2 shots on target in 120 minutes. Abysmal. I also think Kane is the problem, he's so static alongside the likes of Foden and Bellingham and feels like were just crossing it to him all the time with no variety. Must be pretty easy to defend against/predict for a half decent team, which i suspect Switzerland will do comprehensively in the quarters. Oh and Trippier and Walker were utterly woeful, that wont help much either.
No positives from that win, just shows what a pigheaded, stubborn manager we have, who will continue with his negativity, he is totally inept has no idea how to change a game with the introduction of substitutions. I watched 95 minutes of shit last night, scored a goal with a minute to go and all of a sudden we are world beaters and Shitgate gets a reprieve. iTV need to sack there commentators from last night another shit show, Lee Dixon what a prick.
I thought they played better after Trippier went off Palmer came on. Not brilliantly, but better. There was more width and movement, they created more openings and generally didn’t look quite so nervy.
Or another way of looking at it is that they showed the guts and determination needed to grind out a win after going a goal down. Gary Neville’s comments made me laugh, because if all the last minute goals and poor performances that somehow got converted into decent results were expunged from Man United’s records, he’d have a lot fewer winners’ medals in his cabinet at home.
Another way to look at it, Southgate has at his disposal a unbelievable array of talent, better than anything we have ever seen and yet we play the same old sideways, backwards, lack of movement, lack of creativity. I am sorry Southgate doesn’t understand how to change a game, he is stubborn, he lost us the last euros final with his negativity , let’s look at his managerial cv before being given the England job, Middlesbrough for 3 years, yea high level that, FA’s yes man. Thing is if we do win and I can see it happening then Southgate will be a national hero and we will have to have a statue of a prick outside Wembley.
I agree, and I was shouting at the telly in frustration along with everyone else, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that he is England’s next most successful manager after Alf Ramsay. I know that sounds a bit like claiming to be the second most handsome man in the Burns Unit, but he has managed to take the team deep into 3 international tournaments (2018, 2021 and 2022) and but for a few shocking penalties, would have won one of them. England are in the quarter finals after playing poorly but ultimately effectively against stubborn teams that were difficult to break down. What separates the teams that win tournaments, leagues and trophies from the also-rans is the ability to play badly yet still win…..
Southgate will continue to win nothing. The players seem to be confused about his tactics ( look at Georgia, players received the ball and turned and passed, England no movement , robotic 1 pass forwards , 2 passes sideways, 3 passes backwards) England are an embarrassment (Scotlandesque )
Eh? Look at Georgia? They got battered 4-1, but it could have been 7 or 8! It was exciting to watch alright, but left them badly exposed. I think Southgate’s tactic have left a lot to be desired, but I also think the players have had the yips.
A few weeks back I was listening to a radio discussion on Real Madrid and their continued success in the Champions League when they got to talking about Ancelotti. Evidently he isn't big on tactics, or at least on imparting tactics to his players. Yes, he has a tactical plan in his head that he uses to set the team up in a certain formation with particular players in particular positions. And he may say to the players where & what to concentrate on when pressing or defending but for the most part he doesn't tell them how to do that. A lot of his focus will be on just giving the players confidence to be able to play with the quality they undoubtedly have. England & Southgate strike me as being the complete opposite and being over coached in every detail almost to the point of information overload & paralysis. Btw when people talk about England coaching & tactics no-one ever seems to mention Southgate's assistant Steve Holland who does seem to have a sparse CV. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Holland_(footballer)
Holland is a yes man. Nods his head sagely , repeats exactly what Southgate says. All for £500k a year plus bonuses....
And if it were Germany / France etc doing that it would simply be ‘ah yeah, haven’t looked good but you can’t rule them out’.
I think they’ve played better, or certainly with some sort of enthusiasm for going forward every time Palmer has come on, should have done it when we went 1-0 down, or better still started with him, not 20mins from the end and how much later would the change have been if Trippier hadn’t gone off?
I do get the success thing but here is where I am at, I pay to get to Germany I pay for , food, accommodation, tickets, beer, probably into £1000’s and I want to be entertained, not watch that tripe England are churning out.I have done it following the Villa, it’s been the norm for decades at Villa park, then we signed a elite manager, I honestly never thought a manager change could transform a club, I was amazed at what I was seeing unfold before my eyes with the same bunch of players that Steve Gerard nearly got relegated, a year later 4th in the prem and champions league for me next season.Now if England had a elite quality manager those last 3 competitions you mention well ,we would have won them.
My son (who is a professional footballer*) was making exactly that very point yesterday, although he didn’t mention a radio program. Let the players play! * Don’t get too carried away, as it’s not like he plays for Man City, lol. Probably more semi-pro than pro. He’s the Goalkeeper (sighted) for the England blind team. Paid to train with a group of League One pros. Paid to play with a group of Championship pros flying under a flag of convenience in a 7 a side tournament in America last month. Likely to have pre-season trials for two League One clubs in August. Occasional paid ringer for a You Tube football team. Goalkeeping coach (paid) for a top futsal team.
I didn’t know you were over there. I can imagine you don’t really want to hear my excuses and justifications after you’ve gone to all that effort and expense!
Which reminds me of the Souness quote when he first joined Liverpool and by the time of the first game hadn't been given any instruction - "I said to Joe Fagan, how do you want me to play? He told me to f**k off, 'we spent all this money on you and you're asking me to how to play?' "
Watching Spain v Germany and the mrs commented on Nico Williams hairstyle and it’s similarity to a tropical fruit at which point I went searching YouTube for “fantasy football jason Lee” they really didn’t hold back and certainly wouldn’t get away with that now.
