The Official English National Football Team Thread

[Benjani'sBootCleaner]

Well you people are "confident".. i'll give you that.

It's still amazing how you think that even if you manage to get to the knock-out rounds you are going to easily beat those teams.. considering that Serbia managed to stop Germany and that Uruguay is easily one of the most impressive teams in the tournament so far..

I guess that looking at the country name to value it's football value it's going to be a common fallacy for a long time.. even though the early games of this tournament taught us otherwise.

Haha you over estimate me as an England fan. I support them at arms length, Club before Country for me all day every day. I look at it on paper and you expect England the team who breezed through qualifying to beat Slovenia, Serbia and Uruguay. That's probably the minimum you'd expect. Obviously football isn't that and I don't need reminding, but it's a fantastic chance to get to the Semi Finals.

A bit like being Pompey in 2008 and playing a Semi Final against West Brom and Cardiff in the Final, sadly it's only natural to expect wins.

[Meitheisman]

Funny article comparing England and France. http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/06/thank-god-for-france.html

Thank God for France

France: now there’s a team to admire. They really get behind each other. You need to get behind someone in order to stab him in the back. Still. We are bidding au revoir after today’s tragicomic defeat by South Africa, yet this World Cup has many reasons to say merci to a squad so dysfunctional that Jeremy Kyle ought to succeed Raymond Domenech as coach. Though Domenech deserves a new deal to take him up to Euro 2012, minimum.

National disgrace? Shame and infamy? The most galling Gauls of all time? Cheese-eating surrender footballers? Give me, and them, a break. The France squad haven’t forfeited hero status because of their inept performances and mutinous antics. Quite the reverse. They can leave after this afternoon’s dim-witted defeat with their heads held high as the most entertaining and edifying team in the tournament: the cadeau that just kept on giving.

Compare and contrast with England. The French? They know how to have a proper crisis. No shilly-shallying or pussyfooting around. It’s full-on civil war. With panache. Going down in a blaze of, well, arsonists.

England’s abortive attempt to have a crisis is so typical of the team: half-cooked, spineless, timid and lacking technique. John Terry faces the press on Sunday morning, does some light bitching and the players have a cosy chat later that day, probably over a nice cup of tea, when no one has the balls to say to Fabio Capello what they privately think. Then Terry apologises to the manager. For what? Publicly suggesting that a goalless draw with Algeria might be a good reason for some full-on soul-searching? It’s just so damn passive-aggressive in the England camp.

With France, everything is out in the open: aggressive-aggressive. The truths may be harder to stomach than a boudin noir blood sausage, but there’s a refreshingly brutal honesty. The atmosphere might be poisonous, but at least Les Bleus have characters. Maybe there truly aren’t any personality clashes in the England squad – because to have personality clashes you need personalities.

Footballers don’t always like each other or the manager or the suits who run the federations. Of course they don’t. It would be abnormal if they did. Yet football’s PR gurus, spinning more than a Jabulani at sea level, always like to pretend that all is fine. That everything is for this best in this best of all possible World Cups.

The players, media-trained into seven shades of beige, are complicit. Great spirit among the lads, real bond, full of confidence, completely behind the manager, yeah. To be fair, it’s unfair. Dishonest, to be honest. It’s patronising nonsense that we buy into too easily. France have done the sport a service by exploding all the guff and showing us how pampered, unfettered, egomaniac superstars really behave on tour.

Some have accused the French of behaving like children. Of course they are. They’re footballers. Their lives are one long extended childhood. They play a game for a living then go home and fiddle with their Playstations; they give each other silly nicknames and think it’s funny to fill each others’ shoes with shaving foam; everything the adult world requires is done for them by their club or agent. Naturally, they behave like spoilt brats when they don’t get their way. It’s exactly what they are.

According to Charles Bremner, The Times’ Paris correspondent, the squad’s sagas are viewed back home as a metaphor for France’s failure to stay competitive in the globalised world and the bling-bling culture promoted by the President, Nicolas Sarkozy.

There is nothing the French love more than a spot of navel-gazing, hand-wringing, pseudo-intellectual, woe-is-nous self-analysis. Secretly, behind all this outrage, they are enjoying themselves far more than if the team had quietly progressed to the quarter-finals then got knocked out by superior opponents, leaving with neither credit nor disgrace. France is such a terrific country that the French have to find topics from somewhere to moan about, or they’d get bored.

Then there’s the issue of the players boycotting training on Sunday. First reaction to the news is obviously one of disbelief. This France side actually trains? Practises with a ball? Don’t they just turn up on matchdays an hour before kick-off and run around in random squiggly lines, like some tactical Pompidou Centre?

Secondly, no matter what they say or write, how many French people, really, are upset at talk of the players going on strike? They’re French. Of course they want to go on strike. It’s what they do. You would no more deny a Frenchman his right to down tools and demonstrate upon the faintest provocation than you would stop an Englishman from drinking bad fizzy lager until he starts a fight, vomits or passes out. Or all three.

As for Nicolas Anelka: ah, Nicolas. Merci mon ami. You had been too quiet for too long. So polite that we’d all stopped calling you Le Sulk. A tantrum was long overdue.

Let’s not be beastly to the French. This suicidal soap opera has been much more fun than if Ireland had qualified, had a bit of a go and finished a respectable and mildly unlucky third in the group, isn’t it?

[gaga_4_parma]

Nice article... good read...

[lawd]

What talent?...I didn't see anything in the entire video which made me think he's anything special.:confused:

Really? I'm surprised. He has an excllent first touch, confident on the ball, not bothered about recieving it in tight situations. Good set pieces, intelligent and varied use of passing, the other videos linked to side of that one show those things also. Not to mention he was an integral part in the Chelsea youth FA cup winning side, aswell as one of the standout player in the U17 tournament (though the final wasn't his best match). Look at the games against Villa in the final especially the 2nd leg at Stamford Bridge. He seems very highly regarded amongst the England and Chelsea staff, so Id say the lad has talent.

[roseboy64]

Think he was looking for stepovers and the like.

[Razzler]

How is your red kit lucky, btw, given that you've not worn this particular colour scheme since 1962?

Nah, 1962 we have a black & white kit, I seen it on tele ...

[Razzler]

Anybody seen the front pages for tomorrow? Presumably it's all gone full circle and we are world beaters again?

Basically, whatever sells the paper.

"this player is an overpaid ponce" ... people want to read

"come on boys" ... boy want us to win

"we were rubbish, the worst ever" ... people angry with the defeat so want to read

"come on boys" ... everyone wants us to win

Basically the paper will whore themselves out to whatever they think the public wants to read. If we go out here or the next round expect to read lots about Capello and his 'methods' and how it cost us the tournament

[Razzler]

I'd add Josh McEachren to that, the boy is scary talented, fantastic technically with a really good football brain, just needs to bulk up a little, but thats nowt to worry about.

A video if anyone is interested; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYNcQcjslOI&feature=player_embedded

We can always get talented players up to a certain point but there comes a time when players like this have to be given the opportunity to play in the first team and develop, without that he'll end up a wasted talent or a very good player that drops down a club and then potentially returns to the top level in 5 or 6 years.

He's there now, he's good enough, will he get enough opportunities though when there is so much at stake. You have to have confidence in the players and bring them through and not just 10 minutes here and there for 3 seasons

[jmr]

He's 16 or 17 Razzler and most definitely not ready to play for the Chelsea first team. I agree with lawd though, from what I've seen (very little) he is our most promising youngster, will be shocked if he doesn't become an England/Chelsea regular providing nothing catastrophic happens.

[Razzler]

Yeah, I realise that but I mean he can be exceptional for the next 2 or even 3 seasons but at some point he'll need to be given some kind of chance and I just hope that happens.

We need all the promising English players we can playing at decent levels of football. Be nice to have him (is it 'Macl-rak-un'?) and the likes of Wilshire, Rodwell, Gosling, Gibbs, Adam Johnson all playing around the first team of top 6 or 7 clubs in the Prem

[chopper99]

Funny article comparing England and France. http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/06/thank-god-for-france.html

Fantastic read that

And fully agree with it tbh. If you're going to self destruct you might as well go all in.

[lawd]

Yeah, I realise that but I mean he can be exceptional for the next 2 or even 3 seasons but at some point he'll need to be given some kind of chance and I just hope that happens.

We need all the promising English players we can playing at decent levels of football. Be nice to have him (is it 'Macl-rak-un'?) and the likes of Wilshire, Rodwell, Gosling, Gibbs, Adam Johnson all playing around the first team of top 6 or 7 clubs in the Prem

I agree with the sentiment but I think he will be given a chance if he goes on the way he is. I'd quite like the League cup to have rules were cdertain amounts of Englis Youngsters had to be included in the squad so they did get first team experience. Its pronounced Mc-Ek-Run.

[gunner4eva]

James, Johnson, Upson, Terry, A. Cole, Milner, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard, Defoe, Rooney.

No Joe Cole and Gerrard on the left again

[ArsenalFan7]

Am I the only english person who gets no passion out of supporting them and finds them boring as hell to watch?

I get much more entertainment out of watching a team like Chile

[skybluedave]

Am I the only english person who gets no passion out of supporting them and finds them boring as hell to watch?

I get much more entertainment out of watching a team like Chile

No, you are just a typical Arsenal fan \0/

[Astafjevs]

I think England would have had a great chance to win this if they finished 1st. Now, you guys potentially have such a tough route to the final.

Germany, Argentina, Brazil/Holland/Italy or Spain (if the latter two finish second in their groups), Spain (if they finish 1st)/Portugal.

That will be very difficult.

[skybluedave]

True, but we new that would be the case after the Algeria game. Shame because we had enough chances to score 2/3 at least today.

But Serbia are no mugs, uruguay maybe in the quarters. It would still be difficult. We aren't very good when we are favourites. Saying that we aren't very good when we meet a superpower.

[NICK_GIFF]

I think England would have had a great chance to win this if they finished 1st. Now, you guys potentially have such a tough route to the final.

Germany, Argentina, Brazil/Holland/Italy or Spain (if the latter two finish second in their groups), Spain (if they finish 1st)/Portugal.

That will be very difficult.

As I said in the other thread, if we're going to win the WC we need to beat the big teams at some point. If we want to avoid them it shows we don't believe we can do it. Furthermore, if we beat one or two of them (say, Germany and Argentina), then it will give us so much confidence in the last 2 rounds.

Of course we'll prob now end up playing Ghana and losing 3-0.

[Astafjevs]

True, but we new that would be the case after the Algeria game. Shame because we had enough chances to score 2/3 at least today.

But Serbia are no mugs, uruguay maybe in the quarters. It would still be difficult. We aren't very good when we are favourites. Saying that we aren't very good when we meet a superpower.

Serbia and Uruguay are teams that should be gobbled up easily by any nation who is looking to win this World Cup. It's knockout football, and those sort of teams just freeze and don't play their normal game.

If you give any team Serbia and Uruguay to reach the semis of a World Cup, they would snap your hand off.

As I said in the other thread, if we're going to win the WC we need to beat the big teams at some point. If we want to avoid them it shows we don't believe we can do it. Furthermore, if we beat one or two of them (say, Germany and Argentina), then it will give us so much confidence in the last 2 rounds.

Of course we'll prob now end up playing Ghana and losing 3-0.

I think it's difficult to play lots of big teams in a row. It drains psychologically. France fell short at the final after having a similarly difficult route.

[Pablo DiscoBar]

Am I the only english person who gets no passion out of supporting them and finds them boring as hell to watch?

I get much more entertainment out of watching a team like Chile

what a dick

[Pablo DiscoBar]

I think England would have had a great chance to win this if they finished 1st. Now, you guys potentially have such a tough route to the final.

Germany, Argentina, Brazil/Holland/Italy or Spain (if the latter two finish second in their groups), Spain (if they finish 1st)/Portugal.

That will be very difficult.

I dont know how you can make that statement before you know how the groups finish. Too many ifs and buts

[skybluedave]

Coventry have been boring all my life, maybe I should stop supporting them \0/

[Lermon]

Am I the only english person who gets no passion out of supporting them and finds them boring as hell to watch?

I get much more entertainment out of watching a team like Chile

were Chile that entertaining when they played Switzerland? Anyway, I'd admit there are probably better teams to watch- because England are just far too nervy on the ball to even watch.

[Boltman]

what a dick

Harsh.

I'm half-English and England bore the bejeezus out of me.......

'Mon Chile!

[Deep Lying Playmaker]

Same old England, play poorly in the group until we absolutely have to win, even then we do just enough. Of course we finish second again giving us the toughest possible route, then get beat by the the first decent team we play.......oh wait that bit hasn't happened yet.

[skybluedave]

You are just making stuff up now. We finish top of our groups at the last 2 WC's

[Rio_V]

Never in doubt. Well done.

[aggressive minor]

Gerrard on the left anyone?

Milner was very good today, shades of Beckham in his performance today. Of course the issues haven't gone after one match, but if we could get Rooney back in form we'd potentialy be a handful for anyone.

[Deep Lying Playmaker]

You are just making stuff up now. We finish top of our groups at the last 2 WC's

Think you'll find we finished 2nd to Sweden in 2002. Also noticed you didn't go back to 98, where we finished 2nd to Romania. Like I said same old England.

[Pablo DiscoBar]

Think you'll find we finished 2nd to Sweden in 2002. Also noticed you didn't go back to 98, where we finished 2nd to Romania. Like I said same old England.

Doesnt matter does it. If Serbia win the group we are laughing. sort of

[Deep Lying Playmaker]

Bloody big if!

[aggressive minor]

Thinking ahead a bit, but looks like it could be Germany then Argentina. If England play like we did today, no we may not be favourites, but I really believe we'd have a chance against both.

Argentina looked upon as one of the favourites, but for all their amazing attacking talent, they could be exposed definsively.

[aggressive minor]

Oh and Glen Johnson, has good pace and quite a nice touch of the ball, does good things most matches- but is a mistake waiting to happen for me.

[Tim2]

Im disappointed we didn't win the group as Im meant to be taking part in a competition called Midland Movie Madness, where you write, film and edit a completed film in a day, from two titles given to us at 9am. Im hoping the others swill let me watch the match.

[Philip Rolfe]

what a dick

Please don't abuse people for making a choice.

[Rhino]

Oh and Glen Johnson, has good pace and quite a nice touch of the ball, does good things most matches- but is a mistake waiting to happen for me.

Looked shaky in defence, but formed a promising partnership with Milner, alternating runs down the wing.

What a cross-field pass in the first half.

[howard moon]

Good performance considering the circumstances. I'm not a fan of John Terry normally, but he was excellent today

Despite this, I'm still concerned by how Gerrard and Lampard are asked to play. Gerrard is not a left winger, and Lampard plays too deep and is pretty average in the role he's asked to play. We need to get this sorted to be able to beat the better sides in the competition

Also a shame Rooney had to come off. Looked like he was finally sparking into life, think he just needs a goal to get up and running

[hasdgfas]

Doesnt matter does it. If Serbia win the group we are laughing. sort of

because Serbia are such a weak team?

[Hom3r]

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/kostage.html

I'm not acting like we are getting this far, but is this the correct schedule so we'd play Saturday the 2nd and Wednesday the 7th before the final? As I'm sure the BBC calender has it differently.

[davin94]

England will easily lose against Germany in the last 16

[STaphouse]

England will easily lose against Germany in the last 16

why?

they've lost we haven't

[Hom3r]

because Serbia are such a weak team?

Of course they aren't, but I think there would be an understandable sigh of relief should we get them rather than Germany.

[davin94]

why?

they've lost we haven't

Yeah but with 10 men, Germany have been far more convincing than England so far. England have stuggled to beat the mighty algeria whereas Germany lost to a much better side in Serbia

[lawd]

Way I see it England will only get better. No point in being afraid of any team left. And if we get Germany and do beat them, and I don't see why not, the confidence boost will be massive.

[SeanNUFC]

way i see it england will only get better. No point in being afraid of any team left. And if we get germany and do beat them, and i don't see why not, the confidence boost will be massive.

ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[STaphouse]

Why be so negative?

That win might do wonders for the players...

whats the point of writing us off already

[ArsenalFan7]

what a dick

I don't get entertainment out of watching the country I am from play so I am a dick?

Great theory...

Really though, in my world you are the dick.

Argument finished

Coventry have been boring all my life, maybe I should stop supporting them \0/

It's not that it's just I cannot find any passion out of supporting them

[skybluedave]

Fair enough. You are a club>>>>>country man. Plenty of those around. You're not the first and wont be the last.

[Astafjevs]

I love this "they've lost and we haven't" argument. So flawed it's untrue.

[Tim2]

So its England Germany in the second round, if we play a bit better than we did tonight we can beat the Germans, as Serbia have done it but it will be hard. I thought Gerrard was very disciplined in his left role today, if we can play like that we have a good chance.