What a wonderful half of football - how much has Welbeck won in the air? Even Milner's playing well, but Rooney looks well out of sorts, and blowing hard and Young isn't making an impression at all. Interplay between Parker and Gerrard is tremendous. We can do this, I'm sure we can.
I still know that G Johnson is bound to lose us a game at some point, just such a liability. Great match of football, would rather a boring win though ):
Oh well - did great to get this far, and to take them to penalties but we were well outplayed tonight. Congratulations to all concerned and in the words of CP, "We move on."
Hard luck lads Really thought you'd win that, but the better team on the day goes through. I'm looking forward to that semi-final.
I'm Italian on my great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great Grandad's side anyway. He built roads don't you know.
How is it that ALL our players play in the 'best' league in the world and most of the Italian players play in the Italian league (4th ish best?) yet technically they were far far better than us?
In grassroots we reward effort, in Italy, Spain etc they reward the technical players. We need to start from the bottom up if we want a successful national team. We don't have that "bulldog" spirit that other national team managers speak of.
Happy to see Spain go through, Ronaldo wanting to be the hero with the 5th penalty and not getting the chance made it perfect.
Because its not the English players that make it the best league in the world. Perhaps the odd few (Rooney, maybe Gerrard), but its the likes of Drogba, Silva, Van Persie etc who make it such an attractive League. Take out all the foreign players and what are you left with? About two teams max of top class English talent, then the rest of the teams being made up of Lower Premiership and Championship quality players.
Do people think Ronaldo bottled it? A lot of debate on it at the moment. I think it was a horrible tactical decision that went very wrong - not he bottling it.
Either way it was a stupid decision. He should have put himself forward to take one of the first few, NOT bottle it/want to take all the credit and glory for the win. Its a team game.