The Footie Thread

[Asian Dawn]

It is hilarious that a bunch of failed Sunday league and computer manager players can post all kinds of tactical advice and complaints about the most successful England manager of all-time in big tournaments. England lost to a better team. And yet most of you think you know more than Gareth Southgate. Hilarious and pathetic.

Go back to posting comments about giving Rory advice about his swing and Scottie about his putting. It's about the same level of stupidity.

 

[Pin-seeker]

It is hilarious that a bunch of failed Sunday league and computer manager players can post all kinds of tactical advice and complaints about the most successful England manager of all-time in big tournaments. England lost to a better team. And yet most of you think you know more than Gareth Southgate. Hilarious and pathetic.

Go back to posting comments about giving Rory advice about his swing and Scottie about his putting. It's about the same level of stupidity.

Think someone could do with a hug this morning

 

[PaulMdj]

No issue with last night, best team won.

Very flat disappointing tournament with few stand out moments.

England really disappointing apart from a few spells in a couple of games, which I find surprising to type when you consider we reached a final.

Pickford, made some good saves, normally his strength is his distribution, but way below standard, not sure if he got frustrated with us giving the ball away so much and coming straight back at him, but Southgate should of either got the team reacting to long balls properly or stopped Pickford from doing them.

Defence, probably the best part of England’s performances, Guehi, stand out player for me and hope he goes from strength to strength. Disappointed with both Spanish goals, got through our right hand side easily, once can happen, but twice

Midfield, Mainoo coming in was good, quality player, young kid, maybe the occasion got to him last night. Disappointed with Rice, Bellingham, Saka & Foden and don’t accept the “they were tired” excuse, no consistency from them, believe they are good enough to run the midfield against any side.

Forwards, Kane did, what Kane does, dropped deep, went missing in games, got no service, didn’t make himself available at times. Relied on too much and needs support or dropped, still one of the best strikers in the World and you either play to his strengths or change the way we play, we did neither.

Other players that came on showed we do have strength in depth, but none got enough game time or proved they should of started.

Starting XI going forward:

I doubt we’ll agree on that, it all depends on who’s in charge, next match is ROI early September, if Southgate is still there, don’t be surprised is 8-10 of those starting last night start that match.

If he’s gone, no idea who to bring in, do we try the Spanish approach and keep it in house (Carsley) do we go all out for a successful Club manager with no international management experience, or do we go “jobs for the boys” snd look at the likes of Lampard, Gerard etc?

Southgate, I really don’t think we can add much more than has been said on here many times, never wanted him in the job, never rated him, but he has given us some great runs in tournaments far better than we’d had for decades, with his style of football we’ve overachieved, with the players and teams we’ve faced, we’ve underachieved. Some of the performances I even think players have let him down.

Thanks for the ride Gareth, but didn’t enjoy the journey.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

Gomez has never been quite as good as he was before his serious injury, but now we have Quansah (who reminds me very much of Hansen) I think Gomez will get even less chances now.

Gomez’s versatility will be great for us again this coming season

He is another that should have been playing if Shaw wasn’t fit , he was excellent for us at left back last season when he had to fill in

But Southgate has his favs


The same 8 players started every game

One change was forced on him and the only other change he mainly did was to swap the one midfielder

All the talk was about extending the squad size etc but was no point with Southgate

He is a very fortunate manager , was fortunate to get the job after his poor record relegating Boro , then every tournament the cards seemed to fall down in his favour

But ultimately anytime they faced what most would see as a top level team he lost

The record will show

2 finals and a semi final - which on the surface is a solid record , but it masks how his management style and mindset held the players back when it mattered

 

[harpo_72]

As a lot of finals go it was poor, looking back over all the games England played the first half against Holland was the only time England played well.

Being honest I think most of Englands play was dreadful and we were lucky to make the final.

The Squad England had should have produced far better football than we saw, the quality of players we had was never in doubt and they simply didn’t play well enough, and that comes from the tactics and style of play from Southgate.

Nice guy but time for a change, his record is good but the fact is England haven’t won anything, we should have won the final against Italy and that was down to Southgates negative tactics, and this tournament was a great opportunity to win a final.

I am not sure it was a poor final, I think it’s hard to compete with the Spanish. There were times when the English press to create a turnover, but to be honest those were few and far between. Shaw was good against the wonder kid.

But the rest of your post I agree with and I think we should or English fans should look positively at what they have achieved but consider deeply how they could do better.

I don’t believe in trotting out players because they have done okay especially when their performances are not up to it. We see how ruthless Pep is and that is the way a manager has to be .. it’s an honour to play for a national side but the honour needs to be continuously earned.

So taking guys and not playing them is a waste of time and 5 minutes of game time here and there is not fair either..

 

[PaulMdj]

Gomez’s versatility will be great for us again this coming season

He is another that should have been playing if Shaw wasn’t fit , he was excellent for us at left back last season when he had to fill in

But Southgate has his favs


The same 8 players started every game

One change was forced on him and the only other change he mainly did was to swap the one midfielder

All the talk was about extending the squad size etc but was no point with Southgate

He is a very fortunate manager , was fortunate to get the job after his poor record relegating Boro , then every tournament the cards seemed to fall down in his favour

But ultimately anytime they faced what most would see as a top level team he lost

The record will show

2 finals and a semi final - which on the surface is a solid record , but it masks how his management style and mindset held the players back when it mattered

You do know he got the England job 7 years after leaving Boro!

 

[Bunkermagnet]

It is hilarious that a bunch of failed Sunday league and computer manager players can post all kinds of tactical advice and complaints about the most successful England manager of all-time in big tournaments. England lost to a better team. And yet most of you think you know more than Gareth Southgate. Hilarious and pathetic.

Go back to posting comments about giving Rory advice about his swing and Scottie about his putting. It's about the same level of stupidity.

If success to you is just turning up, then well done here’s your certificate. Success means winning, so Sir Alf Ramsey is still the most successful England manager.

 

[Hobbit]

Don’t disagree that a new manager looks like the way to go. His game management, especially when using substitutions, isn’t great.

Genuine question; are we expecting too much from the players? They look great in the Prem, especially alongside stars from other countries, but are we viewing them in an echo chamber? We’ve seen performances from pretty much every player that we believe were below par but is that their level on the world stage? Who in that England team is genuinely world class, and who did we think is world class was actually shut down by better players? Who performed at a consistently high level throughout the tournament but who only shined when a weaker opponent allowed them to?

Many say it was a poor tournament for the majority of teams. Maybe most of the teams are at similar levels and just cancelled each other out. I find it hard to believe that the manager of almost every European team needs the sack. I said at the start of the tournament, England have found their level. Could a different manager get them an extra 10% and see them over the line? Possibly, maybe but I’m not convinced there’s enough genuinely world class talent in that squad to achieve it.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

The USA are going to have to step up for the World Cup

There have been massive issues at many games and last nights final another

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812649040276013121

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812653784000352360

Players families getting caught up in it

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812652949107085336

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812619198079635716

 

[Deleted member 29109]

It is hilarious that a bunch of failed Sunday league and computer manager players can post all kinds of tactical advice and complaints about the most successful England manager of all-time in big tournaments. England lost to a better team. And yet most of you think you know more than Gareth Southgate. Hilarious and pathetic.

Go back to posting comments about giving Rory advice about his swing and Scottie about his putting. It's about the same level of stupidity.

Some posters are genuine experts. They've had season tickets at Liverpool and ManU

 

[Swango1980]

It is hilarious that a bunch of failed Sunday league and computer manager players can post all kinds of tactical advice and complaints about the most successful England manager of all-time in big tournaments. England lost to a better team. And yet most of you think you know more than Gareth Southgate. Hilarious and pathetic.

Go back to posting comments about giving Rory advice about his swing and Scottie about his putting. It's about the same level of stupidity.

I don't think I could become England manager and do a better job than Southgate. And, realistically, I think most in here would feel the same.

But, that isn't really the point.

I'm fairly confident that there are many professional, qualified coaches who could do a better job than Southgate. And that seems to be the opinion of many.

England were favourites in many people's eyes at start of tournament, a squad made up of many of the world's finest players. By the time the final was played, Spain were favourites and England were lucky to be there. They scraped through an easy group.with 1 win, and ended up winning it amazingly. Were all but out against Slovakia until Bellingham turned up for a rare moment. Relied on penalties v the Swiss. Only decent display in 7 games was 1st half versus Dutch.

I don't think England were hot favourites, based on players only, at start, as I knew 2 or 3 other nations had fine players. But, I expected them to be much better than they were. Southgate will most likely become the most overrated manager of all time, as people will simply look at the rounds they got to. But, England have had better managers, who managed poor squads, competed against legendary international opponents and/or didn't get as much time as Southgate. I wouldn't be as critical of Southgate last night as I was against Italy at Wembley, as Spain were just better, pure and simple. But when teams like Brazil, Germany, Spain and France go through a period of success, most people know they are great sides at that time. I don't think any other nation look at England and say "what a great team", despite players they have. But, with the right manager, England have a chance at playing a brand of football that makes the rest of the world take notice. Still, always difficult to win, but better chance at winning than by playing bland, turgid football and hoping to scrape over the line, in my opinion. And, even if England did win by playing like Greece, there is surely limited pride in that anyway?

 

[PJ87]

Don’t disagree that a new manager looks like the way to go. His game management, especially when using substitutions, isn’t great.

Genuine question; are we expecting too much from the players? They look great in the Prem, especially alongside stars from other countries, but are we viewing them in an echo chamber? We’ve seen performances from pretty much every player that we believe were below par but is that their level on the world stage? Who in that England team is genuinely world class, and who did we think is world class was actually shut down by better players? Who performed at a consistently high level throughout the tournament but who only shined when a weaker opponent allowed them to?

Many say it was a poor tournament for the majority of teams. Maybe most of the teams are at similar levels and just cancelled each other out. I find it hard to believe that the manager of almost every European team needs the sack. I said at the start of the tournament, England have found their level. Could a different manager get them an extra 10% and see them over the line? Possibly, maybe but I’m not convinced there’s enough genuinely world class talent in that squad to achieve it.

Whilst I agree a new manager seems the way to go , his subs were our best part of the tournament?

I mean look at the Toney sub again Serbia
Watkins sub against Holland
Palmer sub again Spain

Just to highlight three of them

Got the decisions and timings spot on with them

His tactics may be frustrating and questionable but his subs are superb

 

[PaulMdj]

Don’t disagree that a new manager looks like the way to go. His game management, especially when using substitutions, isn’t great.

Genuine question; are we expecting too much from the players? They look great in the Prem, especially alongside stars from other countries, but are we viewing them in an echo chamber? We’ve seen performances from pretty much every player that we believe were below par but is that their level on the world stage? Who in that England team is genuinely world class, and who did we think is world class was actually shut down by better players? Who performed at a consistently high level throughout the tournament but who only shined when a weaker opponent allowed them to?

Many say it was a poor tournament for the majority of teams. Maybe most of the teams are at similar levels and just cancelled each other out. I find it hard to believe that the manager of almost every European team needs the sack. I said at the start of the tournament, England have found their level. Could a different manager get them an extra 10% and see them over the line? Possibly, maybe but I’m not convinced there’s enough genuinely world class talent in that squad to achieve it.

Being able to perform on the world stage and being World Class are 2 different things, before the tournament how many of that Spanish squad would genuinely be considered as World Class? 2, maybe 3? But as others have said, it’s about identity or style of play.

Spain lost their best player at half time and didn’t miss him.

I truly believe we have players capable of playing at the highest levels, but we need to find a way or style to bring that to the table.

 

[Swango1980]

Saw Messi had to go off injured in final last night, and was in floods of tears.

I guess he is selfish, all about him. The match was still level, and he should have stayed strong and supported his team mates

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm Free,

You might be needed close to home

 

[PJ87]

Saw Messi had to go off injured in final last night, and was in floods of tears.

I guess he is selfish, all about him. The match was still level, and he should have stayed strong and supported his team mates

Bit different from missing a pen with 15 to go when still able to play.

 

[Hobbit]

Whilst I agree a new manager seems the way to go , his subs were our best part of the tournament?

I mean look at the Toney sub again Serbia
Watkins sub against Holland
Palmer sub again Spain

Just to highlight three of them

Got the decisions and timings spot on with them

His tactics may be frustrating and questionable but his subs are superb

It’s subjective and full of what if’s. Imagine if he’d subbed earlier or started some of those players. It’s hindsight but bringing them on to chase a game… there aren’t many goals in international matches. I’d rather see England 1-0 up and ‘dictating’ how the opposition play, inc their subs.

 

[PJ87]

It’s subjective and full of what if’s. Imagine if he’d subbed earlier or started some of those players. It’s hindsight but bringing them on to chase a game… there aren’t many goals in international matches. I’d rather see England 1-0 up and ‘dictating’ how the opposition play, inc their subs.

We tried that In the first 2 games. We invited so much pressure in the first and against Denmark we let in the equaliser

His subs were brilliant, got the big calls right

I mean he had the guts to take Kane off when he is on paper our best striker , worked against Holland, and against Spain he brings on Palmer to level the game.

His tactics as I said may be questionable but his use of subs was spot on

 

[HomerJSimpson]

The USA are going to have to step up for the World Cup

There have been massive issues at many games and last nights final another

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812649040276013121

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812653784000352360

Players families getting caught up in it

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812652949107085336

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812619198079635716

As always two sides to a story and Sky football reporting that numerous fans without tickets trying to get in just lie at Wembley - https://www.skysports.com/football/argentina-vs-colombia/report/500793

 

[Orikoru]

As a lot of finals go it was poor, looking back over all the games England played the first half against Holland was the only time England played well.

Being honest I think most of Englands play was dreadful and we were lucky to make the final.

The Squad England had should have produced far better football than we saw, the quality of players we had was never in doubt and they simply didn’t play well enough, and that comes from the tactics and style of play from Southgate.

Nice guy but time for a change, his record is good but the fact is England haven’t won anything, we should have won the final against Italy and that was down to Southgates negative tactics, and this tournament was a great opportunity to win a final.

The most frustrating thing was how well we played every time we were 1-0 down. Why couldn't we play like that from the start of each game? And when we equalised it was straight back to sitting back. Southgate obviously fancies himself as a Mourinho-type, sit back and nick a 1-0 win, but these players have outgrown him now, he's out of his depth. We have world class attacking talent and we need someone that will utilise them properly. The FA will offer him a new contract though because he doesn't say boo to a goose, so it will be up to him to do the decent thing and say "I've taken the team as far as I can, it's time I stepped aside and handed the reins to someone else".

I think he did great when he first came in to galvanise the squad, create a bit of harmony and change the atmosphere in the squad. But you can't deny we've had some incredible luck with the draws in at least three of his tournaments - and whenever we do face a top side we look second best, even when we should be better when you look at the actual line-ups on paper.

We've got some incredible young players, I would like to see Walker and Trippier pensioned off now, and keep Maguire out of it - White to come in and swap with TAA based on what's required - plus the likes of Branthwaite and Tomori (who's been strangely ignored) for the centre as back-up to Guehi who was one of our best players. We need to make room for Palmer to start now too, as difficult as that may appear, but certainly means Bellingham playing deeper with Rice, and Rice being told to do his job and sit in the holding position.