[Football] To all the Southgate haters / wrong again and again and again **SOUTHGATE NOW RESIGNED**

[MJsGhost]

OK.

England knocked out Germany at the last Euros.

I think Germany were ranked 12th at the time (we were 4th)

 

[BN9 BHA]

Foden was inches away from two great goals vs Netherlands in case you've forgotten...

I was inches away from winning the lottery last week, bloke next door won it.

 

[Cornwallboy]

I'm not saying I think we invented the game. I'm saying that's part of the entitled narrative of others that helped condone the uselessness of the FA, rather than fuel a clamour for change. I recall at one time the trope was that England would never win anything because the officials are all biased against us. Episodes such as 'the hand of god' fuelled that. The idea that we should be doing better and that there may be something suboptimal in English football didn't trigger the start of any sort of change till after 98.

I genuinely did not know anything about the Euros till 96. I seem to recall we were beaten by Denmark in 92 but I wasn't watching. I had other pressing issues. Before that, it is all a mystery.

What a load of absolute b*llox, so you are football fan and all of the previous Euros pre 96 totally passed you by? So you don't remember 1988 or 1984? What about WC's did they also pass you by? How can a football fan not be aware of a football tournament going on!!!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Netherlands and possibly Croatia are the only 2 nations we’ve beaten in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings at a major tournament in Southgate’s tenure.

OK.

England knocked out Germany at the last Euros.

Germany were ranked 12th in the FIFA rankings at the time....from memory

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

You've certainly hit on something there.

I'm interested as to why I've moved from wailing and bawling my eyes out to that Roger Mooreesque eyebrow raise when we go out. I've gone from 'mwah!' to 'meh' and need to work out whether that's due to age, multiple disappointments, or the expectation that those in positions of power will continue to make the same decisions i.e. we need a safe pair of hands.

If we look at the past 24-years (and after all, football wasn't invented until the advent of the Premier League), then you're right, we might say we are doing okay. But then again, when you look at the sheer amount of money that has flooded into English football over and above other nations, then you might say we've squandered riches (or allowed our clubs to).

I suspect age has got a lot to do with it. I mentioned before the tournament that when chatting my Spurs-supporting postie, he said his son (in his late teens or early 20s) was losing his absolute shit over the Euros, along with his mates, like this was the pinnacle of their tiny lives, with an expectation level bordering on the psychotic (and this understandably concerned him). I can't ever recall being like that about England, albeit I seem to recall feeling very low after the Zidane penalty. I'm too old now and with too much other shit to worry about to lose much sleep over International Football.

As for the EPL, the elephant in the room is that it is the least 'national' of all national leagues, being awash with foreign players moreso than any other league. One could easily pick an eleven 'best' players in the EPL without selecting a single Englishman, or even giving them much thought. And we are all so focused on our league clubs that the previous clamour (actually it was more sighs of wistful regret) about 'too many foreigners' in the English game isn't even a minor discussion point any more. So, yes, riches squandered - on player signatures and salaries.

(I am actually shocked about how not bovvered I am. When we lost to Germany in 96, the next morning I woke up and immediately felt crushed. Today I had forgotten all about it till I gave some thought to whether there is any football on the telly tonight. )

 

[herecomesaregular]

I was inches away from winning the lottery last week, bloke next door won it.

Then you should stop hanging out of the back of him then!

 

[BN9 BHA]

Then you should stop hanging out of the back of him then!

 

[Stato]

(I am actually shocked about how not bovvered I am. When we lost to Germany in 96, the next morning I woke up and immediately felt crushed. Today I had forgotten all about it till I gave some thought to whether there is any football on the telly tonight. )

Expectations isn't it? We were in the pub for the semi final and the gangs of youngsters in there were singing and hyping things up before kick off. We shook our heads at each other and said that they'd learn. They didn't get the disappointment that night, but it was only delayed temporarily. Back in the late seventies the Scotland fans had the worst reputation for international match hooliganism fuelled as they were by a cocktail of jingoism, expectation and booze. Removing expectation makes a big difference to how you view the tournament. I've really enjoyed this one: games have been on at accessible hours, lots of colour, some really decent games early on, seen some friends I haven't seen for ages. Only the England games have largely disappointed, some exciting moments counter balanced by long long periods of lifeless, unambitious football.

In 1996 we were the Beach Boys Pet Sounds/Smile era: buccaneering and exciting, wayward, irrestibly engaging, but ultimately fallible. This time around we were their post 1967 career: mostly utter crap with very occasional moments of shining brilliance. Happy to cheer on the 'Surf's Up' of Bellingham's overhead kick, but hard to support in a murky sea of Student Demonstration Times, Be True To Your Schools and Still Cruisings.

 

[Justice]

Remember Euro 96 when England lost to Germany all the Audi, BMW and Volkswagens the intelligent people could find all took a hit I feared for the local Tapas last night although all windows were intact this morning.

 

[AlexBH]

OK.

England knocked out Germany at the last Euros.

They were one of the worst German sides for years. I don’t consider that team a top side.

 

[amexer]

Will be a hero when he wins crap Nations Cup

 

[Triggaaar]

Will be a hero when he wins crap Nations Cup

I don't think it's even possible for us to win it, as we got relegated.

 

[dazzer6666]

I was sent this last night:



The whole tournament England have relied upon defending and awaiting the spectacular. Our Xg has been apalling the whole tournament:



We had 35% possession last night. The same as we had in the Euro 2020 final v Italy. We had 46% against Croatia in the 2018 Semi Final. We have a squad of players who mostly play in teams that dominate possession yet there is no intent from the coaching team to play that way. David Moyes did great playing in the Europa Conference in 2023 with a West Ham team set up to play the way England are set up to play. It wouldn't have worked had he asked Man City or Arsenal's players to do it. That is what Southgate has been doing throughout his tenure.

We have players who are as technically gifted as any nation in the world. We are still playing Charles Hughes football.

 

[amexer]

What absolute rubish I have read about Southgate last few days. Day before final many who had been very critical about his style of play decided then was time to do away with criticism and most said what a good job he has done. Now post game again most saying what a great chap he is and what an improvement has been made to English setup.
Sod that the set up is great now. I am not even that worried about results but what I do expext after 8 years with the availability of such good players is that with attacking intent

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

he’s handing over players, that were handed to him through U21’s etc.

I'm not sure that's fair.

I've looked at the european championships u21 squads from the years since he's been manager

2017 - no one from that squad was in this senior england team
2019 - Dean Henderson and Phil Foden are in this team
2021 - Ramsdale, Guehi, Gallagher and Eze are in this team
2023 - Gordon and Palmer are in this team

So since Southgate took over, I make that only 8 players from the 26 who were in this England squad were players who had been in u21 euros squads.

Of those 8, 2 were reserve keepers and 2 are main starters (Guehi and Foden). Guehi was not expected to be a starter before this tournament.

He wasn't exactly handed a team from the u21s over the last 7 years

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Be careful what you wish for, because it'll probably be Potter

 

[dazzer6666]

Be careful what you wish for, because it'll probably be Potter

The xG World Cup has our name on it

 

[GT49er]

I was sent this last night:



The whole tournament England have relied upon defending and awaiting the spectacular. Our Xg has been apalling the whole tournament:

Relying on screamers - unsustainable? ............................. I wish we (England and The Albion) would lash one towards the goal a little more often instead of recycling it to the other wing or back to the GK.

 

[dazzer6666]

Relying on screamers - unsustainable? ............................. I wish we (England and The Albion) would lash one towards the goal a little more often instead of recycling it to the other wing or back to the GK.

Pickford seemed to be lashing it towards the Spanish goal last night (when he wasn’t lashing it to mates in the upper tier). He sure as hell wasn’t passing it to any of his teammates

 

[GT49er]

Pickford seemed to be lashing it towards the Spanish goal last night (when he wasn’t lashing it to mates in the upper tier). He sure as hell wasn’t passing it to any of his teammates

I don't mean the GK

I refer to the positions from which, say, Palmer and Saka scored. Must have made the tikka-takka favouring managers go cold when they could have passed it sideways to a team-mate and kept possession - and I think you knew that's what I meant, because I'm pretty sure you're not one of the dafter posters on here..........