Roy Hodgson has had the cheek to state that he was very happy about his preparations for the World Cup. That is somewhat akin to the famous quotation "apart from that Mrs Lincoln how was the show". The only preparation they did was with something labelled "H" for horror. What a joke!
I cant even be bothered to get upset about England these days. My love of the national team died a long time ago when it became apparent that stardom and money was more important than the actual sport The sad fact is I just don't care now. A bit like the players......
Apathy is alive and well in my house as well angelic and I can't even be bothered to watch England play (now there's an oxymoron if ever I heard one) again. The usual excuses and apologies are drifting from the England camp and yet for some mysterious reason they still belive they are gods in the salary department. Makes me sick just to hear their pleas expecting us to fell sympathetic - get lost I say.
C'mon lads, look on the unbelievably bright side - the Premier League is bloody awesome - we have the best league in the world with the most money and the best players. Some of them can speak English too! Everything is rosy..........(surgical removal of tongue from cheek now required....).
and therein lies the problem,the sooner we"re rid of second rate " carlos kickaballs" here to make a quick(million) bucks and then piss off back where they came from the better,they do nothing for our game and leave no lasting legacy,exept that of greed and indifference,and are a rank example to any kids around them.
After hearing Harry Redknap say on Radio this am saying that when at Tottenham he had players come to him and ask him to help them get out of England games, I have no love for the prem. league, would be happy to pick players from League 1 and 2 and put them in the England team, probably guarantee that they would have passion for the England team and results couldn't be a lot worse.
If you're pissed off about how England fared, you should read Danny Mills article on the BBC site. For context, Danny Mills was a part of the consultation that put forward the "B Teams" idea, and his article basically says "Told you so", going further to suggest that English football needs to stop thinking about the "average" teams in favour for the "Elite" teams. Yes, there aren't enough English players playing at the highest level. People like Danny Mills are happy to point the finger at the lack of opportunities in the Premier League, but as of yet no one has pointed the finger at the English players. It's simple logic really. If there are twenty top teams and five places for English talent in the average Premier League team there are 100 spots in the highest level of football in England. B Teams add more places in these teams, but it doesn't increase the number of teams competing. If you want more places you need to look outside of the Premier League, and outside of England. The "Tom Ince" saga epitomises everything I hate about English footballers. Tom Ince had Inter Milan interested in signing him, but rather than sign a contract and become a bit-part player for one of the biggest teams in football he rejected them and will probably end up at a team that will be fighting relegation in the Premier League. For me, if we want to expand the talent pool we should be pushing our youngsters out into Serie A, La Liga, the Eredivise, the Bundesliga, any league that would take our youngsters. Sure, they won't make as much outside of England, but they will get regular football, and the lucky ones will get European football. Hell, players like Matt Derbyshire played in the Champions League for Olympiakos and then joined Championship teams, so it's not like the best English players will get European football... The FA are scared of the Premier League, and the reason England are failing is because no one has the balls to suggest that there is more to football than the Premier League. If England fails it must be because of the Premier League. It couldn't possibly be the players, could it?
When the champions of your country have in the main, one Englishman in their side, then your asking for trouble...Man.City F C does nothing for the progress of our national team.
Isn't it time to return to the days where you were only allowed 4 foreign nationals on the pitch at one time? Not sure whether I have my facts straight on this one but you must know what I mean when I say the teams that field mostly overseas players are not doing our international reputation any good. Perhaps if the footballing powers changed the rules then maybe the off shore ownership groups would pack up their bags and take their players with them which in many peoples opinion would be a good thing. And while I am on this subject the same applies to the European Union as well and good riddance Bosman, or whatever your name is.
One of the main reasons they scrapped the foreigners rule was because of England, Scotland Wales and Irish. They didn't use common sense and bunch them as UK players. When Man U was in Europe they had Irvine Keane and Giggs along with a few others that they had to keep dropping one so they kicked up about it. I think all they really wanted was British players to be classed the same.
The problem is how to keep the four Home nations as separate countries for football, while, at present, they are one country in the EU. To argue that now would immediately make it impossible for each to have a separate existence and we would become UK United which is what all the other countries really want. They hate the fact that one country has four separate international teams. Also hated by many countries is the fact that the four Home nations have four seats on the Laws Committee. I assume that the laws committee is deliberately kept to a small number because it makes it easier to reach agreement on law changes. To involve all FIFA members would just clog up the system because to get a consensus with 200 plus countries is nigh impossible. With the four Home nations permanent members, it allows rule changes to be tested in UK before worldwide introduction. If Scotland leave GB/UK, I wonder if their place may be under threat?
Many foreign leagues would not want English players. Having been to watch Ajax, Alkmar, Breda, Den Haag, Feynoord, Utrecht ,Willem II and others play many English players would have too many fundamental flaws in their football to be in any demand. The Dutch appreciate the football, English players do not. As my Dutch friends state Dutch football is quick, quick, slow not quick, quick, quicker and higher. Watching an unders eights game between Willem II and Feynoord before a match was an enlightening experience. Even at that eary age you could see the synergy between kids teams and how the Netherlands produces players that can adapt to any league.
