TheBrownBottle

Bizarre article that. I understand that sometimes a manager will use another club’s interest as leverage for a better deal - but last I checked all concerned are pretty happy having Howe onboard, and I can’t see that changing any time soon.

Don’t think there’ll be much of a dip in quality based on this Tunisia v Australia game

Nice one - will give that a listen when walking the dogs later

Yeah, he was really poor. Don’t think he was much cop vs Iran either. Amazing what playing for a good manager does.

Yeah, last one was about a decade before you were born mate. They knocked us out the last time we were holders - in 1956 (QF at SJP)

Edit: to test this, just did a quick Google of ‘best European championships ever’, then clicked on the first two articles: https://www.sportskeeda.com/amp/football/ranking-the-best-uefa-euro-championships-of-all-time https://www.planetfootball.com/quick-reads/a-definitive-ranking-of-every-euros-since-1996-from-worst-to-best no prizes for guessing the winner I just want to watch decent football, especially when (for me) it is low-stakes

Euro 2000 is still my favourite Euros, funnily enough - though I don’t think I’m alone in the opinion that it was the best Euros to date.

It’s not what it once was, as the draw once felt like a national event, but I still find the 3rd round draw exciting

‘Britain’s loss … is America’s loss too’

Yeah, I think it’ll be a canny game to watch - two evenly matched sides with everything to play for, who know they likely need to win.

Fair enough, and it’s likely why I can’t engage too well with it. I don’t care enough about who wins it to be happy watching a grind.

Fair enough - we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one - I think the 00s you listed were good but not great players

Agreed, but oddly enough that’s probably what he wants - finishing 2nd probably means a better chance of a SF for England, thanks to the peculiarities of the draw

They were dull to watch, too. I didn’t like watching them, I can’t understand how anyone would. Someone is going to win a tournament, but this is meant to be an entertainment. It’s not a coincidence that Hungary ‘54, Holland ‘74 and Brazil ‘82 are much better known and more fondly remembered than plenty of sides who actually won it.

Not arsed about winning it, would like to see some good football

Got you, apologies my misreading I think Venables is vastly overrated too - both in club and country terms. Euro 96 was on home soil. But it was decent to watch. For the record, I also think Adams and Seaman are two of the most overblown footballers of all time, and Gascoigne was miles past his best by that point. I actually think this is - man for man - the most technically gifted group in my lifetime. Not brilliant, but all solid, capable players. Sure, none of them are world-class - but the only English player that I think was the best in his position in the world at any point was Ashley Cole, who I think was the best left back of the mid-00s. Gerrard, Lampard et al were players who’s weaknesses were glossed over, helped by that gap being plugged at club level. Agreed re results and performances largely being shite. It would be nice to see if the performances can be improved, irrespective of the results. Neither KK nor BR reached a cup final with NUFC - Dalglish and Gullit did. But fuck me I know which brand of football I preferred.

Haha aye, it’s pretty solid advice in fairness Yes, that’s opinions for you. Was NUFC’s side of 2002-03 better than the 1995-96 side? I think it was, but I can’t prove it - and plenty would think otherwise, and could point to them finishing 2nd instead of 3rd

Bellamy mouthed off in the press when we bid for Rooney a few weeks before There were few exceptions in the blame game - loads of them acted like wankers, Shearer included.

Yep, that’s my issue too. Football with the handbrake on. It has never been well-liked at SJP - and god knows we’ve won fuck all since the ‘60s either, just like England. Not sure why when watching England - who I give far less of a damn about - that type of football is meant to be ok. He’s got Maddison, Foden and Grealish not starting. Whatever anyone thinks of them - personally I think they’re good footballers but not world class ones - they’d at least be entertaining to watch. Instead it’s Mason fucking Mount, an out of form Sterling and Kane who’s Hidegkuti impression as a deep lying no 9 doesn’t work without the class of Son alongside him edit: when people make manager comparisons, the manager who Southgate reminds me of is Taylor. Nice bloke, proper FA man, teams play shite football, will happily drop Chris Waddle for Geoff Thomas. Southgate wouldn’t have got out of the ‘94 qfy group either, against the Dutch, and solid Norway and Poland teams.

No amnesia on my part. I had Iceland to beat England in 2016 in the predictor in the office and was looked at like I was mad. I don’t give a shite about the results, I just want to see some attacking football. Hodgson’s England were awful of course - but fuck me that’s a low bar. Germany had some real quality in 1996 - Sammer, Moller and an ageing Klinsmann were comfortably better than owt in their 2021 side. Not sure how Europe’s most successful footballing nation can be described as having quality that ‘counts for nothing’ in international tournaments

Yep. He’s a PFM of a middle-class bent. No-one on here would be pleased in any way shape or form if he replaced Howe in the unlikely scenario that Howe buggers off to Barcelona or something. No-one. His nose was put out by those daft goals conceded vs Iran and he was after a solid clean sheet whilst not expending too much energy, knowing that only a hammering off the Welsh sees England miss the last 16

I think the QF is probably the limit (and England’s natural par) for any manager - I just want to enjoy watching it. Play on the front foot and lose - just don’t be boring. England always lose to the first good side they play - that’s unlikely to change any time soon. I’d like to be entertained while that happens

Sorry Vinny, no plot lost here. Just like several other games at this WC that was an eyesore. I’m not sure the US team realised just how up for grabs that game was - they should have won easily.

I trust you’re not suggesting that 2021 Germany is the same as 1990/96 Germany And England didn’t beat Croatia, from memory

They played a boring, staid style of football, aided and abetted by an England side who seemed perfectly happy to not press and play for the easy draw. It had all of the excitement of a pre-season friendly played under a hot sun. The US had all the time in the world to regroup. I just want the proper football to restart, watching Newcastle win a corner will always means more than England winning a game - and it’s a shitload more exciting