Austria v England

[Schrödinger's Toad]

Austria 0-3 England
-------------- Lampard '23
-------------- Smith '37
-------------- Wright-Phillips '87

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Austria 1 England 1

 

[itszamora]

2-0 England I think. No idea who will score though.

 

[Citrus]

-------------- Lampard '23

Unlucky.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

Well I am happy at having Lampard to score first at 9-1!!

All I want now is Bridge at 33-1 or Beckham at 8-1 to score the last goal!

 

[Zebedee]

Am I alone in finding it more and more boring to watch Engand play? Tonight I thought they were simply awful. Too many players appeared to be going through the motions. There was no passion, no commitment and precious little skill and invention. I'd rather watch the Albion play, even on a bad day.

 

[Easy 10]

Am I alone in finding it more and more boring to watch Engand play? Tonight I thought they were simply awful. Too many players appeared to be going through the motions. There was no passion, no commitment and precious little skill and invention. I'd rather watch the Albion play, even on a bad day.

I think you're being very harsh there.
Yes, the result is disappointing after being 2-0 up, but for 70 minutes England were absolutely running the show. Plenty of passing, good movement and we always looked a threat. Gerrard in particular I thought was magnificient, and Ledley King didn't put a foot wrong all night. Cole and Bridge were combining well down the left as well.

Austria looked dead on their feet, but got back into it through a decent free kick, and then were gifted an equaliser by the clown we have in goal. They were very fortunate tonight. We still nearly snatched it with a couple of chances near the end, Defoe hitting the post, and on most nights we'd have wrapped up a comfortable win there. 2-2 after being 2 up is always a shitter, but don't let it completely colour your view on the performance, which was pretty good till James took over.

 

[The Large One]

I think you're being very harsh there.
Yes, the result is disappointing after being 2-0 up, but for 70 minutes England were absolutely running the show. Plenty of passing, good movement and we always looked a threat. Gerrard in particular I thought was magnificient, and Ledley King didn't put a foot wrong all night. Cole and Bridge were combining well down the left as well.

Austria looked dead on their feet, but got back into it through a decent free kick, and then were gifted an equaliser by the clown we have in goal. They were very fortunate tonight. We still nearly snatched it with a couple of chances near the end, Defoe hitting the post, and on most nights we'd have wrapped up a comfortable win there. 2-2 after being 2 up is always a shitter, but don't let it completely colour your view on the performance, which was pretty good till James took over.

Just about sums it up for me - combined with the fact that England can and do play very good football at times, but just can't seem to kill off the game.

 

[SussexSpur]

I think you're being very harsh there.
Yes, the result is disappointing after being 2-0 up, but for 70 minutes England were absolutely running the show. Plenty of passing, good movement and we always looked a threat. Gerrard in particular I thought was magnificient, and Ledley King didn't put a foot wrong all night. Cole and Bridge were combining well down the left as well.

Austria looked dead on their feet, but got back into it through a decent free kick, and then were gifted an equaliser by the clown we have in goal. They were very fortunate tonight. We still nearly snatched it with a couple of chances near the end, Defoe hitting the post, and on most nights we'd have wrapped up a comfortable win there. 2-2 after being 2 up is always a shitter, but don't let it completely colour your view on the performance, which was pretty good till James took over.

I dunno, I don't think we looked particularly convincing, especially with the basics of passing the ball, then adding some penetration to it. The Austrians actually looked the more up-for-it before Gerrard's stunner. But hardly quality. Not sure we should be questioning how "fortunate" our opponents were when they were of such theoretically-inferior quality (which they really should be). Gerrard was a star, yes, and I think Cole and Bridge down the left looked good (especially the first half).
But it's becoming an oh-so-predictable pattern - the instant the momentum of a game shifts against England - or at least, on an even keel after a period of dominance - Eriksson appears like a rabbit caught in headlights. Where is the imagination, the confidence to know what to do to turn a game?
Because if we want to win anything, or at least look like doing so, we have to beat teams a lot better than Austria.
And it's hardly as if Sven hasn't been given any warnings about James's potential, horrific lapses?

 

[Easy 10]

For once I am not actually blaming Sven. He cannot be held to account for how Austria got back into that game, cos we were so on top for most of it. The team was right, and the tactics were right. We took the lead through a SUPERB piece of improvisation on the free kick, and we didn't sit on it. We were clearly superior all over the pitch, and quite frankly, we have been mugged.

Svens complete f***-UP on the Gerrard substitution is another matter entirely though. Jesus H Corbett, what a complete and utter COCK. I nearly fell off my chair when Gerrard admitted he was fine and it was Bridge who was injured. Sven - you are paid £4 million a YEAR, and you are making elementary errors you wouldn't see from a pub team. I shake my head in disbelief at your stinking incompetence.

Overall for England, not a disaster though. And I'd settle for a point in Poland as well, even if the media do try to dress up 2 points from the first 2 games as some kind of crisis. Draw away and win at home, and we'll top this group a piece of piss. If we can't finish top of a group where the "strongest" teams are Wales, Poland and Austria, then quite honestly I wouldn't even WANT to see us in the Finals.

 

[The Large One]

Up until the last third (of the game and of the pitch) - we passed them off the park. Which I appreciate won't necessarily win you games. We lacked a certain thrust up front, and I though Smith was very mediocre. But tonight, we were much, MUCH better than 'simply awful'.

Hurry up and bring back Rooney.

 

[SussexSpur]

Certainly agree that a point isn't the disaster it will probably be painted as tomorrow. Macedonia, anyone?
And this should be a pretty piss-easy group, all told.

A few positive signs tonight, sure.
But just a few too many worrying ones, too. . .

 

[nwgull]

Certainly agree that a point isn't the disaster it will probably be painted as tomorrow. Macedonia, anyone?
And this should be a pretty piss-easy group, all told.

A few positive signs tonight, sure.
But just a few too many worrying ones, too. . .

One +ve of tonight was that the Taffs failed to win. Another is that maybe SGE will have run out of patience with David James and we may have seen the last of him, a la Heskey following his crude tackle to give France that equalising free kick in the Euros.

I think England should still walk this group, Austria, Wales and Poland will all take points off each other so we can afford slip ups like this.

 

[Bobby's Gull]

I'm glad I went out now instead of watching the game. Just found out the score, last I heard we were 1 nil up! It's a point.

 

[Beach Hut]

I am glad I went to the pub and then had a curry and missed this shambles.

BTW the Prawn Puree was superb