England National football team thread

[War]

I wouldn't mind a break considering the injuries we get. No other reason though.

Don't give a crap about England, and surely most people are like that. I'm sure any change they make won't be received all that well.

Na, people are just very frustrated and disenchanted after years of struggle.

People are speaking how the Olympics this year in London had a wonder feeling of people coming together in this country. However i'd say the atmosphere in Euro 96, when England got to the semi's topped that.

24-25 million in this country watched the quarter-final vs Italy in this years Euro's and almost a full house was @ wembley on friday evening to watch them play san marino.

People care about England without a doubt. If they deny the odd in Brazil 2014 (presuming they qualify of course) and get pass the quarter final jinks, you will see Liverpool and United fans hugging up in bars etc ha...

 

[Lee1981]

Milner again, why why why.??:

 

[thedon5]

Na, people are just very frustrated and disenchanted after years of struggle.

People are speaking how the Olympics this year in London had a wonder feeling of people coming together in this country. However i'd say the atmosphere in Euro 96, when England got to the semi's topped that.

24-25 million in this country watched the quarter-final vs Italy in this years Euro's and almost a full house was @ wembley on friday evening to watch them play san marino.

People care about England without a doubt. If they deny the odd in Brazil 2014 (presuming they qualify of course) and get pass the quarter final jinks, you will see Liverpool and United fans hugging up in bars etc ha...

I'm talking globally of course as well. The Premier League is the most followed league in the world, it's not just England that any change will concern.

Of course in England 95% of people will support England.

 

[War]

Very scratchy performance. I seem to be complaining about this every game, but i just hate that right-side combination of Milner/Johnson.

Milner's work-rate is commendable, but its increasingly obvious that he is mainly picked to protect Johnson. England really don't need him with so much very impressive technical mid-fielder coming through the ranks.

With Walker, Jenkinson, Kelly and Richards around, Hodgson needs to be confident about defensive ability of whatever right-back he chooses for England. If he has such worries about Johnson, he has gotta be dropped for the right-back who gives the best of both worlds.

Cleverely was so wasted on the left today. Poor decision for Hodgson.

Poor game for Carrick too. Can't even blame the pitch for his effort. He couldn't dictate the game as a deep-lying playmaker, which essentially in his return to the England team, is what he has to do for us, as England gradually attempt to pass the ball better as a team.

Such a struggle from Carrick just highlights why Wilshire's return will be so important and why calls for a possibility of Scholes to come back (as long as he is he playing for united during the world cup 2013/14 season) will never go away.

Jaigelka/Lescott still looks a bit too slow as central defensive partnership and presuming England get Brazil 2014, they certainly won't be the main pairing. Neither did they give a strong enough case why Ferdinand should not make this team. Younger/quicker center backs like Caulkner, Richards and Cahill surely will overtake them soon.

 

[puddleduck]

Thing is it was yet another performance from Rooney where nearly everything breaks down around him. His passing and touch were again substandard for an international striker, let alone a supposed world class player.

Not playing with Lennon on the right, in the absence of Walcott, was ridiculous. We have genuine wingers with some pace who can frighten teams, no need to shoehorn Milner in wide. Especially away from home, we took away all chance of being able to counter with any sort of threat. Think tactically Roy got it wrong, but then he was let down by some of the big players who he did play in the shape of Carrick and Rooney. It's not really lost either that nearly every opposition side create all their most dangerous attacks down our right side regardless of who sits in front of Johnson.

 

[Lee1981]

Same old rubbish, good thing I've learned to accept that's all it's ever gonna be

And Gerrard really is half the player he was now, when Wilshire is fit Gerrard must step aside

 

[Ahmad94]

Well that game was a waste of time

 

[Haarithan]

And Gerrard really is half the player he was now, when Wilshire is fit Gerrard must step aside

While I'd agree with your statement overall, he was easily the best player among the front six for England tonight. 92% pass accuracy (highest), 91 tackles (second to only Lescott's 104), and an assist to Wayne's goal..

 

[War]

I'm not English but would welcome a winter break and the scrapping of the Carling Cup. Would ultimately help Liverpool as well because less games would be played and hence less fatigue and injuries. Really, it's the best of both worlds. Go for it, I say.

Ye essentially that cup should be scrapped, since all it is basically is a day out for the boys with the suits of the football league to have a night out. If the premier league clubs wasn't involved, they would get no money out of it. And, as everyone knows the major league clubs don't take it seriously.

The FA may have a point that UEFA with its expansion of Europa League have clogged the fixtures list. But the Europa league still is a more prestigious competition than the carling cup.

 

[Haarithan]

I miss those days when the Europa League (or the UEFA Cup as it was then known) merely involved two legged knockout ties...

 

[puddleduck]

All the talk of fixture congestion. Funny how when English clubs play their young players in such games it's considered dumbing down/disrespect. Yet when other clubs do it, it's called investing in youth and planning for the future.

Basically can't win.

 

[War]

I'm talking globally of course as well. The Premier League is the most followed league in the world, it's not just England that any change will concern.

Of course in England 95% of people will support England.

Well yes, implementing a winter break to the premiership will concern many around the world. But it has to be done.

One thing i'd like to not happen if the winter break happening after Christmas mas/new years. Since i think one unique thing about the English game is having those fixtures during the festive season, while la liga, serie a, bundesliga are on a break during those weeks.

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While I'd agree with your statement overall, he was easily the best player among the front six for England tonight. 92% pass accuracy (highest), 91 tackles (second to only Lescott's 104), and an assist to Wayne's goal..

Ye ha pretty much. Gerrard at least tried to get on ball in mid-field and dictate the play for England, something which really Carrick should have done or aided him more in.

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All the talk of fixture congestion. Funny how when English clubs play their young players in such games it's considered dumbing down/disrespect. Yet when other clubs do it, it's called investing in youth and planning for the future.

Basically can't win.

You talking about English clubs in reference to the Europa League or Carling Cup?

 

[Skater]

Ye essentially that cup should be scrapped, since all it is basically is a day out for the boys with the suits of the football league to have a night out. If the premier league clubs wasn't involved, they would get no money out of it. And, as everyone knows the major league clubs don't take it seriously.

That might have been true a decade or so ago but the Premier League teams are taking the League Cup more and more seriously. Look at the last ten finals:

2012: Cardiff City 2-2 Liverpool (2-3 Pens)
2011: Arsenal 1-2 Birmingham City
2010: Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United
2009: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (4-1 Pens)
2008: Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (AET)
2007: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
2006: Manchester United 4-0 Wigan Athletic
2005: Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool (AET)
2004: Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Middlesbrough
2003: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United

19 of the last 20 finalists have been from the Premier League, and maybe 8 have been what you would call 'major'. The bigger clubs are taking it more seriously. It's not a particularly exhausting competition. One game a month and with it all done by March does not constitute a reason why England are rubbish.

 

[War]

Not playing with Lennon on the right, in the absence of Walcott, was ridiculous. We have genuine wingers with some pace who can frighten teams, no need to shoehorn Milner in wide. Especially away from home, we took away all chance of being able to counter with any sort of threat. Think tactically Roy got it wrong, but then he was let down by some of the big players who he did play in the shape of Carrick and Rooney. It's not really lost either that nearly every opposition side create all their most dangerous attacks down our right side regardless of who sits in front of Johnson.

The bolded is the fact. Which is why its pretty risky to play any of our pacy wingers in Walcott, Lennon, Young, A Johnson Oxlade, Sterling in front him, since you would have zero defensive acumen down the right hand side, which is very risky especially vs the top teams.

But as i've argued before, i don't think England should be starting with the pacy wingers that we have. All of those guys should be impact sub options.

England's best formation for me en route to brazil 2014, is either 4-3-1-2 or 3-5-1-1. Where the emphasis is on passing the ball better in mid-fielder via skilled upcoming mid-fielders like Wilshire/Cleverley/Shelvey + Gerrard, since that's regular England's problem. And Rooney as the "1".

A Cole and Baines supply a good enough attack+defensive base options down the left. So really Hodgson needs to decide which right-backs supplies a similar balanced base down the right and it clearly Johnson isn't one of them.

 

[War]

That might have been true a decade or so ago but the Premier League teams are taking the League Cup more and more seriously. Look at the last ten finals:

2012: Cardiff City 2-2 Liverpool (2-3 Pens)
2011: Arsenal 1-2 Birmingham City
2010: Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester United
2009: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (4-1 Pens)
2008: Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (AET)
2007: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
2006: Manchester United 4-0 Wigan Athletic
2005: Chelsea 3-2 Liverpool (AET)
2004: Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Middlesbrough
2003: Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United

19 of the last 20 finalists have been from the Premier League, and maybe 8 have been what you would call 'major'. The bigger clubs are taking it more seriously. It's not a particularly exhausting competition. One game a month and with it all done by March does not constitute a reason why England are rubbish.

Just because the finalists/winners of the carling cup generally are the premiership teams means that they take it seriously.

I would think even if those big league clubs put out their non first xi to play the championship, league 1 & 2 sides during a carling cup match, they would still generally be able to beat them - and that is what generally happens.

Lets just use Man City this season as an example.


They played Arsenal in the league on sept 23 and drew 1-1, just after losing mid-week, 3-2 to madrid in the c-league on sep 18. Then on sep 25th they had to play Villa in the league cup and lost 4-2 @ et.

I don't think its unfair to say that City didn't bring their A-game to that match and were glad to lose it and get knocked out and not have to bother about it again this season, as they seek to focus and keep their players fresh for the title defence and a better champ-league performance in the coming months.

Fixture congestion caused by the useless carling/captial one cup in the English league is one of the reasons most certainly why England are poor. It is proven fact, off all the major European nations that goes into world cups and euro's since world cup 2002 - England have the most injury woes that any other team.

In EURO 2012, England lost two mid-fields to injury in Lampard, Barry, Wilshire, Cleverley and played with a crocked Parker next to Gerrard. Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Portugual had no such major injury woes at once.

But its not the main reason quite clearly, so lets not loose track of the main point of why simple the winter break that everyone has is needed in this country . Lack of football intelligence in heath of battle, inability to pass the ball properly and poor production line of players are the bigger issue.

All of these area's have to be improved along with the winter break implementation, for England to play better on the world stage.