Should have won mate and that's the problem ... ... 1-0 up and we handed the game to Italy. Most people were saying it, at the time, so it's not hindsight tbf. Mrs Smug must've muttered 'stop sitting back' a dozen times before Italy scored, then went to bed. The penalties were just a sick joke.
the penalties are my only gripe. professionals piss farting about. however the rest of it, all of it, I'm over the moon.
Made some great saves and proved he's a man for the biggest stage in football. He had a hell of a tournament. Very proud of him.
One other thing, since when was grabbing a player from behind by the scruff of the neck with the only intention of stopping him skining you and with no intention of playing the ball not a Red and only deemed the same punishment as let's say, kicking the ball away in a huff? or do you get away with it because you're 90 years old with 400 caps?
dont get me wrong, the lads have done well to reach a first final in 55 years and i am pleased as feck for them...i am obviously gutted we lost and lost in such a way, i even changed my tune in support of southgate after i had some doubts before the tournament began...but i genuinely feel he got a lot wrong tonight but you are correct, some of the newer lads have done remarkably well so hopefully as a team they can improve further.
there were at least two others. the one on grealish and an earlier one (on stones?) off the ground, over the ball and studs first...i thought those types of tackles were to be punished a lot harder in the tournament. overall though i think the standard has been high from the refs.
He's done great to get this far but I think Southgate's tactics let him down tonight. There were 2 centre halves who in international terms even though they were great players were on their last legs and we didn't test them with any kind of pace
Southgate. Needs to go. I bet anyone on this forum could have got us to the final with this squad and draw. Also threw a 19 year old lad under the bus by allowing him to be number 5. Pickford. Yes I'm absolutely biased. But knight this kid. He did everything he could to win us that trophy and was a better defenders reaction from the best save at Wembley since monty for their goal. Losing a final Wembley. Felt worse for the checkatrade to be honest.
Yet he could have at least ended up taking a sudden death penalty! Missing your last ones is no excuse. As a forward does he use the same thinking not to take shots? Do you think that a player can't be coached to take a penalty? With a national sides entire elite coaching and sport's psychology set up at your disposal you learn and you practice, practice, practice.
I just find it odd and very questionable when "experience" gets you off with a lot more. Rules are rules and just because you've won the world Cup 5 times shouldn't mean you get away with more. I'm not clutching at straws or anything, but I thought VAR was supposed to even it up.
Needs to go after getting us to 2 semi finals and a final in 4 years? France had better players and they got no where. Belgium had better players and didn't get as far. Southgate record is better than any managers in 55 years
Come on now, Southgate planned the whole inflatable unicorn thing - should at least get a knighthood for that piece of tactical genius shouldn't he?!
There was quite a lot of luck that obscured our shortcomings tbh ... ... the teams we beat weren't great, the team we lost to weren't that much better. Our best chance for decades thrown away through being timid.
He will probably get the world cup finals in Qatar coz that is where the FA targetted England's next tournament win.
