Sideshow Bob

Avatar & New Members Forum Mod
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
42,894
Sunday, 4th September 2016
Slovakia v England

Saturday, 8th October 2016

England v Malta

Tuesday, 11th October 2016

Slovenia v England

Friday, 11th November 2016

England v Scotland

Sunday, 26th March 2017

England v Lithuania

Saturday, 10th June 2017

Scotland v England

Friday, 1st September 2017

Malta v England

Monday, 4th September 2017

England v Slovakia

Thursday, 5th October 2017

England v Slovenia

Sunday, 8th October 2017

Lithuania v England
 
England team to face Slovakia: Hart, Walker, Cahill, Stones, Rose, Dier, Henderson, Lallana, Rooney, Sterling, Kane.
 
Barely any changes and just goes to prove the point that Sam isn't going to change a great deal he's just going to keep things as they were. We will qualify for the next World Cup and in all likelihood with ease like we always do... But then we will come unstuck against the better teams. It's the way it is and will be until the FA do something to drastically change things.
 
I'm not sure what the idea of announcing the team on Friday was all about. Uninspiring lineup at that too. This could end in disaster.

Still think the best way to go is a young coach with a completely young squad that can build together as a group over 4-8 years rather than focusing over 2 year cycles. Qualifying is good but what's the point if you're not going to challenge, take a different approach and focus further ahead even if it means missing out on a tournament. I think there's a fear of doing that though because of the scrutiny the national team is constantly under.
 
Yeah pretty poor. In the end we probably deserved to win because we piled on the pressure in the final twenty minutes. However the sending off of Skrtel was crucial in the end I think, without it I think Slovakia would have comfortably held on. No real change from the Euro's, which is to be expected as it's basically the same team. Uninspiring is the word I think.
 
Tyldesley's words at half time summed it up for me. "75 nights ago in St Etienne, England dominated possession, created next to nothing, while Slovakia nearly scored from their one. Deja vu anyone?"

Skrtel sending off absolutely crucial, created loads after that but some poor finishing and poor play in general almost cost them. A lot of them same old problems occurring. Hopefully for England fans' sake, the result doesn't mask the same old problems, otherwise might well qualify but going nowhere really.
 
Honestly I've said it before and it still is true despite failure after failure...

Go back and watch a few England games in the last 10 years. Try and pick games where we are in white so the kits are consistently the same colour. Mute the commentary and just watch the game. You can watch game after game and you'd think you have the same one on loop. It's pathetic.

England haven't evolved or changed. It's the same nonsense no matter who is in charge. And it doesn't even seem to matter when we fail to qualify as we did a few years ago.

The worst thing that could have happened tonight was that late goal. Because some way the FA need a real eye opener and I'm not sure how that can happen but my god it needs to.

I'm not blaming Big Sam... Good on him for getting the job. But he was never going to shake things up. The team and squad was virtually the same as that God awful Euros. The style was pretty much the same and Slovakia knew what was coming and how to set up. England just don't have players technically good enough to open teams up. So they need to either look at other players who can or they need to change the style to suit the players more.
 
Couldn't have put it better myself, Rich. This is exactly the same England but with a new coach at the helm. We'll probably qualify but this group of players are not technically good enough to do anything in a major tournament. If a team sits behind the ball then we have no real class to unlock the door.

It's hard to know what Big Sam can do different. There are not an abundance of players out there who could come in and make a huge difference. I would like to give Drinkwater a go, just to see how he does. Henderson is dreadful. We need to get Wilshere fit and firing. Rashford should be in the squad without a doubt, and I may have my united hat on but Lingard should be in too. How did Walcott get in? He's done nothing for years.

All in all, watching England is pretty depressing as we haven't got any better since the Capello/McClaren days.
 
It's the same England with the same players and the same problems. Sam was not going to make big changes because that's not the kind of manager he is. And bottom line this group of players is not good enough.

I'm sorry but it's about time this country just realised that. Jordan Henderson? Works his legs off but isn't a good player. Sterling? Ok in flashes but doesn't create enough or for that matter score enough. Lallana? Exactly the same. Rooney? Sorry but he's past it. And I hear people bang the drum about Barkley and Alli? Good players on their day but still not good enough.

Sam really is in a hiding to nothing and I'm sure by the end he'll regret taking the job. Because what can he do? What can he really change or influence? Nothing! He's not got enough top players to pick from. And none of them are technically good enough.

Drinkwater is a good player, I like him a lot but does he really add that much more than Dier? I'm not sure he does... Certainly he doesn't change the dynamic of the team. Wilshere is about the only midfielder who can offer something different so let's hope he can get fit. And yes Rashford should be in there and by the time this qualifying campaign ramps up I'm sure he will be.

But it's pieces here and there... And what this team needed was a big change. It's a depressing time to be an England fan for sure.
 
All fair points. I feel for Sam indeed and like you say, Rich, he is on a hiding to nothing. It's a hard time to be an England manager because fans expect something now, we have had beaten into us that eventually we will be challenging for top honours but it's never arrived.

You look at some of the young English players around the country and apart from Rashford, none really stick out. You have a couple of the young Chelsea guys like Loftus Cheek and Solanke who are very good young players, along with guys like Redmond and Gray but I'm finding it hard to name young players who are shoe ins to be top drawer players. You put that in contrast with Germany, look at their young players, Dahoud, Weigl, Sane, Brandt, Meyer, I could go on and on. These are all going to be special footballers. Where is our talent? Makes you quite depressed when you compare our youngsters to other countries.
 
CtyQyiWXYAULszs.jpg
 
England 2-0 Malta - 8th October 2016

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.


To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 
Watched about the last 20 minutes whilst on the treadmill and to be honest it didn't look like an entertaining game. But then I guess England got the first half goals and after that could just ease off and conserve energy...
 
Rooney has been named on the bench for the game against Slovenia. I hear he was booed against Malta?
 
Booed by a couple of cretins who have no respect. Sure he is waning as his career winds on but to get booed after his years of service is disgraceful. Probably deserves to be on the bench but no doubt he'll come on as a sub. And I hope he scores and shuts up those fans.
 
England team v Slovenia: Hart; Walker, Cahill, Stones, Rose; Henderson, Dier; Walcott, Alli, Lingard; Sturridge.
 
Dire game. Don't even know why I bother watching England games, can't remember the last time I enjoyed an English performance.
 
I've been ambivalent towards England for a while. I want the team to do well but not bothered if they lose.
 
England's 25-man squad to face Scotland and Spain:

Forster (Southampton), Hart (Torino), Heaton (Burnley)

Bertrand (Southampton), Cahill (Chelsea), Clyne (Liverpool), Jagielka (Everton), Keane (Burnley), Rose (Tottenham), Stones (Man City), Walker (Tottenham)

Dier (Tottenham), Drinkwater (Leicester), Henderson (Liverpool), Wilshere (Bournemouth), Lallana (Liverpool), Lingard (Man Utd), Rooney (Man Utd), Sterling (Man City), Townsend (Crystal Palace)

Walcott (Arsenal), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Man Utd), Sturridge (Liverpool), Vardy (Leicester).

_92299332_groupftable.png
 
World Cup 208 Qualifier: England 3-0 Scotland - 11th November 2016

I didn't see the game. How did England play?
 
England squad for the friendly against Germany and the qualifier against Lithuania:

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, on loan from Man City), Tom Heaton (Burnley).

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man Utd), Michael Keane (Burnley), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Chris Smalling (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham).

Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Ross Barkley (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Man Utd), Jake Livermore (West Brom), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Nathan Redmond (Southampton), Raheem Sterling (Man City), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
 
I know there are a few players out but when you look at the squads of other top countries, you can see why we are lagging behind. Good to Jones, Shaw and Rashford in there.
 
England team v Germany: Hart; Keane, Smalling, Cahill; Walker, Dier, Livermore, Bertrand; Lallana, Vardy, Alli.
 
Was hoping Rashford would get a start as the #9. All set up for him to be subbed on as a winger.
 
Weakest ever England line up? Must be coming close to it. Obviously Germany have a few out as well but if you look at the second strings of Germany or France, then we look abysmal by comparison.

Not holding out much hope of a result but you never know. Hope to see Rashford get the second half but also Keane doing a good job, he has really come on leaps and bounds since leaving United.
 
0-0 at half time. Lallana his hit the post and Alli should have scored when 1v1 against Ter Stegen.
 
Keeping Blackett and McNair and selling Michael Keane was absolutely the right call! (sarcasm)
 

Login or Register

Forgot your password?
or Log in using
Don't have an account? Register now
Back
Top