The England Thread

[Kendinho]

If the England team worked as hard and as together as the US team they would still be in the tournament imo.

The reason the US team had to rely on Howard to stop it being a cricket score was down to the difference in ability between the two teams and in the end hard work and being well organised wasn't going to be able to bridge that gap in ability. (Although sometimes it can.)

I think that's letting some sloppy US play off the hook to be honest. Yes we'd all like to see England work harder, but I'm not sure I'd like to see them play like the US did, cut and thrust play, leaving the keeper to have one of the best performances in World Cup history to keep it from being a thrashing.

Against Italy we had the same number of shots (overall and on target) as the US last night and forced more corners, despite having less posession. Against Uruguay we dominated possession, had 6 shots on target to Uruguay's 2 and 12 overall to Uruguay's 8.

I really don't think there was anything overly special about how the US went about their business last night to be honest. They actually made Belgium look good in fact - something they hadn't looked in the group stages at all.

 

[talkshowhost86]

I think people are forgetting how unlucky we were tbh.

Sure we deserved to go home. But it could easily have been different bar a few fractions of inches.

I don't buy the coaching thing. Pretty much all prem clubs have excellent facilities and top European standard coaching systems.

I still maintain our core problem is the pool of talent. There just simply isn't enough English players playing top flight football in England or, lol, Europe for us to get a capable team good enough to mix it with the big guns like Costa Rica.

It must be something to do with the coaching though, particularly at the younger ages.

Teams aren't buying foreign players for fun. They are buying them because they are better than English players. The same can be said abroad. Foreign teams don't buy English players because they simply aren't that good.

There isn't any reason why English players are any worse than, for example, Dutch players. There's not something in the water that is causing all English footballers to be a bit rubbish.

So for me it must be down to the coaching in some capacity, although at what stage in the coaching process the problem lies is anyone's guess.

 

[Coyboy]

If the England team worked as hard and as together as the US team they would still be in the tournament imo.

The reason the US team had to rely on Howard to stop it being a cricket score was down to the difference in ability between the two teams and in the end hard work and being well organised wasn't going to be able to bridge that gap in ability. (Although sometimes it can.)

But there's gaps in ability between Argentina and Switzerland, Germany and Algeria and Ghana and Germany as three examples and yet in those games there was nowhere near the same dominance by the stronger team, if at all. The US are pretty poor but try hard and have a good 'keeper as they have for years.

 

[beats1]

Isn't it funny that sven was ridiculed so badly but in the grand scheme of things he did well in comparison?

I honestly don't think it has any thing to do with coaching at the top level. We have tried pretty much every different style of coach we can and none of them worked.

We just have too take a long view on this. As has been said multiple times over the last decade. English players don't have basic ball control. The simple act of receiving the ball and passing it to another player under pressure which is taken as a given in other countries.

This has to be developed from the ground up. Another worrying thing is our defending. Some thing we used to at least be solid at and have a number of options. Same goes with goal keepers?

Really because from where Im standing we have tried very defensive managers and all of their CV's suggest they were at best in Italy.

We have been more defensive than the italians and yet still don't know how to attack.

McLaren was labelled a joke but worth noting he was the last manager to beat a big team in a competitive match

 

[Gbspurs]

Squad for the upcoming qualifiers

Goalkeepers:Fraser Forster (Southampton), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Joe Hart (Manchester City)

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), John Stones (Everton)

Midfielders: Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea City), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Welbeck (Arsenal).

Roy obviously thought "Fuck it. We don't need CB's, it's working really well for Man Utd".

 

[0-Tibsy-0]

Squad for the upcoming qualifiers

Roy obviously thought "Fuck it. We don't need CB's, it's working really well for Man Utd".[/quote]

I never thought i'd say this, but i'm not sure what Gibbs has done to get in over Rose recently....

 

[gushayes11]

Shelvey, Really? Look short of defenders, but lack of options I guess.

 

[Gbspurs]

I never thought i'd say this, but i'm not sure what Gibbs has done to get in over Rose recently....

True. I never get the logic of calling a player up (Danny Rose), not playing him and then dropping him from the next squad.

 

[Lufti]

True. I never get the logic of calling a player up (Danny Rose), not playing him and then dropping him from the next squad.

Depends what he sees in training innit.

 

[Gbspurs]

Shelvey, Really? Look short of defenders, but lack of options I guess.

Dier and Chambers with the u21s could have been called up. Shawcross? Curtis Davies?

 

[mpickard2087]

Rose is unlucky. In the last squad, continued his good start to the season, but gets dropped...

This is my problem with England managers. I know you can go months without games and form changes, but surely you try and get a bit of consistency and pick a settled squad of players rather than keep chopping and changing in certain positions.

 

[WalkerboyUK]

Lambert has spent his Liverpool career so far sat on the bench.... stays in the England squad though.

 

[Shanks]

Well its good to see players who are actually playing decent for their clubs for a change.

Gibbs over Rose - I'd say Gibbs has probably been the better, but hardly by anything else. Baines will start in that position though so it doesn't matter much.

Bit light on defenders, not sure I'd have taken Lambert (has he actually played yet?), but if they were to take a big man, he's not a bad option and cannot think of anyone else either.

 

[Bobbins]

It's only San Marino and Estonia.

I'm glad they've kept the majority of the under-21's in the under-21's squad - it's what other countries tend to do much more than we do, and is the reason so many other countries have whole generations of players coming through to the international stage together, at the same stage of development, because they've learnt the game together, played together, and developed a way of playing together for the national team.

We just plonk in whatever flavour of the month Sky are promoting and have zero continuity or style of play for the England team.

 

[Marty]

It's pretty dreadful that we're playing San Marino and Estonia, yet an ageing Lambert who sits on the bench gets picked over a young Berahino in the form of his life.

But I suppose the U21s are playing the playoffs so it makes sense for them to have all their strongest available.

 

[nidge]

Purely from a Spurs point of view but what has Townsend done to deserve a call up?

 

[KingNothing]

Purely from a Spurs point of view but what has Townsend done to deserve a call up?

Agree. At least give Adam Johnson a call up instead of Townsend

 

[gushayes11]

Lambert has spent his Liverpool career so far sat on the bench.... stays in the England squad though.

He looked really out of shape the times he's come on this season. He needs games.

 

[Hoddle&Waddle]

True. I never get the logic of calling a player up (Danny Rose), not playing him and then dropping him from the next squad.

Equally weird how Andros is back in when he's hardly played in the Prem. Really think we should have got rid of Hodgson when we had the chance.

 

[teok]

Purely from a Spurs point of view but what has Townsend done to deserve a call up?

Just goes to show how weak the current england team is.