Elliottman Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Townsend was a really obvious choice, there was no feasible argument I can think of against including him in the squad. This isn't me being a dick, but would people have said this (not you) before he signed for us? I read some horrific posts about him when be first joined. He wasn't in form before he signed for us though, he hadn't played for over six months. I wasn't particularly a fan of signing Townsend, and he looked bang average at first, but he was really excellent for the last few games, and improving every game to the point where he was absolutely fantastic against Spurs (i.e. most of the England team). It's a cliche but England managers rarely take form into account when it's exactly what you need going into a tournament. It's six or seven games and you need the players who are most impressive at the time. It's like the play-offs - never just back the team who finished highest, back the team that's in form. But at the same time you don't judge others Townsend was a really obvious choice, there was no feasible argument I can think of against including him in the squad. This isn't me being a dick, but would people have said this (not you) before he signed for us? I read some horrific posts about him when be first joined. He wasn't in form before he signed for us though, he hadn't played for over six months. I wasn't particularly a fan of signing Townsend, and he looked bang average at first, but he was really excellent for the last few games, and improving every game to the point where he was absolutely fantastic against Spurs (i.e. most of the England team). It's a cliche but England managers rarely take form into account when it's exactly what you need going into a tournament. It's six or seven games and you need the players who are most impressive at the time. It's like the play-offs - never just back the team who finished highest, back the team that's in form. But at the same time you don't just judge him on the last 6 months, you judge on what you know of him . go back to when we signed him, there were comments about him being the next obertan etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Rashford was Roys attempt at showing himself to be a risk taker (by bowing to media pressure), he probably wont even get on the pitch and the squad is unbalanced as a result. Absolutely no need to take five strikers when you're playing one up front. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Hodgson wouldn't have been judging him on the last six months though, he's capped Townsend many times before, he's obviously somewhat of a fan anyway so I can't understand his thought process in taking so many strikers instead of dumping one of them and adding Townsend. And form is important so you have to put more weight on the last six months than what went before. Before the last WC, Sterling was in excellent form for Liverpool. Now he's very far from that, and so taking him as the only wide player with pace was stupidity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanshithispantz Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 I can only assume he viewed Rashford and Sturridge as utility men, which they're not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 That one Lallana dragged wide was a lovely move. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollof rice and pea Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Absolutely cringe when people compare Rooney in midfield with Scholes like Keown did. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 A point that nobody has mentioned was that bang about a minute before Russia scored. I was shitting myself that someone had set a bomb off like the Stade de France and I can't have been the only one, I was desperate for the game to finish at that point in case something had happened. I think if I'd been on the pitch, that would have affected my concentration big time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Tbf looking at the attacking options. Everyone offers something different. I can see the logic of not bringing Townsend if you're taking Sterling. Sterling despite being awful for months was always going if fit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayson Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Harry kane being on corners sums it up as much as Pardew putting Dummett on direct fks. You know when a manager just has no idea wtf he's doing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayson Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Wales will hold us aswell if we play like that. Which we will. Because WE PLAYED WELL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Open_C Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 A point that nobody has mentioned was that bang about a minute before Russia scored. I was shitting myself that someone had set a bomb off like the Stade de France and I can't have been the only one, I was desperate for the game to finish at that point in case something had happened. I think if I'd been on the pitch, that would have affected my concentration big time. Aye, Tyldesly called firework but I wasn't convinced Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikenewcastle Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Football can be a bastard. 1 minute away from that being genuinely one of our best opening games ever. I don't want to overreact, I think the result was 90% bad luck but the subs were clearly crap. The game was tailor made for Vardy (even before you take into account Kane's ineffectiveness). Wales game is massive now, but I'm feeling cautiously optimistic... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiquidAK Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 A point that nobody has mentioned was that bang about a minute before Russia scored. I was shitting myself that someone had set a bomb off like the Stade de France and I can't have been the only one, I was desperate for the game to finish at that point in case something had happened. I think if I'd been on the pitch, that would have affected my concentration big time. Aye, Tyldesly called firework but I wasn't convinced Must have been near the mic because it was so loud on the ITV broadcast. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Kane on set pieces is insane, I'll never understand it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUFCDoog Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 We're in trouble now like. Lose to Wales which you just know will happen and then its hopefully beat Slovakia and finish on 4pts. Only 2 3rd place teams go out so i guess 4 should be enough but you just dont know. Worryinf that we made so many chances and the only goal we scored was a free kick. Some of th final balls were terrible. Hodgson is fucking useless as well, how he is still here afer the world cup performance is a joke in itself Are we going to qualify then? Will 4pts be enough? Im working om the proviso we lose to Wales and beat Slovakia. Been going through the groups to see the 2 3rd place teams that go out. Romania/Switzerland maybe and hopefully Hungary or Iceland to only get say 3pts. Going to be tight. If we do end up scraping out though we"ll obviously go out in the last 16 so i guess its pointless really. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 If Kane plays like that again next match and there's only room for one forward then he needs dropped for Vardy or Sturridge. Utterly perplexed re Vardy, thought he'd be on after an hour at worst, he's the one player in the squad who is walking on air at the minute yet with something to prove to the world and he's sat on the bench. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Tbf looking at the attacking options. Everyone offers something different. I can see the logic of not bringing Townsend if you're taking Sterling. Sterling despite being awful for months was always going if fit. I'm not really sure why. He was up against the a defence that couldn't cope with his pace for the first 45 mins yet produced nothing of substance. He's done exactly the same for Man City all season. Someone mentioned earlier that we have turned out the shit version of Arsenal, and I think that is how this team has been put together. A bunch of fashionable names put together with no coherent strategy how to get a result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayson Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 We played some lovely attacking football but the reality is: Lallana had a good chance, 5 goals last year, cut it wide. Sterling went through on goal, 6 goals last year, got tackled by the last man. Sterling had a ball drop with only him & kane in the area, waited for it & lost the opportunity. Rose smashed a ball across, no one ran bar Alli. Our best chance bar the goal? Wayne Rooney shooting from outside the area. The attacking instinct needed to finish chances it what makes the margins. A cruyff turn in the box to get it back to 2-1 v Germany. A backheel from a near post run later. These are the margins Sterling & Lallana do not have. Kane has it, Vardy has it, Rooney has it thats why he came closest to scoring? There is no point playing one upfront. Rooney tonight w Vardy & Kane running up top and you're looking at chances galore. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2 Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Townsend would have been a perfect option to replace Sterling. But oh no, we had to take Rashford, who wont see a single minute of action; Barkley, who has just had a rubbish season and is not proven at international level; and the poster boy of years gone by, Rooney. Roy just casually ignored a) the form Townsend finished the season in and b) his skill set, which the players he has selected lack. fwiw, I reckon a team the team that started tonight minus one of Lallana or Sterling with Townsend instead would have won with ease. Just cos neither Sterling nor Lallana are a direct goal threat, but Townsend is and Russia would have had to have set up to defend that. An extra dimension we lacked by playing two utter Hlebs on our wings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Geordie Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 I thought we did OK and deserved to win the game, but when you don't take your chances....... Rooney started well, then disappeared - Sterling was hotching. Danny Rose probably MoM for me and my old man. Fed up of ITV's way OTT praise of England and Rooney though, especially. Don't believe the hype! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mighty__mag Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Anyone else have Walker as the man of the match? Thought he was decent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Anyone else have Walker as the man of the match? Thought he was decent. I had Dier as MotM, thought he was really good Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubaricho Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Anyone else have Walker as the man of the match? Thought he was decent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowen Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Can't believe the praise for Rooney on tele. Thought he was rank. Cracking save from the keeper papered over fact that was a fucking sitter from about 15 yards an'all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollof rice and pea Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 All it takes is a couple of those telegraphed slow loopy passes out to the right for Rooney to have put in a 'midfield masterclass' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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