No penalty for me either - even if Howard Webb thought it was! I thought he'd stretched to get there first, knew he had no control of the ball so went down. Think the ref didn't give the yellow for diving becuase he was already on a yellow - bottled the red card decision. Good goal though!
Well done to Everton last night. Could this be a repeat of 1966 in the following manner. Everton won the FA Cup in that year, same again this? Could Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund meet in the final of the EL, 50 years after meeting in the ECWC that year. And ........ can England win a trophy 50 years after the World Cup? What are the odds folks?
Everton, yes. Borrusia Dortmund to win, yes. To play Liverpool, maybe. England? Keep taking the tablets, mate.
Who would have expected Greece in 2004? Who would have expected Watford and Crystal Palace to get this far in the FA Cup, Leicester and Spurs to be 1st and 2nd in the PL? I have a funny feeling England will do well if Hodgson picks players with vitality like Alli, Kane, Vardy, Barkley and dumps the fudgy ones like Carrick and Henderson, and Rooney is left on the bench.
Of course I'd love you to be right. I was in my early 20's in 1966. It seemed England had really turned a corner. Despite what some might say about home advantage and dodgy linesmen, we did play well. We were superb against Portugal, and the Germans were well beaten albeit they'll still whinge (I still don't think their 89th minute free kick was right, but hey). We looked great in 1970. Second best team there after the magnificent Brazilians. Had we qualified in 1974 we'd have pushed the Germans as Poland did .. and then, and then it all seemed to start going downhill ... Keep the faith, mate. I'd love to be proven wrong!
My stream konked out just after the goal and so I never saw that. I was ball watching and it appears so was Atkinson. Easy mistake to make, I think. Much as I wouldn't want to give ManU anything.
Kane and Vardy both on 19 goals this season. Can't wait to see Rooney and Welbeck up front at the Euros.
The argument (as trotted out by pundits, and most England managers) is that these players (and most other England players from the 'big' clubs) have the 'experience and big game mentality', so they are preferred over others, who are not from the 'big' clubs. The only problem with this theory is that England have not won anything for a very long time, and players who deserve the chance to show what they can do for England are passed over, unless and until they join a 'big' club, when suddenly they magically possess the 'big game mentality' that they couldn't possibly have had before. Or am I being unduly cynical?
2 words: Geoff Hurst. West Ham weren't as big a club as Tottenham in 1966, and yet they had 3 players in the England World Cup Final team, with Hurst replacing Jimmy Greaves. I just hope that Hodgson has at least a tiny fraction of Alf Ramsey's vision and we see a team picked on merit for once.
England managers have traditionally played the players who were used to the big occasion, ie. those who came from the big clubs, and consequently they must be the best players. The last one who regularly didn't was Alf Ramsey. He played the players who would fit his system. He was completely happy to play Second Division [Championship] players if it suited his purpose. Under him, two Saints players, Paine and Channon, appeared for England while both Second Division players. I think Bobby Robson played Steve Bull while he was a lower league player though. Here's radical. I wouldn't take Rooney to the Euros whether he was injured or not. England have to get past the Rooney era. He's never really excelled and that isn't going to change at 30. So get the most in-form player in to replace him. If he must go then I wouldn't make him a starter.
Brilliant. Personal highlight "Leicester are, like 8 points ahead of us! They win tomorrow they go......I think it's....11 points clear of us!"
