2014 FIFA World Cup

[Dan]

Busting out the Italy top for the next 2 games.

I see them beating Costa Rica and drawing with Uruguay though.

It's a shame we couldn't score when we had a lot of pressure. Possession stats where Spain-like and Uruguay where pretty shit and only had 2 shots on target as far as I know.

Are you joking Rafa? England where probably the best team at Italia 1990 and really should have won it, very very unlucky that year.

1978 and 1994 has nothing to with 2014. Nothing.

Were we the best team at Italia 90?

Got out of a group containing Egypt and the Republic of Ireland with just 4 points, then got taken to extra time by Belgium and Cameroon.

Look at all the other teams at 1990. Nobody was amazing that year, I'd say West Germany where the best team leading up to the semi's but England where the better team against them imo.

[Whisper]

Busting out the Italy top for the next 2 games.

I see them beating Costa Rica and drawing with Uruguay though.

It's a shame we couldn't score when we had a lot of pressure. Possession stats where Spain-like and Uruguay where pretty shit and only had 2 shots on target as far as I know.

Are you joking Rafa? England where probably the best team at Italia 1990 and really should have won it, very very unlucky that year.

1978 and 1994 has nothing to with 2014. Nothing.

Were we the best team at Italia 90?

Got out of a group containing Egypt and the Republic of Ireland with just 4 points, then got taken to extra time by Belgium and Cameroon.

Yeah history has been awfully kind on Bobby Robson. We were pretty average in that World Cup. Best we played was the semi final.

[Baddar]

Also, blaming Roy Hodgson is such a fucking easy thing to do. The players need to take responsibility. If they'd played as well as they'd talked before the tournament, they wouldn't be without a point after two games.

[Liam]

Were, man, were!

[Rafael]

Sure, struggling against Cameroon is great.

[Liam]

Sure, struggling against Cameroon is great.

Admittedly by kicking them off the pitch, but this is the Cameroon team who beat Argentina in that same tournament.

[Dan]

Sure, struggling against Cameroon is great.

Cameroon who won it's group and beat Argentina.

[Crybaby Bunting]

[Gazz]

It isn't. Every time England fail we console ourselves with the idea it'll be the catalyst for change.

It won't happen. It'll never happen. England finally get a group of exciting young players and they end up in the hands of Roy Hodgson..

You say that but our group of 'exciting young players' is Sterling, Barkley, Shaw and Lallana (who will be 30 by Russia 2018) and two established younger players in Sturridge and Hart.

Where's the rest of the next squad coming from?

I'm sick of saying it but our (as a nation) lack of technique, fitness and tactical understanding is years behind the top nations and it's never going to change till we lose this obsession with 'pace, power and passion'. Those attributes do not win you trophies. England produces far too many 'exciting young wingers' who are basically kids that can run really fast with little to no end product, it's our speciality since it's the one position where blind (pun intended) speed makes you look good.

[ZJ Penn]

So what about Spain eh?

What an embarrassing bag of shit they were! Right? Right?!

...

[Liam]

It isn't. Every time England fail we console ourselves with the idea it'll be the catalyst for change.

It won't happen. It'll never happen. England finally get a group of exciting young players and they end up in the hands of Roy Hodgson..

You say that but our group of 'exciting young players' is Sterling, Barkley, Shaw and Lallana (who will be 30 by Russia 2018) and two established younger players in Sturridge and Hart.

Where's the rest of the next squad coming from?

I'm sick of saying it but our (as a nation) lack of technique, fitness and tactical understanding is years behind the top nations and it's never going to change till we lose this obsession with 'pace, power and passion'. Those attributes do not win you trophies.

Glad you said it - we don't have exciting young players - we don't have players that are going to set the world alight like some other countries do. They are good, they are able, but they aren't that amazing.

It is as exciting as it has been for years, but that is more of a damning indictment of how it has been recently than any real praise for the current team.

[Rafael]

Passion? Where was the passion? Glen Johnson protecting the ball from a free throw then getting a studs up tackle from a guy who had a concussion 5 minutes earlier symbolizes that.

Edited June 19, 2014 by RafaelFms

[Bobfoc]

Trying to copy the Spanish model does seem like a poor idea now. Do we move on to the German system next?

[Liam]

Passion? Where was the passion? Glen Johnson protecting the ball from a free throw then getting a studs up tackle from a guy who had a concussion 5 minutes earlier symbolizes that.

That's not how these things work.....

[therockbox]

The idea that the manager can't influence the pace/tempo of the game or the movement of the players is ludicrous.

We don't even try to press the opposition, there's too much of a gap between the back line and the midfield, players don't switch and swap positions with each other (despite the manager saying they would), and there are clearly massive fitness issues (the amount of players going down with cramp during the Italy game was embarrassing).

Watching England play under Hodgson is like watching Liverpool under him. He's a manager that belongs to another era (and he wasn't even particularly successful at his peak).

[ZJ Penn]

Who gives a shit what Andros Townsend thinks?

Bloody ITV.

[Liam]

The idea that the manager can't influence the pace/tempo of the game or the movement of the players is ludicrous.

We don't even try to press the opposition, there's too much of a gap between the back line and the midfield, players don't switch and swap positions with each other (despite the manager saying they would), and there are clearly massive fitness issues (the amount of players going down with cramp during the Italy game was embarrassing).

Watching England play under Hodgson is like watching Liverpool under him. He's a manager that belongs to another era (and he wasn't even particularly successful at his peak).

No, my point is that the players shouldn't need a manager to influence them to play with something resembling pace or tempo.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Captain Condom

[Sam]

It was a shame to see how quickly w lost the momentum after scoring, you could visibly see how panicky our defence became. I said in the Italy match that I didn't trust our defence and they fucked up there and they did again today. Both Suarez goals are easily avoidable if the centre backs react but they didn't as they're simply not at that level. When you think of our central defenders of the past in Adams, Campbell, Rio, Terry you think of player that dominate those situations.

Once again Gerrard put in a stinker of a match but somehow it will be Rooneys fault we lost despite the fact he was probably our best player tonight. We have a top class striker we just shove him on the left wing so Bambi and Sturridge can take turns in throwing themselves to the floor.

[Whisper]

Who gives a shit what Andros Townsend thinks?

Bloody ITV.

I read that as Andy Townsend.

Still makes sense.

[Crybaby Bunting]

It doesn't help that we could have really done with a defender like John Terry to help out with the defense and score from set pieces.

The FA singlehandedly fucked themselves with that.