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England - Portugal (July 1st) [Quarter Finals] (pg. 17)
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| Dj Smitty20 |
| quote: | Originally posted by isoterra
it's been said thousands of times...
england aren't out & out crap.. if you line up every footballing nation in the world in terms of quality, we'd be comfortably into the top quarter. the problem is, most of us seem to think we're amongst the top 5 or 6 teams in the world and we really aren't; we're crap in comparison to what we make ourselves out to be and that's why get more deserved flak than the likes of scotland/ireland & the likes |
England has been in the last 8 in three successive tournaments so I'd say they are easily above the top quarter. Scotland and Ireland are nowhere near it and Israel, well...:rolleyes: They always have the "potential" to win a major tournament, whereas the other British Isles nations will never come anywhere close. Taking flak from a certain Irishman on here (Michael19), who continually assaults England at every opportunity when his own nation didn't even qualify...just not justified.:) |
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| scAza |
I hate Sven. He absolutely ed it all up. Individual midfielders and attackers were mainly poor too but its mostly Sven's stupid fault. Idiot
Ronaldo IS a greasy cheating prick though. Funny if Rooney had lamped him before kick-off when he was being a prick
England fans have been the best at this tournament BY FAR. All the clueless bastards (I assume, I haven't read this thread bar the last page, but they all seem to be the same) - who have been having a go need to wake up. 70,000 people invited anywhere to get drunk will inevitabley have at least minor incidents. We can hold our heads high as a nation after our performance in germany, its just a shame the Manager and players didnt match us.
(Well mainly Sven haha - I can't describe how happy I am he's gone) |
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| Dj Smitty20 |
the FA made a serious mistake in not waiting for Scolari's contract to expire. I like McClaren but he's been under Sven for 5 years, so what makes anyone think he'll do anything drastically different? I can see the same midfield quartet for the Euro qualifiers and possibly even Euro 2008 itself. Becks, Gerrard, Lampard, Cole is not working! Beckham needs to step down...I respect him, but he's past it! Lennon proved he belongs. Lampard has to go or else be used in a different way. Gerrard needs to lead the midfield and Joe Cole belongs on the left. Hargreaves also has done much to be given a place in the qualifiers as well.
Why was Walcott taken again? I can't believe Sven defended that decision today in the press by saying Defoe wasn't good enough...but a 17 year old who he wasn't going to play was any better? Ok Sven! |
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| scAza |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
the FA made a serious mistake in not waiting for Scolari's contract to expire. I like McClaren but he's been under Sven for 5 years, so what makes anyone think he'll do anything drastically different? I can see the same midfield quartet for the Euro qualifiers and possibly even Euro 2008 itself. Becks, Gerrard, Lampard, Cole is not working! Beckham needs to step down...I respect him, but he's past it! Lennon proved he belongs. Lampard has to go or else be used in a different way. Gerrard needs to lead the midfield and Joe Cole belongs on the left. Hargreaves also has done much to be given a place in the qualifiers as well.
Why was Walcott taken again? I can't believe Sven defended that decision today in the press by saying Defoe wasn't good enough...but a 17 year old who he wasn't going to play was any better? Ok Sven! |
Best post relating to England by a foreigner I have seen! (I don't mean that in a patronising way either...)
I'd agree with everything you've said, except with far more swearing haha |
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| Dj Smitty20 |
| quote: | Originally posted by scAza
Best post relating to England by a foreigner I have seen! (I don't mean that in a patronising way either...)
I'd agree with everything you've said, except with far more swearing haha |
well, i'm not really a foreigner though eh. Born in Liverpool, English dad, Canadian mom with English parents. I was swearing a lot after the game but there's hardly much point. The England bashers will always justify that goes against England and in the end, we're just crap at penalties, for which there is no excuse. Think of how many tournaments England could have won if they even had a 50% winning ratio in penalties. The 1990 World Cup and 1996 Euro for sure I'd say. |
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| isoterra |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
I can see the same midfield quartet for the Euro qualifiers and possibly even Euro 2008 itself. Becks, Gerrard, Lampard, Cole is not working! Beckham needs to step down...I respect him, but he's past it! Lennon proved he belongs. Lampard has to go or else be used in a different way. Gerrard needs to lead the midfield and Joe Cole belongs on the left. Hargreaves also has done much to be given a place in the qualifiers as well. |
i say we go back to 4-4-2, hargreaves replacing lampard alongside gerrard. this would give us a mixed offensive/defensive midfield and we wouldn't have to rely on a holding player like at the moment.. thus giving us room for an extra striker. i also think gerrard would play alot better if he was given more freedom to roam, at the moment he has to take it in turns with lampard to go forward, and i think this has been hampering both of them
as for the extra striker, i'd really rather it wasn't crouch.. he can have his moments but i find him quite inconsistant on the whole, and owen is pretty much past international level now. i really to see what walcott can do though, hopefully he'll get a fair run-out in forthcoming friendlies. and then there's defoe, johnson etc who could make valuable subs |
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| scAza |
How long did you liver here? (liverpool)
Red or Blue? |
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| raveed |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Smitty20
Beckham needs to step down...I respect him, but he's past it! Lennon proved he belongs. Lampard has to go or else be used in a different way. Gerrard needs to lead the midfield and Joe Cole belongs on the left. Hargreaves also has done much to be given a place in the qualifiers as well.
Why was Walcott taken again? I can't believe Sven defended that decision today in the press by saying Defoe wasn't good enough...but a 17 year old who he wasn't going to play was any better? Ok Sven! |
I agree about Beckham needing to be replaced but im not quite sure yet if lennons the right man. Hes good no doubt but it just seems to me that hes one of those super subs who can make an impact on the game towards the last 20-30 minutes when the opposition is getting weary but wel see how he does in the EPL this season.
Hargreaves was the main man for england this tournament. Im really happy that he shut all the people (including myself) who criticised his inclusion but he gave it his all and il be surprised if an English club doesnt make a move for him before the start of the season.
I never quite liked lampard as a footballer, even at chelsea he seems to be delivering the goods but i just never saw him as someone who could turn a game on its shoulders like say robben.
I think sven didn't necessarily make a bad move by taking walcott. Parreira took ronaldo when he was the same age to the US in 94 to give him the experience of what its like to be among the top at a very young age and it paid of. Like i said b4 where sven ed up was taking 4 strikers of which owen had just returned from a long term injury, rooney hadnt even recovered from his, crouch serenaded sven into beleiving that he was a striker with the robo kop and walcoot who we knew was never going to play. Svens a gutless up but i think mclaren will do a better job than him. But i wouldnt be surprised to see scolari in the english hot seat come south africa or maybe even in the Euros. |
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| scAza |
| quote: | | Originally posted by raveed I think sven didn't necessarily make a bad move by taking walcott. Parreira took ronaldo when he was the same age to the US in 94 to give him the experience of what its like to be among the top at a very young age and it paid of. |
I doubt Ronaldo's success had anything to do with going to sit on a bench in USA 94! |
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| raveed |
| quote: | Originally posted by scAza
I doubt Ronaldo's success had anything to do with going to sit on a bench in USA 94! |
maybe it did & maybe it didnt but I think it definately helped. Obviously no ones gonna play a 16 year old in the world cup but when hes someone who shows that much potential, just to put him among the men and expose him to that pressure of meeting expectations and experiencing defeat even if he didnt play will only help. Just being on the training ground everyday will give him an idea of what the others are feeling. |
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| scAza |
Ultimately though, was it worth sticking Walcott/Jenas/Downing in there?
I'd say definately not, Defoe, Bent and POSSIBLY Walcott could have gone, but only if he was prepared to give Walcott a go if needed (which he clearly wasn't)
PS: I think Pele played in his first when he was 16 - could be wrong though :thepirate |
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| isoterra |
| quote: | Originally posted by scAza
I'd say definately not, Defoe, Bent and POSSIBLY Walcott could have gone, but only if he was prepared to give Walcott a go if needed (which he clearly wasn't) |
i'd be willing to bet walcott would have got a run out had we stuck to 4-4-2 |
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