Following Our Nearest & Dearest Rivals, 2015/2016

[the special one]

Could do with Andy Carroll, go route one

[TheFunkeyGibbon]

Well that saved our blushes.

[Scott Harris]

The players that are quicker on the ball and like to pass it around come on and England grab a winner, i'm not surprised by that at all. With the slow players like Rooney and Milner on the field, we play too many slow passes and long, cross field balls, it made us look like the same England sides that have failed miserably in recent tournaments. Play the quicker players and have a go in the Euro's is what we should do, not playing this boring, safe, dinosaur football that Hodgson likes to play.

[big blue]

Id have to go with Carvalho over gallas. I think gallas relied heavily on his pace which is why his career went downhill when his pace started to drop.

Carvalho was and still is a very intelligent defender, positioning is always spot on, and in his prime, he was one of the best man markers I've seen.

[Chelsbear]

That game was brutal

[g3.7]

portugal:

 

first nandos' inexplicable ordering system, then cristiano ronaldo's duplicitous eyelid, now bruno alves' mobile decapitation service.

 

truly an irredeemable nation.

Edited June 2, 2016 by g3.7

[Chelsbear]

Fantastic player and person

Cristiano Ronaldo has donated his whole £600,000 Champions League win bonus to a UN charity. Amazing gesture.

[Spudulike]

...we play too many slow passes and long, cross field balls, it made us look like the same England sides that have failed miserably in recent tournaments...

Nail on the head there. Us doing this almost feels inevitable. I hope, pray, that Hodgson is recognising what's staring him on the face: we need pace and to play an English style.

[Scott]

 

 

Ricky Carvalho  still going strong . . . . Legend.

[TheChelseaBlues]

Nail on the head there. Us doing this almost feels inevitable. I hope, pray, that Hodgson is recognising what's staring him on the face: we need pace and to play an English style.

100% record in qualifying and wins against Turkey, Australia and Portugal. What else can he do?

[WeatherMan]

Nail on the head there. Us doing this almost feels inevitable. I hope, pray, that Hodgson is recognising what's staring him on the face: we need pace and to play an English style.

Us ?? ........I thought you were Welsh Spud ?!   

100% record in qualifying and wins against Turkey, Australia and Portugal. What else can he do?

Exactly this. I really can't understand some of the criticism aimed at Hodgson. He's doing a decent job so far. give the man a break.

[Stim]

100% record in qualifying and wins against Turkey, Australia and Portugal. What else can he do?

 

If it's boring it means nothing, thought we came to this conclusion a season and a half ago

[Spudulike]

Us ?? ........I thought you were Welsh Spud ?!

I am English but living in Wales due to a cost of living thing. :-) It's a great place. Many Welsh fans will follow England in internationals but they have their own side this time. If they beat us, work will be tough...

[Spudulike]

100% record in qualifying and wins against Turkey, Australia and Portugal. What else can he do?

I agree but the contest is the thing and we looked slow. I just heard his post match interview and he said (approx) "we played forward patiently from the back and dominated possession". I am concerned that we will fail if we default to patient build ups - pace will be vital to us. I don't mean to slag Hodgson off personally - it's worry mainly.

[enigma]

i think every top european national team seems to have weakened. no longer is there the quality of 10 years ago if you compare past and present national sides. 

[Nibs]

Think Hodgson is making the same mistake as predecessors. Where they tried to accommodate both Lamps & Gerrard, he seems insistent on shoe-horning Rooney into the starting 11. It's plain to see, the bloke just isn't good enough anymore. Whether you play him up front, as a No 10., in midfield, or deeper - doesn't matter, he just isn't whats needed and he unbalances the team.

 

Good news is, if Mourinho continues to play him for Utd next season, really can't see them doing much.

[enigma]

robbie di matteo has been announced as aston villa manager. interesting to see what he does with them, and whether or not his stint with us was a fluke. 

[Chelsbear]

robbie di matteo has been announced as aston villa manager. interesting to see what he does with them, and whether or not his stint with us was a fluke.

If he fails with them it would make it very hard for him to get another decent managerial position.

[Gem]

Think Hodgson is making the same mistake as predecessors. Where they tried to accommodate both Lamps & Gerrard, he seems insistent on shoe-horning Rooney into the starting 11. It's plain to see, the bloke just isn't good enough anymore.

That was my main concern when he was made captain, he'll get picked solely on that.

[Scott Harris]

I agree but the contest is the thing and we looked slow. I just heard his post match interview and he said (approx) "we played forward patiently from the back and dominated possession". I am concerned that we will fail if we default to patient build ups - pace will be vital to us. I don't mean to slag Hodgson off personally - it's worry mainly.

 

It worried me because before that, England had been showing signs that we were going to start playing quicker football with more pace. The majority of the qualifiers, the games against France and Germany, we looked like a pretty decent side going forward. On the final game before the tournament begins, we went back to how we have been playing in international tournaments for the last 20 years, and i don't want to see that from England in this tournament.

 

If we go into the Euro's playing the same style we played yesterday then we will go home very disappointed again. I would rather we went out with us actually giving it a good go than going out playing the same way we have in every tournament for the last 20 years.

 

I honestly feel like playing players like Rooney and Milner is going to seriously harm us. Rooney is far too slow and loves to play long, cross field balls that get us nowhere, i don't think he should be starting. If he wasn't Wayne Rooney playing for Manchester United then he wouldn't be starting. Rooney may well have scored more goals than anyone else in the qualifiers but since then his role has changed and we look a better side without him starting. Kane and Vardy have taken his place now and they deserve someone quicker playing behind them. James Milner shouldn't start either, he hasn't offered England anything ever since he got his first cap. He's consistently one of worst tournament players and he doesn't make us any more solid defensively in the midfield area. He's just a hard worker who is holding us back in attack.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Scott Harris

[Spudulike]

It worried me because before that, England had been showing signs that we were going to start playing quicker football with more pace. The majority of the qualifiers, the games against France and Germany, we looked like a pretty decent side going forward. On the final game before the tournament begins, we went back to how we have been playing in international tournaments for the last 20 years, and i don't want to see that from England in this tournament.

If we go into the Euro's playing the same style we played yesterday then we will go home very disappointed again. I would rather we went out with us actually giving it a good go than going out playing the same way we have in every tournament for the last 20 years.

I honestly feel like playing players like Rooney and Milner is going to seriously harm us. Rooney is far too slow and loves to play long, cross field balls that get us nowhere, i don't think he should be starting. If he wasn't Wayne Rooney playing for Manchester United then he wouldn't be starting. Rooney may well have scored more goals than anyone else in the qualifiers but since then his role has changed and we look a better side without him starting. Kane and Vardy have taken his place now and they deserve someone quicker playing behind them. James Milner shouldn't start either, he hasn't offered England anything ever since he got his first cap. He's consistently one of worst tournament players and he doesn't make us any more solid defensively in the midfield area. He's just a hard worker who is holding us back in attack.

That's a good analysis. I'd add to that, that we looked a bit aimless at times; someone needed to speak up and motivate fellow players but there are no natural leaders.

Re. Kane and Vardy, there's no shame in going route one. Leicester don't pass the ball to Vardy - it's hoofed forward to him. We are picking players and ignoring what makes them a success at club level.

I wish I was more optimistic but last night was bad.

[enigma]

whispers that psg will relieve blanc of his duties and psg are in talks with simeone. 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

whispers that psg will relieve blanc of his duties and psg are in talks with simeone.

Ooh that would be a good move for them. I feel like he's ready to leave Atletico after what he's said after the season.

[Kinkladze1871]

I'm not sure that would be the greatest move for him, Not just because the lack of competitiveness in Ligue 1 but because in a big city with a team full of big money primadonnas, Will he be able to instill the work ethic he did at Atletico? For me he should go to Inter or Lazio first, One of his old clubs, Get them relevant again and then see if a bigger fish is available, His timing couldn't have been worse, Had he been open to this earlier he could have landed a bigger job i.e. Chelsea or United. Had he got the Chelsea job, Crikey, Simeone, Mourinho and Pep all in one league, That would be the official middle finger up at La Liga for thinking they are the best league in the world.

[CFCholland]

This is brilliant haha: https://www.facebook.com/SPORTbible/videos/1975137015965154/