England National football team thread

[Lee1981]

Everyone with a brain knew losing all the aforementioned players before the Ukraine was always going to mean ENG were going to play a typical cagey game where we would struggle to pass the ball.

So here we go again, blaming injuries on the crap performance,

So basically your saying because Rooney who has been out form for a while for club and hasn't played well for England in years was missing as was Sturridge who up until he moved Liverpool was seen by most as having potential that we now can't pass a ball?

So also you must be saying that Gerrard, Lampard,Wilshire who by the way all play in the group of best teams in our country are not capable of passing a football as they were missing the chosen one in Rooney and half a season Sturridge .

What a load crap

I know we're crap and I actually don't care, what pisses me off more than anything is coming on here and reading posts like yours about England all the time, always making excuses, injuries suspensions,

With a full strength team we are average at best, we cannot pass and move like all the other top nations and some of the lesser ones to, injuries and suspensions are not to blame nor are the managers we are just simply not very good.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

So your aware of our limitations but yet refuse to ever be truthful and criticise our pathetic performances

I don't dispute the result in fairness was a "good result" given the current group standings

However performance wise there was nothing to praise except Cahill, i thought he defended great,

We were awful absolutely shocking, now as normal you can blame injuries, now that is "boring" as you like say, if we had Sturridge, Rooney, playing does that mean all of a sudden the rest of team are gonna be able to pass the ball to each other, not spray long balls everywhere,

It's been proven the past 7 years or so we cannot keep the ball, the very basic skill, that my friend is not me being a "bore" that is the truth

Without a shadow of a doubt, the team has gone down the toilet over the past seven or so years. The last truly decent performance I can remember was when we took Portugal all the way to penalties in 2006. Remember? They didn't know what to do with Hargreaves, and Lennon terrorised them when he came on as well. And a fully fit Rooney would've leathered that ball into the top corner, instead of the air kick he did produce.

Since then? Nothing. Sure, we've whacked a few minnows, but when we've come up against a big team, we've been totally embarrassed (outside of the odd meaningless friendly). Time was when we raised our game against the big teams and really let them know they'd been in a game. Now? Germany humiliated us, Italy embarrassed us - God only knows what Spain would do to us.

 

[barmyarmy]

Possibly the most worrying thing is that Hodgson thought that England played well...

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Possibly the most worrying thing is that Hodgson thought that England played well...

Sort of like Capello used to say really, after yet another average performance. There were times where Ukraine were all over us - it was painful to watch at times.

 

[Bevab]

Sort of like Capello used to say really, after yet another average performance. There were times where Ukraine were all over us - it was painful to watch at times.

How did Konoplyanka perform? The next big thing according to many, would be interesting to see the forum's view on him.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

How did Konoplyanka perform? The next big thing according to many, would be interesting to see the forum's view on him.

Sorry; I don't know any of the Ukraine players by name. I was concentrating on the England players to be honest.

 

[Lee1981]

How did Konoplyanka perform? The next big thing according to many, would be interesting to see the forum's view on him.

If he was the quick guy on the left he was quality, tore Walker a new arse hole

 

[War]

So here we go again, blaming injuries on the crap performance,

So basically your saying because Rooney who has been out form for a while for club and hasn't played well for England in years was missing as was Sturridge who up until he moved Liverpool was seen by most as having potential that we now can't pass a ball?

So also you must be saying that Gerrard, Lampard,Wilshire who by the way all play in the group of best teams in our country are not capable of passing a football as they were missing the chosen one in Rooney and half a season Sturridge .

What a load crap

I know we're crap and I actually don't care, what pisses me off more than anything is coming on here and reading posts like yours about England all the time, always making excuses, injuries suspensions,

With a full strength team we are average at best, we cannot pass and move like all the other top nations and some of the lesser ones to, injuries and suspensions are not to blame nor are the managers we are just simply not very good.

I have not blamed injuries for ENG poor performance nor did i give any guarantee's that if Rooney, Sturridge & the other absentee's were available ENG would not have lost/certainly played better - so don't put words into my mouth.

I simply always acknowledge despite the team obviously being average that ENGs bad luck with injuries going into major tournaments ever since the start of the 2000s- hit again (along with suspension) & denied us the chance of our best attacking quarter Welbeck/Sturridge/Rooney/Walcott playing for the 1st time.

Are you seriously saying to me that before these latest qualifiers given the form the aforementioned had been showing for their clubs especially in Sturridge & Welbeck that you were not remotely interested in seeing them perform in a ENG shirt this weekend?

As i said before you follow ENG long enough, you know how bad things can get when injuries hit us - so why waste your energy repeating the same criticism? As i asked you before, do you seriously believe that us other ENG fans on planetcricket are not well aware of this issues????


On the passing i don't know whether you have been on the bandwagon, but for a long time many people have been saying Wilshire is the key to ENG finding a new level of potency in our passing, because despite their experience & presence @ big clubs Gerrard/Lamps/Carrick in whatever combo they play have not been able to do it in past matches.

I believe since this season has began Wilshire hasn't been his usual self for Arsenal & that continued last evening in a game where we needed him to replicate his performance vs Brazil from March.

Rooney was scoring for ENG for fun last season in qualifiers & friendlies even while having his stresses @ United - including arguably his best individual goal for England in Brazil. Its no secret his performances at major tournaments since EURO 04 for a variety of complicated reasons has been below par, but world cup & EURO qualifiers are also big internationals too - so to say Rooney hasn't played well for ENG in "years" is a baseless statement.

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How did Konoplyanka perform? The next big thing according to many, would be interesting to see the forum's view on him.

As already mentioned, he ran Walker ragged down the flanks. But that had alot to do with Walker inexperience in such games at international level to a degree. I didn't think Konoplyanka end product after he beat Walker was particularly impressive last night though - but he is certainly a interesting player.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

How did Konoplyanka perform? The next big thing according to many, would be interesting to see the forum's view on him.

He was very lively, best player on the park by a mile.

Lee is spot on. England just cannot seem to keep hold of the ball. We just resort to hoofing the ball up the pitch aimlessly and hope for the best.

Does anyone remember Stuart Pearce's one off game in charge against Holland? Yes we lost but we played some good stuff that night, keeping the ball on the floor and playing patiently. That is the way forward.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

like almost everyone, I cannot wait for the 10,000 articles and opinions outlining the problems with english football (too many foreigners, fat kids, foreign managers, rainy weather, money, popular hairstyles with long fringes) that will follow this performance.

 

[War]

Does anyone remember Stuart Pearce's one off game in charge against Holland? Yes we lost but we played some good stuff that night, keeping the ball on the floor and playing patiently. That is the way forward.

We saw glimpses of that kind of football after that Holland game vs Brazil & Scotland @ Wembley this year & Italy after EURO 2012. But its been a while since ENG passed the ball that well in a competitive international versus a good or top team, which essentially is the problem.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

Does anyone remember Stuart Pearce's one off game in charge against Holland? Yes we lost but we played some good stuff that night, keeping the ball on the floor and playing patiently. That is the way forward.

Maybe he should be put into the set up, maybe helping younger players develop a passing game. U-21 manager perhaps?

 

[ste_mc_efc]

This article is pretty good.

The FA is stuck in a mire of its own making | The Times Blogs

only free for another half an hour though.

 

[War]

Macintosh: Embattled Hodgson making his job more difficult by Iain Macintosh - ESPN FC

Ye true here, Hodgson probably should not have got into a media debate.

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This article is pretty good.

The FA is stuck in a mire of its own making | The Times Blogs

only free for another half an hour though.

Ha im surprised any stuff on the times online is ever free at any time.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

He was very lively, best player on the park by a mile.

Lee is spot on. England just cannot seem to keep hold of the ball. We just resort to hoofing the ball up the pitch aimlessly and hope for the best.

Does anyone remember Stuart Pearce's one off game in charge against Holland? Yes we lost but we played some good stuff that night, keeping the ball on the floor and playing patiently. That is the way forward.

I'd like to see Glen Hoddle in the set up somewhere - he's a truly forward looking coach. Didn't he have an academy in Spain or somewhere, where he gave players rejected by English clubs a chance? Why were they rejected? They were too short...

Instead, that opportunity has been missed by giving Southgate the U21 job. Hoddle did a great job as England manager, and I'm sure he could do it again.