England

[The College Dropout]

7 minutes ago, Gaztoon said:

Needs freshening  up abit IMO

 

After the world Cup and euros team seems abit stale.

It feels like a very similar team to the WC. Aside from the central midfield positions.

[Tiresias]

Back line needs improving, was ok at southgates first world cup when we went to defending deep and countering, we were rebuilding and was a readjustment process to admit we weren't able to dominate games. I will defend southgate to a point, I think staying loyal to players who have kept together and done well was good, but feel after the euros there needed to be a bit of clear eyed ruthlessness.

 

Tomori surely should be being considered ahead of the likes of Connor Coady. Maguire as much as he has been unfairly vilified in some (bomb threats ffs) probably ought to be under threat. The midfield doesnt look too shaby but Henderson probably deserves more of a look in as much as i hate to admit it. We struggle to create goals at the moment, Harry Kane is dropping too deep too much and I remain unconvinced with Mount. This does not feel like a team building to peak at the world cup, it feels a bit more like a decent one in a bit of decline.

[toon25]

Some absolute PFM bullshit from Southgate today, I see.

 

'Look, I've got to find a balance because I don't want to sit and be defensive but some people have managed teams and others haven't..Until you've managed teams, you have a different view of the game...Of course for the man who comes and stands on the terrace and in old terms pays his money, I totally understand he wants to see a Grealish with a (Raheem) Sterling, with a (Bukayo) Saka…but you've got to have a balance of the team, this is top-level football.'

 

He's Steve fucking Bruce with a thinner wasteline. It's the same 'great man manager' bullshit that keeps him in a job when in fact he's about as clueless as the fat cunt that darkened our door for 2 years.

[Yorkie]

I know I go all in on the Southgate defensive but the comparisons to Bruce I just find to be utter lunacy. Bruce was a fucking prick who the squad hated, couldn't organise a pissup in a brewery and spent half his time downing tools. Southgate, meanwhile, is a dignified and intelligent workhorse who has objectively played a massive part in building the most successful England team in generations. And its not as if his tactical choices are that controversial imo (won't deny he's made costly errors at crucial times). His team selections have certainly been justified 9 times out of 10 if not more. Certainly in the last two tournaments anyway. 

[Kid Icarus]

And he's right tbh. Wanting a certain line up with 'the best' players is often infantile FIFA thinking that most people grow out of in their 20s. 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Kid Icarus

[toon25]

As a whole, I get the sense that folk are not wanting a line up full of forwards, but one would think, with the talent currently available, that a more progressive style would be possible.

 

At the end of the day, this isn't a Billy Big Bollocks side with a load of egos. On the whole, pretty much every England squad member seems to be capable of adapting to a style that their manager dictates. It just so happens that the one they've currently got is mid-Champo standard.

 

Totally respect the opinion of others, like, but I just see Southgate as an FA bootlicker woefully unqualified to be a manager at this level.

[madras]

1 minute ago, toon25 said:

As a whole, I get the sense that folk are not wanting a line up full of forwards, but one would think, with the talent currently available, that a more progressive style would be possible.

 

At the end of the day, this isn't a Billy Big Bollocks side with a load of egos. On the whole, pretty much every England squad member seems to be capable of adapting to a style that their manager dictates. It just so happens that the one they've currently got is mid-Champo standard.

 

Totally respect the opinion of others, like, but I just see Southgate as an FA bootlicker woefully unqualified to be a manager at this level.

I struggle with the engine room. Rice, Mount, Philips etc are massively overrated IMO, especially on the higher end of the international stage.

[Kid Icarus]

The manager who got England to a World Cup semi and Euro final is unqualified at the level he got them to a World Cup semi final and a Euro final at...

 

I think the folk who don't rate him are all emboldening each other to push it further and further and as a result rational thought went out the window a while back tbh.

 

I don't even like how England play, it's just gotten really daft now. I've seen and heard some crazy opinions in my time, but that one about these England players apparently being the best in our lifetimes as a stick to beat Southgate with is going to stick with me for a long time like.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Kid Icarus

[JumpersForGoalposts]

I agree with all of the last few posts. I think Southgate is both likeable and honourable and he's genuinely trying his best for the team, and that he's tactically clueless and too blindly loyal to his favourites, even when it isn't working.

 

Lovely bloke, dreadful manager.

[Jaqen]

I don't think it's the best England team in our lifetime but I think there's a good argument to be made that this is the strongest we've been relative to the other top nations. 

 

Final and Semi final in the last two tournaments sounds great but beating a poor Germany side has been our best result and performance really. Lost to Belgium twice, Croatia and an Italy side that couldn't even make the World Cup. 

 

We've got probably around 1b's worth of attacking and midfield options in the squad to work with yet we setup like we're plucky underdogs and always more worried about the opposition. 

[joeyt]

On 07/06/2022 at 21:47, Disco said:

It’s a kiddy crowd n all as punishment for the Euro final chaos. 

 

Seems a bit shit that Wolves get an England international fixture for the first time in ages and it's behind closed doors

 

Club Wembley wins again

[Guest neesy111]

9 minutes ago, joeyt said:

 

Seems a bit shit that Wolves get an England international fixture for the first time in ages and it's behind closed doors

 

Club Wembley wins again

 

They moved after the punishment was announced.

[RodneyCisse]

It’s only through proximity to St George’s park, if we hadn’t been punished it would have been at wembo.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

On 08/06/2022 at 13:23, WillingtonMag said:

How does Mount start ahead of Grealish

Different position.  

[WillingtonMag]

15 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Different position.  

Do they have to be though I'd have a front 4 of Kane, Foden, Grealish, Saka.

[Hanshithispantz]

Sterling takes up Grealish's role though, and he was our best player in the Euros imo. Alli and Lingard dropping off the face of the earth has fucked us a bit tbh.

[Wullie]

3 hours ago, Jaqen said:

Final and Semi final in the last two tournaments sounds great but beating a poor Germany side has been our best result and performance really. Lost to Belgium twice, Croatia and an Italy side that couldn't even make the World Cup. 

 

This is the kind of thing that's used to have a go at Southgate that I find so disingenuous. Italy won all 3 group games comfortably then knocked out Belgium and Spain. On this forum and elsewhere people were absolutely buzzing about them and saying they looked like clear favourites right from the off. They were fully deserving finalists, using something that then happened to them a year later (after their best attacking player, Chiesa, got injured) is just massaging the facts to suit a dislike of the manager.

 

Quote

We've got probably around 1b's worth of attacking and midfield options in the squad to work with yet we setup like we're plucky underdogs and always more worried about the opposition. 

 

All half decent international teams do this, literally every single one of them. Didier Deschamps has been manager of France for 10 years, he's won a World Cup and lost a Euro final, they are absolutely dull as fuck. Portugal were absolutely unwatchable in winning Euro 2016. That's international football. 

[LionOfGosforth]

9 minutes ago, Wullie said:

 

This is the kind of thing that's used to have a go at Southgate that I find so disingenuous. Italy won all 3 group games comfortably then knocked out Belgium and Spain. On this forum and elsewhere people were absolutely buzzing about them and saying they looked like clear favourites right from the off. They were fully deserving finalists, using something that then happened to them a year later (after their best attacking player, Chiesa, got injured) is just massaging the facts to suit a dislike of the manager.

 

 

All half decent international teams do this, literally every single one of them. Didier Deschamps has been manager of France for 10 years, he's won a World Cup and lost a Euro final, they are absolutely dull as fuck. Portugal were absolutely unwatchable in winning Euro 2016. That's international football. 

 

100% and I fucking hate it. Put your feet up and put on a video of the 82 WC and watch how Brazil played with Zico, Socrates and Falcao. Or France with Platini and Giresse in 84. Watch the Denmark team in the 86 WC take Spain apart 6-1 with Laudrup taking the piss. Modern football has advanced so much but in so many ways, give me international football from 40 years ago any day of the week.

[Jaqen]

1 hour ago, Wullie said:

 

This is the kind of thing that's used to have a go at Southgate that I find so disingenuous. Italy won all 3 group games comfortably then knocked out Belgium and Spain. On this forum and elsewhere people were absolutely buzzing about them and saying they looked like clear favourites right from the off. They were fully deserving finalists, using something that then happened to them a year later (after their best attacking player, Chiesa, got injured) is just massaging the facts to suit a dislike of the manager.

 

 

All half decent international teams do this, literally every single one of them. Didier Deschamps has been manager of France for 10 years, he's won a World Cup and lost a Euro final, they are absolutely dull as fuck. Portugal were absolutely unwatchable in winning Euro 2016. That's international football. 

 

To be fair I've defended Southgate the whole times he's been manager but the whole final and semi final argument is the same as Bruce finishing the same as Rafa or Pardew getting us 5th defence. It doesn't tell the whole story. 

 

Beating most of the teams we should beat means he's done a much better job than his predecessors already by default. I think you can think Southgate has done a good job but probably isn't good enough to take us to the next step though. I don't think he's capable of beating three decent teams in a row like Mancini did with Italy for example and that's what it might take at the next World Cup, we'll sure not get as easy a run as we've had last two times. 

 

I agree though France, Portugal and Belgium in particular standout as having managers who aren't very good and a bit too negative as well. So in that sense we aren't at a big disadvantage with Southgate. 

 

I disagree about all the other teams having such a wealth of talent to pick from though. Other than France we easily have the strongest squad in Europe. Our bench players are better than most teams starters. 

 

Think having a fair few players with not a lot of big game experience played a part too, mind. A lot of them aren't Champions League regulars or have much experience of winning things. As soon as we took the lead against Italy it looked like they shit themselves. 

[Ste]

 

[Guest HTT II]

Mount man, the most average of players… decent lineup otherwise. Hopefully Abraham will shine.

[Pokerprince2004]

Going to be played by closed doors so no crowd, will be like watching in lockdown all over again. Probably sack this off now although fancy watching Scamacca as he's been linked so Im tempted.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Pokerprince2004

[gbandit]

The thing is, Mount is actually a good player in a Chelsea shirt but he’s not had a good England game yet, at least not for the whole game. This will be his 29th cap, he really doesn’t deserve to be getting a start every game

[Dokko]

That crowd is pathetic 

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

Another anthem that's better than ours.