Post World Cup Reflection

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The main thing for me and has been mentioned by others is the buzz that this last 3 ½ weeks created.

From me constantly humming It's coming home to flags everywhere and non footballing people joining in the buzz.

The allowing me to dream.

Bringing together the nation.

I still say that 2018 was the year that football did come home.
 
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Positive - it felt easy to like the national team for the first time in ages.

Negatives - the focus people had on Sterling was weird, bordering on obsessive. Alli has a far, far less effective tournament, but was immune from that level of criticism.

(I’m not saying Alli, or anyone, should have been criticised, just that the Sterling-baiting made me very uncomfortable).
 
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The biggest positive for me is Southgate. His time with the U20’s and U23’s gave him experience with tournament football, which is as different from qualifying as chalk from cheese. He also won’t be afraid to bring young players into the squad and bin off the underperforming older ones, as he already has with the likes of Joe Hart and Gary Cahill. We will see this happen more and more as we (hopefully) go through qualifying for Euro 20.

Who knows, a Wembley final for a major championship, getting ahead of myself I know, but what an incentive!
 
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The main negative I can see is that now there will be loads of hype around 2020 and putting pressure on the team to perform, similar to the "golden generation". England weren't exactly great this tournament, did well to reach the semis but lost to the first really decent side they played. As FLT said, fine if you don't want to break it down game by game like he did in 1990, but that team failed to qualify for the next World Cup. I just think that the expectations level will be so high going into the Euros/2022 World Cup that a clearly talented group of players might struggle, especially if they are all still at Spurs and serial bottle jobs.
 
2019 is going to be an important year for English football. Both the U17s and the U20s England teams will go again in their respective World Cups, both looking to defend the title.

A poor performance by either or both, would suggest that 2017 may have just been a flash in the pan. But if we do well, and even reach the final of either, then that would suggest that the work being done at St. George's Park is definitely bearing fruit.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Ryan Sessegnon in the Premier League, as well as Jadon Sancho at B.Dortmund. Last season Mason Mount had a very successful loan at V.Arnheim, as did Ademola Lookman at RB Leipzig (need to get more youngsters abroad).

Hopefully this will be the season that Solanke, Foden, and various others also begin to make an impact. Lots of names to look out for!
 
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Black said:
2019 is going to be an important year for English football. Both the U17s and the U20s England teams will go again in their respective World Cups, both looking to defend the title.

A poor performance by either or both, would suggest that 2017 may have just been a flash in the pan. But if we do well, and even reach the final of either, then that would suggest that the work being done at St. George's Park is definitely bearing fruit.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Ryan Sessegnon in the Premier League, as well as Jadon Sancho at B.Dortmund. Last season Mason Mount had a very successful loan at V.Arnheim, as did Ademola Lookman at RB Leipzig (need to get more youngsters abroad).

Hopefully this will be the season that Solanke, Foden, and various others also begin to make an impact. Lots of names to look out for!
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Mason Mount’s old man used to be my club manager.
 
Le Tissier's Laces said:
Positive - it felt easy to like the national team for the first time in ages.

Negatives - the focus people had on Sterling was weird, bordering on obsessive. Alli has a far, far less effective tournament, but was immune from that level of criticism.

(I’m not saying Alli, or anyone, should have been criticised, just that the Sterling-baiting made me very uncomfortable).
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I think they were both crap. Can I have that opinion or is it borderline obsessive?
 
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Le Tissier's Laces said:
Positive - it felt easy to like the national team for the first time in ages.

Negatives - the focus people had on Sterling was weird, bordering on obsessive. Alli has a far, far less effective tournament, but was immune from that level of criticism.

(I’m not saying Alli, or anyone, should have been criticised, just that the Sterling-baiting made me very uncomfortable).
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spacedsaint said:
I think they were both crap. Can I have that opinion or is it borderline obsessive?
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Against Croatia I thought Sterling was playing better but got subbed, whereas he stayed on when he should have been taken off in earlier games. Alli or Lingard could have been taken off in that game and I also think that neither had a good tournament.
But I think the reason people concentrate on Sterling more is he hasn't scored for ages, regularly makes the wrong choices and disappoints more often than not for England. Despite this, the manager and the pundits all back him with exaggerated praise. He plays much better for City than he does for England and people are generally frustrated by him. I don't feel the criticism is anything but football based.
 
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fatletiss said:
No doubt it was an opportunity missed, but everyone seems to have agreed that on the night Croatia were better for 70% of that game and deserved to go through. It happens. Against Germany in 1990, I felt we probably just edged that game 52%-48% and lost. That was more heart breaking. I still think Chris Waddle’s shot is going in off the post :(
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50% <ok>

We were better for 20% (the first 25 minutes)

The other 30% was pretty even.



Delighted, by the way, that Southgate has kyboshed a bus parade. Another positive.
 
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Le Tissier's Laces said:
Positive - it felt easy to like the national team for the first time in ages.

Negatives - the focus people had on Sterling was weird, bordering on obsessive. Alli has a far, far less effective tournament, but was immune from that level of criticism.

(I’m not saying Alli, or anyone, should have been criticised, just that the Sterling-baiting made me very uncomfortable).
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Agreed.

Most football fans are ****ing idiots though, I've come to terms with that.
 
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fatletiss said:
Nobody can take away or make excuses for reaching the semi-final. It’s what the team did.

To put this into context, people from my generation go on about 1990, the only other time in my life that we reached a World Cup semi-final, as if it was magnificent (it was), but it wasn’t if you choose to pull it apart. You think I was positive and believed this year? You should have seen the 20 year old me back then!

1990

Group
Dog sh1t performance in 1-1 draw with Ireland.
Good performance in 0-0 draw with Netherlands
Poor performance in 1-0 win with Egypt

Round of 16
Outplayed by Belgium - stole it in last minute of extra time 1-0

Quarters
Out flight by Cameroon and nicked it in extra time.

Semi
Played really well against best team in it and lost on pens.


2018

Group
2-1 win against Tunisia in an ok performance. Could have been 4-0 up at half time.
Excellent performance in 6-1 win against a poor Panama
Lost with reserve team in dead rubber with Belgium 1-0

Rnd of 16
Controlled most of game in ok to good performance against a filthy, antagonising Colombian team. Won on penalties.

Quarters
Comfortably beat a solid Sweden 2-0. Yes our keeper made some good saves, but see killed the game then.

Semis
Lost with a poor performance to a good Croatia team 1-2 in extra time.


1990 is remembered as our greatest achievement since 1966. We were pretty poor apart from two games. So before we start pulling apart the 2018 team or undermining the achievement (I agree we are not an amazing team), we reached the semi-final of The World Cup. Fantastic achievement.

It’s been a great 3 weeks for me following and England team that allowed me to Dream again. Thanks Gareth and the boys. I don’t think it’s the start of a new beginning and I won’t have my expectations up for saying we’re going to win the next one or the Euros, but I will dream again, but I’m not going to undermine them. It is a great achievement and on the second time in my (nearly) 49 years that we’ve reached the semifinal of The World Cup.

I’ll look back fondly. Well done boys.

Thanks.
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You are highlighting England´s indifferent start in 1990. Well Italy surpassed that in 1982 with I thnk, 3 successive 0-0 draws just to qualify. We know the rest.

Interestingly, the backbone of that team was Juve.
 
The Ides of March said:
You are highlighting England´s indifferent start in 1990. Well Italy surpassed that in 1982 with I thnk, 3 successive 0-0 draws just to qualify. We know the rest.

Interestingly, the backbone of that team was Juve.
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They did. I’m not sure how that’s relevant to me saying that England’s 2018 achievement was equal to the 1990 England one in terms of performance, but hey ho...
 
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