And, we're off.....2016/17

[Beezerk]

The last time an English footballer looked dangerous was when Adam Johnson was in possession of a mobile phone and the local high school phone book.

Belly laugh 😂

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Walcott wasn't playing

Easy to have missed him!

 

[Kellfire]

Walcott wasn't playing

I assume you're joking?

 

[Beezerk]

I assume you're joking?

Get back to yer craft beer.

 

[richy]

Walcott wasn't playing

What?

 

[ColchesterFC]

Chuff knows how we got to be top seeded for a group when Italy and Spain are in the same group.

Just imagine if England and France had been drawn the other way around. I wouldn't have fancied our chances of getting out of a group with Sweden, Holland and Bulgaria. We might've picked up a few points against Belarus and Luxembourg but on the last two performances I'm not convinced by that.

 

[Liverbirdie]

Great post match interview by Joe Hart. Very honest, captain material right there!!

:thup:

 

[Kellfire]

Get back to yer craft beer.

Eh? Haha.

 

[Liverbirdie]

Wonder what more proof there needs to be before fans realise this is the level we are at, this is the new normal. We are at the level of the Slovenias, Austrias, Switzerlands and Paraguays of this world.

Maybe we should just accept we'll never be the cream of the crop.

Just like when someone is born and bred in Wem, Woking or weston-super-mare but engineers some affinity with Man U, Liverpool or Chelsea. Maybe we should just enjoy our parochial team now and again, but glory hunt a big team for the big stuff.

I've always wondered where my swarthy Italian looks came from.........

 

[Beezerk]

Slipknot did a song about England but they called them People for some reason.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Sorry but this is merely a continuation of what has been going on for years, including the Euro's where we were pathetic.

We haven't got the players, as successive managers have all found.

Like Hacker said there is a massive disconnect between the standard of the PL (where the best players are foreign) and the national team.

So how of teams with far worse players managed to look like a team or make the best of what they've got.
Anyone with an ounce of sense can see what our strengths and weakness's are, those players looked clueless and Southgate (who I'd hoped would have a fresh approach) has took us backwards, look at the shear amount of individual mistakes, these players are no were near as bad as they looked tonight.
They need to be allowed to express themselves.
I'd rather we went back to playing "the English" way, ever since we've tried to play possession football like they do on the continent we've gone backwards. Effort guts and determination, rather than being something were not.
Defence, full backs pushing on, central defenders playing it out - we invite pressure.

Midfield, sideways and backwards looking for the defence splitting pass. - not good enough

Forwards - no height, no presence, no ariel threat, can't pass.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

So how of teams with far worse players managed to look like a team or make the best of what they've got.
Anyone with an ounce of sense can see what our strengths and weakness's are, those players looked clueless and Southgate (who I'd hoped would have a fresh approach) has took us backwards, look at the shear amount of individual mistakes, these players are no were near as bad as they looked tonight.
They need to be allowed to express themselves.
I'd rather we went back to playing "the English" way, ever since we've tried to play possession football like they do on the continent we've gone backwards. Effort guts and determination, rather than being something were not.
Defence, full backs pushing on, central defenders playing it out - we invite pressure.

Midfield, sideways and backwards looking for the defence splitting pass. - not good enough

Forwards - no height, no presence, no ariel threat, can't pass.

Your last two points seem to contradict your earlier remark that the players are not as bad as they looked tonight.


Sorry but I disagree. As I said earlier when playing for their club sides they are alongside better players, thereby making them look better. Together for England the truth is revealed, they are that bad!

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Your last two points seem to contradict your earlier remark that the players are not as bad as they looked tonight.


Sorry but I disagree. As I said earlier when playing for their club sides they are alongside better players, thereby making them look better. Together for England the truth is revealed, they are that bad!

I don't think they're bad footballers, just being asked to play the wrong way or not listening to the manager or the manager is clueless.
Did you hear what Giggs was saying about Sturridge and what a brilliant footballer he is and then showed the dross he did tonight, why when they get on the pitch for England does they lose all that?
They showed 3 or 4 decisions that Sturridge messed up, why? does he not trust his team mates or wants the glory or, as you say, he's not as good as he thinks, but with due respect to yourself, I think Giggs is in a better position to judge him

 

[harpo_72]

It was a dreadful game .. back passes were not even as good as the previous game! They just seem to attach themselves to their markers. How many times did yo see a throw in and no one moving about?
That was shocking, beginning to think they should make a premier league side English only and make them play the premier league ... they would get hammered but eventually they would get better ..

 

[Fish]

You can't cut new wood with the same old blunt saw, the manager whoever it could be can do no better with what we have to offer, they are simply not good enough and our expectations for them to suddenly perform on their own without the weekly support of naturally gifted foreign players who make them look better than they actual are ain't going to happen!

We need to accept we are no longer going to win anything of any substance on the world stage for a long time or even push ourselves into any threatening positions where we could trouble the French, Germans, Spanish, Italians and a lot more to boot until re address our whole footballing strategy and that starts at club level and that I'm afraid isn't going to change overnight as radical changes need to be made with regards to the amount of foreign players we have in a team/squad can be allowed, but then the investors and new blood club owners will possibly not be interested anymore and a whole new era would be born, but at what cost and potential damage?!

Nationally were a mess!

 

[Hacker Khan]

I don't think they're bad footballers, just being asked to play the wrong way or not listening to the manager or the manager is clueless.
Did you hear what Giggs was saying about Sturridge and what a brilliant footballer he is and then showed the dross he did tonight, why when they get on the pitch for England does they lose all that?
They showed 3 or 4 decisions that Sturridge messed up, why? does he not trust his team mates or wants the glory or, as you say, he's not as good as he thinks, but with due respect to yourself, I think Giggs is in a better position to judge him

Of course they are decent footballers, but I agree with MM in that they need foreign players in their club sides to bring out the best in them and add that special X factor. We do not have a special player or players who can do that. Rooney at his peak was the closest we have had, but he is well past his peak.

 

[sawtooth]

You can't cut new wood with the same old blunt saw, the manager whoever it could be can do no better with what we have to offer, they are simply not good enough and our expectations for them to suddenly perform on their own without the weekly support of naturally gifted foreign players who make them look better than they actual are ain't going to happen!

We need to accept we are no longer going to win anything of any substance on the world stage for a long time or even push ourselves into any threatening positions where we could trouble the French, Germans, Spanish, Italians and a lot more to boot until re address our whole footballing strategy and that starts at club level and that I'm afraid isn't going to change overnight as radical changes need to be made with regards to the amount of foreign players we have in a team/squad can be allowed, but then the investors and new blood club owners will possibly not be interested anymore and a whole new era would be born, but at what cost and potential damage?!

Nationally were a mess!

I agree , we don't have a larger enough pool of players and the standard is not where it should be.

The FA needs to make sure that a higher percentage of English players play in the EPL for starters. The league ought to be flooded with young promising English players , this would aid development and drive competition for places.

It's going to take years to change but without it I don't see us getting significantly better.

Wenger or A. Nother would need 10 years and total control from grass roots to the top to have any real impact.

 

[USER1999]

So the answer is to have more over paid, under performing English players in the premiership, who will take the cash, and pretend to be Billy big boots. It won't improve them, as they get too much money and fame too early, and stop trying to develop into the best they can be. David Bentley and Jermaine Pennant spring to mind as examples. All the talent, zero application.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I think the overly large pay the English players get from being in the premiership,compared to other countries national leagues, leaves them thinking them are better than they actually are and them expecting other teams to just roll over.
Perhaps having the national team play premiership clubs instead of some meaningless friendlies might focus their attention and actually show them how much they need to work to win.

 

[Deleted member 1740]

Worst performance in a long long time. Sorry Gareth, you've took us backwards in just 2 games.

How can you judge after two games?