Group C: Slovenia, Denmark, Serbia, England

[Kurt.]

Did you enjoy the sheep wrestling on S4C mate?

It was great, tell yer mar her cheque is in the post

 

[Kurt.]

Did you enjoy the sheep wrestling on S4C mate?

By the way, was that a huge bite ???


I’m going to have bring in the independent adjudicator here to make a decision
Mr @chicoazul

 

[BullensRoad]

He's got 4 days now to watch that back now and see exactly what a difference Mainoo and Palmer made.

Saka is beyond stagnant right now, it's not working for him. So don't play him.

Mainoo glided round that pitch and was moderately effective... nice than what can be said for Gallagher.

Foden was better, but still fairly ineffective. The decision to exclude Grealish just feels even more bizarre.

Wouldn't be totally against dropping kane and doing an old school Pep false 9 with Foden or Bellingham or whichever.

Southgate needs to just go for it now. He's won the group, whoever we gave, we've done if by winning the group so just go for it.

He’s seen managers drop or sell top players in the last (Ferguson & Mourinho) and done it to act like he’s made difficult but good decisions.

There something not right about him.

 

[BullensRoad]

Can add McLaren to the bad managers.

Keegan was a dinosaur of a manager, struggled to qualify for Euro2000, just about scrapping past Scotland in a playoff.

Then couldn't get out the group, before he cowardly bailed on England following defeat go Germany at last game at Wembley.
Taylor famously bottled qualification for USA '94.

My point re. Southgate is he made players care about playing for England again. He made fans want to watch England again.

Players continuously withdrew from squads; there was no togetherness which was reflected by dismal 2014, 2016 campaigns. I genuinely believe he restored the pride in representing England and watching them (I realise in liverpool it's different, but nevertheless).

Wembley was getting 60,000 for most games now it sells out for Andorra on a Tuesday. He's been his own worst enemy, his time is up, but some of his hard work will hopefully be continued.

He's been exactly what England needed, but that's the end of the line now, go get a attack minded manager and try win the World Cup.

Erm a player literally didn’t want to be in the squad a few weeks ago.

If that’s his “strengths” be an assistant coach or whatever.

 

[Goat]

By the way, was that a huge bite ???


I’m going to have bring in the independent adjudicator here to make a decision
Mr @chicoazul

From me? I didn't even read your post bruh.

 

[Terrarian]

We seem to be the only major footballing nation who cannot harness the fortune of having a very talented group of players. Germany, Spain, France, Italy etc when they have a "golden" generation, they'll go onto win a couple of trophies during that cycle. We can't seem to do it.

How can you make an attacking unit of Foden, Bellingham, Saka and Kane be so ineffective. The blame lies with Southgate this time but many who have gone before had the same issue

 

[Miked1e]

We seem to be the only major footballing nation who cannot harness the fortune of having a very talented group of players. Germany, Spain, France, Italy etc when they have a "golden" generation, they'll go onto win a couple of trophies during that cycle. We can't seem to do it.

How can you make an attacking unit of Foden, Bellingham, Saka and Kane be so ineffective. The blame lies with Southgate this time but many who have gone before had the same issue

Foden, Bellingham, Saka, Rice and even Mainoo, Palmer and dare I say it Gordon are players the team should be built around.

However, we keep trying to rely on the likes of Kane and Arnold in the team who just slow the game down massively and add next to nothing for England.

The reason we cannot is we do not see this and still try to fit certain players into a team dynamic which will never fit / work. Southgate is definitely not the person to do this, and then whoever comes in also has to make big decisions again.

 

[BullensRoad]

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.

Spot on Mikey.

 

[Kurt.]

From me? I didn't even read your post bruh.

We shall await the decision of our own Louie Walsh , @chicoazul

 

[Goat]

We shall await the decision of our own Louie Walsh , @chicoazul

I for 1 can't wait to hear what an English man who pretends to be Scottish and acts like an Italian on Twitter has to say about this.

 

[Kevsleftpeg]

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.

Why laughing friend? Did nothing v City over two legs and nothing in the UCL final. Scored 4 goals in the group games, none in the knockouts. After 17 league games he had 13 goals, he scored 6 in the next 21. The drop off in form is completely undisputed by anyone who watches the game rather than jumping on the hype train. Kane isn't the best striker in the world either.

 

[Kurt.]

We seem to be the only major footballing nation who cannot harness the fortune of having a very talented group of players. Germany, Spain, France, Italy etc when they have a "golden" generation, they'll go onto win a couple of trophies during that cycle. We can't seem to do it.

How can you make an attacking unit of Foden, Bellingham, Saka and Kane be so ineffective. The blame lies with Southgate this time but many who have gone before had the same issue

The first 9 words of your post is part of the problem, why are you a major footballing nation ? You’ve not won anything since 66, not having a pop at you personally but this whole attitude is endemic throughout English football, the fans, the players, the pundits and the press all have you as winners before a balls been kicked. The mentality needs to change.

 

[Raino85]

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.

I disagree mate. The system Southgate implements suits Sterling/Rashford/Grealish more than the likes of the newer boys.

Also all you would hear in the past few tournaments is about the moral and unity in the group, you cant underestimate characters and unity in these tournaments. Now I'm guessing here but you don't know what effect that has on other players Kane/Pickford/Stones/Trippier/Walker that these people they have been on this journey with have all of a sudden been binned off for some lad with a hybrid scouse/geordie accent and a guy who celebrates like he's freezing cold.

Maguire/Shaw/Trippier/Dunk/Stones/Guehi/Toney have all had poor seasons and been selected.

 

[Raino85]

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.

How goods Luke Shaw & Kieran trippier been this season?

Rashford was excellent in the cup final. He turns up when he has too

 

[Jamo Martinez]

He's vanilla ice cream in a white bowl.