Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England

[Drico]

I'm getting 2006 vibes from this tournament so far.

Held in Germany, good group of players hyped up to ridiculous levels pre-tournament, serving up some of the most turgid, unwatchable football you could wish to see, principally because the manager is trying to fit all the biggest name players in rather than creating a balanced team and upsetting someone

But this seems to happen every two years. The hype is just hilarious. "Hey, Jude, You've got this". Really? Adidas playing a blinder there for Germany by stoking the cult of personality that English football culture seems to demand, placing a putative saviour on a pedestal while readying him for a crashing fall.

I don't know if you have seen that ad, but I saw it last night for the first time and my jaw dropped open. Who was advising him? It's a small thing, but I found it toe-curling knowing how much he probably earned from it and how much they are going to scapegoat him when it all goes sadly wrong.

Unless the Slovaks end up as England's opponents. Then he can strut his stuff in a routine 3-0 win...and put off the evil day England actually have to play a competent side who will expose them.

 

[MikeH72]

But this seems to happen every two years. The hype is just hilarious. "Hey, Jude, You've got this". Really? Adidas playing a blinder there for Germany by stoking the cult of personality that English football culture seems to demand, placing a putative saviour on a pedestal while readying him for a crashing fall.

I don't know if you have seen that ad, but I saw it last night for the first time and my jaw dropped open. Who was advising him? It's a small thing, but I found it toe-curling knowing how much he probably earned from it and how much they are going to scapegoat him when it all goes sadly wrong.

Unless the Slovaks end up as England's opponents. Then he can strut his stuff in a routine 3-0 win...and put off the evil day England actually have to play a competent side who will expose them.

Yeah Bellingham isn’t the problem.

 

[Drico]

I hope we draw Netherlands. I’m sick of this manager being able to hide behind stupid tournament draws. Koeman is an idiot but is still going to tactically bury Southgate.

Funnily enough, Mike, I'd be less pessimistic than you. As we know, Koeman is clueless. The Dutch aren't all that. England will have to improve, but I think they'd get over the Dutch. It's possibly the Belgians in the semis who will do for you. I could see Big Rom having a field day.

 

[Drico]

Yeah Bellingham isn’t the problem.

It's a symptom of the hype, Mike. Puffing these players up into saviours. Maybe do that ad AFTER he wins the Euros? Or place him in a Real Madrid context where he has won things? He's just being set up - lucratively, I'm sure - for a meme and a serious scapegoating.

 

[MikeH72]

It's a symptom of the hype, Mike. Puffing these players up into saviours. Maybe do that ad AFTER he wins the Euros? Or place him in a Real Madrid context where he has won things? He's just being set up - lucratively, I'm sure - for a meme and a serious scapegoating.

I think most fans know why he doesn’t look very good in this England team. Carlo Ancelotti rates him highly enough to make him a mainstay in the Real Madrid team.

As for Koeman, yes, he’s an idiot. But he’s about to come up against an even bigger idiot in the tournament’s first idiot-off so far.

 

[Drico]

I think most fans know why he doesn’t look very good in this England team.

As for Koeman, yes, he’s an idiot. But he’s about to come up against an even bigger idiot in the tournament’s first idiot-off so far.

I think great players do it in spite of the manager. I expect we'll see at least one England performance over the coming weeks where that happens. Kane and Bellingham have too much quality not to perform. But it needs to happen. This England squad is not taking the initiative. Many of these players are simply not what their media cheerleaders crack them up to be. They'll need to lift it - manager or not - because they'll be crucified by the same media if they limp out - and then the hype-implosion cycle can begin again for the World Cup.

 

[Billy Dean]

But this seems to happen every two years. The hype is just hilarious. "Hey, Jude, You've got this". Really? Adidas playing a blinder there for Germany by stoking the cult of personality that English football culture seems to demand, placing a putative saviour on a pedestal while readying him for a crashing fall.

I don't know if you have seen that ad, but I saw it last night for the first time and my jaw dropped open. Who was advising him? It's a small thing, but I found it toe-curling knowing how much he probably earned from it and how much they are going to scapegoat him when it all goes sadly wrong.

Unless the Slovaks end up as England's opponents. Then he can strut his stuff in a routine 3-0 win...and put off the evil day England actually have to play a competent side who will expose them.

No I’ve not seen it. I’ll have a look. But I think he looks gassed and needs a rest.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

Yeah Bellingham isn’t the problem.

He’s one of the problems. Massively overrated. He played ok for 15 minutes against Serbia and they were comparing him to Zidane. Anyone who watched him at the end of the season knows he was poor/anonymous in a lot of games for Madrid.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

I think great players do it in spite of the manager. I expect we'll see at least one England performance over the coming weeks where that happens. Kane and Bellingham have too much quality not to perform. But it needs to happen. This England squad is not taking the initiative. Many of these players are simply not what their media cheerleaders crack them up to be. They'll need to lift it - manager or not - because they'll be crucified by the same media if they limp out - and then the hype-implosion cycle can begin again for the World Cup.

We absolutely won’t unless he picks the correct players in their correct positions. You sound like a Tory voter that refuses to look at what’s happened for the last 14 years and thinks they will sort stuff out if given another term.

 

[Raino85]

International football is a whole different kettle of fish to League football. Germany for years picked Podolski & Klose for years despite patchy club form.

The inclusion of so many squad players with 4-5 Caps was a mental decision by Southgate. It can take 20-25 Caps to ghet used to the type of football tournament football is and he's completely binned off the likes of Sterling, Rashford & Grealish, who have performed for him in big tournaments in the past and opting for Gordon (3 caps), Palmer (4 caps), Eze (4 caps), Toney (3 caps), Bowen (9 caps).

Sterling in particular had a very profitable partnership with Kane, he would get close to him and we don't have a player with that sort of aceleration of short spaces in the box when games are so tight. To completely bin him off for the last 2 years with no real thought was probably the beginning of the poor decision making

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

International football is a whole different kettle of fish to League football. Germany for years picked Podolski & Klose for years despite patchy club form.

The inclusion of so many squad players with 4-5 Caps was a mental decision by Southgate. It can take 20-25 Caps to ghet used to the type of football tournament football is and he's completely binned off the likes of Sterling, Rashford & Grealish, who have performed for him in big tournaments in the past and opting for Gordon (3 caps), Palmer (4 caps), Eze (4 caps), Toney (3 caps), Bowen (9 caps).

Sterling in particular had a very profitable partnership with Kane, he would get close to him and we don't have a player with that sort of aceleration of short spaces in the box when games are so tight. To completely bin him off for the last 2 years with no real thought was probably the beginning of the poor decision making

That’s crazy. Rashford has been appalling this year and Grealish has done very little and has never done much for England. Sterling has been very average since leaving City. Those German players got picked because they didn’t have better alternatives. England do, Mainoo, Palmer and Gordon will rip it up if given a chance. Rooney did so in 2004.

 

[DualityNSNO]

No I’ve not seen it. I’ll have a look. But I think he looks gassed and needs a rest.

He's absolutely gassed, just like he was against City for those pen wins.

The only favour Southgate did him was not playing him in those 2 stupid friendlies before the tournament - the last game he played for Madrid was the CL final a few days before those or something. Just wish they'd stop overplaying him, was Pedri not a good enough example of what that does to a player?

The bad thing is that Southgate has no clue how to use an attacking midfielder like that in his team, and that goes for Foden too. An imbalanced side that brings the best out of no one, and Harry Kane, the best striker in world football, running the channels so he can put crosses into the box. Hilarious in a way, sad in many others.

He’s one of the problems. Massively overrated. He played ok for 15 minutes against Serbia and they were comparing him to Zidane. Anyone who watched him at the end of the season knows he was poor/anonymous in a lot of games for Madrid.

 

[Kurt.]

Morning good engerlanders… I hope you enjoyed the soccer ball game last night, it was a great result with both teams ending up to nil. I must say though that this morning I sense on here a mood of despondency driven anger towards your fellow soccer buddies, as a neutral observer could I please ask that we all remain pleasant and respectful to each other.
Thanks
Yours in sport x

 

[Goat]

Morning good engerlanders… I hope you enjoyed the soccer ball game last night, it was a great result with both teams ending up to nil. I must say though that this morning I sense on here a mood of despondency driven anger towards your fellow soccer buddies, as a neutral observer could I please ask that we all remain pleasant and respectful to each other.
Thanks
Yours in sport x

Did you enjoy the sheep wrestling on S4C mate?

 

[DualityNSNO]

International football is a whole different kettle of fish to League football. Germany for years picked Podolski & Klose for years despite patchy club form.

The inclusion of so many squad players with 4-5 Caps was a mental decision by Southgate. It can take 20-25 Caps to ghet used to the type of football tournament football is and he's completely binned off the likes of Sterling, Rashford & Grealish, who have performed for him in big tournaments in the past and opting for Gordon (3 caps), Palmer (4 caps), Eze (4 caps), Toney (3 caps), Bowen (9 caps).

Sterling in particular had a very profitable partnership with Kane, he would get close to him and we don't have a player with that sort of aceleration of short spaces in the box when games are so tight. To completely bin him off for the last 2 years with no real thought was probably the beginning of the poor decision making

I get why he picked "inexperienced" players (though that's such a pointless thing to compare - they're experienced in that they've won things or have played 100s of games in "the best league in the world" after all?), but he's not even playing them

Palmer's there, not playing when you need creativity in midfield. Wharton - likewise, as you need two defensive mids (one of which isn't even a midfielder AT ALL).

You're playing more direct so you need a second striker to help Kane out as you can stretch their defence? That's right, don't do it, like for like replacement for Kane in the 70th minute it is.

Need a winger? Smash Foden out to the wing mate, it will work out.

Rashford's been abysmal to be honest, both in attitude and play, and he's basically his go-to player. To not take him shows a bit of a spine at least.