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The Euro 2020 (football) thread.

I don't know what the problem is with England as a footballing nation but throughout my life every England team has just seemed lacking in effort, va va voom, pizzazz, energy, commitment, spirit and "killer instinct" compared to truly great teams.

Can we not find, from a 60-70 million population, 11 players and some subs as good as the best 11 that Italy or Germany can find?

Are our players fragile prima donnas too afraid of a hamstring injury affecting their over lucrative premier jobs?

Are all England managers and FA institutionally shite?

Has it not occurred to FA etc to study the management and training regimes of the likes of Italy and copy them?

They can be good for say 15 mins here and there but as soon as under any pressure they tend to fall apart and seem to be aimlessly (literally) dithering about making poor passes and losing all focus... it's like they expect other teams to be crap but then when they show themselves to be really good England just gives it "shit they aren't letting us win and we're having to play catch up, looks like we're gonna lose so no point in getting out of breath or any more bruises"
 
I think England were flattered by the rather lucky draw and average opposition.
The Italians were better, but England are very young, naive and lacked international experience. They will get a lot better, just be happy we did so well, before tournament getting to semi’s was considered good going.
Unfortunately as Arkless says scum will be scum, I think putting Saka as final penalty taker was cruel, really don’t understand that. On whole Southgate has been a giant but that last decision was wrong, wrong, wrong! (Long time gooner) poor lad, I pray he’s not trolled and scarred by this.
 
I don't know what the problem is with England as a footballing nation but throughout my life every England team has just seemed lacking in effort, va va voom, pizzazz, energy, commitment, spirit and "killer instinct" compared to truly great teams.

Can we not find, from a 60-70 million population, 11 players and some subs as good as the best 11 that Italy or Germany can find?

Are our players fragile prima donnas too afraid of a hamstring injury affecting their over lucrative premier jobs?

Are all England managers and FA institutionally shite?

Has it not occurred to FA etc to study the management and training regimes of the likes of Italy and copy them?

They can be good for say 15 mins here and there but as soon as under any pressure they tend to fall apart and seem to be aimlessly (literally) dithering about making poor passes and losing all focus... it's like they expect other teams to be crap but then when they show themselves to be really good England just gives it "shit they aren't letting us win and we're having to play catch up, looks like we're gonna lose so no point in getting out of breath or any more bruises"
Have a look at how successful England teams have been at age group level recently; we have taken on board what other countries have done. Do some reading on St Georges Park etc. Or just spout off a load of ill-informed nonsense?
 
Have a look at how successful England teams have been at age group level recently; we have taken on board what other countries have done. Do some reading on St Georges Park etc. Or just spout off a load of ill-informed nonsense?

Knowing **** all about a subject doesn't stop people spouting ill informed nonsense on the audio pages so I'll say it as I see it when it comes to football.... a subject I am a mere ill informed subjectivist in:p
 
I don't know what the problem is with England as a footballing nation but throughout my life every England team has just seemed lacking in effort, va va voom, pizzazz, energy, commitment, spirit and "killer instinct" compared to truly great teams.

Can we not find, from a 60-70 million population, 11 players and some subs as good as the best 11 that Italy or Germany can find?

Are our players fragile prima donnas too afraid of a hamstring injury affecting their over lucrative premier jobs?

Are all England managers and FA institutionally shite?

Has it not occurred to FA etc to study the management and training regimes of the likes of Italy and copy them?

They can be good for say 15 mins here and there but as soon as under any pressure they tend to fall apart and seem to be aimlessly (literally) dithering about making poor passes and losing all focus... it's like they expect other teams to be crap but then when they show themselves to be really good England just gives it "shit they aren't letting us win and we're having to play catch up, looks like we're gonna lose so no point in getting out of breath or any more bruises"

I'm of the opinion that 90% of our problem is psychological. We've a long and tortured history of losing and not doing that well in the later stages of tournaments, made worse by our media (what isn't??) to the point where the pressure to deliver - combined with the lack of confidence they can actually win a tournament - has made it a poison chalice. For proof see all this penalty shoot out hysteria, the Alan Partridge TV commentators and media deserve a punch in the bollocks for stirring this up into the world's worst meme that "England can't win a shootout" so now look where we are, a whole nation shitting bricks that it will go to pens.

Look at the Germans, French, Spanish and Italians, they've all got that confidence that they can go and win stuff because they've already done it loads of times previous. Brazil are the same, yes they're extremely talented usually, but they have that inane belief due to their track record that they can just go and score anyone off the pitch no matter how many they let in.
 
My favourite part of your Scottish troll episode over the last few days is your obsession with England winning the 1966 World Cup. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t keep your jealousy inside - it eats you up.

I don’t know how old you are but I suspect part of your problem is that it wasn’t so long ago in the 60s/70s that the Scottish national side and the top two or three club sides were broadly competitive with their English equivalents. The advent of the PL and the Sky money changed all that and you are simply fretting because you are aware of it, the gap is getting bigger every year and there is nothing you can do about it.

Aye I'm dead jealous:D

And, BTW little englander you don't know what my nationality is so go and crawl back under your spitfire.
 
I'm of the opinion that 90% of our problem is psychological. We've a long and tortured history of losing and not doing that well in the later stages of tournaments, made worse by our media (what isn't??) to the point where the pressure to deliver - combined with the lack of confidence they can actually win a tournament - has made it a poison chalice. For proof see all this penalty shoot out hysteria, the Alan Partridge TV commentators and media deserve a punch in the bollocks for stirring this up into the world's worst meme that "England can't win a shootout" so now look where we are, a whole nation shitting bricks that it will go to pens.

Look at the Germans, French, Spanish and Italians, they've all got that confidence that they can go and win stuff because they've already done it loads of times previous. Brazil are the same, yes they're extremely talented usually, but they have that inane belief due to their track record that they can just go and score anyone off the pitch no matter how many they let in.
Spain were on a far longer drought than England up until recently. Italy & Germany are massive outliers in terms of European success. France underperformed for years. England are actually pretty typical.
 
The most convincing explanation I've heard as to why England usually only get as far as the quarter or semi finals in international competitions comes from one of my friends who knows lots about football (I really don't, I don't follow it at all): they're exactly as good as their results suggest, and no better or worse. They're neither underachievers nor overachievers, but their fans and the English sporting media think they're far better than they actually are, which is why those fans and media go on about "years of hurt" and "righting wrongs", when they would probably be better off accepting that for most of the history of international football, England simply haven't been good enough to win trophies.
 
I asked Professor Henry Higgins what he thought, and he replied:

Why can’t the English teach their players how to play?
The difference with Europeans is like night and day
If they could just play the way one sees Europeans do
Why, they could win some major trophies too!
The Englishman’s way of playing absolutely classifies him
The moment he kicks he makes the Europeans despise him
One decent standard I’m afraid we’ll never get
Oh, why can’t the English -
Learn to set a good example to people whose football is slow and drear?
The Scots and the Irish leave you close to tears
There even are places where football completely disappears!
(In England we haven’t seen it for years).

Three Pygma-lions on the shirt?
 
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England have spent the tournament playing with a double pivot, trying to draw teams on to them, then hitting them on the break using their pacey wide players and Sterling given a more free role. Against Italy it worked for the first twenty minutes or so. Then we couldn’t maintain possession in midfield, at this point Sterling and Kane dropped back to provide cover and assist in defence. I think that the combination of five defenders and two pivots was what led ultimately to our downfall, just as Pep leaving our pivot out against Chelsea led to our downfall.
Grealish doesn’t impress me that much. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t want to spend £100 million on him for City. Hopefully we’ll invest the money wisely in a striker. He’s like too many lads I’ve coached, great feet, really good engine, but he runs into blind alleys. All too often he ends up on the floor.
Walker, Stones and Maguire have had brilliant tournaments. Luke Shaw has done well, but his distribution is wayward, last night our efforts to get out foundered on firstly all hands being on the pumps defending (Sterling giving away a free kick on the edge the box being an example), or with Shaw knocking it into touch or turning over possession.
However, a word about penalties. Too many people copying Jorginho and Fernandez. I much prefer the Ballotelli/Toure/Anelka approach of hitting it hard and and somewhere awkward. Can’t remember any of those three missing a penalty. Too much margin for error with fancy check run-ups and trying to make the goalie blink first.
 
England have spent the tournament playing with a double pivot, trying to draw teams on to them, then hitting them on the break using their pacey wide players and Sterling given a more free role. Against Italy it worked for the first twenty minutes or so. Then we couldn’t maintain possession in midfield, at this point Sterling and Kane dropped back to provide cover and assist in defence. I think that the combination of five defenders and two pivots was what led ultimately to our downfall, just as Pep leaving our pivot out against Chelsea led to our downfall.
Grealish doesn’t impress me that much. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t want to spend £100 million on him for City. Hopefully we’ll invest the money wisely in a striker. He’s like too many lads I’ve coached, great feet, really good engine, but he runs into blind alleys. All too often he ends up on the floor.
However, a word about penalties. Two many people copying Jorginho and Fernandez. I much prefer the Ballotelli/Toure/Anelka approach of hitting it hard and and somewhere awkward. Can’t remember any of those three missing a penalty. Too much margin for error with fancy check run-ups and trying to make the goalie blink first.

Personally I couldn't believe my eyes watching an Italian defence crumble in the first 20 minutes, the space the wide England player had was unreal, great goal BTW.
 
It's coming home...
Waiting for Football.

A country road. A tree.
Evening.
Estragon, sitting on a low mound, is trying to take off his boot. He pulls at it with both hands, panting.
He gives up, exhausted, rests, tries again.
As before.
Enter Vladimir.

ESTRAGON:
(giving up again). Nothing to be done.
VLADIMIR:
(advancing with short, stiff strides, legs wide apart). I'm beginning to come round to that opinion. All my life I've tried to put it from me, saying Vladimir, be reasonable, you haven't yet tried everything. And I resumed the struggle. (He broods, musing on the struggle. Turning to Estragon.) So there you are again.
ESTRAGON:
Am I?

Anyway this cheered me up. A bit.
 
England have spent the tournament playing with a double pivot, trying to draw teams on to them, then hitting them on the break using their pacey wide players and Sterling given a more free role. Against Italy it worked for the first twenty minutes or so. Then we couldn’t maintain possession in midfield, at this point Sterling and Kane dropped back to provide cover and assist in defence. I think that the combination of five defenders and two pivots was what led ultimately to our downfall, just as Pep leaving our pivot out against Chelsea led to our downfall.
Grealish doesn’t impress me that much. I could be wrong, but I wouldn’t want to spend £100 million on him for City. Hopefully we’ll invest the money wisely in a striker. He’s like too many lads I’ve coached, great feet, really good engine, but he runs into blind alleys. All too often he ends up on the floor.
However, a word about penalties. Two many people copying Jorginho and Fernandez. I much prefer the Ballotelli/Toure/Anelka approach of hitting it hard and and somewhere awkward. Can’t remember any of those three missing a penalty. Too much margin for error with fancy check run-ups and trying to make the goalie blink first.

I'm not a massive Grealish fan either, but I think out of the creative options on the bench he is no worse than the others.

I think the reason they throw him on is a lot to do with the stat that he is the most fouled player in the EPL for the past few seasons so they're probably hoping for a free kick that owd slab 'ead could nod in, speaking of which his pen was the best of the lot and I agree, pick a spot and smash it.
 


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