England - the solution

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
elephant polo and snooker, and rugby and cycling and football management and tennis and making whiskey and playing the fiddle . . . . . in fact, you had the easiest road to the world cup in the tournaments history and you fluffed it big time, perhaps if you were not so self deluded it would not have been so hard on you. Your house was abandoned to you and the whole of Celtdom breathed a sigh of relief!

RUGBY????
LMAO

Originally posted by knightmeister
I agree and disagree.

The players are good enough to reach finals and semi finals.

I don't buy the "prima donna" jibe. English players have been under performing for years before the big money came in. There are many players in the current team who work hard for the cause. Rooney , for example , may have been rubbish but he was always trying. ...[text shortened]... at our top clubs do in Europe very successfully. They do not play 442 in Europe veyr often.

No, I disagree the English players are not semi-final or final quality. The standard is already clearly far too high in this tournament and the fact is that England have no world class players whatsoever in my opinion. The team is extremely overhyped and the poor English public (who I am genuinely sorry for) is effectively brainwashed by the media into expecting a long run which is just not credible. I watched BBC and ITV "analysis" of the English performances with increasing dispair for their inability to say what was plainly obvious to everyone else in the world that the English national side is perhaps slightly better than Slovenia, similar in standard to the USA and Algeria and a long way behind Germany. They may look good when supported by the best players in the world in the EPL but on their own the sum of their parts doesn't add up to very much.

Originally posted by Virtue76
RUGBY????
LMAO

sure, next time you come to Murryfield, you wont be so lucky!

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
sure, next time you come to Murryfield, you wont be so lucky!

Brag when you beat Australia away, not Argentina.

Originally posted by Virtue76
Brag when you beat Australia away, not Argentina.

Australia are our friends, we don't mind that, but the whole world loves giving you a tanking! whether its the Aussies or the Indians or the Pakistanis at cricket, the Germans or the Argies at football, The French , Irish and Scots at rugby, we love it!

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Australia are our friends, we don't mind that, but the whole world loves giving you a tanking! whether its the Aussies or the Indians or the Pakistanis at cricket, the Germans or the Argies at football, The French , Irish and Scots at rugby, we love it!

I agree with you there. It must hark back to when we used to kill everyone.

Originally posted by Virtue76
I agree with you there. It must hark back to when we used to kill everyone.

you could be right, a kind of perceived arrogance, i dont know. The problem so much for us isnt, that we do not like England, nor the English whom i have very much affection for, it is the media. Take for example the BBC, 'a whole nation united', - England. Please tell me what relevance that has to anyone born north of Gretna? that is correct , absolutely none. You have football pundits like that treacherous dog Hansen, could not bring himself to state that England were not looking that good. Hopeful yet delusional figures like Shearer, 'i think we are good enough and can win this and that', 'we have the players and the potential', etc etc my goodness he needs his bum felt to bring him back to reality. Did he watch the Algeria game, the game with the USA? i really wondered.

Brian Clough the last great English manager, (peace be upon him) would be turning in his grave at these misgivings, an Englishman too forthright and too outspoken for the national side, it reeks to the high heavens of snobbery and delusion. get a manager that can deal with the press, tell them where to get off, if they don't like it they can get stuffed, take the pressure from the players, not a disciplinarian, but create a family atmosphere as Clough did and you will do better! (did you know that when he signed Archie Gemmel that Clough went personally to his house, early in the morning, got him up out of bed and had breakfast with him, made by the hand of Gemmels wife?) Is it any wonder that those who worked under him are doing well, Martin O'Neil for example? enough pretence and enough nonsense - good luck to you!

resurrect Merlin and have him cast a spell on your opponents.

Originally posted by Red Night
resurrect Merlin and have him cast a spell on your opponents.

I think he was Welsh.

Originally posted by Diodorus Siculus
No, I disagree the English players are not semi-final or final quality. The standard is already clearly far too high in this tournament and the fact is that England have no world class players whatsoever in my opinion. The team is extremely overhyped and the poor English public (who I am genuinely sorry for) is effectively brainwashed by the media i ...[text shortened]... in the world in the EPL but on their own the sum of their parts doesn't add up to very much.

yes the media is a joke now- all these so called 'expart' analyst talking BS- they were already planing our road to the final even before the 1st game- jokers.

They are all to scared tosay the truth- incase the public accuse them of being un-patriotic......

The biggest joke this time round was how they were making fun of the 'Kasir' when he said England were going back-words.....and after the hammering by the germans proved that he was right- all these stupid experts never mentioned him again.

I think some of our players look good at club level because they play with world class players from all over the world at that level- but when they have to fend for themselfs as 'england' they show their true worth----- worthless!

Originally posted by Diodorus Siculus
No, I disagree the English players are not semi-final or final quality. The standard is already clearly far too high in this tournament and the fact is that England have no world class players whatsoever in my opinion. The team is extremely overhyped and the poor English public (who I am genuinely sorry for) is effectively brainwashed by the media i ...[text shortened]... in the world in the EPL but on their own the sum of their parts doesn't add up to very much.

You are but a voice in the wilderness. Absolutely right on every point! EPL is mere props for the great foreign players who get some exposure in EPL then move to a real league like La Liga or Bundesliga. England marches backwards egged on by butt kissing press! Once they are eliminated then they turn on them like so may hyennas! I've been trying for two weeks at opening blind English eyes and they set upon me like jackals!

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
You are but a voice in the wilderness. Absolutely right on every point! EPL is mere props for the great foreign players who get some exposure in EPL then move to a real league like La Liga or Bundesliga. England marches backwards egged on by butt kissing press! Once they are eliminated then they turn on them like so may hyennas! I've been trying for two weeks at opening blind English eyes and they set upon me like jackals!

That's cause you keep talking rubbish. Care to give a list of great players who've moved from the EPL to the Bundesliga?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
elephant polo and snooker, and rugby and cycling and football management and tennis and making whiskey...

Rumbled you! There's no way a real Scot would spell it "whiskey". Malt "whisky" however, is the drink of the gods.

Originally posted by mtthw
Rumbled you! There's no way a real Scot would spell it "whiskey". Malt "whisky" however, is the drink of the gods.

Lol, part Irish mate!

Originally posted by spurs73
yes the media is a joke now- all these so called 'expart' analyst talking BS- they were already planing our road to the final even before the 1st game- jokers.

They are all to scared tosay the truth- incase the public accuse them of being un-patriotic......

The biggest joke this time round was how they were making fun of the 'Kasir' when he said Engla ...[text shortened]... en they have to fend for themselfs as 'england' they show their true worth----- worthless!

I'm not buying the "players aren't good enough" line for one minute. The England players may not do many tricks or step overs etc but they definitely have the skills. We have all seen them do it in th EPL. On on form Rooney , Gerrard or Lampard are amongst some of the best ball strikers and passers in the game. Ashley Cole is a fantastic rampaging fullback and a good finisher for a defender. John Terry doesn't look out of place in the Champions League. David James is a highly athletic goalkeeper. Joe Cole - well enough said - and Beckham (when around) was the best free kick taker and crosser in the world. And a fit Rio Ferdinand is a high quality ball playing defender.

We have the players!!! These players at their peak would be snapped up by many top European clubs. We can see their first touch is good and their turns and dribbles in the premier league. We know they are not donkeys. They can all play , they all can play passes into space and take on other players. On our day we have beaten the likes of Argentina. We are a country who have produced the likes of Paul Scholes and Joe Cole and we will again.

The problem is that football is a team game and we have no identity or structure to our play. The players look confused and dodn't know what they are supposed to be doing. Add to this the fear factor and expectations (+ some disharmony) and good players can look like numpties. The reverse can also happen - average players can be made to look good by a good system.

I agree that England's chances are always over hyped , but I don't think our players are bad - the trajedgy is that the golden generation have never had a golden system or a golden manager to blend it all together. The media always forget that football is a team game. A team that does not gel is useless.

Make no mistake - there is an alternate universe out there somewhere with a Mourinho type figure in charge of England who are playing in a World Cup Final with the same players............and they are playing some good football.