I really hope I'm wrong but I think we might be about to blow the advantage of having our most talented group of players for some time. Way too cautious - I'd accept it if we had great defenders but we don't they are all average at best.Lee Dixon sums it up - Gareth will say we kept plugging away. With the talent available that isn’t anywhere near good or ambitious enough.
Germany beaten tonight by North Macedonia at home.Pretty crap performance.I doubt we can expect much more with Southgate in charge.
The same time as when they bring the one out as you being the most stupidest poster on avftt .When's the DVD out?
Wasn’t the best especially the 2nd half. Who would you prefer to Southgate.Pretty crap performance.I doubt we can expect much more with Southgate in charge.
No need to get personalThe same time as when they bring the one out as you being the most stupidest poster on avftt .
Eddie HoweWasn’t the best especially the 2nd half. Who would you prefer to Southgate.
Can only manage Bournemouth and not even them now.Eddie Howe
There is a risk this will happen, but if we get it right, we have the potential to win trophies.I really hope I'm wrong but I think we might be about to blow the advantage of having our most talented group of players for some time. Way too cautious - I'd accept it if we had great defenders but we don't they are all average at best.
Who else is pulling up trees in qualifiers? Germany got beaten at home by North Macedonia, Italy limped to a 2-0 against Lithuania, Spain just 3-1 to Kosovo, France scraped a 1-0 to Bosnia, Croatia lost to Slovenia last week, only Belgium looking any good right now.Doesn’t fill you with confidence with the Euro’s only 3 months away, no idea how we are the bookies favourites.
Cracking half volley from Maguire, not sure why prior to that we didn’t make any subs, two holding midfielders against Poland at home whilst drawing with ten minutes left? Ridiculous.
Don’t get the Phillips obsession Southgate has either, assume Henderson (sigh) will be ahead of him in the 11 though when he’s fit.
The more I think about the fantastic World Cup run was it more luck than quality of players/management/tactics, I say luck due to the kindness of the draws and we only got past Colombia on penalties and Sweden are never going to go all the way are they.
There is clearly talented individuals in that squad but is Southgate getting the best out of them I’m not so sure, his persistence in not playing Grealish last year was an example of this when at the time he was easily one of the best English players in form.
I also don’t get the argument that Pickford should be picked over Pope, because he’s “better with his feet”... he’s a goal keeper FFS surely the better shot stopper is needed? Not the best night to bring this up as he didn’t do Stones many favours in the lead up to the error but the book lies with Stones in my view.
9 points is 9 points but it’s hardly inspiring is it.
Grealish will come into midfieldDon’t get the Phillips obsession Southgate has either, assume Henderson (sigh) will be ahead of him in the 11 though when he’s fit.
It was pure luck. We were average to say the leastThe more I think about the fantastic World Cup run was it more luck than quality of players/management/tactics,
Pope should stay as number 1I also don’t get the argument that Pickford should be picked over Pope, because he’s “better with his feet”... he’s a goal keeper FFS surely the better shot stopper is needed?
First WC qualifier Germany have lost since we tubbed them 5-1 in Munich!Germany beaten tonight by North Macedonia at home.
I wonder what their saying about their manager.
FFS we’ve just taken 9 points from 9 conceded our first goal scored 9 so what more do you want?
No need to get personal
Duet with Cliff Richard Saver's (Saviour's) Day??Pope should stay as number 1
bookies favourites because English people back England in English bookies. The more money goes on England the bookies reduce the odds. Go to the other majot countries and if they had bookies then we wouldn't be anywhere near favourites.Doesn’t fill you with confidence with the Euro’s only 3 months away, no idea how we are the bookies favourites.
Cracking half volley from Maguire, not sure why prior to that we didn’t make any subs, two holding midfielders against Poland at home whilst drawing with ten minutes left? Ridiculous.
Don’t get the Phillips obsession Southgate has either, assume Henderson (sigh) will be ahead of him in the 11 though when he’s fit.
The more I think about the fantastic World Cup run was it more luck than quality of players/management/tactics, I say luck due to the kindness of the draws and we only got past Colombia on penalties and Sweden are never going to go all the way are they.
There is clearly talented individuals in that squad but is Southgate getting the best out of them I’m not so sure, his persistence in not playing Grealish last year was an example of this when at the time he was easily one of the best English players in form.
I also don’t get the argument that Pickford should be picked over Pope, because he’s “better with his feet”... he’s a goal keeper FFS surely the better shot stopper is needed? Not the best night to bring this up as he didn’t do Stones many favours in the lead up to the error but the book lies with Stones in my view.
9 points is 9 points but it’s hardly inspiring is it.
I think it's a bit unreasonable to call him a failure for England at this stage . Result wise how has he failed? Failed to reach a World Cup final?Eddie Howe would certainly be better than the present incumbent who was a failed club manager and is replicating that for England.
As for the performances of other major countries they are irrelevant except that if we were playing anything like it would be giving us an excellent chance of a major win but not if we play such uninspiring football as we did tonight.
You haven't sat on the fence with your analysis of England's last world cup campaign have you but please may I point a few things out.If you`re honest we had an incredibly lucky run in the world cup and by coming second well behind Belgium in our group we then got a really soft run , scraped through on penalties against Columbia then beat a very poor Sweden before barely showing up as an attacking force in the semi against Croatia which caste Southgate in a very poor light in my view.
Once again you want to sit on the fence whilst I am prepared express my opinion.I might be wrong but I doubt it.We won`t win anything big (Euros or World cup ) under Southgate however good the squad may be.
Totally agree the England haters are out in force again got nothing decent to say but just say we're garbage blah blah they will never be happy whoever plays or manages the team until we win something which is far from easy.You haven't sat on the fence with your analysis of England's last world cup campaign have you but please may I point a few things out.
1. We didn't come well behind Belgium in the group they beat us 1-0 to gain 9 points to our 6
2. You quite correctly pointed out that by coming 2nd we gained an easier run in, do you not think that Southgate and the England backroom staff would have thought of that possibility?
3. Scrapped through against Colombia. The only reason it got to penalties was due to a lucky 93rd minute equaliser.
4. So because we beat Sweden they are poor? Being an England fan you'll know that we've always had problems with the Swedes in major cup competitions but the time we win its because they were poor. In reality england were really good that day.
5. The only major disappointment of that tournament was not putting Croatia to the sword. 1 up after 5 minutes they should have bombarded them thereafter but allowed a very tired Croatia (they had got through the last two games via e train time and penalties) back into the game.
Who knows what the outcome would have been if england had got to the finals as Croatia really were running on empty by then.
Was it southgate's negativity in that semi or did the players freeze?
But you'd already made up your mind.