The reason Portugal didn't get out the group was because Pepe twatted Muller and got send off. Nothing to do with Ronaldo.
Totally agree Jezz. I've got a nephew aged 13 who has had a ball at his feet since he was able to walk. He was the smallest in his local team by a good 7/8 inches but stood out massively as he's as dedicated as he is genuinely gifted. He got scouted by a number of clubs but opted for Rotherham's academy. He's done 2 seasons and has begged to go back to his local team, totally fed up on the coaches attitude towards him and how the team plays. Big lads get picked out no matter how talented the smaller ones are. I say this with no bias but he honestly could've been a star. He's fallen out of love with football but what's worse is that he's had that love sapped out of him by the people trusted to nurture and encourage football talent.
Argentina 78 my first memory! My thoughts on our demise at WCs is purely down to money! The riches for staying in the EPL are so great that clubs will sacrifice using English players for a cheaper foreign option or an expensive proven foreign player! Ask most of the big clubs with foreign owners and a large amount of foreign players they will say they would take a league title over England winning something!
Fouls rarely get called in the young leagues as well, one of the aforementioned giants could sit on you and the ref would do **** all. Hardly promising for gifted players.
Neither of you have made a point there. Patches originally said Rooney (and others') celebrity-like status and behaviour is the reason England haven't succeeded at recent tournaments. But Ronaldo, arguably the biggest 'celebrity' footballer going, who unlike Rooney and other English players actually seems to genuinely prefer personal success to his team winning, still has a massive impact on his national team and is their most effective player by far. So it obviously isn't just that. That doesn't explain it either. All countries have a domestic league where the clubs are primarily focussed on winning the league. What's the difference here? Why should English players be more expensive than foreign ones? I know they usually are but why? I don't understand the argument about the PL, what have clubs got to gain by picking players based on nationality, sure they'll just get the best players they can regardless of nationality, same as in every other country? There's dozens of theories on this but very few of them really make sense.
Ronaldo's actually effective for his national team though, Rooney isn't. English football needs massive reforms, if we don't change our ethos we'll be stuck with mediocrity and a lack of success.
Lots of managers have been quoted as saying English players are more expensive! But that wasn't my point! It's the fact that the rewards for staying in this league is the reason why we have players knackered when they turn up for world cups! Some teams who aren't in an equally competitive league can maybe ease off towards the end of the season! But in the EPL it's full on from top to bottom because of finances! Just a thought.
Maybe at young ages we should have teams based on height. A big lump with little real skill would soon look a chump playing against lads of similar height.
So are you giving up on the original point you made that celebrity status is the reason? I'm confused. I think you're right with that one and it's a point I've made before. It won't be the only thing, but fatigue is a bigger problem for PL players than those playing elsewhere. Look at Germany's squad. Ozil looks ****, Mertesacker is a weakness and Podolski seems to have gradually lost his place since moving to England. It's the ones based in Germany that are doing well for them. It was obvious it made a big impact at the last Euros, I remember we had Gerrard and Parker playing CM, both looking more and more knackered with every game, and the cover was so poor we didn't swap it around at any point. But what's the answer, would getting more players playing abroad help? But who's responsible for that?
Celebrity status wasn't a reason in the first place, it's just something that separates us from the Germans.
Money!!! The fear of relegation! That's why we have fantastic end of season games because champions league places, euros and relegation makes nearly all our teams play their guts out right to the end, when most teams in other countries have taken their foot off the gas physically and mentally.
it's not as simple as you are all making out, there are a number of factors all affecting the English national team's performances. 1. Lack of winter break - fatigue during tournaments 2. Lack of top English players in the PL/CL 3. Football not being played at grassroots level/in the streets 4. Players priorities being more with their clubs who pay the wages than the national team 5. Competitive football at too much a young age & pressure on results rather than performance
So, kind of what everyone has been saying. Except the winter break and the wages, which could apply to all european teams.
Pretty much all other countries have a winter break, where as we have a heavy Christmas/new year schedule.
I really don't understand how tiredness comes into football. I play 90 minutes every week and train twice a week and I don't get 'tired'. It's not like they're playing 6 matches a day three times a week. If you play once a week (sometimes twice) then you shouldn't be getting knackered over a long period of time.
Do they? Well, the more you know! I suppose that goes to show how money driven the Prem is by getting loads of football in the holiday period.
I think a big thing is the economical status of our country compared to many others. If you ever go for a walk around Spain, the families are poor, the kids don't have a lot, they entertain themselves by playing sports all the time. here, all the kids have play boxes and x-stations, they all spend a great deal of time at home playing computer games, they have gadgets like remote control cars, top of the range push bikes, rugby is a massive competitor in many parts of the country at a young age. no amount of grassroots coaching or anything will ever help us create the amount of properly class kids a country like Spain or Brazil does when their kids are playing football every day where as our kids probably go out and play 2 or 3 times a week at the most. That's what needs addressing. and a massive factor for that is no facilities to play on. In the village where I grew up the only real place to play was on the school pitches but we weren't allowed on there, and when spotted the police or security were called to chase us off.
Winter break is massive. Uefa have undertaken studies that show that a player is four times more likely to be injured in the last three months of the Premier League than other major leagues in Europe. Plus The Premier League is the most demanding league in the world. I'd like to a minimum of two weeks off after the third round of the FA Cup. I'd also get rid of one the games at Christmas.
