Slovakia v England - World Cup Qualifier - 5pm KO

[Simster]

Yeah its tough for Sam especially since he's always nurtured English talent at every club he's been too.

I can't be doing with blaming the manager. He's just another in the production line of competent bosses that will have no significant impact on performances. We will qualify, we will stink in Russia, we *might* get as far as the quarters, providing our players break the habit of recent times and start well in the group.

But ultimately we just don't have the players. It's a grass roots issue that the FA have no interest in addressing all the while money pours into the top half of the professional game from television companies and unpleasant foreign crooks. We are broadly equivalent to Turkey these days. The only difference is that we have more money.

 

[essbee1]

I can't be doing with blaming the manager. He's just another in the production line of competent bosses that will have no significant impact on performances. We will qualify, we will stink in Russia, we *might* get as far as the quarters, providing our players break the habit of recent times and start well in the group.

But ultimately we just don't have the players. It's a grass roots issue that the FA have no interest in addressing all the while money pours into the top half of the professional game from television companies and unpleasant foreign crooks. We are broadly equivalent to Turkey these days. The only difference is that we have more money.

This.

And the only way to change things is to bring down the old boy network of the FA - the whole bleeding lot. Lord how I wish that would happen.

 

[Doc Lynam]

I can't be doing with blaming the manager. He's just another in the production line of competent bosses that will have no significant impact on performances. We will qualify, we will stink in Russia, we *might* get as far as the quarters, providing our players break the habit of recent times and start well in the group.

But ultimately we just don't have the players. It's a grass roots issue that the FA have no interest in addressing all the while money pours into the top half of the professional game from television companies and unpleasant foreign crooks. We are broadly equivalent to Turkey these days. The only difference is that we have more money.

I agree with you to be honest, I'm merely highlighting Sam's not this English knight coming to our rescue; he's a below par manager.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Lets play a formation that suits most of the players and in the positions they play in for the clubs, then we can judge the standard of the players, but I imagine you are correct

 

[BigGully]

How is it a grass roots issue or even an FA issue, every professional academy caters for the most talented players from as young as 6 years old, perhaps the academy's are to blame but not the local grass roots clubs, that tend to have access to appropriate training and match facilities, all seem fairly well funded with a propensity of mini hurdles, slalom poles and training footballs ....

 

[BensGrandad]

The answer to that is to drop Henderson and replace him with Drinkwater.=

Not much difference as neither are good enough as both are run of the mill club players. We need,but do not have a Lampard or Gerrard but the nearest when he is up and running is Ross Barkley we must hope that Koeman being an ex midfielder himself can sort him out and get him up to speed to compliment Rooney and Alli.

 

[Perry Milkins]

Not much difference as neither are good enough as both are run of the mill club players. We need,but do not have a Lampard or Gerrard but the nearest when he is up and running is Ross Barkley we must hope that Koeman being an ex midfielder himself can sort him out and get him up to speed to compliment Rooney and Alli.

You mean to run near them and say 'Your shorts are nice' or 'I like your new hair style' or to play in a way that complements their footballing style?

 

[Simster]

Not much difference as neither are good enough as both are run of the mill club players. We need,but do not have a Lampard or Gerrard but the nearest when he is up and running is Ross Barkley we must hope that Koeman being an ex midfielder himself can sort him out and get him up to speed to compliment Rooney and Alli.

I thought Ross Barkley had the potential to be a good player but he has looked bang average every single time I've seen him in an England shirt.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Ignore the minute of the goal. I thought the team played against 10 men very well for the last 15 minutes. Never panicked. Kept on passing. No lobbing the ball into the box and hoping. Always looking to maximise the additional man on the wing.

The fact Sam took Kane (our best header) and put Sturridge on to find a winner was a really positive move.

 

[Easy 10]

Ignore the minute of the goal. I thought the team played against 10 men very well for the last 15 minutes. Never panicked. Kept on passing. No lobbing the ball into the box and hoping. Always looking to maximise the additional man on the wing.

The fact Sam took Kane (our best header) and put Sturridge on to find a winner was a really positive move.

Agreed.

The goal was coming, I said as much in the pub. OK it came extremely late, but it felt like we were going to find a way.

 

[BensGrandad]

Had he been fit when Kane went off is when Sam would have brought on Andy Carroll plan B.

 

[smeg]

The answer to that is to drop Henderson and replace him with Drinkwater.=

A bit more to it than that I reckon, Dier lived up to his name and Kane was terrible, personally I think the issue here is we expect too much by virtue of the glitz of the premier league which incidentally is full of foreign players reaping the rewards, scratch beneath the surface and billion pound TV deals we have a fairly average top division.

 

[MF'84]

The answer to that is to drop Henderson and replace him with Drinkwater.=

Yeah we could do that, but my point was more towards having a dedicated defensive or attack-minded player rather than have Rooney trying to do both things but failing to be effective at either.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

But ultimately we just don't have the players. It's a grass roots issue that the FA have no interest in addressing all the while money pours into the top half of the professional game from television companies and unpleasant foreign crooks. We are broadly equivalent to Turkey these days. The only difference is that we have more money.

But we do have the players to do much better than we have been doing. The Euro 2004 team could (and arguably should) have won that tournament. The midfield was Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham and Scholes. The defence behind it was just as good if not better. Fast forward to 2016 and the Semi final involved Hal Robson Kanu with Simon fecking Church on the bench - Players that would be light years away from the England team. All of the semi finalists were teams that England have beaten in the past year and in the case of Portugal and Wales would have been favourites to beat again.

Whilst there have been some bad teams in the intervening period (Gareth Barry, Scott Parker and Matt Upson to name but a few bang average players who were 1st choices), we could and should have done more on the World and European Stage. The big question is why have they consistently performed such utter dogshite in tournaments since 2006? We haven't managed to beat Algeria, USA, Iceland, Slovakia and Costa Rica in that time. These teams, certainly in the case of Iceland, have players in the team who were knocking about in League 1. I don't by any stretch imagine England should have multiple World Cups and Euro medals but they've had the players to reach the occasion Semi final or with luck a final. For whatever reason, England players don't play well at International tournaments - not for the last 10 years in any case.

 

[Simster]

But we do have the players to do much better than we have been doing. The Euro 2004 team could (and arguably should) have won that tournament. The midfield was Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham and Scholes. The defence behind it was just as good if not better. Fast forward to 2016 and the Semi final involved Hal Robson Kanu with Simon fecking Church on the bench - Players that would be light years away from the England team. All of the semi finalists were teams that England have beaten in the past year and in the case of Portugal and Wales would have been favourites to beat again.

Whilst there have been some bad teams in the intervening period (Gareth Barry, Scott Parker and Matt Upson to name but a few bang average players who were 1st choices), we could and should have done more on the World and European Stage. The big question is why have they consistently performed such utter dogshite in tournaments since 2006? We haven't managed to beat Algeria, USA, Iceland, Slovakia and Costa Rica in that time. These teams, certainly in the case of Iceland, have players in the team who were knocking about in League 1. I don't by any stretch imagine England should have multiple World Cups and Euro medals but they've had the players to reach the occasion Semi final or with luck a final. For whatever reason, England players don't play well at International tournaments - not for the last 10 years in any case.

Fair comment, even with the players available, we should have done a lot, lot better in tournaments over the past 3 decades. But ultimately, we are miles off the pace compared to most similar sized Western European countries.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Why is international football played at walking pace?

 

[rogersix]

This.

And the only way to change things is to bring down the old boy network of the FA - the whole bleeding lot. Lord how I wish that would happen.

the only way that can happen is by a politician

 

[rogersix]

How is it a grass roots issue or even an FA issue, every professional academy caters for the most talented players from as young as 6 years old, perhaps the academy's are to blame but not the local grass roots clubs, that tend to have access to appropriate training and match facilities, all seem fairly well funded with a propensity of mini hurdles, slalom poles and training footballs ....

maybe they should be trained to enjoy the game?
they all round round like nutters anyway, as did i

 

[Blues Rock DJ]

too many foreigners in premier league.....end of.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

Are there any big holes near your house for you to crawl into?