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Day 7: England vs Wales, Ukraine vs Northern Ireland, Germany vs Poland

easley91

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
18,720
53,767
Play Wilshere?

What has he done to even deserve being in the squad let alone in your team? (the answer you're looking for is fuck-all) And at the expense of Alli? Have you taken leave of your senses?

I can only conclude that the mushrooms in your full english this morning were not sourced from tescos :D
Working for Tescos I can vouch they are NOT ours!
 

arunspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
8,807
35,543
Italy has been the best team till date.
Closely followed by France.
Then, I dare say England - given England mostly dominated their 2 games in open play.

My top5 teams till now - Italy, France, England, Spain, Croatia
 

nicdic

Official SC Padre
Admin
May 8, 2005
41,857
25,919
Italy weren't that good, Belgium were just very poor. Just like the last WC.

England have looked poor too. No cohesion to the team. The formation doesn't work. And I'm not buying the Rooney experiment.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
I think it's very hard to judge the cohesion off the back of a match where the opposition had 10 men behind the ball.
 

arunspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
8,807
35,543
Italy weren't that good, Belgium were just very poor. Just like the last WC.

England have looked poor too. No cohesion to the team. The formation doesn't work. And I'm not buying the Rooney experiment.

Disagree on Italy. Italy made Belgium look bad. Italy were brilliant at their tactics. Their goals came through that tactics. It was not because Belgium defense was bad.

England have cohesion in the team.
Problem has been
i) Two players couldn't finish easy chances came their way (Sterling & Lallana). Had the chances were taken, it would ve been different games
ii) Striker (Kane) did not get any service again from the 2 players.

Other than that, midfield has been compact with Dier, Alli & Rooney. Full backs have been brilliant.

Hodgson got things wrong but I will give him some leeway to get it perfect for game 3.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Belgium made themselves look bad by playing with no width. Also they missed 2 sitters and a 1 on 1.

@arunspurs
 
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Archibald&Crooks

Aegina Expat
Admin
Feb 1, 2005
55,533
204,721
Hodgson got things wrong but I will give him some leeway to get it perfect for game 3.
Don't hold your breath, he's already making nosies about resting players and giving others who are 'champing at the bit' a chance.

I find it sickening that he's being praised for the changes he made yesterday when (in this instance) Sterling, shouldn't even be there in the first place. And i'm going to bore everyone with this yet again, he left Walcott out because he 'hadn't played enough games' and then picks Wilshere, who literally hasn't played any games.

The guy is a complete clown.
 

arunspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
8,807
35,543
Don't hold your breath, he's already making nosies about resting players and giving others who are 'champing at the bit' a chance.

I find it sickening that he's being praised for the changes he made yesterday when (in this instance) Sterling, shouldn't even be there in the first place. And i'm going to bore everyone with this yet again, he left Walcott out because he 'hadn't played enough games' and then picks Wilshere, who literally hasn't played any games.

The guy is a complete clown.


He is a clown. He goes against his own reasoning & logic. Any astute manager would have got complete performance from the team. But what choice is there ? We got to stick with his decision for the tournament. Atleast FA didnt give a new contract for him.

With words resting, he has sown the seeds of dropping Kane & Sterling.

Against Slovakia, I don't mind Kane, Sterling & even Alli dropped/rested and play Sturridge, Rashford & Wilshere instead.
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
48,100
47,055
Play Wilshere?

What has he done to even deserve being in the squad let alone in your team? (the answer you're looking for is fuck-all) And at the expense of Alli? Have you taken leave of your senses?

I can only conclude that the mushrooms in your full english this morning were not sourced from tescos :D

To an extent I agree, and I probably wouldn't have selected Wilshere in the squad initially.

But it's clear this team lacks a midfielder who can pass the ball. Rooney can float it long, as can Dier, but that doesn't actually help us at all. I actually think Rooney massively slows us down which negates our main threat of pace.

Wilshere, for all that he is a massive ringpiece, is a good passer of the ball and may actually get the ball into all of these strikers that we've got.

As for dropping Alli...as I've repeatedly said that I'd rather drop Rooney, but that simply isn't going to happen under Roy.
 

talkshowhost86

Mod-Moose
Staff
Oct 2, 2004
48,100
47,055
Don't hold your breath, he's already making nosies about resting players and giving others who are 'champing at the bit' a chance.

I find it sickening that he's being praised for the changes he made yesterday when (in this instance) Sterling, shouldn't even be there in the first place. And i'm going to bore everyone with this yet again, he left Walcott out because he 'hadn't played enough games' and then picks Wilshere, who literally hasn't played any games.

The guy is a complete clown.

Also, his changes were just 'throw on three strikers and hope'. Against a team with any sort of nous, we'd have been blown apart in that second half.

Maybe, to his credit, he realised Wales were offering nothing so he thought 'why not just go for it', but he does seem to have all the tactical astuteness of a sloth.
 

Led's Zeppelin

Can't Re Member
May 28, 2013
7,333
20,178
Be fair to the man.

After all, it was Roy "Mr" Hodgson who only yesterday invented the revolutionary tactic of moving the main striker into the box and getting a midfielder to take the corner.

You lot don't recognise genius when you see it.
 

NEVILLEB

Well-Known Member
Nov 6, 2006
6,733
6,335
Don't hold your breath, he's already making nosies about resting players and giving others who are 'champing at the bit' a chance.

I find it sickening that he's being praised for the changes he made yesterday when (in this instance) Sterling, shouldn't even be there in the first place. And i'm going to bore everyone with this yet again, he left Walcott out because he 'hadn't played enough games' and then picks Wilshere, who literally hasn't played any games.

The guy is a complete clown.

Yes it wasn't a tactical master stroke it was throw the kitchen sink at it and hope.

If we hadn't got that last minute goal he'd have been destroyed.
 

ItsBoris

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2011
7,467
8,604
I think you're then asking Vardy and Sturridge to do a lot of defensive work, and you've still got the issue of who's actually going to pass to them.

We need a bit of guile as well as just pace and finishing ability. That's why I'd keep Lallana in the side and also play Wilshere (if he's fit). Probably at the expense of Sterling and Alli.

I think Vardy can, Sturridge probably not so much. But it doesn't matter that much if the rest of the team balances it out. Imo Sturridge is probably the most naturally talented player in the squad, despite his injury troubles and lack of work rate. England actually have the best selection of strikers at the tournament I think, but need to take advantage of that talent. I would be starting Sturridge, Kane, and Vardy as a front 3 and then substituting Rashford on later.

I think the Dier, Alli, Rooney midfield will work better against teams that play a bit more. Russia and Wales have both sat back a lot. We don't have a midfield that can control possession and make space easily, but I think they would be pretty good on the counter. That's partly why you need the lethal finishers up front though. When a chance is created you don't want it falling to Sterling or Lallana, you want Vardy, Sturridge or Kane on it. Plus better strikers have more instinctive movements which make it easier for midfield players to create chances in the first place.
 
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