Well, thanks Sven.

[Barrel of Fun]

Do not agree.

Last tournament, it opened up for Brazil, but at no point was the Samba fooball there.

1998, France laboured past Paraguay via an a golden goal, put Italy out on penalties, scrapped past Croatia, before beating a Brazil side that was falling apart in the final.

1994, well the Brazilians were very critical of that side as it did not play the Brazilian way.

True, but at no point in this competition did we look a class apart from any of our opponents. Brazil, France and Brazil played some great football. Sure they had their fair few scrapes and luck on the way.

To repeat I think Sven has taken us forward, but at a much slower rate than could have been expected, considering the options we have and depth to our ranks.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Just because the guy in charge immediaetly before him was f***ing useless, it doesn't turn SGE into some kind of footballing messiah you know. Yes we were shit under Keegan, but any half decent manager would look good following on from him - not exactly a tough act to follow, was it ?

Its the typical English mentaility of settling for complete mediocrity and trying to present it as success. So we qualified for tournaments under Sven...woo hoo. We KNOW we can beat the likes of Poland and Azerbaijan, but for the likes of yourself, you seem happy to dress that up as "success." Qualifying is "success" because, well, we did missed out on a couple of tournaments 30 years ago and in 94 after all. Arn't we lucky now that we qualify ? Well bollocks to that. Qualifying is the MINIMUM expectation with this group of players. And now 3 times running, we've made zero impact when it matters, and folded when the first real test has come up.

I'm sorry, but the excuses have run out now. After that abysmal showing in that tournament, I can't believe you can still defend him.

History will show he failed when it mattered.

However your arguments seem based on hatred and an arrogant view that it is our divine rite to be there. Yes with the players we have we should be at tournaments, but you still need to get there.

I am looking forward in about November when the football has not improved to your rants about McLaren, I guess a quick cut and paste and then a few name changes.

 

[London Calling]

I'm sorry, but that is just utter crap. His nationality has got NOTHING to do with it. All I want to see is an England team playing inventive, flowing, attacking football, whether the bloke in charge is Swedish, Brazilian, Chinese or whatever. I couldn't give a toss WHAT country the manager comes from, I just want to see a successful England team. A team to be proud of.

Eriksson has had 6 years to build us a team. And he has failed MISERABLY to do that. By now, we should've had a system in place to get the best out of the players at his disposal, to make us a genuine force on the World stage. Instead we had no system, no cohesive pattern of play, no clue whatsoever. He's fiddled and fannied about with the tactics, playing people out of position, persisting with his old favourites when they were contributing nothing, and now we've been knocked out by a piss-poor Portugese team who didn't even have the bottle to go for it against 10 men. They were there for the taking, but once again, we've come up short. Forget the penalties, we should've rolled that lot over comfortably during normal time.

Can you honestly say Sven has taken this England team forward since he's been in charge ?

A few of us have been saying this for years. We have been operating as a collection of individuals. We have been winning matches againgst average to good teams because literally we have match-winners players like Lampard and Beckham. Who can pull a goal out of nothing. But againgst quality sides, these players are marked out of the game, our lack of a coherent and structured team, means we become ineffective. Portugal I may add were no better. They were also reliant on two or three key world class players to get them through. So how good is Scholori?
I hope that McClaren can do something for England and for himself, we cannot waste the present talent.

But the media will be searching for mistakes, and they probably already have the lynch rope out already.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Sven is an utter Wanker.

That is all I wish to add.

 

[Easy 10]

History will show he failed when it mattered.

However your arguments seem based on hatred and an arrogant view that it is our divine rite to be there. Yes with the players we have we should be at tournaments, but you still need to get there.

I am looking forward in about November when the football has not improved to your rants about McLaren, I guess a quick cut and paste and then a few name changes.

It's not "hatred" with Sven. And as I've said before, its not because he's foreign either. Its just sheer exhasperation at the guy. We've pissed 6 years away waiting for him to galvanise a terrific group of players and build them into a formidable team. That was his job. Thats what he was brought in to do. He's had 6 years to do that, and he has failed us.

I also have a feeling of impending dread with McLaren. My only hope is that he brings in a backroom team of genuine quality (Venables and/or Shearer would be a good choice imho). Jesus, anythings got to be better than Tord bloody Grip

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Sven started well. He rescued a disasterous Wolrd Cup campaign and then managed a team which beat Germany 5-1. I also liked the way he didn't go mad about that result ( with good cause as it sadly transpired). It was refrshing also to see young players like Ashley Cole being picked when a lot of people said he wasn't ready etc. But we all know he will be rightly judged as an expensive failure. God help us under Steve McLaren. As I say on another tread, it's time to scrap the FA.

 

[Mr Banana]

I'm sorry, but that is just utter crap. His nationality has got NOTHING to do with it. All I want to see is an England team playing inventive, flowing, attacking football, whether the bloke in charge is Swedish, Brazilian, Chinese or whatever. I couldn't give a toss WHAT country the manager comes from, I just want to see a successful England team. A team to be proud of.

Interesting that you mention "inventive, flowing attacking" football and "a team to be proud of" in the same breath. I think it's the desperate, English longing to make people proud which detracts from any freedom the England players feel to be creative. They were gripped by fear on Saturday, incapable of expressing themselves. It was painfully obvious that, subconsciously, they needed to stick with what they knew and risk gallant (morally acceptable) failure rather than go for the jugular and risk losing by more than one goal (unlikely to have happened given that they'd probably have won by at least two goals, but neatly conforming to patriotic regulations.)

You don't get inventive, attacking football from uninspiring, negative people. The FA are rotten with these, hence why they've appointed two conservative, witless managers in Sven and McClaren. You can't inspire 11 arrogant, rich workers without having a personality - preferably a sharp one. You just knew on Saturday that whatever Sven did, Scolari would know precisely how to counter it.

The hope, for me, is in McClaren picking his assistants. If Venables and Shearer get on board we will finally have a couple of people with guts and passion, and that could save us.

 

[Brovion]

... However he needs to get his backroom staff spot on, especially needs somebody with some tactical nouse.

To be honest that is the straw I'm clutching to. IF he can get in someone decent coaching-wise that he will listen to then we may improve and won't go backwards like we did when Taylor succeeded Robson. It is worth pointing out that after reaching the semis in 1990 we didn't even qualify in 1994! People do tend to sneeringly dismiss Sven's achievments in that respect, "yeah yeah yeah we qualified, so what?" without acknowledging that even that apparently simple task has been beyond us more than once.

Don't know who he can turn to though. Not Shearer surely? I'm beginning to think Venables might be a good idea and I was appalled when I first heard his name bandied around.

 

[Uncle Buck]

It's not "hatred" with Sven. And as I've said before, its not because he's foreign either. Its just sheer exhasperation at the guy. We've pissed 6 years away waiting for him to galvanise a terrific group of players and build them into a formidable team. That was his job. Thats what he was brought in to do. He's had 6 years to do that, and he has failed us.

I also have a feeling of impending dread with McLaren. My only hope is that he brings in a backroom team of genuine quality (Venables and/or Shearer would be a good choice imho). Jesus, anythings got to be better than Tord bloody Grip

This is the Alan Shearer who has no coaching expirience or badges?

 

[Marshy]

Does Kilnsmann out of interest ?

 

[Easy 10]

Interesting that you mention "inventive, flowing attacking" football and "a team to be proud of" in the same breath. I think it's the desperate, English longing to make people proud which detracts from any freedom the England players feel to be creative. They were gripped by fear on Saturday, incapable of expressing themselves. It was painfully obvious that, subconsciously, they needed to stick with what they knew and risk gallant (morally acceptable) failure rather than go for the jugular and risk losing by more than one goal (unlikely to have happened given that they'd probably have won by at least two goals, but neatly conforming to patriotic regulations.)

You don't get inventive, attacking football from uninspiring, negative people. The FA are rotten with these, hence why they've appointed two conservative, witless managers in Sven and McClaren. You can't inspire 11 arrogant, rich workers without having a personality - preferably a sharp one. You just knew on Saturday that whatever Sven did, Scolari would know precisely how to counter it.

The hope, for me, is in McClaren picking his assistants. If Venables and Shearer get on board we will finally have a couple of people with guts and passion, and that could save us.

I couldn't agree more.
Unfortunately Eriksson has a complete charisma bypass. Your comment on the lack of a sharp personality is spot on. We don't need someone who rants and raves on the touchline, or shouts in players faces to try to get them motivated. We need someone who can get through to the players, someone the players respond to, who they respect. Someone who can get their point and their ideas across in the right way.

Ever seen Eriksson on the training ground ? He just wanders around observing. He seems barely involved. McLaren is the one talking to the players. Thats just Erikssons style, but frankly he might as well not be there (thankfully now he won't be). I just hope McLaren brings the right coaches in to help, cos we've not gone very far with his input.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Does Kilnsmann out of interest ?

Whether or not he does is not our problem.

We have a system is place where coaches are being made to get qualifications and then at the top bypassing it.

 

[philgull25]

Sven is an utter Wanker

what a profound statement

 

[Easy 10]

This is the Alan Shearer who has no coaching expirience or badges?

Yup.
David Platt has got coaching certificates coming out of his arse, and look how far thats got him as a coach. Alan Shearer is a respected, experienced International who has been involved in countless coaching sessions over his career under a number of managers. He comes across as someone with a strong personality and with clear ideas and opinions of his own. He is EXACTLY the kind of man we need in Englands backroom staff.

Who would you rather McLarenm brought in ? Or would you prefer he kept Tord Grip there instead ?

 

[Marshy]

Whether or not he does is not our problem.

We have a system is place where coaches are being made to get qualifications and then at the top bypassing it.

I wasnt suggesting it was our problem, merely suggesting that badges mean F*** all in my opinion.

 

[Redhead]

Does Kilnsmann out of interest ?

No but Klinsmann can play football.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Yup.
David Platt has got coaching certificates coming out of his arse, and look how far thats got him as a coach. Alan Shearer is a respected, experienced International who has been involved in countless coaching sessions over his career under a number of managers. He comes across as someone with a strong personality and with clear ideas and opinions of his own. He is EXACTLY the kind of man we need in Englands backroom staff.

Who would you rather McLarenm brought in ? Or would you prefer he kept Tord Grip there instead ?

In fairness that was pretty much what Platt was prior to doing coaching.

Experienced international, with knowledged of European club football and so on, but he could not cut it as a coach.

The same may well be true of Shearer.

 

[Icy Gull]

I don't want Shearer anywhere near the England football team. Uncharistmatic nasty dull man with no qualifications apart from being a dour and useful foward. I haven't seen one argument that would amke him any better than Ian Wright.

Let him get his badges and prove himself, meanwhile give Peter (scum again) Taylor the job Shearer is being touted for.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

I've been impressed with Shearer the pundit. Tells it like it is. Whilst this in no way means he'll be a good coach, it proves he has a brain, a rare and often elusive quality in the English game. I think he has the potential to be a good coach for the forwards. It can't be a bad idea to get our most successful fowards, or defenders to do specialised training with the England players. I am still worried though about how McLaren will make the over- paid prima donas into a world beating team?

 

[Dave the OAP]

There was talk on the radio that the Mclaren/Vennables partnership will be put into place with individual coaches for various departments like they do in Rugby/American football etc.

Ie defensive coach/offensive coach.

I have no problem with that if Shearer looks after the strikers and someone like Hansen or lawrensen looks after the defence.