Timmy Elms

Think he’s worth giving a shot for half a dozen games or so. If that hasn’t worked out we might have been able to convince one of the ‘ big beasts” to give it a wallop- I’m not talking Howe or Potter- low order of probability but you never know your luck in a big city…

Think he’s worth giving a shot for half a dozen games or so. If that hasn’t worked out we might have been able to convince one of the ‘ big beasts” to give it a wallop- I’m not talking Howe or Potter- low order of probability but you never know your luck in a big city…

Agree. Give him half dozen games, see how he fares

Agree. Give him half a dozen friendliest, see how things pan out.

On a personal note went off Southgate, when he explained that the reason the team continued to take the knee, was to educate people. It’s a delicate subject but what a patronising prick. Are we not able to form our own opinions…

Delighted he’s gone. We were terrible. Most of the football served up was turgid. As bad as the Iceland and United States games in previous World Cups.

Played on Clapham Common several times. One occasion the ref didn’t turn up, so our spongeman Bill stood in. Predominately black opponents and Bill had a Nazi earring. Black, white, pink what we all had in common was to devote our Sunday mornings to football, even though pretty much everyone had a skinfull the night before. We can all remember occasions when it was pissing down and you hoped the ref would deem the pitch unplayable, or it would be ten minutes before kick off and your opponents had eight players- you’d be thinking, result, sleep off the hangover, next thing a car would arrive with five players inside. Most games passed without incident but there was occasional flare ups. Jacko for St Merton getting a life ban for trying to get the ref to eat his own book after being sent off. Worst I saw was a bloke in a Ford Capri on Mitcham Common playing fields trying to run the ref over having been given his marching orders.

I wouldn’t go as far to say England should build the team around Cole Palmer, but he simply has to be a permanent starter. Back half of the domestic season he was the best midfielder in the Premiership by a country mile. Would anyone want to swap him with Foden at CFC? As touched on by others, Southgate’s major flaw, was continually picking his teachers pets. Awful manager full stop

Despite not having a marking job and being able to run free he looked lost. Total wet fart

Two consecutive Euro finals despite Southgate, not thanks to Southgate. We had the players to win this, as we did playing at home 3 years back. All this nonsense about him unifying the squad and being a great man manager, way to defensive and negative to get the best out of the talent at his disposal. Good teams don’t defend one goal leads, or level pegging hoping to go to penalties, they defend two goal leads. Been cynical about our lack of success despite different forms of management- cuddly Sven as opposed to disciplinarian Cappello- common theme however slow tempo football- however think Gareth had more strength in depth than the above and bottled it

The not saving penalties thing had died out before my time. Yes I believe they did ground share with Dulwich Hamlet. My season we ground shared with Molesey, the year before they played on the pitch inside the running track at Wimbledon Park. Our team were distinctly not traditional Corinthian. The team were pretty much all builders, roofers, dodgy types. We played the annual friendly against Cambridge University- smashed then 7-0 and kicked lumps out of them. The post match dinner was in the main hall of Trinity College. Very grand setting, a bit of a pompous occasion- little Wrighty having eaten his food proceeded to walk to the main table bowl in hand “ Please Sir. Can I have some more” Our manager Colin “ Humpy” Humfries ” Pack in in. Your f**king out of order “ What a riot…Humpy was just as bad. He hated The London Fire Brigade team. Urinated in their kit bag once. Oddly enough I had to do a bit of community service, which involved doing bits for Casuals- painting, weeding etc at their new ground at Tolworth many years later. The club was pretty much run by two retired twin brother accountants- fanatics as you quite often get at lower league football who devote their life to running the bar, doing maintenance etc. A pointed myself out in a team photo in the clubhouse, and made my penance a doddle. Funnily enough in 66 they bought some sort Wembley mini ticket and watched all the games including the final. Hope they’re still around to enjoy today

True-87/88 Corinthian Casuals, had worst single season disciplinary record in their history. Same year Sunday football got a lifetime ban from the Morden and District Sunday League. Had to work Saturday mornings to pay off fines

Many years ago watching Sutton Utd there was a pitch side advertising hoarding which read Todays Match Sponsor is Spaghetti House Restaurant. The hoarding was in two halves, and one of them collapsed when a player run into it. They couldn’t get the thing up again, so for the rest of the game it read Todays Match Sponsor is Spaghetti

Re money sloshing around the football association, I failed to take on board sponsorship by the likes of Nike, EE, Barclays etc One that always creases me up is the advert for Hellmans Mayonnaise Proud BBQ Partners of The 2024 UEFA Championship. It’s like something out of Monty Python

Just Wikipedia’s Gareth and apparently he’s paid 5 million a year. I wasn’t aware there was that much money sloshing around the football association. Defenders of this might argue that he carries the weight of the country’s hopes on his shoulders, it’s the going rate etc, however that is a staggering sum for a part time job

Can’t see Southgate landing a Premiership job. He didn’t have a particularly special pedigree prior to l the England appointment, and can see him remaining in International football, possibly for a gulf state, emerging football nation. Seems a nice enough chap. Hope him well. Good gaffer gig. You don’t have to wake up early every day to go to the training ground, can travel across the continent staying in 5 Star Hotels on scouting missions, get paid a kings ransom. Tough old life

I largely agree. Umpteen managers employing diffèrent styles, yet no tournament wins for 56 years. I think individually and in terms of squad depth this is the best group we’ve had, yet we still appear robotic and clumsy- technically we always seem lacking despite the players being technically adept when turning out for their clubs- would employing say Pep - end of the rainbow- make any difference?- they’re just something about the tempo of tournament football which doesn’t play to our strengths IMO, and yet we continue to plod along at international football speed, manager after manager, tournament after tournament

I know of an unpatriotic gambler, who used to bet on England’s opponents winning, whose logic was if we win, great stuff, if we lose I’m crying all the way to the bank. Apparently we were favourites coming into the tournament- would we have been favourites if you’d had placed that bet in Spain, Portugal, or Germany would we had been favourites there? I guess bookies set the odds largely based on money influx. Would they lay off overseas? Don’t understand gambling. One of the rare vices not to have afflicted me

Ronaldo has never endeared himself to the football public the way Messi has. He looks what he is- a preening ego nut prick. Many years back Zola was asked who was the better player. Zola replied “ They score the same amount of goals but Messi also provides goals for others” Last World Cup I was working and living in Jersey. Thousands of Madeirans out there- bit of history to this odd quirk, won’t explain now…cut a long story they didn’t think Ronaldo warranted a place in the team 18 months ago. Even though his main residence is still Madeira and apparently gives a lot back to the local community the general consensus amongst them was that he was a bit of a w**ker

Edit: think those workman’s tents were red and white striped rather than yellow. Either way they got plundered Wandsworth way

Those long blue tool bags - workmen would enter the tent the next day and be able to lift the tool bag with one finger- sod all tools in there…

Those lamps remind of telecom/ gas work stuff in the early 80’s- they’d have a temporary yellow workman’s tent in the road for a couple of days with those lamps outside- my mates used to rifle through them looking for tools.

A couple of old heads might stabilise the dressing room and make all the difference. Bit like Vialli RIP and Mark Hughes years back

Poor sods. Looks like something out of the Somme

Holland game was best England performance I’ve seen. Played with pace and panaché