The Official England Thread- The Team We All Support [Vol 3]

[Dr Murdoch]

Puzzles said:

You don’t need stats to tell you when it’s pissing down outside

[JuniorD]

So Ed Sheeran played a lame private gig for the England team after the Slovenia victory.


https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/m...

And in case they beat Switzerland they'll provisonally booked James Blunt

[Antony Moxey]

JuniorD said:

So Ed Sheeran played a lame private gig for the England team after the Slovenia victory.

No wonder they were so reluctant to win.

[andyA700]

Dave200 said:

Arrivalist said:

Nice bit of whataboutery!

Q. What relevance is Portugal to the awful way we play?

A. None at all.

Edited by Arrivalist on Wednesday 3rd July 18:32

Nothing "whatabout" at all.

Southgate has come under persistent criticism for not getting the most out of such a hugely talented side. I'd say that Portugal are equally talented, and performing similarly.

I would pay good money to watch Portugal, I wouldn't pay any money to watch England at the moment.

[andyA700]

honest_delboy said:

That is brilliant!

[type-r]

There is some murmurs this morning that Southgate may switch formation to a 3-5-2. Would make some sense given that Guehi is suspended, Shaw still not match fit and Trippier an injury doubt.

I'll believe it when I see it but why do these decisions only come about when Gareth's hand in forced rather than looking and adpating at the opposition you are playing?

[Arrivalist]

type-r said:

why do these decisions only come about when Gareth's hand in forced rather than looking and adpating at the opposition you are playing?

I think you know the answer to that question

[TEKNOPUG]

type-r said:

There is some murmurs this morning that Southgate may switch formation to a 3-5-2. Would make some sense given that Guehi is suspended, Shaw still not match fit and Trippier an injury doubt.

I'll believe it when I see it but why do these decisions only come about when Gareth's hand in forced rather than looking and adpating at the opposition you are playing?

5 DMs across the middle, able to revert to a back 8. Great.

[coldel]

Foden in the press this morning, says that GS tells the players in training to press high - well for sure, the players are not doing that as a team at all. I see the occasional headless chicken sprint from Foden but the others are all static when not in possession. You also have the issue that Rice and Mainoo/Gallagher are told to sit deep, you can see it on the field, how can they press from there?

[coldel]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cd19...

[carlo996]

the press said:

Manchester City star Foden said: “I feel like the players have got to take some of the blame. There has to be some leaders to get together and find out a solution to why it is not working.

If this doesn't sum up the issue I am not sure what does. Regardless of whatever system the players are asked to play, the main job of the manager is to galvanise the team. Here we have one of our best players full of doubt and wondering where the leaders are? FFS. That's Southgates job, to create these leaders in the team, pick a team with the right personalities, he has had eight years to figure out how this works after achieving absolutely nothing in management before. I cannot remember a time where I was less enthused before a quarter final, in the unlikely event we stink our way through it this will just prolong the agony of watching a great bunch of players being poorly managed by a guy who proved he couldn't cut it last time out. It comes to something when Stuart Pearce is being critical, all the pundits seem as fed up as the fans. We're just a stats team, and I am sure this will be the parting shot...'well if you look at our record in all competitions...'. FA are to blame, they should have acted three years ago, imagine a decent manager with the current talent.

[aeropilot]

carlo996 said:

the press said:

Manchester City star Foden said: “I feel like the players have got to take some of the blame. There has to be some leaders to get together and find out a solution to why it is not working.

If this doesn't sum up the issue I am not sure what does. Regardless of whatever system the players are asked to play, the main job of the manager is to galvanise the team. Here we have one of our best players full of doubt and wondering where the leaders are? FFS. That's Southgates job, to create these leaders in the team, pick a team with the right personalities, he has had eight years to figure out how this works after achieving absolutely nothing in management before.

Well, that's Foden throwing his Captain under the bus then........

Kane should not be Captain.

Captain needs to be a deeper sitting player. I'd give the armband to Rice, and then maybe that might release Kane to do what he does best. A bit like when Ian Botham was made England cricket captain, and his own performances suffered with the burden of captianship.

[toon10]

carlo996 said:

If this doesn't sum up the issue I am not sure what does. Regardless of whatever system the players are asked to play, the main job of the manager is to galvanise the team. Here we have one of our best players full of doubt and wondering where the leaders are? FFS. That's Southgates job, to create these leaders in the team, pick a team with the right personalities, he has had eight years to figure out how this works after achieving absolutely nothing in management before. I cannot remember a time where I was less enthused before a quarter final, in the unlikely event we stink our way through it this will just prolong the agony of watching a great bunch of players being poorly managed by a guy who proved he couldn't cut it last time out. It comes to something when Stuart Pearce is being critical, all the pundits seem as fed up as the fans. We're just a stats team, and I am sure this will be the parting shot...'well if you look at our record in all competitions...'. FA are to blame, they should have acted three years ago, imagine a decent manager with the current talent.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. Last time out was our best chance of actually winning a tournament. We got to the final and played an Italian team that on paper, wasn't as good as the great Italian teams of the past and one that we should have beaten in my opinion. We scored early and then the negative defensive tactics came out, coupled with some odd substitutions if I recall and bang, we lose. That was the wake-up call to say OK, we have the players now, let's bring in someone who knows how to win.

Despite being in the quarters, just, I can't see us getting anywhere near the final this time out.

[coldel]

aeropilot said:

Well, that's Foden throwing his Captain under the bus then........

Kane should not be Captain.

Captain needs to be a deeper sitting player. I'd give the armband to Rice, and then maybe that might release Kane to do what he does best. A bit like when Ian Botham was made England cricket captain, and his own performances suffered with the burden of captianship.

I believe I remember Alec Stewart suffering the same thing. Captains are a particular kind of person, Rice was captain of WH at 21 - Kane is not a natural leader, not vocal enough, doesn't seem to inspire through his own behaviours.

[epom]

So just to confirm who we are blaming this morning for not performing (not the players) is it Southgate or Kane ??

[aeropilot]

epom said:

So just to confirm who we are blaming this morning for not performing (not the players) is it Southgate or Kane ??

Southgate picks the squad, picks the players and picks the captain, and sets the tactics of how he wants those players to play etc.

If the players are playing in positions and systems that they are familiar with at club level, and its not working on the pitch, the blame can be more on the players.....as not a lot of excuses.

As it is, I'd direct most of the blame at Southgate, as clearly there is a 'failure to communicate' somewhere in the set up.

[aeropilot]

type-r said:

There is some murmurs this morning that Southgate may switch formation to a 3-5-2. Would make some sense given that Guehi is suspended, Shaw still not match fit and Trippier an injury doubt.

I'll believe it when I see it but why do these decisions only come about when Gareth's hand in forced rather than looking and adpating at the opposition you are playing?

And if he does that, and it gels and a much better team performance results, Southgate is going to look pretty stupid (and stubborn) as the improvement will be as a result of being forced through suspension and injury, not through his choice.

[Dave200]

epom said:

So just to confirm who we are blaming this morning for not performing (not the players) is it Southgate or Kane ??

It's definitely not a Foden, who's never really performed for England and can't stay onside.

[TEKNOPUG]

aeropilot said:

epom said:

So just to confirm who we are blaming this morning for not performing (not the players) is it Southgate or Kane ??

Southgate picks the squad, picks the players and picks the captain, and sets the tactics of how he wants those players to play etc.

If the players are playing in positions and systems that they are familiar with at club level, and its not working on the pitch, the blame can be more on the players.....as not a lot of excuses.

As it is, I'd direct most of the blame at Southgate, as clearly there is a 'failure to communicate' somewhere in the set up.

There can be many reasons why players don't perform; fitness, motovation, pressure, off-field distractions etc. It's the manager's job to address them and fix them where possible. Or pick someone else. If players aren't performing, yet the manager selects them 4 games in a row, instead of someone else, who's fault is that? Has Gordon underperformed? Or Watkins? Or Bowen? Or Eze? Or Wharton? Or is GS saying that he has a 26man squad but half of them are rubbish, so he has no choice but to pick the same starting 11-13 and if they aren't performing, that's on them and there is nothing else he can do?

[Blackpuddin]

That Foden interview was more depressing than an Ed Sheeran concert. Southgate has the verbal dexterity to explain a plan but the players (all of whom have been soccer-institutionalised since boyhood) don't have anything like the same level of expressiveness. That's what Foden is saying in his own cack-handed way when he says there are no leaders in the pitch. What he means is there is nobody on the pitch who can accurately and passionately remind the players of the plan when the moment calls for it.