[Football] England v Greece match thread

[hart's shirt]

Why does it matter what tier we are in?

In the build up to major competitions like WC2026, it's always preferable to test yourself against the better teams.

Despite their thoroughly deserved victory last night, Greece didn't qualify for the Euros. Nor did Ireland or Finland, England's other NL opponents.

So it's far better for England to be regularly playing the likes of Spain, France, etc.

Whilst it was a failure to be relegated, it'll be a major setback not being promoted either automatically or through the playoffs at the first attempt.

Consistently being flat-track bullies in qualification, but losing to the first high ranking team we play in major tournaments isn't going to cut it anymore.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Well, I was at Wembley and it's fair to say that it wasn't great. Greece were the better team, looked far more dangerous and fully deserved the win.

Clearly the Foden / Palmer / Gordon trio didn't work - at halftime I was hoping that we'd immediately revert after the break to a defined striker. A bit of an extravagance playing a false 9 when you've got 2 perfectly good ones in Watkins and Solanke left on the bench.

As ever, you can have too much of a good thing. Wanting England to play attacking entertaining football as I unapologetically do doesn't mean it has to be naively gung-ho. That invariably leads to a loss of shape and subsequently control as was painfully evident. Even with that attacking team on paper, England still only had 2 shots on target. That's definitely not what I expected and paid to see.

But as bad as the showing was, there's still time for England to resolve matters.

A good win against Finland at the weekend with one in the return fixture against the Greeks in Athens in 34 days time could put England top of the group before Ireland at Wembley on 17th November.

Even if they fail to end up topping the group, things still aren't lost. A 2nd place finish would mean a 2 leg playoff in March 2025 against one of the four 3rd place Group A (Tier 1) sides. Currently those sides are Poland, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Win that and England are back in the top tier. Far less preferable than automatic qualification, but it's another route regardless.

I'll judge Carsley at the end of the 6 NL fixtures next month, not just after one that we've lost despite winning the two previous.

2 shots of good with 1 of bad so far then.

Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn.

Very few football fans give a flying fig about the NL.

 

[amexer]

He has recently with Kane playing left Palmer on bench. With Kane unavailable took easy way out and kept Palmer,Bellingham and Foden happy by playing them all. Didnt have the balls to leave one out and play a CF

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Meh. Failed experiment. Not a crisis.

It does still bewilder me when managers still haven't figured out that ROUND THE SIDE is how you break down well organised defences.

There's no shame in one or two strikers waiting in the box and quick players going round the outside.

Ultimately it was a bad performance. I can't stand the hyperbole though. It's so easy to come out with "they don't care", "they didn't try' and all that. I think that's nonsense. They played badly and were in completely the wrong shape to break down a brilliantly organised team.

The ball was coming out to Gordon (who I think is BRILLIANT at knocking past a defender and going) and he was forced back inside as there was literally no one in the box if he were to get to the byline. Made the whole thing so predictable.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Meh. Failed experiment. Not a crisis.

It does still bewilder me when managers still haven't figured out that ROUND THE SIDE is how you break down well organised defences.

There's no shame in one or two strikers waiting in the box and quick players going round the outside.

Ultimately it was a bad performance. I can't stand the hyperbole though. It's so easy to come out with "they don't care", "they didn't try' and all that. I think that's nonsense. They played badly and were in completely the wrong shape to break down a brilliantly organised team.

The ball was coming out to Gordon (who I think is BRILLIANT at knocking past a defender and going) and he was forced back inside as there was literally no one in the box if he were to get to the byline. Made the whole thing so predictable.

BRILLIANT at knocking past a defender and diving

 

[Milano]

An absolute waste of everyones time. What is the point of Carsley 'experimenting' if he doesn't want the job? Isn't that called 'disruption'?

The FA, yet again, are totally f***ing useless/spineless in appointing an England manager; they've had ages to prepare. Unless they change the approach from the top then we're stuck in this endless cycle. Let Bloom run it.

 

[SAC]

It's almost as if Southgate wasn't the problem that so many said he was.

 

[Worried Man Blues]

The managers the FA pick.............as ever the wrong people are in charge (TB excepted!)

 

[Guinness Boy]

Interesting comments, sounds like they’ve already got their man, and what I’ve heard from a well placed source I think @Han Solo is going to be a happy man.

England is probably the perfect job for his family situation but he's going to have to simplify his football in the short term. Last night was a classic example of changing a system with no preparation. Who else has gone False 9 / 6 midfielders / wingbacks at next to no notice? Graham Potter. It's flexible but is it too flexible. Sounds like we'll see.

He is going to need a much thicker skin though. The tabloids still take no prisoners when it comes to England manager.

 

[amexer]

Whilst having little sympathy with players what a joke to have after 7 league games also played 4 internationals many meaningless

 

[McTavish]

Incorrect use of hopefully.

Incorrect assertion that the use of 'hopefully' was incorrect.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Incorrect assertion that the use of 'hopefully' was incorrect.

Nope. Hopefully describes a person's state of mind at the time that the event is taking place, not a wish that something would happen. The sentence should read 'I am hopeful that' or 'I hope that...'

 

[Flounce]

It's almost as if Southgate wasn't the problem that so many said he was.

Balancing it against a yes man from the Under 21s as his replacement is hardly a decent comparison though.

I really hope Potter gets the gig, it will be fascinating to see how he does if so. This place will also be fun whichever way it goes.

 

[Javeaseagull]

The FA are such a bag of shit.They should confirm Carsley as manager, if he wants the job, and just get on with it. That’s what TB would do. Remember when we went out of the play-offs under Chris H. I think it was against Sheffield Wednesday in Chris’ first full season. TB promptly gave him a new contract and told him to get us promoted the next season, which he did.

If Carsley fails then he gets the sack, no big deal.

 

[McTavish]

Nope. Hopefully describes a person's state of mind at the time that the event is taking place, not a wish that something would happen. The sentence should read 'I am hopeful that' or 'I hope that...'

Nope.

Hopefully has two distinct meanings.
1. In a hopeful manner.
2. it is hoped; if all goes well.

You seem to believe that the first is the only permitted use. The second is in all dictionaries and has been in use for over 300 years. You may not like it, but it is perfectly correct.

 

[Algernon]

For quite literally aeons, England's national team have repeatedly had the wrong manager.
The next appointee should 100% of course come from any English football club's online forum and if the FA are really smart, and England are to dominate world football then they need to get on here and poach at least the ideas if not the individuals who know exactly what's required to win both the Euros and the World Cup.
I watched it because it was football and it was on TV.
We lost. C'est la vie.
It's England. It ain't going to matter who the next poor guy in the ejector seat of public opinion is.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

Nope.

Hopefully has two distinct meanings.
1. In a hopeful manner.
2. it is hoped; if all goes well.

You seem to believe that the first is the only permitted use. The second is in all dictionaries and has been in use for over 300 years. You may not like it, but it is perfectly correct.

No, I think the second is correct. The first is a modern misuse. Hopefully is used incorrectly as it is trying to say that it is hoped something will happen, but in fact it is saying that the person will be full of hope. I don't think a person's state of mind ie 'hopefully' relates to whether a person has hope.

 

[Durlston]

Blimey, I went in extremely heavy on Lee Carsley last night but I don't regret a single post. Maybe picking on him for his lack of hair is extremely churlish but he'll never win me over. Not even if we hammer our three remaining opponents 8-0 in the Nations League. Besides, I can see Ireland taking over Wembley and 20,000 Paddies in the crowd, roaring them on to at least a draw - we haven't beaten them at Wembley since 1980 anyway.

International football is a strange kind of emotion; you cannot choose your country, like your club, so there is always going to be disagreement over the manager, tactics and certainly who your best X1 is but underneath we should all feel proud to be English. I do most of the time but it feels like we're the West Ham of the world IMO - living off past glory.

In the summer I felt like I was fighting a losing battle in my support of Gareth Southgate. Negative football but players that wanted to win for him and growing into a tournament that we had an incredible amount of luck in. It hurt when he was called 'The waistcoat wally' or 'the Palace
prick' Nobody wanted that trophy more than Gareth. So whoever took over from him (whether temporarily or permanently) was going to have a very hard job of winning me over - not that it matters for just one voice on a forum of 1,500 posters.

Surely we'll win in Helsinki on Sunday? If we do, then maybe promotion back to the top-tier might be back on?

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

we haven't beaten them at Wembley since 1980 anyway.

Think we beat them in 2020

 

[ManOfSussex]

Think we beat them in 2020

And 1985.