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The England Thread

Pilko

by Pilko
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Neil

Neil

Posted
Posted

I'll gladly cheer us on in the qualifiers like anyone else but I don't think I'll be 'excited' about England until we give a convincing performance against a good side. And even then it'll more than likely be me wanting to believe we're good, rather than being it.

 

I'm not saying I don't want us to win, far from it. But Capello has proven he can get us through a qualifying campaign against mediocre opposition with ease (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_%E2%80%93_UEFA_Group_6) and starting with tonight the signs are that the same will happen this time. Means absolutely nothing when we come up against anyone decent, as South Africa showed. It's just uninspiring.

 

Yep, exactly my point. Until we look like we can mix it against the best then I don't think I'll feel excited about watching us play. It's good to see us win even if it is qualifiers but there is that very major feeling of knowing we'll once again get whipped by the numerous better teams.

 

Oh well. We're gonna win the league! Cup! Something!

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Nobody

Nobody

Posted
Posted

Dawson is the second most improved player in the Prem over the last 2 years after Carroll, therefore I feel sorry for the lad.

 

The fact that given the state of injuries,Capello has altered nothing,means that I have no interest in the national team.

FYP

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Cronky

Cronky

Posted
Posted

I'll gladly cheer us on in the qualifiers like anyone else but I don't think I'll be 'excited' about England until we give a convincing performance against a good side. And even then it'll more than likely be me wanting to believe we're good, rather than being it.

 

I'm not saying I don't want us to win, far from it. But Capello has proven he can get us through a qualifying campaign against mediocre opposition with ease (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_%E2%80%93_UEFA_Group_6) and starting with tonight the signs are that the same will happen this time. Means absolutely nothing when we come up against anyone decent, as South Africa showed. It's just uninspiring.

 

Yep, exactly my point. Until we look like we can mix it against the best then I don't think I'll feel excited about watching us play. It's good to see us win even if it is qualifiers but there is that very major feeling of knowing we'll once again get whipped by the numerous better teams.

 

Oh well. We're gonna win the league! Cup! Something!

 

In South Africa, it wasn't so much the opposition that changed as the team's performance. We were struggling against Algeria and Slovenia, not just Germany.

 

Capello has to figure out what happened to change a confident side into a very inhibited looking one. Perhaps it was just a matter of tiredness at the end of the season - it was very noticeable last night how much quicker we were at closing the opposition down. There's been lots of talk about formations and selections, but I don't think that was the significant factor.

 

Personally, if I was to point to one factor it would be the pressure the team were under after all the hype, which the likes of Rooney seemed to make himself more susceptible to with those 'hero' adverts. We looked mentally jaded as much as physically. Capello needs to find a way of helping the players to enjoy their football, even under those conditions.

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Guest Stephen927

Guest Stephen927

Posted
Posted

3 goals for Defoe, 2 set up by Rooney.. their partnership is encouraging.

 

Hopefully Johnson will mature defensively like Ashley Cole did.

 

Can't take anything from the result really, in terms of improvements. 4 goals, 3 points, clean sheet, all against a second rate team who looked shit scared of playing at Wembley.

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Guest schmuck

Guest schmuck

Posted
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Qualifiers for the Euros and World Cup are fucking pointless. All these wanky teams that have little chance of doing anything in pointless leagues that take two years to complete. England are utterly average yet they will coast through this group again and be stunned by the quality of the proper teams when it actually gets to meaningful matches against good teams. I fully accept the smaller nations deserve their shot and I can't think of a better solution (could a straight knockout format like the FA Cup work?) but I really can't get excited about England games when they're not in the finals of a tournament.

 

Top (for example) 24 ranked teams go straight into qualifiers, with the remainder having to pre-qualify, over say 2 rounds of 2-legged knockouts. Minnows in the first round and with mid-sized teams in for the second. When this is decided, 8 (again, for example) groups of 4 for the actual qualifiers, to be played a bit closer to the tournament to put more emphasis on form teams making it). Group winners seeded for the tournament, runners-up unseeded. Yeah it's essentially the Champions League  :lol: , which I hate for club football incidentally, but with less games and more competitive matches, I think this kind of format could really work for international football.

 

Incidentally, teams losing in pre-qualifying could enter into alternative (perhaps regional?) tournaments played simultaneously to the proper qualifiers. They still get competitive football, but against better matched sides so the smallest nations don't necessarily have to base their whole game around parking the bus - hopefully allowing them to actually progress as footballing nations. btw the argument that every team has equal right to qualify is like saying Barnet have the right to play in the Premiership - they're not competitive, they don't.

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Guest VegasToon

Guest VegasToon

Posted
Posted

I thought Hart played very well.  Some very good saves.  Hope he continues not so much for the sake of England, but just to keep Given on the bench. 

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The College Dropout

The College Dropout

Posted
Posted

Qualifiers for the Euros and World Cup are f***ing pointless. All these wanky teams that have little chance of doing anything in pointless leagues that take two years to complete. England are utterly average yet they will coast through this group again and be stunned by the quality of the proper teams when it actually gets to meaningful matches against good teams. I accept the smaller nations deserve a shot and I can't think of a better solution (could a straight knockout format like the FA Cup work?) but I really can't get excited about England games when they're not in the finals of a tournament.

 

Good points.

 

You can only judge how good any team is, until they play the best.  This means against the likes of Germany, Spain, Holland, Spain, Portugal.  Nothing will have changed against these teams, as they will shread to pieces our defence which tonight was very poor (i.e. Hart having to make a number of good saves).

 

Qualifiers pointless? Coast through? Have we already forgotten we failed to qualify for the last Euro's? Portugal and France struggled to make it to the WC's too.

 

Doing it based on rankings is stupid too. The same teams will automatically qualify and then most likely stay highly ranked.

 

The qualifiers are 13 months long, not 2 years.

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Guest ObiChrisKenobi

Guest ObiChrisKenobi

Posted
Posted

Lost interest in England once Shearer retired, as dumb as that sounds. I know its my Country's National Team, but I just can't associate with it. I have no real idea why, other than I don't really like the players representing my Country. Its totally daft. The only thing that would get me interested/excited in England would be a player that I liked.

 

I mean, I watch every performance, but I never feel any connection or excitment watching them at all. I think Euro96 will be the biggest connection I'll ever feel to an England team. Just don't see the real desire or passion that the Euro96 team had, that the current players have. They say they care, but you rarely see it. Rarely feel it, watching the teams from the last 10 years or so.

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ElDiablo

ElDiablo

Posted
Posted

Think once the likes of Terry/Lampard/Ferdinand/Gerrard/Cole fuck off there won't be as many tossers in the squad so it'll be easier to get behind them. I like the likes of Milner, Walcott, Wilshere, Jagielka, Hart etc Look forward to 2012.

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ponsaelius

ponsaelius

Posted
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I've got nowt against Cole when it comes to playing for England tbh. He's a wanker of course but he's probably the most consistent performer in an England shirt, aslong as he's doing it on the pitch I can't dislike him in a footballing sense.

 

It's when they're wankers and shite for England which is unbearable.

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