War
Chairman of Selectors
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2010
- Online Cricket Games Owned
Rio Ferdinand will come back to play for England - Glenn Hoddle | Mail Online
Hoddle brings sense to the table.
Hoddle brings sense to the table.
England National football team thread
- Thread starter War
- Start date
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
Funny how Montenegro have resorted to mind games - they must be very worried about England beating them and taking control of the group tonight.
Lee1981
International Coach
Same old England
Sitting back, can't keep the ball
And Welbeck,, no good in the opponents box and now a liability in our own box, what was those 2 clearances that led to Montenegro goal about.?
Sitting back, can't keep the ball
And Welbeck,, no good in the opponents box and now a liability in our own box, what was those 2 clearances that led to Montenegro goal about.?
Last edited:
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
That wasn't the case in the first half - we were easily the better side then. Unfortunately our opponents discovered the exit to their team coach in the second half. 
Still - a draw isn't a terrible result, but we should be beating teams like this. If only that penalty in the first half had been given. If only - the two words spoken most by England fans.
And this is still in our own hands - Serbia still have to come to Wembley.
Still - a draw isn't a terrible result, but we should be beating teams like this. If only that penalty in the first half had been given. If only - the two words spoken most by England fans.
And this is still in our own hands - Serbia still have to come to Wembley.
Last edited:
D
Dutch
Guest
I am going to sound disloyal but I really cant stand watching England play any more. It is a joke that they are number four or five on the Fifa list.
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
The Fifa list is more of a joke than the England team...
How can we be so good in the first half and so goddamned awful in the second?
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
Bollocks... we've got Ukraine for our next away game and we finish with Poland at Wembley. We've finished with Poland at Wembley before, and it didn't end well.
Lee, I think you're being very unfair on Welbeck - he actually cleared the ball off the line twice during that goalmouth scramble.
I don't know. As far as the World Cup is concerned - if we get there - forget the semis, forget the quarter finals. Our goal should be to come up against a decent team and not get completely destroyed by them...
Lee, I think you're being very unfair on Welbeck - he actually cleared the ball off the line twice during that goalmouth scramble.
I don't know. As far as the World Cup is concerned - if we get there - forget the semis, forget the quarter finals. Our goal should be to come up against a decent team and not get completely destroyed by them...
Last edited:
War
Chairman of Selectors
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2010
- Online Cricket Games Owned
Ha ye. I was afraid Hodgson would pick him in this competitive game when Walcott & Lennon dropped out of the squad. I was hoping Alex Ox effort's vs San Marino might convince Hodgson to play him on the right but damn.
I can tolerate Hodgson's love affair with Cleverley - but the Milner one has to stop.
ENG play better as we saw in the friendly vs Brazil when they have pace on both flanks. Ox was wasted on the bench & Young came on too late.
Wilshire's absence was big here too i felt. His unique ability to charge forward from mid-field is something that brings a key balance when Gerrard/Carrick plays deep.
Unlike Germany whose mid-field's boss is Ozil. ENG can't call on back-up players with the quality of Kross, Gotze, Holtby, Draxler who can adequately replace what Wilshire brings.
Lescott showed why he has dropped to 4th choice at City, very slow these days & doesn't pass the ball well. Hopefully this is the last time he plays for England. Ferdinand still has an important role to play in this defense for the rest of these qualifiers.
You would think with 3 of the final 4 home games @ Wembley, ENG should be confident of topping this group. But they are not going to make this easy, because since the new Wembley has been built it hasn't really been a fortress. ENG can still play average whether home or away.
As the case is since world cup 2010, the expectancy on this time is at an all-time low. Its going to be painful & tense viewing come September & October.
War
Chairman of Selectors
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2010
- Online Cricket Games Owned
It may not have happened for the entire second half in the past as in this game, but since EURO 2000, ENG always play poorly in second halves when they get a lead in many qualifiers & tournaments in the last 13 years.
We have seen this movie before. They defend deep, adsorb ridiculous amounts of pressure & the opposition inevitably scores.
I keep saying they need to sort that out, but its keeps repeating itself.
Although we haven't lost the Ukraine, Montenegro & Poland - this campaign is nervously resembling the failed EURO 08 campaign
ENG will need everyone fit come September/October - those games are going to be scraps. No early season injury absentee's. ENG don't have the solid back-up if they don't have their best XI in all area's unfortunately.
Play-off option is too dangerous, with ENG almost guaranteed to get a tough opposition with the likes of France, Portugal, Croatia, Belgium, Sweden likely to be in the draw.
I may not have great expectations for this team these days, but not qualifying for Brazil would be unthinkable.
MasterBlaster76
ICC Chairman
Ouch - I wouldn't back us against any of those potential play-off opponents; you're right, we have to make it through by default. Is there a 'best runner's up spot' this year?
England is so frustrating! Look at the last twenty or thirty years - 1986, we matched Argentina stride for stride and probably would've beaten them if they didn't have one of the best players (cheating drug addled git that he was) of all time (Maradona). 1990, we outplayed Germany in the semis of the World Cup, only for our 'old friend', penalties to bugger us up again. Oh, and 'square' Italian goalposts. 1992-1994 ummm... let's just gloss over that. Then in 1996 we were the best team in Euro 1996 only to get done by Germany on penalties again (after repeatedly coming within an inch of putting them out). 1998 was a similar story vs Argentina - there were numerous other occasions like 2004 and even 2006. I don't really need to go on. How has it fallen back so far now?
No, we can't afford the play offs, for sure and regardless of our chances, failure to make it to the World Cup is not an option.
England is so frustrating! Look at the last twenty or thirty years - 1986, we matched Argentina stride for stride and probably would've beaten them if they didn't have one of the best players (cheating drug addled git that he was) of all time (Maradona). 1990, we outplayed Germany in the semis of the World Cup, only for our 'old friend', penalties to bugger us up again. Oh, and 'square' Italian goalposts. 1992-1994 ummm... let's just gloss over that. Then in 1996 we were the best team in Euro 1996 only to get done by Germany on penalties again (after repeatedly coming within an inch of putting them out). 1998 was a similar story vs Argentina - there were numerous other occasions like 2004 and even 2006. I don't really need to go on. How has it fallen back so far now?
No, we can't afford the play offs, for sure and regardless of our chances, failure to make it to the World Cup is not an option.
Last edited:
Belgium and Croatia are pitted in the same group Colin, so only one of the two will make the playoffs.
But I get what you mean though. You really wouldn't want to face either of them in the playoffs, considering the form they've portrayed over these qualifiers - 16 points each from 6 games, sitting well clear at the top, and going neck and neck with each other.
Also as much as I loathe Spain, they shouldn't be playing these qualifiers at all. They're are the defending World champions ffs! Yet another FIFA absurdity!
Last edited:
ste_mc_efc
Chairman of Selectors
Also as much as I loathe Spain, they shouldn't be playing these qualifiers at all. They're are the defending World champions ffs! Yet another FIFA absurdity!
Nah it actually makes sense. If a side players no competitive football for that long they go off the boil, ala france 2002.
Qualifying is full of so many dud sides though and the seeding system as it is means the champions should always qualify anyway, if they don't then they aren't very likely to impact on the tournament.
Similar threads
- Locked
