit but ironically having come through that very system is comfortably the most successful England manager in my lifetime. Forget birthplace, parents and all that, Tuchel is by those metrics German, but him being a product of Germany and not England is what matters much more imo.

Tuchel is factually not English by any definition though so what's your point?

Would you draw it at Kai Havertz starting up front for England? Or does it only become risible and xenophobic at the exact point that it's not a player we're talking about?

I don't think you blow it in one game, that early, with his experience with those players tbh.

Carsley would have undoubtedly been brought through by Spain, Germany and others with that cv imo.

I like it purely because it's not Howe and on that basis I love it tbh, greatest appointment ever. Beyond that I don't think it's a good appointment at all tbh. Even when Tuchel's successful and not falling out with people, he has a very clear use by date of 1 year. Weirdly I think it's also a bad appointment for him, an international appointment should be beneath him unless he's looking for something a bit more laid back.

Fill your boots lads. https://shorturl.at/b8MNk

Hah hah hah you English, you cannot put something second and third that you are already putting in the first