Hodgson is to blame. He picked the wrong team and his tactics were poor. Throughout qualifying his main focus was on being a solid side. We turn up at the world cup and decide we want to appear as attacking, young and exciting side all of a sudden. A completely different mindset. England would have been better off playing Milner and Lallana on the flanks with Welbeck or Lambert up top and Rooney just behind. Cole at left back. In the group stages you want to be hard to beat and pick up points. Bore draws are better than throwing away three points to a rival team in the group. Particularly in the first game of the group. Hodgson playing Rooney on the left cost us the game and put us on the back-foot in the tournament immediately. The players that got selected tried their best, but the manager is ultimately to blame. He got the team wrong and his substitutions were equally as bad.
We have the players that should've been good enough, but as much as I like the guy, Roy is too "old school" and I don't feel he is a great motivator. I question the logic of having the experienced players, Gerrard and Lampard briefing the younger players on how "gutting" an early World Cup exit feels. It was evident that England played with fear against Uruguay, especially in defence, if they had been a bit braver I think that we would've got results in both games as I believe that Italy and Uruguay are average teams. I'm half expecting England to win against Costa Rica now as the shackles are off but I hope that Roy plays a more experimental team and give the young guns a chance.
I already knew that and neither that or what you said, do I find funny. I find it sad and very disappointing.
I think that Italy will draw with Uruguay and will go through on GD, they are two average teams and Costa Rica deserve the top spot.
It's self-deprecation. When you're in rubbish form, all you can do is laugh at yourself. Obviously I wouldn't want England to lose, but if you fail, you may as well fail spectacularly And to keep this thread on target, I think Italy will go through as well.
I agree Beefy, I think Italy will go out. I'm very happy for Costa Rica, as they were basically written off as the 4th place team in the group, but have qualified with a game to spare. Uruguay have match winners in Suarez and Cavani. I think they will go through.
PL has been practically timid with his words compared with what was said on Radio 5 - 606 programme last night. As it happens, I am not disillusioned by this team. It had low expectations. What I was astonished by was that Hodgson actually reverted to being a traditional England manager and player practically all the players he had before discovering all the new talent [bar Sterling]. What was the point in taking them..? He just played players from the top 6. Does he assume that those players have some sort of built-in ability to play better when the pressure is on..? Because they've let him down time and again. That's why he spent an entire season watching Saints - the see new talent and tactics. And he has utterly wasted them. I'm disappointed in Roy, and I was a fan of his appointment. But he is the same as every other England manager after Alf Ramsey [with the possible exception of Robson]. Too afraid to lose, and therefore can't allow the players to play to their potential. He didn't have this problem with Switzerland. He made them better than they'd been in ages. But England remain the same. BTW, thank you Italy for doing the sensible thing and putting England out of their misery.
The teams in England's group feature players who are all playing slightly above their normal capabilities, in sides where they have just as little chance to get together and play, so are just as unfamiliar. Whereas England feature players who are all playing at slightly below their best. It was ever thus in an international football tournament, post 1970. But what does it say..? The pundits go on about England not having any World Class players and therefore they can't do this or that, but Costa Rica have beaten everyone England have lost to... Bryan Ruiz can't even get in the Fulham team and they got relegated. Fact is, there is no simple answer to this. England's players are plenty good enough individually. but as a team they blow chunks. Their deficiencies are in their heads. Pundits say that it is down to very small things at this level. How about the wrong mindset..? They are so **** scared of losing it makes them afraid to perform.
Brilliant post. Agree with it completely. Hodgson just seemed to completely lose the plot. Though my disillusionment with the England team and football in general started in 2010!
Spot on analysis, we had the players to qualify but the old spectre of fearing to fail hamstrung the Team and Manager alike, causing them to underperform when it really mattered. It will be interesting to see how Roy approaches the Costa Rica game, will he admit he made mistakes and come up with an exciting, youthful line up?. I see Roy as a good Coach, but I question his motivational skill but the experienced players should take their share of the blame too.
Absolutely excellent post, I agree completely. Barely a single one of Costa Rica's players would get into our side. It was purely discipline, hard work and tactics that convincingly beat Italy yesterday. The sad fact is that we have a manager who based our whole footballing philosophy for a world cup on watching Saints and Liverpool games this season, without any thought as to how our players would fit the system. I don't think anyone can deny that all Hodgson has done is try and shoehorn the same 'favourite' players into the formation that Pochettino uses without understanding WHY Pochettino uses the system. The 4-2-3-1 relies on solid midfielders that help the defence, and requires technically excellent full backs with unbelievable energy. England have neither. We should have sacrificed an attacking player for a more rigid midfield.
No, I would have put an extra man in midfield. Although wilshere has been unlucky with injuries, I would probably have put him in a 4-3-3. I would also have played Lallana over welbeck as he can actually play football. It's mind boggling that we played a version of a 4-3-3 in the build up/qualifiers and did pretty well, and then changed to a 4-2-3-1, which effectively played to all of England's weaknesses and none of our strengths.
