Anybody watching the England match in London tonight?

[woody69]

Under current FA guidelines, children are playing small sided matches, on smaller pitches, with smaller goals and footballs. For example at my club, our U7s play 5 a-side, and my current U9 team plays 7 a-side. In addition the onus is now on development football rather than competitive (my current U9s will not be able to play 'competitive' football - results and league tables published - until they are U12s). In addition, when a team is taking a goal kick, the opposing players have to retreat to their own half and can only start to move when the ball leaves the penalty area - this will hopefully encourage playing out from the back. But as I said in my earlier post, whilst this is commendable, it's what other nations have been doing for years!

Yeah, things are changing, albeit slowly so hopefully we'll start to see an improvement in a 10 years or so. Problem is because the English players will be getting better, the percentage of foreign players will fall and thus everyone will say, "see we told you it's because there were too many foreign players in the PL", instead of just looking at the fact the talent got better.

 

[evahakool]

Yes, we have played mickey mouse teams and not played the level of football that would even get close to a 1/4 final of a major championship. Think we all need to re-align our expectations. Non of the games Mr Woy has been in charge of have been good..

It comes down to grass roots football, we as a nation have our top flight league dominated by overseas players, so the pickings of players that play in the highest league are slim. just look at the fact he picked Ricky Lambert for his England debut at 31 years old! OK he has been playing some good football, but at 31 yrs of age, he should not even be on the radar. His backup option to him was Jermain defoe.. has he even played in the premier league this season? Midfield is dire, Milner... come on, he cant even get in the city team, one dimensional over rated player. Frank and Stevie G need to step down, we need to be looking to the future! I would rather we lost 8 games out of ten, but played passionate good looking football with a team with an average age of sub 25, then i 2,3,4 years time, that team is ready to take on the likes of Spain, Germany, Brazil with confidence! should be travelling to the Ukraine expecting to bang 3 in, not hoping for a 0-0..

Bang on Rooter that's exactly what I think.

 

[evahakool]

The assumption by England supporters and your media that you should be challenging for WC's is a really funny joke only English people don't get.it.[/QUOTE

The assumption by most England supporters is that we are pish,we do get it and its no joke

 

[Blue in Munich]

The problem lies in how football is taught at grass roots. In England players as young as 9 or 10 are put on full size pitches and it is only the players that are bigger, more powerful that are picked up. It's all about strength and less about skill. In Spain, Germany etc the focus is on skill and the ball. Games are played on smaller pitches with smaller footballs. It's no surprise that more and more foreign players are coming into the Premier League. It's because the majority of young English players aren't as good! And that naturally reflects on to the national team!

If a quota was ever introduced (which it won't be) it will simply mean a drop in standard of the premier league. It won't suddenly mean we have a larger pool of quality players to pick from

Spot on. Martin Samuel identified the problem nearly 6 years ago and what has happened since? The answer probably shares its initials with the Football Association. The links below are to his articles, the Ghana Web one contains a copy of the article, the Daily Mail is a direct link.

http://discussions.ghanaweb.com/viewtopic.php?t=67164

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...r-Brooking-realise-kids-lost-land-giants.html

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Watching England last night was a grand version of Fulham under Woy especially away from home in the Europa league. Set up not to concede. The problem with the England team for many years, arguably as far back as every side since Robson's Italia 90 team, has been ball retention. Look at the really top countries and how they nurture the ball and we just seem to hoof it and panic.

I think we will get to Brazil. I think we will get out of the group and then from there its a lottery especially if we don't win the group. I don't think we will ever win the world cup in my lifetime

 

[Hacker Khan]

Leading up to every world cup they are always printing stuff like we should be getting to the final or we can do it.

I am not going to twist it, I am just stating that I can not remember any media outlet thinking we could win or even get to the final in the last few major tournaments that we have competed in. Yes I totally agree this used to happen, but not the last world cup and Europeans.

 

[Birchy]

I am not going to twist it, I am just stating that I can not remember any media outlet thinking we could win or even get to the final in the last few major tournaments that we have competed in. Yes I totally agree this used to happen, but not the last world cup and Europeans.

Where did I say that they think we can? I said they expect us to. Now we've lost a bit of quality in the team they just slate them from the off.

See that's where your usual twist comes in.

Next off I will be a daily mail reader blah blah. I know the drill by now.

 

[Tiger]

There are a number of fundamental problems and it's not just the coaching. Scouting networks favour bigger, stronger and faster players rather than the best technical players. Then our youth system used to reinforce it pitching small kids against each other on full size pitches reinforcing a direct style favouring the biggest, strongest and fastest. Which means academies are often full of the wrong type of player. As for the Ukraine match -turgid

 

[Hacker Khan]

Where did I say that they think we can? I said they expect us to. Now we've lost a bit of quality in the team they just slate them from the off.

See that's where your usual twist comes in.

Next off I will be a daily mail reader blah blah. I know the drill by now.

Sorry if I am being a bit thick here but are you saying that papers don't think we can win it but are expecting us to win it??

 

[Birchy]

Sorry if I am being a bit thick here but are you saying that papers don't think we can win it but are expecting us to win it??

See here you go twisting it again.

I just cant be arsed wading through the crap you post to unravel it again.

 

[Hacker Khan]

See here you go twisting it again.

I just cant be arsed wading through the crap you post to unravel it again.

Help help, I'm being abused!!! I'm mortally offended and therefore I am going to flounce off and leave the forum.