The International Break

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The Ides of March

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2011
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Mallorca
Here we go again. Just as all clubs around Europe are getting their season under way, we have this inflicted by the daft footballing authorities. Although I have not looked at the international calendar, I suspect there will be another one in October and maybe another in the spring. Surely it would make more sense to clump the 3 different breaks into one big one in say December, once the group stages of the European club competition have been concluded. It would also give the international managers more quality time with their players to gel as a squad.
 
I never welcome the international break. Surely it just means longer of in-fighting with the fans, rather than the team putting it right.
 
Already ! I doubt I will even watch the qualifiers, no interest in the national time is at an all time low and it was none to high before are performance in France.
 
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Well I'm quite interested to see Sams first squad and how he sets up in these games tbh.
 
I never welcome the international break. Surely it just means longer of in-fighting with the fans, rather than the team putting it right.

Yes but it will also mean plenty of time for the new manager to work out what on earth he should do with the 9 new signings we are about to make and what formation to put them in.
 
Mods! If someone posts a thread on Sam's England squad, do we merge this and that thread to save space for more and interesting threads on page 1?
 
Just read on the SSN app the article about who Big Sam may choose and I honestly think that I've never been less interested in the England team.

We failed miserably over the last 8 ish years and have been pathetic on and off the pitch.

Largely the same players from the same clubs playing average football, players with talent having it drubbed out of them by clueless managers, the introduction of younger players following the one step forwards, two steps back model by playing them out of position, the continual tapping up of non top 6 club players, and the insistence of the FA that we are a footballing force in the world.

Although I won't give it anything other than a passing glance, I just hope that Big Sam is his own man and doesn't fall into the same trap as many England managers of recent years.

Well aware that this ain't a happy clapper post.... Thought I'd open up the debate though.....
 
^ spot on, we are awful. Wouldn't be surprised if it's a record-low attendance at Wembley.
I won't even bother watching
 
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Sam's first match? I bet there will be a decent crowd. We will qualify for the WC, but what the England manager has to do is get a good response in the actual tournaments. We are not a rubbish side...we are ever qualifiers and we can/have beaten most teams in the world. However, it is time that we won when it mattered.
 
First home match is Malta so don't see there being a decent crowd after the Euros regardless of the new manager.

I'd like to think Sam won't be a yes man for the FA and has the balls to tell people a few home truths.

I guess we'll see.
 
My frustration lays with the fact that we never take the exhibition/friendly/qualifiers as any part of a pre thought out plan.

The friendlies are better on the road, giving people that don't live in the Saaaarf a chance to see the games live but often are held in the same old same old grounds. We should mix it up and play at smaller grounds and create an atmosphere, let's go crazy and give fans from those grounds priority ticket sales...!!!

Experimenting is fine, but not different players and different systems in the same games or it becomes farcical. We know that on the South coast not too far away from St Mary's that succession planning is par for the course now. This doesn't seem evident on the pitch for England.... If one player is injured for England, we tend to adopt a new player and a new system-this new system often needs new/different players, and so the merry go round starts again.

I couldn't be more hopeful that Sam turns round and picks players on form. Just imagine a conversation where he says to one of the first names on the team sheet under Roy. I'm sorry Adam, you've been picked by team name alone so far, fancy touches and sideways passes won't cut it at this level and I'm not going to play someone on the vague off chance that he scores. I'm going to play Player X as he might play for Team Y and not be as fancy, but his results are better on the pitch.

The whole England DNA project is a cover story detracting from the real issues going on at the FA.
 
Will Sam go with a flat back 10 or will he be adventurous with a Brenda Diamond 4-4-2?
 
Weird how it comes with the end of the transfer window. There'll be players signed on DEADLINE DAY who don't go to their new clubs for over a week.
Will Sam go with a flat back 10 or will he be adventurous with a Brenda Diamond 4-4-2?

Would have thought it will be 8-1-1

Not sure who'd be in the 8, but the front two will be Nolan and Carroll
 
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