The England Football Team Thread

[Flojo]

lol that's what I mean it's like I chat to some of my boys and it's like they almost take pleasure in watching England lose, I don't think it's a coincidence that these are the same guys who love off Brazil and more recently Spain.

I've always watched continental football like Football Italia and Euro Goals so I've always appreciated their philosophy on football but I'm in disagreement that it's the only way to challenge the best international teams.

The best England performance in a major competition I've seen was under Terry Venables during Euro 96 and I watched that team genuinely believing they could win the competition, the focus was on playing to England's strengths and imposing their game on the opposition. It should have been a case of fine tuning from then onwards imo.

Co sign Anelka about sapping the creativity out of the creative English players and sticking them out wide.

[anelka]

As for playmakers all the examples anelka gave were/are massively overrated players, people think because he's english can dribble pass and shoot to a decent level he is a playmaker. You rarely see an english player who can both manipulate the tempo his team mates (and subsequently the other team) play at.

Bentley

McManaman

Le Tiss

Joe Cole

Magic Merson

Rooney (who they have turned into a no.9)

Pardon, who is here is "massively overrated"

[Aquaman]

u must be lenching me

at least come with someone credible like glen hoddle.

rooneys not that guy he's never been the main guy in a team, ever...so dont let the media gas you.

theres no evidence to support your claims.

[Michel Kane]

You're entering dangerous territory fam.

Rooney. Not a main guy for a team?

Really?

You surely must be talking from a creative aspect purely.

[anelka]

I didnt eva see Hoddle play in his prime, saw him at Chelsea & Swindon

Swear Rooney was the main guy for Utd hen he wore no.8 for a couple seasons b4 they won the league

Theres a hell of alot of evidence to support each player

[Aquaman]

he's a 2nd fiddle

a sidekick. he aint batman (cr9) he's robin (rooney)

obv he's a major player but can u really see him doing what anelka wants him to, to an effective standard anyway

[Michel Kane]

#8 Rooney >>> #10 Rooney.

Euro 2004 proves that to an extent.

[Flojo]

The best England performance in a major competition I've seen was under Terry Venables during Euro 96 and I watched that team genuinely believing they could win the competition, the focus was on playing to England's strengths and imposing their game on the opposition. It should have been a case of fine tuning from then onwards imo.

Co sign Anelka about sapping the creativity out of the creative English players and sticking them out wide.

england did do best in euro 96 but that was a lot to do with being the home nation.... 30 years of hurt and all that

but imo that period 96-98 the players england had at there disposal >>>

just look at the strikers alone they had options in every position and under hoddle after venables they played the only good football ive seen england play

Yeah the home support definitely played a part but the mentality and setup of the team had a lot to do with it.

If this WC was being held in England I don't think it would have been an advantage.

[Flojo]

On the number 10 debate England have definitely had players with the potential to fill that role but the players have never been given enough of an opportunity to grow into the role and this is going back decades, Platini has been cussing man about this from day.

[Flojo]

It's impossible to put a team on paper and say whether they would win a game let alone a world cup.

'Arry is sometimes labelled as a clueless typical English coach but I don't think that's the case at all, he was one of the first managers in the Prem to jump on the foreigners wave because he was aware of the technical qualities they could bring to his teams to strike the right balance. I reckon he'd bring through some of the youngers with potential like Adam Johnson and allow them to express themselves instead of killing their natural flair.

[BATTY BOY BUM BANDIT]

tbh I kinda agree with flojo. Tryna kid ourselves into thinking we need to 'keep the ball better' etc etc. This is true we do need to however we do not have the players to do so. So now where do we go? Continue to try it even though it wont work? smh.

English football at youth levels are a joke. Only last month the u17s were on tv, and they won the euros beating spain in the final....Englands best player was Connor Wickham who is 17 but about twice the size of everyone on the opposition team. No tekkers, culture, flair or anything. Their captain is a lad called Connor Cody who plays for Liverpool. He is the PERFECT example of what is wrong with english footy. He cant pass, makes terrible decisions but he is a scouse rat who runs alot and unnecesarily throws himself into challenges. Yet on the bench they had Thorne who is class on the ball, composed and can ping it. Moves the ball better then anyone else in the team yet he doesnt start.

I know its too late for the first team to start learning how to control a game by using the ball, but FFS at least try instilling it in the youngsters. Whats the point of winning the u17s EUROS if in 6 or 7 years time these same players cant make the step up as no matter how physical they are, they cant get near the ball when the oppo have it and when they eventually get it they dont know how to use it and move.

We've got good players, however they work well in systems that england dont employ. Gerrard on the left? Yeah lets just expose ashley cole a bit more. (I even saw the analysis after todays game and hansen shearer and co were rating him for chasing down the german RB and blamed others for not doing the same when the ball was just shifted around him and he was out the game). I rate gerrard tbh but he is not a left midfielder I think everyone knows this.

Lampard scored 27 in 51 last season, but again, hes playing in a midfield of world class players who do alot of his midfield duties for him, as well as strikers who can keep hold of the ball. Instead he has to play with gareth barry who cant even be trusted to the defensinve duties at city on his own (de jong).

Upson, Carragher and Terry....allow all of them. The lack of pace is DISGUSTING. How can you get outpaced by Klose? not even a road runner, miroslav klose you know.

More to say but typed too much

[Lieutenant]

England need disecting from the very top. So much wrong I can't be bothered to go into it all.

All I'm gonna say is I got caught up in the media hype, thought England were better then they actually are.

In my lifetime I have never seen England play good football, maybe once or twice against Luxembourg or Albania but realistically nah.

I think the players believe this hype as well which is a big problem.

+

Creativity is f*ck*ng zero

Couldn't see where a goal was coming from this whole tournament, never looked like scoring in all 4 games.

[Lurch]

This so called Golden generation needs to go.

Bring in Hart, Cahill, Rodwell, Wilshere, Gosling, Agbonlahor, Young etc.

TBH f*ck even thinking about Brazil 2014, time to build for 2018. Not like European nations do well outside of Europe anyway so might as well just use 2014 as an experience for certain heads.

By Euro 2016 I hope a proper team has been moulded.

Was it me seeing things or was it the players seemed to have lost respect for Capello? While they seemed to respond to Beckham. Can't believe I'm saying this but Becks may have a role to play in the future setup.

BTW Ozil and Mueller are too much, I knew about Ozil but Mueller was dirts too.

[Guest Awesome Kong]

They will never play majority black/mixed raced for England.

[Lenny]

Mike Kane went in, but i C/S most peoples general idea

BUT, as I've grown to have a much better understanding of the game, my footballing philosophy just can't f*ck with the general English philosophy. It really is that. I know for most people who follow football, it really isn't that deep but meh, what are you gonna do...

:!:

[The Somalian]

The dust has settled

The millions and millions of England fans are nursing hang overs

But I think we can all say Sven Eriksson he over achieved and everyone got gassed.

To be the best you have to beat the best and England are a second rate team

Lol at everyone screwing coz England never got the easy route

Like they did in 1990

England and are no more of a QF team at best

Remember this is a team who did not qualify for the euros so 2nd round in the wc is just about right

Considering what group they were in

Hopefully we can qualify for the euros get knocked out at the group stage be happy with that

[Rsonist]

Easy thing for the FA to do is make the manager the scapegoat. Be f*ck*ng real though, it's the same bullshit team from 2006 and 2008 that have done sh*t again. Start by dropping some of these overpaid over powered d*ck heads and rebuild the team from scratch. Enough is enough with some of these guys on 50 caps and more who have never beat a top team in a major tournament.

[Mr. Gayle]

"Golden Generation"

[Lenny]

Did i really just hear Andy Gray recommend Shearer for the job

[Michel Kane]

I told you man a couple pages back.

Lol, said, ''well if Van Basten, Klinsmann, Guardiola & Maradona can do it....''

Thought this guy was smarter than this. f*ck*ng simpleton.